So now we know.
For some time now, Disney/Lucasfilm have been whistling past the graveyard, giving fans of Star Wars just enough hope to hang on, praying that somehow the sequel trilogy would be retconned (or at least written around.)
A decision should’ve been made long before now, and I’d argued in the past that their last real opportunity to try to correct things with the fanbase was Obi-Wan.
Jon Favreau did offer hope with The Mandalorian. Whether through sabotage, through not having the power to effect change, or simply because he never intended to deviate from the ST – that hope is now lost.
Star Wars is dead.
I had this feeling once before, in 2005. Widely considered to be the best of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith actually left me feeling very empty. It wasn’t because of any narrative lack – it was just that it was finished, and the future was uncertain. At that time, I didn’t think we’d ever get another Star Wars movie again. If it weren’t for Rogue One, I’d say that I wish we hadn’t. (I know that feeling isn’t universal for everyone.)
But now – today – it is really and truly dead. Star Wars will NEVER ascend to the cultural heights it once commanded. The window to hook a younger generation will now be lost.
The worst part of all of this is that Kathleen Kennedy wins. I don’t know if the quote “I will have my way or I will burn this nonsense to the ground” was ever actually corroborated, but it certainly feels like it was true.
That said – I’ve been tasked with giving my thoughts on the announcements from today. I’ll do that in just a moment, but before I do I’d like to offer some thoughts on hope, criticism/commentary and leaks.
Whenever I comment, either here or on Youtube, there are inevitably a few folks who will mock the idea that there was ever a civil war internally at Lucasfilm. It’s usually a small contingent, but there’s always at least a few – these are the folks who deride anybody who held out hope for this train wreck somehow being undone.
I understand why they were skeptical. On the face of it, the idea seems (and may well have been) ridiculous. I’ll say for myself, those hopes weren’t based just on wishful thinking. They were based primarily on the fact that no sane company would chart this course. Disney bought Lucasfilm for two reasons – to own the premiere special effects house in Hollywood, and to reap the benefits of an ENORMOUS merchandising empire. The movies were ironically not the cash cow – it was all of the associated spin-offs, toys, and games. The movies provided the narrative hook that provided for that play, and by killing the narrative, they have killed that golden goose. They KNOW this – but they are comitted to destroying it. It’s a decision that will be looked back upon as the pinnacle of hubris.
On criticism/commentary, and leaks:
I suspect today is going to cause some strife in the community. I hope that isn’t the case. We’ve done our best to report honestly based on the information that we have been given, and our own analysis of that information. Others do the same on their own respective sites.
We took a lot of flack for reporting that what came to pass today was going to happen. Others argued that it wouldn’t.
I’ve long held that just because sometimes we may disagree with rumors or leaks coming from others in this space, it doesn’t mean that we’re at odds or that anybody is acting in bad faith. Many times, the same information can be viewed different ways by different people, or what is told can be interpreted differently by the recipient.
Also, it cannot be overstated that leakers themselves can be plants or feed misinformation. It’s also easy to become too wrapped up in your own analysis – convinced that things MUST go the way that has been predicted.
All of this is a long-winded way of saying: today is a difficult day for a lot of people. Something that was precious to many was lost today, and it’s going to take some folks some time to come to grips with that. Whether the slate that was presented today actually gets produced or not hardly even matters – things can always change, and Lucasfilm now has a long and storied history of not getting projects off the ground.
Either way – Kennedy, and Palpatine won. Be kind to those who are grieving.
Ahsoka
The Ahsoka trailer came as a bit of a surprise to me – not because I didn’t think one would be presented, but because many of the scenes in it looked cheap. This could be because visual effects work has not been completed – I would hope that would be the case. Many of the scenes appeared to be of 90’s era FMV game quality – not a good sign. Also, Hera looks “off”.
The trailer does reveal Grand Admiral Thrawn – from the back, it does look like Lars Mikkelsen to me, but time will tell.
That said, this will NOT be Heir to the Empire, despite the trailer quote. As such, I wouldn’t expect much but watered-down diet-Thrawn, who will be dispatched prior to The Further Adventures of Rey Palpatine. They also seem to be setting up Mon Mothma for further incompetence.
(The two interesting things that I did see in this trailer were the new character named Baylan, and the unnamed female character with the red (orange?) lightsaber. One thing I couldn’t quite tell – is the scene at 1:07 a canon take on the combat challenges from Jedi: Fallen Order?)
Star Wars – Episode X: The Further Adventures of Rey Palpatine
Disney promotes fictions largest stolen valor case, indicates that evil will always triumph because good is dumb.
