Credit: Lucasfilm Star Wars for non-Star Wars fans?
Since the release of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), the mythology and world of that Galaxy Far, Far Away have been expanding. More characters, more backstories, and more culture have been added year by year, making the Star Wars universe of George Lucas even more deep and immersive. It stands to reason, therefore, the more knowledge of this universe a fan has, the more they might enjoy content from the studio, but that may not be the case for these new series…
Related: Disney Layoffs Could Lead to ‘Ahsoka Season 2’ Being Scrapped
Disney has had trouble connecting with the Star Wars fanbase ever since the second film in the Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017). Though initially met with enthusiasm with Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), the subsequent offerings didn’t line up with many fans’ vision of what made the franchise special. Disctonent and vitriol soon spread, driving actors off social media and causing Lucasfilm to pause and reevaluate.
Despite this, however, there has been one project which, up until recently, has been universally accepted by Star Wars fans from all sides: The Mandalorian. From day one, Jon Favreau and his team have built an incredible world around Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Baby Yoda/Grogu (himself), which has captivated fans for years now. With few exceptions, each episode has added something to the post-Original Trilogy era and kept audiences coming back for more.
One such element has been the introduction of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) to live action. For fans of Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, the introduction of the former Jedi into live-action was mind-blowing, and for other fans, she was still an engaging, mysterious, and complicated character. It may well be that Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm are relying on this latter type of fan to carry the franchise forward in the near future.
CBR reported on recent comments made by the president of Lucasfilm in which she excitedly reported that both the new Ahsoka series, as well as the Skeleton Crew series on Disney+, would be geared toward a new generation of Star Wars Fans:
“What we’re seeing, and Dave [Filoni] talked a lot about this, we’re seeing the opportunity for fans to find where their entry point is in Star Wars. There’s a lot of things now going back almost 50 years…So you don’t want people to feel like they have to see everything in order to step into Star Wars. And we also want to look at the generational aspect of Star Wars, it’s always been something that’s been passed down.”
What Lucasfilm is attempting is a very tricky balance. On the one hand, fans have already seen from the Ahsoka trailer that the series will rely heavily on already-established characters like Hera Syndula (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), and Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). The difficult thing will be to establish these characters in live-action in such a way that they are engaging beyond name recognition. Will new fans be able to enjoy the series without having watched Rebels?
Related: ‘The Mandalorian Season 3’ Finale Will Reportedly Kill Off More Characters
With very little revealed about Skeleton Crew, it’s much more possible that this series, starring Jude Law, may well be the more accessible of the two. Kennedy described the series as being geared towards a younger audience but with plenty of appeal for adult viewers as well. Both series will be coming sooner than expected to Disney+ and will, if Lucasfilm achieves its goal, breathe new life and bring new fans to the franchise.
What do you think about Kennedy’s comments? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!