Why the Mouse Has Failed the Jedi...

When George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in October 2012, many of the fans were stunned and even outraged that their childhood had been pawned off to the great Mouse House, but at the same time they were given the promise of a brand new trilogy which fans were skeptical at since the prequel trilogy had failed to deliver on so many levels.

The latest generation of fans had grown up with the prequels and the follow-up, the animated series The Clone Wars which gathered a following of loyal and feverish fans of its own. Where Attack of the Clones had failed, writer/producer Dave Filoni and Master Lucas swept onto televisions everywhere with weekly adventures of Jedi generals and their loyal clone troopers fighting the good fight again the villainous Separatists and their droid armies. From 2008 until its untimely demise in 2014, this series became iconic in the minds of its fans as well as spawning an entirely new generation of Star Wars lovers.

Kathleen Kennedy, an accomplished producer and former protege of Steven Spielberg, was made the CEO of the new Lucasfilm under Disney. In the spirit of that, it was swiftly announced that a new live-action film trilogy would be spawned that would pick up the story three decades after what took place in Return of the Jedi.

During the span between that film and what was to be the new set of stories, a brilliant and vibrant series of novels and comic books had established an epic timeline that introduced us to characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade. This new "expanded universe," which began in 1991 with the release of Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire blazed into bookstores and into the hearts of Star Wars fans young and old as they were returned to their beloved galaxy of droids, Jedi, space battles, and worlds in places we've never known in this universe.

As Disney took control of Lucasfilm, they immediately made strikingly bold and yet abrupt changes that shocked the fandom by redacting the entire "expanded universe" making it no longer "official canon," closing shop on the Lucasarts game studio which had given us such hits as The Force Unleashed series, and leaving the entire fandom in a bubble of uncertainty and nervous anxiousness as to what would come next. Even the animated series Detours, written by the guys from the infamous Robot Chicken series, never saw the light of a television screen anywhere as the new bosses at Lucasfilm and Disney quickly boxed it away somewhere.

Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams quickly answered this void by introducing the title to the latest live-action epic which would be titled The Force Awakens, the seventh chapter in what was now deemed "The Skywalker Saga". They quickly whipped out an 88-second mini teaser for the film in the Autumn of 2014, making fans froth at the mouth for whatever possibilities would come out of that. The film was released in December of 2015 and became a smashing success at the box office, rousing an excitement for Star Wars fans that gave them hope despite having much of their fandom wiped away during the transition into Disney's ownership. In addition, the fans were thrown a satisfying bone as Grand Admiral Thrawn was re-inducted into canon by unleashing him upon the Rebel Alliance in the third season of the animated series Star Wars Rebels and cleverly voiced by Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen.

Looking at the aforementioned Star Wars Rebels series, Disney sought to capture the magic conjured in the previous animated series yet never quite getting the same gusto that The Clone Wars had burst forth week after week. The genius of writer/producer and now-show runner Dave Filoni had once again tantalized fans on the television screen as a small band of rebels sought to form an alliance to defeat The Galactic Empire and bring an end to its tyranny. Although, this adventure was short-lived as Lucasfilm called for an end to this part of the saga with a fourth and final season in 2017.

The cinematic universe was quickly expanded with the first of the "stand-alone" films. Rogue One was approached by fans with trepidation for fear that it would detract from their childhood favorite, "Original Trilogy," however Gareth Edwards unveiled what has now become a fan-favorite and introducing a host of characters that would only be seen in one film yet would have a lasting impact on the universe as a whole.

The follow-up to The Force Awakens was quickly announced, with Rian Johnson, the director of the highly-successful science fiction thriller Looper being tasked to write and direct the middle chapter of the trilogy, the arbitrarily named The Last Jedi which seemed to be odd given that it was only the second part of the new series. The film was also a box office success, but it collided with a force of its own—an immense backlash from fans as it created many contrary ideas and story constructs that nearly wiped away much of what was established in the previous chapter as well as being seemingly irreverent in its depiction of well-known concepts and beliefs established by the six films prior to this series.

Adding to this was the daftly contrived Solo: A Star Wars Story which was to be the second of the "stand-alone" films. The film suffered from next-to-nothing in terms of marketing and promotion and was mired in production problems, casting credibility, and an additional backlash that the character of Han Solo "shouldn't be messed with." As a result, this film was both a critical and box office failure. Nevermind that Lucasfilm had the notion to release another Star Wars film not even five months after its previous release, but it was spit into theaters on the heels of the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 and had little opportunity to get any traction of its own.

Now, the fandom is in disarray, with many playing into the hate speech that has beguiled those in the Lucasfilm family and its actors who were simply doing their respective jobs, but also it has heightened concerns with the Mouse House that their supposed "golden goose" was apt to lay duds in its future.

Disney and Lucasfilm, however, have failed in many respects to not only address this break of confidence with their fans, it has also brought many future film projects, i.e. the "stand-alone" films, to a grinding halt albeit the as-yet-untitled Episode IX has now begun production with a sparse bit of secrecy.

A Hail Mary was introduced at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con in the form of the return of another season of The Clone Wars, the animated series that had truly brought fans together in the most unusual and at the same time harmonious ways. Much in the way of stories, fan organizations, and a multitude of cosplays has been spawned by this abruptly ended series, and now the fans are rewarded with another season with the caveat that in order to enjoy it, one must take up membership in Disney's upcoming streaming service of its own so that the Mouse House can do what it does best—finding any and every means to capitalize on the monetary value of its products and taking advantage of their fans without them being any the wiser.

While many could present the argument that George Lucas had given his loyal fans a trojan horse when he presented the prequel trilogy, he had never sought to capitalize on its shortcomings in the ways that the Mouse House has taken the once-united fandom and made it a cash cow and maligning many of its loyal constituents.

Bob Iger, the current Disney CEO, would be wise to directly address the rapidly growing concerns of Star Wars fans and making every effort to make rapid repairs to the crumbling foundation of the Lucasfilm community of fans. Perhaps Kathleen Kennedy isn't properly equipped to be a CEO and keep the responsibility of assuring fans that their universe will be properly cared for and the respectability of the Star Wars universe and the values it purports will be upheld to their utmost. Perhaps delving into the past with these "stand-alone" films doesn't have the staying power or value that executives had the notion they would carry.

In seeing that Episode IX won't be released until December 2019, Lucasfilm has at least recognized one thing—they can't churn movies out like their sister company, Marvel Studios, without souring the anticipation and fever that Star Wars fans will muster as they await the next exciting chapter in the saga of a galaxy far, far away. Even Jar Jar Binks, the most hated character in the saga to date, didn't draw as much ire from the fans as what had spawned from The Last Jedi or Solo.

Clearly, despite whatever misgivings fans may have, in this writer's opinion, the Lucasfilm studio ran better in the hands of its creator, although, with some questionable results at times. What would you say? Is the galaxy far, far away better off stewarded by the House of Mouse or by its now-retired Jedi Master? Perhaps even the animation grandmaster Dave Filoni would be able to guide this universe back to its previous respectability? Question that you can...