The Current State of Star Wars

 This week, I wanted to go back to some news for the blog to keep it interesting but also to get some more views. Another film project suffers a major change, not cancelled but someone working on it is off the project. Streaming numbers for Mandalorian Season 3 are said to be down. Bad Batch is said to be limping along as well. So what has happened?! Is there burn out? Has the Fandom Menace taken down Din Djarin?! Have the Geeks and Gamers (I do love Geeks & Gamers YouTube channel BTW) Kid spread shade to the Star Wars Universe?! Is Dr Doomc*ck right about all the behind the scenes stuff at Lucasfilm?! Will Mike Zero ever get something right?! Okay, I'm exaggerating on YouTube channels for the most part that I enjoy, but there is trouble brewing at Lucasfilm, and it's easy for anyone to see.

So here is what Disney has done film wise since Oct 2012:

Episode 7
Rogue One
Episode 8
Solo
Episode 9

TV and streaming shows:

Star Wars Rebels
Star Wars Resistance
The Mandalorian
Clone Wars Season 7
The Bad Batch
Andor
Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Book of Boba Fett
The Acolyte
Ahsoka
Skeleton Crew


On the film side, the original directors for both Solo and Episode 9 were removed. In the case of Solo, it happened during production. Episode 9 was rushed and not delayed because of the creative change. For TV, Rangers of the Republic was canceled when Gina Carano was fired. But what defines Star Wars isn't TV but films. Recently the proposed Indiana Jones Disney Plus series got axed as Disney wants Lucasfilm to focus on Star Wars only. Boy, this does NOT look good for the new Indiana Jones movie does it?!

There hasn't been a Star Wars film in theaters since Episode 9 in late 2019. I already pointed out that the director and writing change forced production to be rushed, and you saw the final result. Since then, proposed films by Patty Jenkins, Kevin Feige, Rian Johnson's proposed trilogy (cancelled a 2nd or 3rd time, I've lost count), and those are the ones off the top of my head. Damon Lindelof was working on a new movie, but backed out. For now, that movie is still in development but with yet another new group of people working on it. This shows the current state of Star Wars: it's a mess. But the mess can be fixed. Of course, I'll give my opinions on how it can be fixed.

But to make changes, mistakes need to be acknowledged. And boy, did Disney make a LOT!! But to keep this post the length of  Reader's Digest and not a research paper, I'll list the 3 biggest mistakes:

1. Not immediately naming a story leader. George Lucas did this for the 1st 6 Star Wars movies. What he said, was done.

2. Rushing films into production, and not allowing time to properly plan things out. Only Episode 7 and yes, even Episode 8 were planned out in advance. But, Lucas waited 3 years to release films mainly due to the constant upgrades in technology AND time to alter the story if needed. Interning tidbit: Leia originally wasn't going to be Luke's sister. However an exhausted George Lucas in 1981 decided on making Leia his sister because he didn't have the energy to make a sequel trilogy and he was going through a lot of personal stuff as well. Yes, he made it up as he went along. But he gave himself the time to work things out.

3. Bad social media and media presence. First of all, no body should send any bad messages to anyone. Fans can get heated, and that can be seen. That said, Lucasfilm personnel mass blocking, insulting fans (I can understand if a troll gets under their skin and they feel they have to respond), and calling anyone who doesn't like their new shows or movies "racist, sexist, hate women, etc etc". No. Saying fans had racist comments to actresses without any proof like screenshots is also insulting fans. From what I've seen fans for the most part DO behave, but it's the extreme 3% that either really love or really hate Star Wars that do the "bad" stuff.

So how does this get fixed? Well it's pretty simple. And to some extent, Disney-Lucasfilm has done better on the social media front, for the most part. Some of the employees who had blocked me in the past on social media don't anymore. And this was mass blocking because some employees did this. Pablo Hidalgo had me blocked on one of his old accounts. His new ones, he hasn't blocked me. Rian Johnson blocked me because I followed an account that criticized him heavily over Episode 8. There are a couple who blocked me that I haven't checked on. But their social media presence is improving a little bit. But the reaction to fan criticism HASN'T. The stuff from the Kenobi miniseries comes to mind, which was a lather, rinse and repeat of Episode 8. But, I have only 2 suggestions on how to fix things:

1. Bring back George Lucas. No, not as the leader of Lucasfilm. Say what you will, Mr Lucas is an incredible story teller, and this is what his best asset is: stories! He also pushes for new and better filming techniques and technology. George is the Maker, and he can fix the story aspects of Star Wars. Now maybe Dave Filoni would be a better choice, BUT I trust Lucas more than Filoni at this point. While Dave Filoni's work is the best Disney has done with Star Wars, having George Lucas back, not as a figure head but with some degree of story control could engage people who may have soured on current Star Wars media.

2. Please let an adult be put in charge of Lucasfilm! 5 Star Wars movies, 1 Indiana Jones movie, 10 Star Wars shows (11 if you count Clone Wars Season 7) is a big feat in the decade since Disney bought Lucasfilm. However with nearly a dozen cancelled projects between movies and TV, and having to constantly change directions on other projects through pre-production is a major problem, and is costing Disney-Lucasfilm a LOT of money. The writers and directors they are talking to don't come cheap, but with big price tags. Everyone knows who runs Lucasfilm, and while Kathleen Kennedy has been a great producer in the past, her recent track record is not really a good sign. On the promotional side, she's excellent. On the content, it's a swing and a strikeout. Running something as large and as complex as Lucasfilm isn't an easy job. But it is clear the current leadership isn't showing any signs of stability. Rumor is a new trilogy will be announced at Celebration Europe next month. How long until that gets cancelled?! Bob Iger is back in charge, and he's made some big changes. But if Indiana Jones fails at the box office, something will HAVE to be done with Lucasfilm's leadership.

Now while the current state of Star Wars is messy, that doesn't mean the franchise is over. There is a way to fix things, and I outlined a few things that need to be done. But once projects are announced, and there aren't any interruptions or cancelations, and projects come out when they are promised to, faith from fans can be restored that Star Wars can have a presence on the big screen. But, it needs a person who can manage the stories and someone who can keep schedules going. Once that happens, things can turn around for the better.