Credit: LucasfilmThe Walt Disney Company’s take on the Star Wars galaxy has been significantly mixed. The divisive sequel trilogy created a rift in the four-decade-old fandom, but the smattering of Disney+ shows–including The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka–have brought fans back around. Now, a new prequel-era project will highlight a major change, eradicating years of hard work.
Disney and Rewriting the galaxy far, far away
Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 reportedly cost $4.05 billion. The entertainment giant bought George Lucas’s famed studio and, with it, gained control of the galaxy far, far away. Not long after the purchase, Disney and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy brought the first installment in the sequel trilogy.
Taking place years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015) brought a new wave of heroes and villains to the franchise. Joining the historic trio of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) were Star Wars newcomers Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren/Ben Solo.
Between 2015 and 2019, Disney’s sequel movies amassed over $4 billion, with The Force Awakens beating out Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019) as the most lucrative, netting $2 billion globally.
But despite its box office power, the sequels were massively divisive. Following J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens, Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi became the most polarizing Star Wars film to date, leaving Kathleen Kennedy to bring back J.J. Abrams for The Rise of Skywalker. Abrams’ return, though, didn’t do much to repair the fissures The Last Jedi created and instead brought many other problems to the Skywalker Saga.
The surprise arrival of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and his resurrection through cloning has left the Star Wars franchise open to scrutiny. The lack of context for his survival has caused a multi-media initiative to lace explanations and easter eggs through the timeline to cement this creative decision. In 2021, Abrams acknowledged the lack of direction in Disney’s Star Wars.
“…the lesson is that you have to plan things as best you can, and you always need to be able to respond to the unexpected,” the Lost creator told Collider. “And the unexpected can come in all sorts of forms, and I do think that there’s nothing more important than knowing where you’re going.”
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Star Wars now seems to have a clearer direction on what stories it wants to tell and where it wants to go. However, that doesn’t stop the franchise from continuing to fill in the gaps and answer age-old questions.
Disney’s Star Wars reveals significant Jedi change
Since 2021, Disney has been showcasing the golden age of the Jedi. The powerful Force users have been a staple part of the Star Wars franchise since its inception in 1977, with some of the most famous characters being part of this group. From Luke Skywalker to Ahsoka Tano, Rey to Anakin, and Yoda to Mace Windu, the Jedi are the franchise. In the acclaimed Clone Wars series, Star Wars highlighted even more Jedi while exploring the time between Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005).
Three years ago, Star Wars began its sweeping High Republic era initiative, which spans 500-100 years before the events of Lucas’s prequel trilogy. During this time, the Jedi have been showcased as true leaders, installing outposts across the galaxy to aid and guide as many as possible. This golden age of the Jedi has been brought to life by a series of acclaimed authors, such as Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, and Daniel José Older, across novels, comic books, short stories, and audio dramas.
However, the years of hard work to establish the Jedi as a unique force for good are about to be tarnished by a new project that shares more about the Jedi’s fall from grace. “Star Wars: The Living Force” (2024) from author John Jackson Miller is set right before the events of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999) and highlights how the galaxy’s view of the Jedi has soured, explaining, as Inverse points out, one of the franchise’s biggest mysteries.
The crux of the prequel saga is how Chancellor Palpatine became Emperor Palpatine and wiped out most of the Jedi through Order 66. In the latter half of Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine declares the Jedi to have turned on the Republic, soon to be the Galactic Empire. The confusing element comes from the fact that the Republic allows such an atrocity to happen against these heroes of the Clone Wars. Miller’s new novel explains.
“More and more, the Order finds itself focused on the future of the Republic, secluded on Coruscant, where the twelve members of the Jedi Council weigh crises on a galactic scale,” part of the official synopsis reads. “As yet another Jedi Outpost leftover from the Republic’s golden age is set to be decommissioned on the planet Kwenn, Qui-Gon Jinn challenges the Council about the increasing isolation of the Order.”
“Star Wars: The Living Force” seeks to show how the Jedi’s own priorities shifted as the franchise neared the prequel era, establishing a stronger foundation for the fall and decimation of their kind. The novel is set for publication on April 9, 2024, from Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
John Jackson Miller’s novel comes just before the next Star Wars Disney+ series, The Acolyte, from Russian Doll‘s Leslye Headland. The series occurs around 100 years before The Phantom Menace and finds the Jedi investigating deadly forces. The Acolyte, while anticipated for its exploration of this time period, is already being challenged by some parts of the fandom, with the trailer being the most disliked in Star Wars history, per Cosmic Book News.
Related: Iconic Jedi Never Wants To Return To ‘Star Wars’
This unfortunate record may be a precursor to the response to come, especially after reports have been made that The Acolyte may be a one-and-done deal and be canceled after the first season. Headland previously told Collider that her Star Wars show was pitched as a multi-season affair, but with Disney CEO Bob Iger on a mission to curb unsuccessful projects and streamline its content, The Acolyte may already be out at Lucasfilm.
Will you pick up “Star Wars: The Living Force” when it releases next month? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!