Star Wars Celebration this year was filled with many exciting reveals about what’s happening in a galaxy far, far away. The most impressive was the announcement of three new upcoming live-action films (though they aren’t linked as a trilogy), one of which will be by Academy and Emmy-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, that will be set fifteen years after the events ofThe Rise of Skywalkerwhere Daisy Ridley will return as Rey Skywalker, trying to rebuild the Jedi Order. While this new film - with the unconfirmed titleStar Wars: New Jedi Order -isnot considered the tenth episodeof the Skywalker Saga, it will essentiallyserve asStar Wars Episode 10in all but name.
No other information was revealed aboutNew Jedi Order.Interestingly, despite not being considered an official episode, it is not subtitled with “A Star Wars Story” either, as were the other spinoffs likeRogue OneandSolo.Hence, the standing of this movie and what it means to Star Wars is unclear. Despite all this uncertainty,New Jedi Orderwill act like the Episode 10 everyone has been wondering about, and right now, that’s not good for the franchise. Here’s why it’s not a good time for aStar Wars 10.
It’s Way Too Soon
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has said the three new Star Warsfilms are “pretty far along"in development, so we will likely see them coming soon.New Jedi Orderis scheduled for a 2027 release, but it’s simply too soon to start the franchise in movies again.
All three Star Wars trilogies of the Skywalker Saga had years, even decades, in between releases. That time allowed audiences to absorb and process a whole trilogy of expansion and its effects on the galaxy.Return of the Jedileft the galaxy in peace and viewers full of hope.Revenge of the Sithleft the galaxy in shock and viewers in sorrow.The Rise of Skywalkerleft the galaxy confused and viewers extremely disappointed, but it was considered the end of the Saga, our final time with beloved characters like Luke and Han. To return directly to the story less than five years later, even with the sizable time jump, doesn’t make sense, especially given the audience’s less-than-favorable reaction toThe Rise of Skywalkerand the extremely negative response of the fandom to the Sequel Trilogy as a whole.
Waiting a while longer, say even another ten years, would be better before considering areturn to a galaxy far, far away. Though, Disney being Disney, would not want to wait so long. The day Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the Sequel Trilogy was announced and came only a few years later. But more time would allow fans to make their peace with the recent failures and give Disney more time to craft a movie that would please everyone and due honor to the franchise.
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Fans Are Tired
Rey coming back to build a new New Jedi Order (after Kylo Ren destroyed Luke Skywalker’s) is exciting, but not enough. When Disney announced the Sequel Trilogy in 2012, it excited Star Wars fans and haters to know the dawn of a new era of Star Wars was coming. The last time fans saw Star Wars on the big screen was in 2005 withRevenge of the Sith, and there was nothing but the small animated pet project of George Lucas,The Clone Wars,for fans to watch. When the teaser trailer ofThe Force Awakenshit, it broke the internet. Everyone was hungry for Star Wars.
In 2023, we’re so full of Star Wars we’re sick of it. Franchise fatigue has hit hard on Disney, as both Star Wars and Marvel are struggling to keep fans interested after the end of the Skywalker Saga and the Infinity Saga. For Star Wars, it’s worse. There’s never been a clear end goal apparent, and the Sequel Trilogy proved that there never was one - besides making the bottom line as high as possible, which meant making as much Star Wars as possible. So five movies andseven shows laterin the last seven years, and many more on their way within months, fans have had their fill. The announcement of the three new movies has had nowhere near the same energy as Disney’s original announcement of new Star Wars movies. Most fans don’t expect much of the new ones after the old ones were mixed at best, and many are moving on.The Mandalorianis a testament to this, as it used to be the most famous show in the world, and Baby Yoda was king of the internet, but now it’s suffering the lowest viewership of any Star Wars show. Just likeTheMandalorian,Star Wars isn’t a big dealanymore.
Related:How The Mandalorian Has Lost the Way in Season 3
Star Wars 10 Should Happen, But Not Yet
Just because it’s not the right time for another Star Wars movie, that doesn’t mean it will never be a good time for Episode 10. The Sequel Trilogy did not end the Skywalker Saga on a high note, more like a sad wheeze strangled by Disney’s money grip. Disney has been trying to fix its mistakes, but that’s going to take time, and rushing Star Wars back to the big screen so soon is exactly what led to these mistakes in the first place. Disney should wait, reflect on its past to see where the franchise stands now, and then move on and get Star Wars back on track. You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are.