The trailer that was leaked was of fairly poor visual and audio quality. That said, it looks to me like they may have actually given this show a fairly sizable budget. (I could be wrong, but it looks like there are more practical sets in this show as opposed to being shot on the volume – more like Andor than Ahsoka.)
Carrie-Ann Moss looks cool pulling out kung-fu, but it’s set in the High Republic. It may look good, but it will flop.
Skeleton Crew
This footage for Skeleton Crew was also rough, and incomplete. I get a different vibe from this one – because it’s kid-focused, I definitely get a bit of Spielbergian/Amblin Entertainment feel from it – but it also feels like it’s taking the subject matter seriously – in this way, I mean it looks a little more sci-fi than space-opera to me – maybe a bit more grounded, like Andor? Hard to tell. Could be interesting, but could also deviate too far from the Star Wars formula. (However, if done properly could be a shot in the arm with a fresh new take.)
Dave Filoni’s Star Wars Movie
My feelings on Dave (especially lately) have always been somewhat mixed. I think the real danger here is that it’s the big event movie that was reported on years ago that was supposed to be the big crossover event for the various shows. The danger of announcing now is that it sounds like it puts an end-date on those shows. Movie production typically takes 2-3 years for pictures like this, so that’s probably the limit of seasons that you’ll see for Ahsoka, before they hand back off to Rey. Might’ve been smarter to keep this announcement under wraps.
Andor – Season 2:
I’ve made no bones about my love for Andor Season 1. Not much is given away plotwise in the snippet that was briefly leaked, but it appears to be upholding the visual quality and tone from the previous season.
The Future/Final Thoughts
Today has in many ways been a heartbreaking day. I don’t know if all of these projects will actually see production, but at least some of them will. The sequel trilogy has been cast in stone, and I’m done with modern Star Wars.
I’ll finish the Mandalorian Season 3. I will NOT under any circumstances watch another movie with Rey Palpatine.
I don’t know what I’ll be doing with the other TV shows. While I’m curious to see what a live action Thrawn will be like, there’s no question it will be a disappointment. We’re not getting the real Thrawn, and our heroes are not getting their real destiny.
As such, I’m inclined to just ignore them.
Games might be a different story. I haven’t made a decision on Jedi Survivor, but the ties to the High Republic give me a sour taste in my mouth.
(That said, if they ever made another X-Wing/Squadrons game, I’d have to pick that one up.)
I’m guessing the future for me will involve looking back – talking about the old stuff, highlighting some of the high points of original EU storytelling.
I’m interested to hear what you guys think – let me know in the comments down below.
For all the latest news that should be fun, keep reading That Park Place. As always, drop a comment down below and let us know your thoughts.
Lorn, you and I have had wonderful discussions in the past. I feel you’ve hit the nail in the head.
The last good Star Wars that was consistent that I can remember was rebels.
This over fascination with what wdw Pro would call girl boss ruined Star Wars and in addition to echoing your thoughts on ahsoka looking cheap, I also felt just from the trailer that they were taking away from what ahsoka’s actual character is in morphing her into yet another girl boss. I know some feel that already happened, however is someone who also saw the clone Wars, I never really got that vibe from her until that trailer.
The one thing I will say is that no IP is ever truly dead.
The likelihood of Star Wars resurrecting under Disney though is practically nil unless somehow Disney comes under new ownership or they sell lucasfilm to someone who cares. One only needs to look at the ridiculous Captain America and Spider-Man films from 1977 and 1979 and way there impact on the Marvel Phase 1 through 3 series – it certainly doesn’t seem like it had any 😉
Let’s hope that in our lifetimes, something happens that allows us to have Star Wars again…
In the meantime, I will always fondly look at Star Wars as what existed when Lucas was at the helm.
Disney will NEVER turn loose of this IP. As badly damaged as it is, it still has value as a licensed property, and I don’t think any company would ever give up those types of rights unless it became an absolute necessity.
I have liked the character of Ahsoka, and even agreed with Filonis allowing her to survive – however, he appears to have invested a bit too much of himself into her, and she’s in danger of becoming the self-insert character that Rey was in the sequel trilogy.
I fear the only possible way to force change at this point is through Nelson Peltz and Ike Perlmutter using their shares to put pressure on the board. Peltz needs to resume his fight ASAP – the only way we can help is to stop supporting Disney in any form, and making noise through all available channels. The stock price has to dive.
