Like it or not, it is the best time to be a Star Wars fan.
Despite the controversy, hateful fans, and toxic online banter, Star Wars content continues to grow and redefine the brand of the galaxy far far away.
We have more Star Wars than ever. That fateful day in 2019 when we all watched the Mandalorian touch hands with the mysterious Child, the future of the franchise was changed forever.
Plans for that change had started long before the premiere of Mandalorian. Disney bought Lucasfilm almost 6 years prior in 2012. They quickly announced new movies and a possible television show. Disney+ was only a concept at the time. That sale was the beginning of a new era of Star Wars.
Sure, it had a clunky start. The sequel movies, while entertaining, left a lot to be desired by fans. It was a first step and a growing pain for Lucasfilm’s new owners. But Star Wars is more than its worst movies. When The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, many fans were turned off by its clunky dialog, unfamiliar story, and unfortunate character choices (you know the one).
Similar pains continued through the next two movies; granted, they have their problems. Every Star Wars movie has problems, except for Rogue One and possibly Empire Strikes Back, fans universally love few films.
The biggest problem is the inability of fans to exist in a space where criticism of the movies and passionate love of the film are both valid. There were a lot of problems with Attack of the Clones. I could go on for days about Revenge of the Sith. They’re still Star Wars.
We are in the largest era of Star Wars. We not only have nine movies that follow the core family of the Skywalkers, but there are six live-action shows, two animation shows, and even Visions. This concept show allowed artists from all over the world to re-imagine Star Wars through the lens of different cultures and settings.
Few franchises have reached this level of artistry and scope. Have expanded beyond the original set of characters. Few have a back catalog this size and a fanbase so dedicated. Aside from Star Trek and Superhero movies, there is little comparison.
Not only do we have more shows and movies than ever, but Disney has been smart about how they release their content. Streaming services changed the game when it came to releasing television shows. Gone are the days when networks and studios had to balance and gamble which night of the week families would be home to watch their new show. Now streaming services can just pick a day and fans can pick it up whenever they want. But more than that, unlike Netflix and some other services, Disney had kept that once-a-week tradition from Network television. That is what keeps fans coming back--having a whole week to anticipate the next episode, making guesses and theories, and discussing it with your friends.
The age of YouTube and TikTok had only fed into this. Content Creators have seized the opportunity to meticulously review and break down every episode for fans, and spout theories to keep the excitement going. They create hype and interest without Disney putting much effort into advertising. For Acolyte they invited some of the top content creators to a roundtable with the director and let them ask questions and discuss the upcoming show. They weren’t given a lot of details or spoilers, but it didn’t matter. The creators were excited. They shared that excitement with their followers.
Star Wars is a vast universe with a lot of stories to tell. Now more than ever we are living in a Golden Age where this corporate giant wants to give us new stories. We not only have the means to watch and rewatch our favorites at will, but we also have more interconnectivity to share our love (and sometimes our hate) of the fandom we care about the most.
It’s the Golden Age of Star Wars.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to like every moment of it. Let the good and the bad exist and be happy we are getting the highest level of content ever created.
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