Star Wars Is About to Enter Its Best Era And Here’s Why

The Star Wars franchise has traversed plenty of ups and downs over the years, but a new, brighter age may be on the horizon. Rumors of Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy’s impending retirement recently began swirling. Being hand-picked by Star Wars creator George Lucas in 2012, Kennedy has overseen the franchise’s Disney era, as well as its sequel movie trilogy and expansion to live-action TV series. Kennedy later clarified that she does not plan to retire in the immediate future, rather she is merely looking at potential successors for when she does decide to step down. Although the timing of Lucasfilm’s new leadership is uncertain at the moment, the beloved sci-fi fantasy franchise can capitalize on its past triumphs and mistakes.

Kennedy’s time at the helm of Star Wars has been largely defined by experimentation. After the IP made its long-awaited comeback on the big screen with 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, numerous spin-off films and TV series were produced in addition to the latter two sequel trilogy films. Having observed how new projects and strategies have turned out, the next head of Lucasfilm can learn a lot and build a more successful next era as a result.

[RELATED – How Star Wars Can Fix the Franchise as It Enters a New Era]

Why the Future of Star Wars Is Bright

The next generation of Star Wars appears promising because previous trials and errors will likely pay off. First of all, the mixed reception of the sequel trilogy can pave the way for a more carefully constructed new chapter of the main saga, which also doesn’t need to be rushed this time thanks to Star Wars’ extensive library of TV shows and spinoffs. 2019 marked the beginning of the franchise’s live-action TV sector on Disney+ with The Mandalorian. Since then, Star Wars: Andor, Star Wars: Ahsoka, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew represent Star Wars’ best TV series, with Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett, Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Star Wars: The Acolyte failing to earn the widespread approval of critics and fans. It’s clear that Star Wars is still figuring out its TV formula in terms of pacing, number of episodes, number of seasons, and characters and stories to focus on. Thus, the numerous examples from the last six years should help Lucasfilm’s next leader achieve a greater sense of stability in that area.

Spin-off films such as 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story saw varying degrees of success, and the upcoming spinoff The Mandalorian and Grogu will provide another specimen for this category, as well as reveal if transitioning a TV series into a theatrically released movie is an avenue worth pursuing again. Whoever takes over for Kennedy as Lucasfilm’s president will have all sorts of data available to them, meaning they can assess what did and didn’t work relating to recent Star Wars properties and plan accordingly for the days to come.

In Its Next Era, Star Wars Can Prove Its Ability to Adapt

If the next era of Star Wars succeeds, it will prove its ability to learn from shortcomings and adapt to the present and future. This adaptation will principally involve Star Wars’ handling of nostalgia. If the Disney age has indicated anything, it’s that Star Wars has perpetually relied too much on the old guard of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and other icons from the original trilogy. There’s a need to evolve beyond the prosperity of decades past and offer something for newer fans and younger generations to be excited about. Centering projects on sequel-era characters and/or introducing brand-new faces will be pivotal in determining whether Star Wars can prevail in the long run.

Star Wars currently seems headed in the right direction, as bold new filmmakers like Taika Waititi, James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Simon Kinberg all have titles in the works. Introducing fresh minds to the franchise always carries a significant upside, previously evidenced by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s work in the last few years. Ultimately, when it comes to the future of Star Wars, the key will be finding a balance between all of the franchise’s different time periods, storylines, and mediums. From TV to the big screen, Star Wars can accomplish in its forthcoming era.

All Star Wars titles are available to stream on Disney+.

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