The force comprises balance, constantly swinging back and forth like a pendulum in the desert of Tatooine. Disney and Lucasfilm are struggling with that balance regarding the new era of Star Wars, swinging wildly back and forth like the storm winds on Kamino. There are things they get right, along with many elements that they get wrong.
“The greatest teacher, failure is.” Yoda nails this point on the head in The Last Jedi, and its one point that fans hope Disney and Lucasfilm are getting, not just preaching. As Han Solo would say, “Never tell me the odds!”
The Star Wars franchise has been around for 40 plus years now, and fans want it to continue for at least another 40. However, can this be achieved without destroying what George Lucas first put into place so many years ago? The answer is yes, but Disney and Lucasfilm still have a long way to go in order to achieve that feat-- and balance is the key.
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” This involves taking risks, paying attention to fans criticism, and simply telling great stories. It sounds simple, but it’s not.
It all boils down to hope. Hope in that Disney and Lucasfilm will find the right path and hope that Star Wars fans will be patient through their flops and failures.
If "hope" fails, then the franchise becomes nothing more than a scruffy looking Nerf Herder, which is why we’re digging deep into the 7 Things Disney Messes Up With Star Wars (And 8 Things They Get Right).
15. Gets Right: Space Battles
Despite all of the negativity surrounding EA, Dice, and The Last Jedi, the Star Wars franchise consistently keeps hitting the mark when it comes to space battles.
TLJ had several amazing space battle moments, most notably the Raddus going full lightspeed into Snoke’s flagship the Supremacy.
Even George Lucas nailed space battles in the opening of Revenge of the Sith while everyone was bashing the Prequels.
The same goes for video games. Battlefront II has been plagued with issues since its beta testing stage. From loot crate systems to marketing hero plays which exploit a giant glitch in the game, EA sits in their throne room aloof from the public.
Yet, despite all of these problems, Starfighter Assault in Battlefront II is by far the best space battle game in Star Wars history.
14. Gets Wrong: The Luke Skywalker’s Story
Luke’s character arc shown in The Last Jedi isn’t necessarily all of Rian Johnson’s fault. He had a story that he wanted to tell, and it was a good story.
However, when working in a universe where all forms of media are supposed to connect to the other, there was naturally a big backlash over Skywalker’s depression and standoffish attitude in TLJ.
There was a trilogy of books leading up to The Force Awakens called the Aftermath series (that weren’t that good) in which a change in Luke’s character could have been hinted at.
Then there’s the Inferno Squad story in Battlefront II, in which Luke is still presented as the hero willing to risk his life to save even his enemies (post Return of the Jedi).
If Rian wanted to alter Luke’s overall arc, then the other mediums should have been presenting him in the same manner, but they weren’t.
Therefore, fans are upset for justifiable reasons.
13. Gets Right: Pablo Hidalgo And The Lucasfilm Story Group
Much has been said recently regarding diversity in the movie industry, and rightfully so. However, Lucasfilm has a group of heroes who don’t often get the credit that they deserve, and don't have as much input as they should. They are known as the Lucasfilm Story Group.
Comprising of Rayne Roberts, Carrie Beck, Diana Williams, Leland Chee, Pablo Hidalgo, and Matt Martin, these true Star Wars nerds oversee consistencies in storytelling mediums from starfighter fleets to styles of lightsabers. They’re like the monks of Star Wars.
In this group is an old Lucasfilm legend who also often gets overlooked: Pablo Hidalgo. Hidalgo was hired back in 2000 by Lucasfilm to build up their website, going on to serve as Internet Content Manager while also publishing multiple comic books. The man is a walking Star Wars encyclopedia. Once Disney took over, Pablo joined the Story Group to help maintain consistencies within the new cannon.
12. Gets Wrong: Evil Female Characters In Movies
The stigma of male dominating evil characters needs to be let go. Let the past die. Everyone loves Darth Vader and even Thrawn, not because they’re powerful male characters, but because they have depth.
This should have been the case with Captain Phasma. Gwendoline Christie is an elite actor who brought Phasma to life on the big screen. Her backstory is intriguing and powerful, making her character relatable. Hux, however, should have perished with his precious Starkiller Base and Phasma should have become the General of the First Order.
Plenty of female evil characters have dominated the Star Wars universe in the books, and it’s time to see them featured in the movies.
