After Scrapping TV Series, 'Star Wars' Likely Getting Canceled Once Again

2024 was anything but smooth for Lucasfilm. Following the mixed reception of The Acolyte, the year ended with Disney setting its sights on Skeleton Crew, the latest installment in the ever-expanding galaxy far, far away.

Back in June 2024, The Acolyte—a Disney+ series set during the waning High Republic Era—promised fans a bold new exploration of the Force. Creator Leslye Headland aimed to spotlight the Sith’s rise amidst the Jedi’s Golden Age, delivering a storyline with ambition and representation.

Yet, the show’s debut sparked polarizing reactions. From its diverse ensemble cast to its queer-led narrative, The Acolyte became the center of online debates. Some praised its progressive vision, while others dismissed it as overly “woke,” contributing to the narrative that Disney has a diversity agenda.

Despite an engaging nine-episode run that teased moments like Darth Plagueis’s potential live-action reveal and Yoda’s involvement in the Brendok disaster, The Acolyte met an untimely end. Disney canceled the series, citing low viewership numbers, much to the dismay of fans and cast members alike.

“We were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t where we needed it to be given the cost structure of that title,” said Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman in an interview with Vulture. “That’s the reason why we didn’t do that.”

Speculation lingers over whether The Acolyte will remain on Disney+, given the platform’s history of quietly removing underperforming titles like Willow. For now, however, fans can still stream the series.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on the Skeleton Crew finale, which aired on January 14, 2025. The show debuted on December 2, 2024. Created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, this coming-of-age tale—dubbed as an Amblin-style adventure—follows four children who stumble upon a galactic adventure, guided by Jude Law’s enigmatic Force-user, Jod Na Nawood.

Set during the Mando-Verse timeline alongside The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, the series has garnered praise but struggled with viewership. Forbes noted that its double-episode premiere failed to break into Luminate’s top 10 streaming list—a less-than-stellar start for a series with a $136 million budget.

“Skeleton Crew is in process now, so we’ll see,” Bergman said. “The reviews have been excellent… we’ll see how that all plays out as it moves forward.”

But fans may know what the future looks like. According to Nielsen streaming data, the two-episode premiere of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew debuted with just 382 million minutes viewed. This is a far cry from the likes of The Mandalorian Season 3, which opened with close to 900 million minutes, and Deborah Chow’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, which scored over 1 billion.

“This is roughly 20% lower than the ratings for Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s premiere week, the previous record holder for the lowest viewership of any Star Wars series debut,” GameRant wrote on the data. “[Star Wars: Skeleton Crew] also became the first series in the franchise to fail to debut in Disney+’s Top 10 Originals.”

While Nielsen’s data is just part of the story, the numbers and its failure to break the top 10 do not bode well when Disney confirms The Acolyte was canceled due to its low viewership. In the chance it does get greenlit for a second season, Jon Watts already has a plan for where the story may go.

“We 100% have an idea for a second season and know what we would do,” he told Collider. “We have a built-in ticking clock of the kids and their age, and by the time we would get production going, we know what age they would be. So, we would be writing towards that. You’ll be growing up with the kids.”

Watts added: “It would be something like [a three to four-year time jump] to make sense. We haven’t seen the kids in a while, so it just depends on how tall the kids are. But we wouldn’t do like a Stranger Things thing where we’re like, ‘It’s the next day,’ because it won’t be.”

Looking ahead, Lucasfilm’s slate appears sparse. With The Mandalorian and Grogu slated for a 2026 theatrical release and whispers of new trilogies in development, fans yearn for a return to the grand cinematic scale of Star Wars.

Disney’s next moves include Dave Filoni’s crossover film seemingly inspired by Heir to the Empire and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey Skywalker-led New Jedi Order project. However, delays and shifts in the schedule—like the shelving of Taika Waititi’s movie and the revival of Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron—leave fans wondering: What’s next for the galaxy far, far away?

The answers may take time, but one thing is certain—Lucasfilm’s future rests on its ability to reignite the magic of Star Wars.

Will Skeleton Crew be renewed? What’s your take on Lucasfilm’s ambitious plans? Let us know in the comments below!