Hey man, I sympathize with you. You’re not alone in feeling sad & frustrated with something so many of us grew-up with & love. It’s been part of our lives, and to see it messed-with painful.
I think it was WDWPro that leaked the info about Iger recently having a pow-wow with Kennedy and green-lighting the Rey movie. In Pro’s report though, I think it said something like things could change depending on the feedback of the Rey announcement? Hopefully that will be the case when they see the further drop in SW merchandise sales & interest.
Also, I know we blame Kathleen Kennedy for all this, but Bog Iger is just as much to blame. He did the deal with Lucas, I think HE wants HIS Star Wars to last now matter what. Hey, he had to agree with the SW sequel story, etc. etc.
Old Republic was created because KK lamented that there was no Star Wars stories that they could pull from to make movies. She was comparing it to the success of the MCU, and basically said they have the advantage b/c of long running stories from the comics over the years. So Lucasfilm arranged the comics/book release of Old Republic. I’d love to see the sales numbers for the Old Republic comics & books. I bet they are atrocious and that the story’s “reach” is very limited. THAT would be an interesting article Lorn…pointing out to people how bad/limited the Old Republic reach has been & that Disney is really only making the Acolyte our insistence that their Old Republic is the Star Wars THEY want.
I think we have different reads on the situation. Iger has traditionally been “hands off” when it comes to dictating storytelling to his various studios. He’s invested in his legacy, but I don’t think he gets down into the nuts and bolts of storytelling. He acted as a shield for Kathleen, but it’s beginning to look like he didn’t really restrain her all that much. When she was distracted with Children of Blood and Bone, things seemed to be going better, but once that project went by the wayside it looks like her meddling got MUCH worse.
The comments Pro was making about things possibly changing with Rey had more to do with the fact that they were still internally deliberating about which way to jump. (Pro, correct me if I’m wrong about this!) Now that they’ve announced, don’t expect them to cancel.
From what we can tell, it looks like they’re actually ignoring all of the marketing research they’ve paid for and going full-steam ahead. I suspect this has less to do with Iger being invested in the story, and more to do with Disney being invested (leveraged) in the Galaxys Edge portion of the park. As such, I think Drunk 3PO is right – not only will Rey and Grog feature in the movie, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Batuu and the Halcyon starcruiser factor in heavily.
As to the High Republic content and why it was created – I think people forget the context of Kennedys original quote. Everybody remembers what she said – “There’s no source material. We don’t have comic books. We don’t have 800-page novels. We don’t have anything other than passionate storytellers who get together and talk about what the next iteration might be” – but they forget the context of the quote.
This was after The Last Jedi, when it was obvious that there was a backlash against the movie. At that point, David Benioff and Dan Weiss were slated to (allegedly) produce a series of movies in The Old Republic era, and Kevin Feige was rumored to be producing his own Star Wars movie.
The quote was a dig at THOSE projects – (Game of Thrones = 800 page novels, Kevin Feige = comic books.) She wasn’t so much referring to the old EU material as she was feeling threatened after the backlash against TLJ. Unfortunately, Iger decided to act as a human shield for her, taking the blame for her mistake and she ultimately survived the challenges to her domain.
I believe the High Republic was intended to be at least distinct from The Old Republic era (Thank God), but in keeping with Kennedys modus operandi, it was supposed to the the “Golden Age” (i.e. “these are the enlightened Jedi) of the Republic, and was specifically geared at a younger audience who wouldn’t necessarily be as critical as older fans. Gotta indoctrinate them young. Her goal is to replace the older “problematic” fans with Nu-Star Wars fans who couldn’t tell good writing if it smacked them in the face.
I’m very optimistic about Ahsoka. I’m excited, my kids are excited. I’m skeptical on everything except andor. I know the Rey movie is happening and I think it will actually be profitable for disney, not because I will go see it, my guess would be it grosses less than ROTS, but they are tightening budgets substantially and I’m guessing they will set the bar low enough that they can make money. Maybe they use this as an excuse to keep making them.
My worry and my disappointment is their refusal to embrace fan excitement about Luke. I hope he is worked into Ahsoka and the Feloni movie. If he’s left out that will be a huge mistake.
I still don’t see how disney can’t have their cake and wat it to. You can use the veil to separate out ST into its own thing and keep making those movies for those fans while also giving other fans what they want.
None of this actually matters if disney sells itself to Apple, which I do think igors cuts are moving towards doing.
I’m glad you’re excited for Ahsoka, but I wouldn’t hold by breath on Luke making a return in that era. Disney is still courting the chinese market, and they frown very much on “ghosts” in storytelling. (One of the reasons they behaved so much differently in the ST and appeared more substantial/less immaterial).
