Images: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace/Lucasfilm — Star Wars: The Clone Wars/Disney — Solo: A Star Wars Story/Disney — Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith/Lucasfilm
From an Obi-Wan Kenobi show to a Rogue One prequel, we rank all the upcoming Star Wars TV series (rumored and confirmed) by how excited we are to see them.
It’s an amazing time to be a Star Wars fan. While there are no new Star Wars movies coming to the big screen for some time, there are plenty of Star Wars TV shows just around the corner. In fact, there are so many planned and rumored Star Wars projects on the horizon I had to add a couple new ones while writing this article.
If anything, there are too many Star Wars shows on the way. Which are we supposed to be most excited about? The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series with Ewan McGregor? The second season of The Mandalorian? Or perhaps it’s one of the many rumored but not yet confirmed shows?
Well, that’s where I come in. We’re going to look at all of the upcoming Star Wars TV shows, both confirmed and rumored, and rank them by pure hype level. How excited are we for these series?
Now, my rankings are not going to agree with everyone. I’m not naïve. I’m basing everything on my own thoughts, my friend’s thoughts, and the reactions from Star Wars fans on social media.
If you disagree with the rankings, great! I would love to hear your thoughts. So, when you’re done reading this, remember to drop a comment at the very bottom, or share your thoughts on social media.
Okay. Let’s do this! Let’s start with one of the shows we know is coming, although we don’t yet know much more than that:
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 23: Leslye Headland attends “Russian Doll” Premiere at The Metrograph on January 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Netflix)
9. Untitled Leslye Headland Series (CONFIRMED)
Back in April 2020, we learned that Russian Doll showrunner Leslye Headland would be making a Star Wars TV Show for Disney+. Other than Headland being involved, the only other details we know is that it will be a “female-centric” series.
Now, we’re jumping ahead a bit here, but we’ve also heard there’s a show on the way about Ahsoka Tano, a fan favorite Jedi character introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Could Headland’s series be about her? Before Ahsoka fans get excited, Headland’s show is reportedly set “in a different part” of the Star Wars timeline, so we don’t think those two shows are the same.
So, who could the Leslye Headland series be focused on?
Well, it could be any of the countless characters from the many Star Wars comics, novels, TV shows, and movies that have come out over the years: Princess Leia, Queen Amidala, Mara Jade…or it could be someone completely original. Your guess is as good as mine. There are, of course, plenty of theories, but they’re just that.
And that’s why the Untitled Leslye Headland Series is at the very bottom of these rankings. We just don’t know enough about it to get excited. Maybe once more details are released it will creep up the list. But as of right now, our excitement levels are low.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Image courtesy Lucasfilm, Disney+
8. The Bad Batch (CONFIRMED)
This is one of the new Star Wars projects I had to add as I was writing this article; that’s how fast Disney is turning these out.
Clone Force 99, or The Bad Batch, were introduced in the animated Clone Wars series. They had a four-episode arc in the final season of the show, and now, their story is set to continue.
Officially announced a couple of weeks ago, The Bad Batch will be an animated series with Clone Wars showrunner Dave Filoni as executive producer. It’ll be set after the conclusion of The Clone Wars, which probably puts it between the third and fourth Star Wars movies, Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
Photo: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 701 “The Bad Batch” .. Image Courtesy Disney+
For those of you who have never seen The Clone Wars, let me catch you up. The Bad Batch are an elite squad of clone troopers fighting for the Galactic Republic, each of whom have a unique set of skills the regular clone troopers do not possess. There skills come not from specialist training or unique weapons, but rather experimental enhancements the Bad Batch have performed on themselves. For example, Crosshair has enhanced eyesight, making him a top marksman and elite sniper.
Once the Republic turned into an Empire, the Bad Batch decided to part ways with the rest of the clone army. The series will focus on the squad acting as elite mercenaries, taking on one mission after another while trying to find their place in the new galaxy.
Excitement levels are high for The Bad Batch, but not as high as the other upcoming Star Wars shows. The reason for that is because of its animated roots; not all Star Wars fans follow the animated series, therefore bringing down the overall excitement level.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 21: Donald Glover attends “Solo: A Star Wars Story” New York Premiere on May 21, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
7. The Lando Calrissian show (RUMOR)
A show about Lando Calrissian, Han Solo’s smooth-talking smuggling frenemy, is rumored to be making its way to Disney+, with Donald Glover reprising his role as Lando from Solo: A Star Wars Story. The announcement came via Kessel Run Radio and is currently unconfirmed by Disney/Lucasfilm.
Opinions about Solo are mixed, but most of the fandom agrees that Glover was a fantastic Lando, so if you’re going to spin off someone from that film, he’s the one.
Will this rumor turn out to be true? Honestly, who knows? It wouldn’t be a shock. Disney+ doesn’t have a ton in the way of high-quality original content, and a Lando show could help shore it up. Plus, Glover has a likable screen presence and has a big following, so that could draw even more people in.
