Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker doesn't really matter to the franchise's future. Released last December, The Rise of Skywalker brought Disney's sequel trilogy and the Skywalker saga as a whole to a close, albeit to mixed results. Though it was billed as the movie event of the holiday season, The Rise of Skywalker earned the worst Rotten Tomatoes score for a live-action Star Wars movie and ranks as the least profitable entry in Disney's trilogy. Expectations were quite high for The Rise of Skywalker, which is why some consider it to be a disappointment - even though it grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

Star Wars' Disney era got off to a rousing start when The Force Awakens earned positive reviews and broke box office records, but the franchise is in a very different place now. In some respects, The Rise of Skywalker illustrated Lucasfilm's weaknesses in regards to handling the property, as evidenced by the number of gaps the official novelization had to fill in. It was all somewhat concerning for fans, especially as Lucasfilm kicks off a new Star Wars era post-Skywalker saga. There are still a lot of questions about Star Wars' future that need answering; it's a sign of where things stand when news about directors being attached to Star Wars movies is meaningless.

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As the most recent Star Wars release, The Rise of Skywalker is an easy target for criticism, but it's just one cog in a larger machine. There are a lot of moving parts in the multimedia Star Wars empire, many of which will keep the franchise visible in the public eye while the movies are on hiatus for the next couple of years. And fortunately, everything coming through the Star Wars pipeline has very little to do with The Rise of Skywalker.

Future Star Wars Stories Aren't Reliant On Rise Of Skywalker

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Even with no new films on the immediate horizon, Lucasfilm will be busy churning out new Star Wars content. The studio is workin on a full slate of Disney+ TV shows, the High Republic publishing initiative, and more. None of these will be directly connected to The Rise of Skywalker. Live-action series such as the ones revolving around Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cassian Andor are set in the original trilogy era, while the High Republic books take place 200 years prior to The Phantom Menace. Given that select creative choices in The Rise of Skywalker proved to be divisive (and muddled), it should be a benefit for Star Wars' future that it won't have to build off of Rise of Skywalker and use that movie as the foundation.

After easing Star Wars back into the zeitgeist with a nostalgia-heavy "Phase 1" that relied on classic iconography, Lucasfilm finally seems ready to expand their horizons and take advantage of the huge Star Wars sandbox at their disposal. One priority now appears to be exploring fresh eras in galactic history that haven't been explored before. In addition to the High Republic books, one of the Disney+ TV shows in development is said to take place in a new era. That's very exciting, as these works will introduce fans to new stories and characters that have little (if anything) to do with the mainline Skywalker narrative. It'll also make it easier for Lucasfilm to leave The Rise of Skywalker behind as that movie fades into memory. Of course, there's always the possibility of a reference and The Rise of Skywalker will always be canon, but there likely won't be any overt tie-ins during this next Star Wars chapter. In some ways, Star Wars' true Disney era can start now, with TV shows, books, and video games fleshing out the lore in interesting ways.

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Star Wars' Biggest Success Is Outside Of The Movies

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By the nature of the way Star Wars was introduced to the world, it will primarily be seen as a film series first, but longtime fans know Star Wars is much more than just the movies. The franchise has found a great deal of success in a multitude of mediums, most notably animation. Both The Clone Wars and Rebels were well-received series that told some of the best stories Star Wars had to offer. Clone Wars was so acclaimed, some believe it helped redeem the maligned prequel trilogy, making those movies better. On the video game side, Star Wars had a pleasant surprise with last year's Jedi: Fallen Order, which gave gamers the single-player Star Wars experience they've craved since EA got the Star Wars license. Though no followup has been officially announced, EA views Fallen Order as the first installment in a new franchise, meaning there will be sequels released at some point.

Of course, The Mandalorian was a sensation last fall, with Baby Yoda becoming one of the most popular Star Wars characters yet (exceeding even Disney's expectations). It established a strong foundation not just for that series, which returns for season 2 in October, but also Lucasfilm's live-action TV slate. Fans are excited to see what the studio can come up with for Obi-Wan, the Rogue One prequel, and more. And while it's true none of the projects mentioned here will be theatrically released (meaning they can't gross $1 billion globally), they'll still generate revenue through merchandise sales. Dating back to Kenner's empty box campaign, merchandise has always been a huge part of the Star Wars experience. It doesn't have to relate to a movie to be a hot item with consumers. Demand for Baby Yoda toys was very high. Star Wars has a wide reach, so it won't have any trouble staying relevant in the zeitgeist.

Related: The Mandalorian Must Avoid Falling Into Disney's Star Wars Trap

Star Wars' Popularity Will Remain Consistent No Matter What

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Another reason why The Rise of Skywalker won't be as big a deal a few years from now is because Star Wars has been here before. The prequels were hit with intense backlash from longtime fans, yet the franchise was still massive. When The Force Awakens premiered a decade after Revenge of the Sith, audiences turned out in droves and made it one of the few titles to hit $2 billion worldwide. At this point, Star Wars is so ingrained in popular culture that it can withstand some mixed reviews. The Rise of Skywalker isn't going to be a death knell for the entire property. All the hype surrounding The Mandalorian season 2 (which brings Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano, and more to the fold) is proof of that. People will always care about this franchise, regardless of what's happening with it.

There aren't many franchises with this kind of staying power. That isn't to say it'd be impossible for Star Wars to truly fall out of favor with the general public, but it would take a lot more than a polarizing movie or two for that to happen. And it's worth keeping in mind that for all its divisiveness, The Rise of Skywalker still has its fair share of fans. It's impossible to please everyone when it comes to Star Wars, which is partially why the property's been relevant for more than four decades. Given the breadth of material available, there's something that appeals to any kind of fan. Someone who disliked The Rise of Skywalker may love The Mandalorian or the High Republic books. The Star Wars movies are arguably the most high-profile offerings the brand has, but they're just one part of a much larger machine.

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