From Asajj Ventress and Phasma to Lumiya and Dr. Aphra, it’s already been proven that women can rule the dark side.
11. Gets Right: Cherry Picking From The EU
Because of individuals like Pablo Hidalgo, who have been with Lucasfilm for almost 20 years, Disney is able to cherry pick characters out of the EU without ruining said characters.
Thrawn and Rukh are excellent examples of this.
Dave Filoni (creator of Star Wars Rebels) worked closely with Hidalgo to ensure that the cannon Thrawn looked, acted, and resembled the Thrawn of Legends. The result was spectacular.
Some EU characters like Thrawn remain the same, though, while others get their names changed and turn into new characters but share similarities with those from the EU. It’s smart fanservice and a great way to expand the new Disney canon.
Other characters who have been cherry picked include Derek (Hobbie) Klivian, Armand Isard, Sate Pestage, and Sian Tevv. Planets like Agamar, Taris, and Malachor have also been reintroduced, along with ships like the Interdictor, TIE Defender, and the Hammerhead Cruiser.
10. Gets Wrong: Rushed Deadlines
Ah, the curse of the corporate world. When marketing teams and silly deadlines take precedence over a work of art, the result is always a few fries short of a Happy Meal. There must be a balance in order for a movie trilogy, or even a standalone movie, to be successful.
The elephant in the room is simply this: would Disney and Lucasfilm stories be better if the deadlines weren’t so extreme? It’s already been shown in the Marvel franchise that it’s difficult to make an amazing movie when you’re pumping out one, or multiple, movies a year. There are often just as many misses as there are hits.
Greed pushes the deadline, providing teams with no time to really flesh out their stories. Creativity and greed often aren’t compatible, creating a divisiveness amongst fans that could ultimately do more harm than good.
9. Gets Right: Character and Galaxy Depth
In the areas in which Disney and Lucasfilm are excelling, the depth given to characters is just as good (if not better) than what George Lucas created. With books including the new Thrawn, Ahsoka, Phasma, and Tarkin, readers are awarded massive amounts of behind-the-scenes inside scoops on their favorite characters.
However, it’s not just in the books. Star Wars Rebels is better than The Clone Wars animation, which already had a high bar of achievement.
While most were skeptical regarding Marvel taking over the comics, there’s been a ton of amazing issues and series’ released within the last few years.
These other forms of content strengthen the Star Wars universe, providing new stories while elaborating on current and old ones. If you don’t know who the Ghost crew is or who Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra is, then you’re missing out big time on some amazing stories.
8. Gets Wrong: Playing Towards Targeted Audience
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a target audience. Despite what Kathleen Kennedy (and her team) is saying, they are gearing everything they do towards a specific viewership. That’s the Disney way, and it unlikely to change anytime soon.
The Lucasfilm team needs to figure out how to adapt in this new system without sacrificing the foundation that is Star Wars.
The goal to keep the franchise in one connective universe is bold and exciting. However, at this rate, it will soon become dreary and annoying.
Fans shouldn’t have to buy a book or comic in order to understand why a character is a way they are in a movie. Instead, fans should want to, which is a huge difference.
Algorithms can only achieve so much. A true work of art uses stats about their viewers and still becomes a good piece of quality content-- both visually and in terms of storytelling.
7. Gets Right: Animationy
Marvel reached its level of success at the box office due in part to the foundation that had already been laid down through animation and comics.
An animation is a wonderful way to tell a story while still showing off amazing battle scenes that would cost a fortune to put on the big screen. Also, animations are often released weekly.
Lucasfilm dominated animation with Star Wars: The Clone Wars and outdid themselves recently with the final season of Star Wars Rebels. While targeted towards a young adult audience, these stories are packed full of action, emotion, and depth. Some characters have even become more popular than the ones only shown in the movies.
If you think that Lucasfilm and Disney have let you down regarding amazing storytelling, you’re looking in the wrong place.
6. Gets Wrong: Teasing New Characters
A great story involves multiple characters that an audience can relate to on various levels. Disney and Lucasfilm understand the concept of writing a storyline around a group of characters, but they are lacking big time in creating consistent supporting ones.
Take Ahsoka Tano, for example. She was never a main character at first, but she became one due to how well Filoni developed her in The Clone Wars animated series. You can also take a look at what’s been done with Sabine Wren, or even Tarkin.