If Disneys intent was to actually satisfy the audience and/or make lots of money, trying to keep seperate timelines would be tricky (storywise), but the wisest course of action they could take.
This weekends announcements show that they are still willing to lose money to promote their ideology. (I agree that lowering budgets could be helpful in getting ROI, but Perlmutter indicated they don’t seem to be interested in that at all – only box office. Also, the ROI on the movies isn’t really the point – it’s the merchandise, which is a failure almost across the board.)
Apple is too dumb to save Lucas film. Their market savy and intelligence died years ago. They would probably approve Rey and keep going.
The most sane networks are the moment are Netflix and HBO/Discovery. Netflix probably can’t buy it due to anti trust. Discovery is going to have to get some profit to buy it. Playing a lagging #2 in the ratings behind Netflix is a good start but doesn’t make you rich (yet). My hope is HBO / Discovery continues to make things people like. “Most Sane” is just that. None of the entities are making decisions based on pure success or ratings / profit. That is the way for shareholders.
Agree, but I don’t believe that Lucasfilm and/or Marvel are for sale under any circumstances. Their library and licensing rights are simply too valuable, even though the properties are damaged. The only way something like that would have a chance of happening were if Disney as an entity were in danger of bankruptcy – it simply won’t happen.
I listen to you, and WDWpro, and VR with interest. I think that you all often have a good alternative perspective to the “mainstream” view on what is ultimately a triviality that many of us love; entertainment and particularly Star Wars. However, I’m just going to have to say this comes across as very “old man yells at clouds” Star Wars is now “dead” is the kind of red meat, or boob bait for bubba of the quasi-rightwing media criticism space. I agree Star Wars has been badly, badly mismanaged. The sequel trilogy is just one missed opportunity after another. With problems that stem from being rushed, not having a coherent vision AND the desire on the part of executives at Disney and LFL (looking at KK) to make something more than “mere entertainment” and use the property to effect “social change” which has been detrimental to the brand and its product. I think if you get out of your own bubble you’ll find the idea it’s “dead” to be an extreme exaggeration, however. I talk regularly to young people, born too late to see the prequels in theaters or experience that divisive time who unironically love them, and clone wars, and Rebels, and even some who love the sequels (definitely less so the sequels).
I’ve been on the “inside” often one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing, it’s not clear whose vision is being carried out or WHO is in charge of what. Bad management starts at the top and LFL has suffered from it. However being so dire about Star Wars is silliness even when you look at the live action projects announced at Celebration, what do you notice? They’re covering their bases. They are going way in to the past, trying to capitalize on the Mando-verse, and going in to the future. Of all the projects that could face cancellation I think we know the Rey movie is the most likely, but maybe not. The option to “world between worlds” away TLJ and Jake Skywalker is still on the table, hypothetically you could do that AND keep Rey. But here’s the thing; what if Rey is popular? At a certain point Star Wars can’t just be for middle-aged men who grew up with it and justify its current expenditure. Maybe Star Wars is in decline, but so is our shared culture generally. Everything has become so niche Star Wars may not be able to defy that for much longer and we just wind up in a world of Star Wars being pure streaming with 80-100million dollar budgets. Only time will tell but being “dead” is extreme.
The Rey movie was ordered above Kathleen Kennedy… it’s probably the safest of all. But Mario shows that there are some strong new currents in culture pointing to moderation through society — maybe Top Gun, Avatar, etc are all pointing to the same.
Firstly, Remnant I may be wrong but I am guessing you were not old enough to experience the original trilogy movies when they were first released. It is sad because you just don’t get it. You really need to do more research about why and how George Lucas developed Star Wars including why he researched Joseph Campbell ( A Hero with a Thousand Faces) amongst others and his foresight to necessitate a counterintuitive response to the detente in America during the 70’s and the pessimism that reflected the movies during that time period. There are also the deeper reasons too and that is reflected in the numerous variety of themes that accompaniments and expands the complexity of this enormous work.
Secondly, Lorn Conner, WDW Pro, Valliant Renegade and I would include Echo Base Network as well sift through and verify all of their facts and if they speculate they will outline that they are but they do so in a calculated and considered way. The popularity of their YouTube channels is a reflection of this point.
