Did Disney Save Star Wars?

When 2012 happened and George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney many wondered just what would happen to our beloved galaxy far, far away. No one quite knew what would happen to Star Wars without its beloved creator at the helm. Well, after eight years it is fair to say that Star Wars has not only survived but has thrived with more content and creativity than Star Wars fandom has ever dreamed about. There are movies, television shows, comics, and books galore. There is probably more Star Wars content now than there has ever been before. Although it was not always that way.

Not many younger people will understand that there was once a dark time in the Star Wars franchise. A time when the intellectual property in general was slowly dissipating and beginning to head out. Yes, The Clone Wars was airing on Cartoon Network, and there were still books and comics, but one could tell that the mainstream Star Wars was slowly going away. The last time Star Wars was in theaters was the 2008 The Clone Wars movie, which was not regarded in the best light.

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Outside of its animated works, it did not seem like the Star Wars franchise really had any big events or something that would attract attention. Sure there were a few big games like Force Unleashed and The Old Republic MMO, but the hype around them seemed to dissipate rather quickly. Projects were moving slowly and the only major rumor from Lucasfilm was the Underworld live-action series that was never getting off the ground at the time. While there were rumblings and talks of a sequel trilogy, they were not anything concrete, and it did not look like they would eventually be made. The biggest thing that happened in the 2008-2012 era was The Phantom Menace 3D which sadly did not make the money. Thus, Lucasfilm never converted any other Star Wars movies into 3D. To many, Star Wars as a franchise was on the way out.

Of course, then the Disney buyout happened, and now we were promised a new trilogy. Eventually we got animated shows, and then starting in 2019 we got our first Disney+ live-action series with The Mandalorian. Its success spawned a second and third season and other spin-offs.

In many ways, we could say that Disney saved Star Wars as a franchise from fading into the distance, and made it mainstream again. We saw the first major comeback of Star Wars in The Force Awakens, which was the second highest grossing film of all time. Millions watched it, and millions more loved it. It also showed that Star Wars could come back in full force again. The Mandalorian became an icon in the streaming world and got many people watching Star Wars and more importantly watching Disney+. Both have become pop culture icons and have revitalized the franchise in a way that ensure it will continue on for years to come.

Sometimes, fans forget what the past was like. There was a time from 2008-2012 where things seemed grim for Star Wars. There was hardly any content. Books moved at a slow pace. The Clone Wars was on, but it was never as popular as it probably deserved to be. Sure there has been ups and downs recently, but that does not mean that things were as bad as the time when the franchise could have been completely dead.

It might be hard to hear but Disney might have just saved the galaxy far, far away. We are currently in a place where we are getting more Star Wars content. Otherwise, where would the Star Wars fandom be without it?

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Written By Joel Davis

Syndicated From Culture Slate

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