However, there are also characters like Captain Phasma, Finn, Rose, and her sister Paige, who aren't properly developed or are taken away too early.
Leaving loose ends is the Star Wars way (George did it way before J.J. did), but most characters did get developed on over time. They were therefore not thrown out like yesterday’s leftovers.
5. Gets Right: Taking Risks
With the release of The Last Jedi and the announcement regarding the future role that Rian Johnson will have, Disney is clearly taking steps to make Star Wars their own. Some fans are mad about this, but there’s a bigger picture to it all. Much of this has to do with taking risks.
They may not always be right, but at least Disney and Lucasfilm are taking chances.
This is why the main subject of failure in The Last Jedi is so ironic. Whether or not fans like it, Star Wars will continue to grow and take new paths.
However, Disney and Lucasfilm are still planning to provide fan service style series (and movies) that will focus on the older, existing content. This is a huge risk, but it is one that might prove worthy in the future. Only time will tell.
4. Gets Wrong: Diversity for Directors
Since 2016, Kathleen Kennedy has been promising the public that Star Wars content will be written and directed by a diverse group of individuals, meaning more women and less white men. Yet, despite her talk, nothing has changed.
For the record, there is nothing wrong with hiring Jon Favreau to direct a television series, nor is there anything bad about hiring showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. What is wrong, however, is that these are the only hires that have taken place since Kennedy made her statement.
Also, to make matters worse, President Kathleen Kennedy chose International Women’s Day to make the Favreau announcement.
The bottom line is this: showrunners typically only hire people who they’ve already worked with. So, how are individuals who aren’t white or male supposed to get experience if the wheel doesn’t change direction from the top down?
3. Gets Right: Toys and Theme Parks
It’s hard not to think of Spaceballs and the iconic "Merchandising! Merchandising!" scene when talking about Star Wars toys.
Blame Disney all you want, but George Lucas created the merchandising beast many moons ago. Also, most fans aren’t complaining. From fan-made lightsabers to new novels, there’s a plethora of material that coincides with toys, costumes, and movie props.
Disney is obviously capitalizing on this, but hopefully in a way that will eventually reward and benefit fans.
This includes the coming Star Wars based theme park, the Star Wars Celebration, and new features like the Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire VR experience.
Disney can pump out Porgs until the double suns set because fans will always be there to pick up the newest and coolest merchandise available. It’s one of the many joys of being a Star Wars fan.
2. Gets Wrong: Too Much On Kathleen Kennedy’s Plate
President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy is a producer, and a darn good one at that, but having her oversee the entire Star Wars galaxy without a story director is insane. Fans love the stories and the characters that come from them-- take The Last Jedi for example.
It wasn’t a bad movie, but it wasn’t necessarily a good Star Wars film. Compared to Star Wars Rebels, it doesn’t even pale in comparison. Nobody cried when Ackbar was flung into space. Tears were shed for Leia until audiences were sucked out of the moment by the infamous Harry Potter force flying.
Thanks to insight from Kristian Harloff of Collider Jedi Council, the mouse power issue is all about micromanagement.
Under Disney, Lucasfilm needs a competent storyteller who understands what Lucas created, along with how to expand and develop it for the future.
Considering the number of tears shed when Kanan Jarrus sacrificed himself for the Ghost Crew, Dave Filoni should be the official Director of Story.
1. Gets Right: Taking Fans To A Galaxy Far, Far Away
The joy found in Star Wars is rooted in storytelling. However, it's not just any type of storytelling-- it's a fairytale style of storytelling within the genre of sci-fi.
Much like the Harry Potter books and movies, Star Wars takes its audience to another world, allowing individuals to forget about the current one for a few hours.
Also, despite all of the recent negativity, Lucasfilm continues to take fans into a galaxy far, far away with every story that is told. This is what makes Star Wars such an iconic franchise.
Fans and the fandom continue to respect the franchise, even as failures, risks, and changes are being made. Not every movie, book, toy, video game, or comic can be perfect — especially since perfection is nothing more than a matter of perception.
Some will hit, and others will miss, but if the fans are still considered, Star Wars will live on for generations to come.
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Can you think of any other things that Disney is doing right (or wrong) with Star Wars? Sound off in the comments!