Finally, my final point is the statement that Star Wars is truly dead has got nothing to do with politics or any other drivel you have mentioned in your response to Lorn’s article and I suggest you have a look at his other articles on Star Wars to get a better understanding of his reasons for saying so. Star Wars is ‘real’ which is reflected in the very first thing you see onscreen namely the premise that this could be true somewhere in the universe somewhere in a galaxy far far away. It is also true that current filmmakers do not understand that science fiction and fantasy must convey a belief in the secondary world and what happens within, including its laws and values and truths must not be is broken otherwise a deeper connection to them including its’ mythological aspects will not sustain any creative IP such as Star Wars. I will say this though, unless the people that be, and whoever is in charge understand the reasons why the original trilogy worked in the first place the future of the franchise will never evolve. This is reflected by the current mess that the franchise is currently in and the only people that will keep it from declining just like it was in the 90’s are the boys and girls that were alive to experience it during the original period.
So there’s no confusion, let me lay MY politics right out there – yes, I’m conservative. I make no bones about that. That’s not to declare anybody else on this sites politics, only to state my biases right up front.
But let’s cut some of the BS – “old man yells at clouds” Star Wars is now “dead” is the kind of red meat, or boob bait for bubba of the quasi-rightwing media criticism space.”
Really?
I’ve been one of the few folks trying to find a way to marry portions of Disney Star Wars that work with the old stuff that was genuinely beloved – trying to point a way to FIX this garbage. There WERE ways to try and fix this travesty, but they required that the producers of the content actually care about making money and quality storytelling.
They don’t. They have discarded every storytelling maxim in existence, PARTICULARLY with regards to the Hero’s Journey. They have managed, inexplicably, to not only taint their own era with incompetence, but retroactively render the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy IRRELEVANT IF the ST is allowed to stand as is.
The sequel trilogy, and Disney Star Wars as a whole, is the result of petty jealousies and feelings of inadequacy borne by those who have obtained the rights to a masterwork, and know they have not gained their positions through merit – their only solution is to claim for themselves the accomplishments of others, while trashing those who actually gave them the opportunities to be there.
If you think this is the result of mere mismanagement, I’d invite you to get out of your OWN bubble. This is DELIBERATE.
As to whether or not Star Wars is “dead” or not – sure, it’s shuffling along like a zombie. There is a portion of the fanbase that will continue to watch the shows and buy some of the merchandise. But make no mistake – those merchandise sales are the lifeblood of the series, and the patient needs a double transfusion. The fanbase isn’t growing. It’s shrinking. If you think within 20 years anybody is going to be talking about Star Wars (outside of from a historical context) you’re delusional.
THAT’S what I mean when I’m saying Star Wars is dead. It will no longer be culturally relevant. It will be just another thing, no more special than any other IP, with diminishing returns until even the most ardent hangers-on abandon the corpse.
Lorn, you have definitely been a very constructive critic and certainly come across as a mensch and a good guy, that’s why the “RIP its dead” Is an obvious exaggeration, but what do I know look at this post its gotten a lot of traction and that’s what counts? Star Wars is “dead” is a trope at this point.
The pertinent question is; what defines the “death” of a franchise, and can you find a contemporary franchise that is now officially dead? Is it dead if its original fans decide to leave it behind, or age out? But that leads to the question; does every fan need to love every aspect and piece of a franchise? Do a bunch of silly overly “contemporary” (for lack of a better term) High Republic books no one reads mean you can’t watch and enjoy The Mandalorian because they exist? I think the answer to that is no. Or is it purely how well the consumer products do serving as a proxy for health? You’re right they’ve experienced declining sales, but here’s the thing often left out in the discussion; SW toys face a lot more competition than they have in the past and not just from other action figures so of course a lackluster sequel trilogy didn’t help.
I don’t really think we disagree all that much; the real problem Disney created is its mistreatment of the original characters. I personally don’t think that JJ Abrams HATED Luke, Han, or Leia. I think he loves those characters and was so desperate for the rogue-ish Han Solo he had to undo his characters development in the OT to get it in TFA. Big mistake! Not a political decision or one made from jealousy. The person who crapped on Lucas was Iger, at his own admission, again desperate for that “old magic” and to some extent he got it. TFA was a massive, massive success. We don’t need to rehash TLJ, its mistreatment of Luke and desire to defy our expectations. There was not a single person at Disney or LFL who said at any point, “I want this to die, I hate it” they almost certainly said, “I have a vision for this that’s going to take it to new places”. Ironically I think the place we’d diverge the most is over the one show I think does shake up the Star Wars formula and that is Andor. I found it to be well crafted but too much of a departure, drab, and sullen. I think we even had a discussion here on the comments of this very site over that topic. I also find it ironic that Andor is the most overtly left-wing Star Wars product, probably ever. Could Star Wars survive on Andor-like content alone? Almost certainly not but it would probably please a certain subset of fans. Which brings me back to what I think is the bigger more important point: Is Star Wars in terminal decline or suffering the same effects as our culture generally in that its become so atomized we can’t expect any one franchise to unite that large of a portion of the population ever again? You could say something like a Top Gun: Maverick did it but that’s a one off, and a lone sequel and it remains to be seen if it can spawn an actual franchise. My personal view is Star Wars will survive long term but it just might not justify spending $300mil on a movie every two years, but can justify two to three streaming series at $100mil a piece and the occasional movie which is the opposite of dead.
