Disney is nothing if not enthusiastic about exploiting its most popular properties. We’ve got about 30,000 new Marvel shows and movies coming our way in 2023, but what of its other big cash cow? Disney will be taking us on several trips that galaxy far, far away this year. We’re here to run down all the Star Wars stuff coming out between now and the end of the year, starting with…
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2: January 4 on Disney+
The second season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch is already off and running. This is an animated Star Wars in the tradition of The Clone Wars and Rebels, two other series masterminded by Dave Filoni. In fact, The Bad Batch even features a lot of the same characters. The titular Bad Batch, a group of variant clone soldiers, made their first appearance in The Clone Wars.
The Bad Batch picks up with the group after the Empire takes over the galaxy. Most of their clone soldier breathren joined the Empire when the Emperor executed Order 66, but the Bad Batch resisted and went solo (well, except for Crosshair). Their own show follows their adventures as mercenaries, joined by a younger clone named Omega.
The Bad Batch is more focused on the episode of the week than most other Star Wars shows, but still has an overarching narrative. The second second is in full swing right now!
The Mandalorian season 3: March 1 on Disney+
The Mandalorian was the first Star Wars TV show to debut on Disney+, and it’s still the most popular. After Andor, it’s harder to say whether it’s still the best, but it will get a chance to make its case when the third season starts up in March.
When last we left Mando and Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) at the end of The Mandalorian season 2, Grogu was going off with Luke Skywalker to learn to control his Force powers, while Din Djarin inadvertently became the ruler of the planet Mandalore…but the story kept going after that, in The Book of Boba Fett. Grogu left Luke to reunite with his Mando daddy, so they’re back together. No movement on the Mandalore plot, though.
Honestly, it was lame of Disney to force people to watch an entirely different show in order to see what happened next with their favorite Mandalorian characters. Hopefully The Mandalorian season 3 will be so good it’ll make up for everything.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor: March 17 on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S
Aha, you thought that the new year would only bring Star Wars TV shows and movies? There are video games in the offing too, like this sequel to the 2019 hit Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
In these games you play as Cal Kestis, a Jedi Knight who survived the Jedi purge after the issuing of Order 66. This new game takes place around five after the last one, so we’re deep into the period of time when the Empire holds sway over the galaxy. As Cal, you must do whatever it takes to stay alive as the Empire tries to hunt any remaining Jedi down.
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures: Spring 2023 on Disney+ and Disney Junior Channel
Andor is Star Wars for adults. The Mandalorian is Star Wars for teenagers. But what about Star Wars for kids? Well, most everything in the Star Wars universe is pretty clean so you can probably get away with showing them anything, but if you want something for kids specifically, then this might be up your alley.
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures will follow a group of Younglings as they help people in need, discover exotic creatures, clash with villainous pirates, train with their masters, and learn about compassion, self-discipline, teamwork, patience and friendship. It’s set during the High Republic era of Star Wars, so a ways before the prequels. And it can teach your child — or your inner child — valuable lessons about what it means to have heart of a Jedi.
And also cute ‘lil Yoda is there.
Star Wars: Visions season 2: Spring 2023 on Disney+
Star Wars: Visions is an animated anthology series that tells standalone tales set in the galaxy far, far away. We can expect more of that in season 2, only with greater variety in animation style. As executive producer James Waugh told Deadline:
"We have studios from Africa, Chile, England, Ireland, France, India… and the guiding light there was that we wanted their storytelling to be a reflection of what Star Wars meant in their culture, but also a reflection of the myths and stories that could only come out of their cultural context."
With so many of the Star Wars shows being heavily serialized, it’s nice to get one that can be picked up and put down whenever you like. And it’s always splendid to look at.
Star Wars: Ahsoka: TBA on Disney+
After The Mandalorian, the most anticipated Star Wars show on the way in 2023 is Ahsoka, which stars Rosario Dawson as the titular former Jedi. Originally introduced in the animated series The Clone Wars, we met the live-action version of Ahsoka Tano in the second season of The Mandalorian. She returned in The Book of Boba Fett to pal around with Luke Skywalker. Now she’ll set out on her own.
We’re not 100% sure what this series will entail, but we have some clues. On The Mandalorian, Ahsoka was on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn, an imperial officer she faced down in Star Wars Rebels. We can expect him to show up on her new show. Ahsoka is also a former padawan of Anakin Skywalker, so her roots run deep. There are a lot of directions this show could go in.
Expect Ahsoka to tie in directly with The Mandalorian. Disney is trying to establish a cinematic universe with these series.
Skeleton Crew: TBA on Disney+
One of the more mysterious Star Wars shows on the way, Skeleton Crew will reportedly be about a group of children trying to find their way home after getting lost in space. And also Jude Law will be in it, presumably not as one of the children.
Skeleton Crew is set to be a coming-of-age story, so Disney is targeting the teenage set with this one.
Star Wars: The Acolyte: TBA on Disney+
It’s possible that The Acolyte won’t be out until 2024, but we’re including it on this list just in case.
The Acolyte will be set towards the end of the High Republic era of Star Wars, the golden age when the Jedi were at the height of their power and influence. A former padawan reunites with her Jedi master to investigate a series of crimes, and they end up unraveling a conspiracy that could presage the rise of the dark side.
The Acolyte has put together a solid cast that includes Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Carrie-Anne Moss. With the promise of Jedi vs Sith spy games, The Acolyte could be one to watch.
Star Wars movies: An undated mess
So there are a lot of Star Wars shows on the way in 2023, on streaming and elsewhere, and even one high profile video game. But what about movies? That’s how this whole series started, isn’t it? Where the next New Hope? The next Phantom Menace? Force Awakens? We don’t know, and I’m not sure Disney does either, because lately they can’t seem to drag any movie project out of development hell.
The movie that got the closest to happening may have been Rogue Squadron, a movie about starship pilots to be directed by Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins. They even made a little teaser for it, as you can see above. The movie was originally gong to come out this year, but was later removed from the release schedule. Its fate is uncertain, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it never sees the light of day.
There have been whispers of other movies. Taika Waititi was going to make one, but we’ve heard nothing of substance since the initial announcement; even the director himself isn’t sure it will ever get made. Director Rian Johnson was supposed to make a whole new Star Wars trilogy, but that was before there was a massive backlash to his film The Last Jedi; years have passed since then, and all we’ve heard is occasional comments from Johnson that he’d like to follow through if he ever gets the opportunity. Marvel boss Kevin Feige is said to be working on a Star Wars movie, but we haven’t heard much about it; let’s hope no news is good news where that is concerned.
Damon Lindelof is also said to be working on a Star Wars movie, but we have no way of knowing if that’s actually happening or just so much hot air. After the backlashes to The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, as well as the underperformance of movies like Solo, it feels like Disney is gun shy when it comes to Star Wars on the big screen. They’ll probably get their act together sooner or later, but it won’t be in time to release anything in 2023.
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