But are we excited about it? Not really. Don’t get me wrong, Glover was a fantastic Lando. He made the role his own and I am sure he would do the same on TV. I just don’t think we need his story.
I could be wrong. Before Rogue One was released, fans were pretty “meh” about it, but afterwards couldn’t stop praising it. The same thing could happen with a Lando show, but as of right now there are more exciting characters to explore.
6. The Obi-Wan Kenobi show (CONFIRMED)
Way back in 2019, which honestly feels like a lifetime ago now, following years of campaigning by fans, we finally got the announcement that Ewan McGregor would be coming back to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars prequel series.
Details about the show are limited. Only Ewan McGregor has been confirmed as part of the cast. There are rumors about who else might be appearing, such as Hayden Christian reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker, but nothing official.
Plot details are also a thin. It’s been reported that the series will be set after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and will focus on how Obi-Wan handles the aftermath of the Jedi Order being wiped out.
Thankfully, the lack of detail is not putting anyone off the series. Star Wars fans have been wanting an Obi-Wan series for a very long time, and the hype is real.
Unfortunately, what’s killing the excitement, and the reason why this isn’t nearer the top of the list, is because the Obi-Wan show has been plagued by delays.
According to Ewan McGregor, the scripts for the show had been written and filming was supposed to begin this year. But for some reason, the scripts were scrapped and the show was put on hold. McGregor said that improvements were being made to the scripts and that filming had been moved to 2021.
And that’s just as well, because with the COVID-19 pandemic they probably couldn’t have filmed in 2020 anyway. Still, the retooling is concerning.
Photo: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Episode 709 “Old Friends Not Forgotten” – Image Courtesy Disney+
5. The Ahsoka Tano show (RUMOR)
Padawan to General Anakin Skywalker. Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Falsely accused of bombing the Jedi Temple. Force-sensitive outcast. Fulcrum. Ahsoka Tano has been on a journey unlike any other character in the Star Wars universe since being introduced on The Clone Wars animated series. She went on to star in the follow-up show Star Wars Rebels, and you can even hear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when Rey hears the voices of the Jedi who had come before her.
Ahsoka has become a staple character within the fandom and we need more of her. And we might be getting it.
It has been confirmed Ahsoka Tano is going to appear in The Mandalorian Season 2. Rosario Dawson is set to play the iconic character in the live-action series, which I’m definitely excited to see. So far, Ahsoka has only ever been animated. Seeing how they render her in live-action is going to be really interesting.
However, it hasn’t been confirmed that she’s getting her own show. An appearance in The Mandalorian, yes. A TV show, no.
Still, it’s not like we can’t see it happening. It’s expected that Ahsoka’s appearance on The Mandalorian will act as a back-door pilot, but again, we don’t know for sure.
Personally, this is one rumor I think will become a reality. It would be strange for Disney to go through all of that effort to have Ahsoka appear in The Mandalorian — played by a star like Rosario Dawson, no less — for them not to move forward with something bigger.
Fans young and old love her. This is a no-brainer for Disney.
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 13: Diego Luna attends the exclusive fan screening of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” at BFI IMAX on December 13, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
4. The Cassian Andor show (CONFIRMED)
Remember when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was making its way to theaters in 2016? Fans weren’t super-excited about it before hand, but neither were we uninterested. It was Star Wars movie, which was great, but we were all a bit……meh about the whole thing.
And then it released, and oh my, how the tide turned. Rogue One came out of nowhere and astounded fans. It gave us everything we ever wanted from a Star Wars movie.
What made the movie stand out was it showed us a side of Star Wars we had never seen before, even though it had always been there: it showed us the dirty, darker side of the Rebel Alliance and its fight against the Empire. We’ve always had this idea that the Rebels are a force for good, a group of warriors who strive to do the right thing. And they are that, but they still have to get their hands dirty. They did questionable things and crossed lines we did not dare to imagine could cross.
Rogue One showed us this side of things with the character of Cassian Andor, a Captain of the Rebellion who had been in the fight since he was 11 years old. In the movie, Cassian eludes to the terrible things he’s done in the name of the Rebellion. We get a brief glimpse of this when he tries to assassinate Galen Erso. While everyone else thinks they are on a mission to simply extract the man from the Empire’s control, Cassian had other orders.
The spinoff movie left us wanting to know more about Cassian and others like him. This is exactly what the Rogue One series is going to do and it’s why we’re so excited about it.
The Cassian Andor show will explore what the character was during during the run-up to the movie. “The rousing spy thriller will explore tales filled with espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire,” reads the official synopsis.
There’s no release date as of yet, but hopes were high that it would be out this year or in early 2021. However, the global pandemic had other ideas, so we’ll need to wait a bit longer. But once it’s released, don’t be surprised if it’s an instant success.