I fell in love with Star Wars in 1987 with the original trilogy.
I admired the characters, the dialogue, the action, fx and writing.
The prequels disappointed me because I didn’t believe the dialogue or performances.
THE CLONE WARS didn’t grab me at first, but I gradually got sucked in until the stories and characters became some of my all-time favourites.
REBELS, while not as good as CLONE WARS, had me really invested in the characters and brilliantly written stories.
THE FORCE AWAKENS was ok, and hinted at better things to come…
… THE LAST JEDI destroyed everything I ever loved about STAR WARS with seemingly sadistic glee.
THE RISE OF SKYWALKER was an unwatchable mess.
BAD BATCH season 1 slowly grew on me and I came to love it by the season 1 finale.
After TLJ, when I was grieving STAR WARS, we got THE MANDALORIAN.
it felt like a liferaft.
I loved the characters, writing and action in a way I hadn’t felt since RETURN OF THE JEDI.
I felt like STAR WARS was finally back (in live action).
BOOK OF BOBA FETT destroyed that hope.
OBI WAN KENOBI destroyed that hope.
Unlike many, I found nothing except Stellan Skarsgard to enjoy in ANDOR.
BAD BATCH season 2 destroyed my hope.
THE MANDALORIAN season 3 is currently destroying my hope.
STAR WARS CELEBRATION is gleefully destroying my hope.
I hear these people saying STAR WARS is about hope.
Kathleen destroyed it.
Kathleen won.
I am grieving.
At this point, I’m literally hoping AHSOKA is garbage so I can finally turn away forever.
Right there with you buddy. The fact that we’re here is a gut-punch. I feel the only thing to do now is support Perlmutter and Peltz on using their 4 billion worth of shares to mount another assault on the Disney Board next year. I think our only hope at this point is to raise enough of a ruckus about EVERYTHING Disney does that the media (both Hollywood trades and Wall Street) can’t ignore the hubbub. We have to affect the stock price, or we won’t get change.
Lifelong Star Wars fan here. I’m done. Obi-wan was the end of it for me. Until they go back and bring honor my childhood hero of Luke, I am done.
Disney Star Wars simply has no rewatch-ability. That is the difference. My kids grew up loving Star Wars (17,19,22), and they can’t stand Disney Star Wars either. Most people have just written it off, and simply choose to ignore everything after the Lucas era.
There are portions I think are still worth accepting, but what they announced this weekend was beyond insulting. These people truly are cultural vandals.
Disney Star Wars is dead. As long at the current leadership stays in place it’s best to just move on and stop giving it any attention. Apathy from the fanbase is what’s needed to enact real change. Hoping the people currently there will somehow change and start putting out great content is foolish.
Just like with Star Trek Picard Season 3, you can see what happens when someone different and competent comes in.
Agreed. The only hope at this point is to effect change through the board, which will require Perlmutter and Peltz to use their 4 billion worth of stock to put pressure on them. From our side, I hope we keep raising such a ruckus about EVERYTHING that Disney does that the trades will have no choice but to cover it – we need to affect the stock price.
Filoni said in an interview this weekend that he’s regularly talking with Timothy Zahn to make sure they get Thrawn right as intended by Zahn. That gives me hope.
The pendulum swings
dreams take to wings.
I don’t know what you are sad about. Disney is right where it belongs. Iger went on a shopping spree for creativity to spruce up the old castle. Like a teenager he blew through that. Now Disney is left with the work of doing what Walt did. Making magic. If Lucasfilm finds itself in need of a ronin warrior with a pen my offer stands. I don’t need to retcon, I know how to side step many of Lucasfilm’s problems until Disney arrives at reality. I imagine there are those at Disney now who feel a lot like how Roman’s felt when their empire crumbled around them. As far as my imagination is concerned I hold Excalibur.