Credit: LucasfilmThe first two episodes of Ahsoka were just released, to overall excitement and high expectations. The show marks the first time that former Jedi Ahsoka Tano is headlining her own series.
First introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Ahsoka quickly became one of the most popular Star Wars characters of all time. She would eventually be introduced into the live-action Mando-Verse with an appearance in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. Now, she’s back on Disney+ with her own live-action series, starring Rosario Dawson as the titular character, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, and Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Even before its release, Ahsoka was changing the Disney+ trend with the announcement that the series would be breaking from the typical Disney+ release time. Recently, most of the series released on the streaming platform were released on Wednesdays, with a late-night release time of 3 a.m. ET or midnight PT, meaning most of the Western world either had to stay up late to watch as episodes were released or wait until the following morning/day to see the latest episode.
However, Ahsoka has broken that trend, with new episodes to be released on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, rather than overnight on Wednesdays. While this is the first time a major Star Wars series has broken the trend, it coincides with another major overhaul from Marvel’s upcoming release.
Following the disappointment that was Secret Invasion, it was announced that Loki Season 2 would be released on Fridays rather than Wednesdays. Loki was, and continues to be, one of the most popular MCU series on Disney+, even as the nearly dozen other series have fallen flat. The first season of the show, which features Tom Hiddleston revising his role as Loki and introduces both Owen Wilson to the MCU as Mobius M. Mobius and Sophia Di Martino as the Loki variant called Sylvie, effectively introduced the multiverse saga to Phase Four and set up Kang the Conqueror (played by Jonathan Majors) as the next major villain.
Excitement for the second season is already high, with the trailer alone breaking records and speculation that Loki Season 2 could turn Marvel’s string of disappointing releases around. It’s now possible that fans could have even more to look forward to, if Loki follows in Ahsoka’s footsteps and releases episodes early.
With Disney+ still struggling to make itself profitable, and the landscape of streaming changing before our very eyes, bumping Loki to a Thursday night 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT release window could draw in more viewers, subscribers, and numbers. It allows streaming to copy the trend popularized by cable television, creating a sense of urgency while allowing viewers the opportunity to gather and watch it with friends and family all at once rather than scattered across next day.
Marvel desperately needs a homerun with Loki if it wants to see the MCU revitalized,and if Ahoska is successful with its new timeslot, it could be the start of a major shift across the Disney+ platform.
Do you think Disney will change Loki’s release schedule? Would it matter to you if they did? Let us know what you think in the comments below!