Although The Mandalorian was a hit on Disney+, Lucasfilm has a great opportunity to further expand the Star Wars universe by emulating Marvel Studios. Unlike Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios has used Disney+ to its fullest potential, proving the value of the streaming platform. By following Marvel Studios' successful methodology, Lucasfilm can keep the Star Wars universe alive and thriving on Disney+ for years to come.
The Mandalorian – Lucasfilm’s first foray into live-action television – launched alongside Disney+ in November 2019. The series was, by all measures, a success. By the end of the first season, The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Baby Yoda had become fan favorites and cultural icons. The second season of The Mandalorian aired in late 2020 to similar acclaim. On December 10, 2020, during an Investor Day presentation, Lucasfilm announced its upcoming Disney+ projects, including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor. These two shows will take place between the prequels and original trilogy, a time period that Lucasfilm continuously revisits. The Mandalorian, as well as the upcoming series The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka, all take place in the years after The Return of the Jedi, serving as the connective tissue between the original trilogy and the sequels.
With The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm proved that Disney+ was a viable platform for original, exciting, and high-budget shows. Lucasfilm has the opportunity to expand upon its initial success on Disney+ by following Marvel's overall strategy. While both studios have used the platform to expand and grow their respective universes, Marvel's upcoming Disney+ releases have a clearer overall vision for the future. The MCU Disney+ shows are all connected to upcoming projects while most of Lucasfilm's future Disney+ projects tie in with older movies in the series, rather than anything new. By producing new Disney+ series that take place after The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfilm can plant the seeds and set up future films. It's currently unknown when or if Lucasfilm will produce Episodes X, XI, and XII, but the studio can begin to lay the groundwork for the future of Star Wars on Disney+.
While Lucasfilm demonstrated the validity of Disney+, Marvel Studios exemplified the benefits of airing multiple series per year. Marvel releases multiple movies yearly so it only makes sense for this same methodology to translate over to Disney+. There may never be as many Star Wars movies as there are entries in the MCU, but Lucasfilm can still emulate Marvel Studios’ release schedule, at least when it comes to Disney+ shows.
At the moment, Lucasfilm's future is difficult to see as it's always in motion. The studio has announced many upcoming television and film projects, but the only two with actual release dates are the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett, which will release this December, and the feature film Rogue Squadron, which is slated for late 2023. Instead of relegating a single series release for the end of the year, Lucasfilm should use Disney+ for Star Wars shows, taking the platform to its fullest potential by releasing more unique series on the streaming platform in the coming years. In doing so, Lucasfilm can recapture what made The Mandalorian such a success while paving the way for a more exciting future for the Star Wars universe.