Cover to Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn. Image: Del Rey
3. The Grand Admiral Thrawn show (RUMOR)
Thrawn, Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy, or Mitth’raw’nuruodo of the Chiss Ascendancy, is a blue-skinned, red-eyed alien known for his ability to out-strategize even the most fearsome of enemies.
First appearing in the Star Wars novel “Heir to the Empire” by Timothy Zahn, Thrawn went on to feature in the Star Wars Rebels TV show. There was also a trilogy book series by Zahn detailing how Thrawn rose to the rank of Grand Admiral, along with the beginning of another trilogy about his time before joining the Empire.
Now, let me just start off by saying that I am a huge Thrawn fan. I find his character completely fascinating. I love the idea of this individual who rises to power through his own wits and intelligence. No special powers, no special hand outs…he is simply a character who bests everyone with his mind. If you ever needed an advocate for brains over brawn, Thrawn is your guy!
However, this might be what makes this rumored TV show a tricky proposition.
Let’s face it: watching someone stand in brooding silence thinking is not that entertaining onscreen. Explosions, lightsabers, and daring galactic chases are. Lots of thinking and very little doing isn’t what we’re used to from Star Wars.
I would love to see a Thrawn TV show. And I really want to see this rumor come true. I really do, but no matter how excited we all are as fans, I don’t think Disney will give it the green light to go ahead.
It’s strange to write it out. This is definitely one of the most exciting potential Star Wars shows, but if I am honest with myself, It’s probably the least likely to actually happen.
But that doesn’t stop me from hoping and putting it near the top of this list!
Chapter 4. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and the Child in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+
2. The Mandalorian seasons 2 and 3 (CONFIRMED)
It should come as no surprise that The Mandalorian seasons 2 and 3 are near the top of the list. Not only are they the only Star Wars TV show with a season 1, but we also have a release date for season 2.
The debut season of The Mandalorian was jaw-dropping levels of good. It had something for everyone. No matter when you were introduced to Star Wars, whether it be the Original Trilogy, Prequels, or Sequels, everyone could sit down and enjoy the tale of a lone Mandalorian warrior and his adorable sidekick Baby Yoda, aka the Child.
Jon Favreau did an amazing job bringing this space western to life. We don’t know exactly what’s in store for season 2, although a few details have slipped through. Basically, we expect it to pick up where season 1 left off, with Mando looking for Baby Yoda’s people, all while the vile Moff Gideon chases them down, Darksaber in hand.
With season 3 already confirmed, it looks like Disney is in for the long haul with this one. Hopefully that means we’ll be getting a fleshed-out story in season 2, a tale full of highs and lows and room to breathe. If a show is on the bubble it runs a risk of rushing of do everything it wanted to do and losing the nuance along the way, disappointing fans. But with Disney money behind it, The Mandalorian is in no danger of this. If it stays on the course it started out on in season 1, we’re guaranteed a great time.
1. The Darth Maul show (RUMOR)
Yes, that’s right: a Darth Maul TV show could be on its way to Disney+. According to this rumor, the character is expected to appear in a variety of different Star Wars TV shows across the streaming platform, and eventually get his own show.
Many fans probably stopped thinking about Maul when Obi-Wan Kenobi cut him in half at the end of The Phantom Menace, but he was brought back and fleshed out as a character on shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels. One area that has not been explored in great detail is how Crimson Dawn, the Criminal Empire he runs, came to be.
The TV show is expected to focus on this period of Maul’s life. It’s also rumored that Qi’ra, a character who worked with Maul in Solo: A Star Wars Story, a character connected to Maul, will be a part of the cast. Qi’ra was played by Game of Thrones veteran Emilia Clarke, which would add some star power.
Darth Maul is a character that has meant so much to so many Star Wars fans. For some, he is the character who got them completely hooked on the franchise, which is impressive considering he barely said two words in the prequel movies.
However, thanks to his appearances on the animated shows, he went from a badass Sith apprentice wielding a dual light saber to an iconic character in his own league, a character who was ultimately quite tragic. As we learn more about him, we come to realize he was nothing more than a used soul twisted into doing Darth Sidious’ bidding. Hs story can leave you confused as to where your sympathies should lie. On the one hand, you feel sorry for him, because he’s a product of his brutal upbringing. Then you remember he has killed and maimed hundreds, potentially thousands, of people, and the pendulum swings back.
Needless to say, Star Wars fans can easily spend hours debating Maul, which is why his Star Wars show has the most potential. Fans have become fascinated by him based just on small appearances in the franchise here and there. Think what a whole TV show is going to do to us.
And that’s it! Knowing how fast these are being announced, Disney may have revealed two or three more by this article is published, but you get the idea: there’s a lot of Star Wars television on the way, and even if one (or two, or three, or four) of the shows doesn’t appeal to you, odds are another one will
Which shows are you looking forward to? Any they should try that aren’t on this list? Let us know!
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