Thanks to Disney, Star Wars fans are enjoying a constant year-round slate of content set within the galaxy far, far away. Of course there are the movies, which have slowed down in recent years. But the TV shows just keep on coming. After striking gold with The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm hasn’t looked back, releasing The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi and soon Andor all in under a year’s time.
“Extended universes” are all the rage nowadays, and numerous franchises approach them differently. Take Game of Thrones, for instance, which is taking a slow and steady approach; there’s one prequel series on the air now and none coming out in the immediate future. Meanwhile, there are currently eight shows set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with more on the way.
Star Wars is taking the latter approach. But at what point does it become too much? Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, franchise manager Dave Filoni explained that the key to releasing many Star Wars projects is to keep things fresh and exciting. It sounds pretty obvious in principle:
#StarWars series producers @Jon_Favreau and @dave_filoni dig into the "rich fabric" that ties #TheMandalorian, #Ashoka, and more together. pic.twitter.com/NKfRQuWYNC
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 15, 2022
"We love seeing the development of all these series and how from the new show we’re doing with Jon Watts, Skeleton Crew, and… but when you look at Andor and you look at Obi-Wan, you look at Mando, you look at Boba. They all do have a different feeling, a different tone, and I think that’s remarkable, and really speaks to the serialized nature of Star Wars, and how it can be a very flexible galaxy.I mean, it is a galaxy, so there’s so many stories to tell that it’s exciting. But I don’t know yet. I’m waiting to see a little more as I put together what that tone becomes, because it’s evolving right now. It’s evolving."
Let’s hope it evolves for the better. The TV shows have been well received, especially The Mandalorian, and especially after the recent movies so sharply divided fans. That said, I’m sure Taika Waititi’s upcoming foray into Star Wars will rejuvenate things, if it ever actually happens.
Jon Favreau on how all the Star Wars shows are connected
Before The Mandalorian came along, the Star Wars universe lacked direction. Now the plan seems simple: build a huge story around that show. Jon Favreau, who runs the Star Wars TV universe alongside Favreau, weighed in. “All those shows that we’ve worked on — Mandalorian, Ahsoka, Book of Boba Fett, now Skeleton Crew — they all exist within the same timeframe,” he said. “They all exist after Return of the Jedi. So between Episode VI and Episode VII, there’s 30 years there that are somewhat unexplored, certainly on the screen.”
"In The Mandalorian, we begin to introduce those characters. We begin to remind people who knew them already. Or if you aren’t familiar with the other works and you’re just coming into this show, we’re introducing them for the first time. This affords us the opportunity to have stories that interconnect and characters that go from one story to the other, and that creates a very rich fabric for us to explore."
Everyone loves a good interconnected universe, right? The latest Star Wars show, Andor, premieres September 21 on Disney+!
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels