‘Star Wars’ Movies vs TV: Which Is Better?

What Do You Think?

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 5 min read

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... I was going to start by being clever and saying it wasn't long ago. However, Star Wars first burst onto cinema screens in 1977, 45 years ago, so I guess it really was! Everything kicked off with that one movie. I have been a Star Wars fan since I first saw A New Hope in 1978 when it had its mainstream release in the UK (well, it was just Star Wars back then) and have been swimming in movies and TV content ever since. It's not necessarily all been a good thing, though. So which is better, the movies or TV content?

When it comes to the movies, the original trilogy (OT) is what most people would have been aware of. The first foray into the TV media was the Star Wars Holiday Special. Broadcast just one time in 1978, it is now considered a cultural legend. It sits with the unenviable status of classic/disaster. Most people didn't get to see the Star Wars Holiday Special at the time and may not have even heard about it. The reception to it at the time was so bad that it was never broadcast again and never had an official home video release.

Since then, we have been indulged with loads of content across movie and TV realms. I won't go into deep detail on all the releases, but here's a truncated timeline of the main content that we have had so far (I have excluded things like animated micro-series such as Forces of Destiny).

For me, the Star Wars movies have always been an event centered around family. In my early years, my parents would take me. As I grew up, I went with friends and partners until we went full circle, and it was me taking my own kids to see them. That continues today with it still being a family event. Star Wars movies are always something to look forward to, especially with the current advance dates published for future films. When it comes to the movies, things have always been pretty consistent regarding build-up and quality (mostly).

On the TV front, one could argue that we've had a bit of a mixed bag over the years regarding content quality. Star Wars Holiday Special kicked things off in a spectacularly questionable fashion. Caravan Of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor were clearly aimed at kids, as were the two animated series spin-offs, Star Wars: Droids and Ewoks. It wasn't until 2008 that quality Star Wars content arrived in the TV realm with The Clone Wars animated series release (again, excluding the micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars from 2003).

Are there pros and cons of movies vs. TV? I don't necessarily see a downside in either as they both provide regular Star Wars content to fans. Movies are great as they are huge events, that whole sharing with family and going to the midnight showing cannot be beaten by TV. The downside of movies is that they take longer to make than TV shows, so you have to wait longer for the next installment, usually around two years, although we were spoiled for a period where we had one a year.

TV is great when it is serialized as it keeps that content coming every week, although season lengths can run from 5 weeks to 22 weeks. In the past, I would argue that the quality of some of the TV content let it down, although you also have to consider what the target audiences were. For example, the two Ewoks TV movies and the Droids and Ewoks animated shows were clearly aimed at a much younger audience which the discerning viewer might find off-putting. Sure it would appeal to kids and hopefully spark an interest in the Star Wars franchise (if they weren't already brought in), but equally, it would do nothing to attract an older audience. It might even make older fans feel that Star Wars was no longer for them as it was now a kids thing. There is no doubt that most TV content created since the advent of The Clone Wars is of a much higher quality and overall appeals to a much broader audience, with a lot of it definitely now catering to older fans.

From a purely business perspective, movies make a lot of money. In contrast, the TV content might bring additional subscribers to the streaming platform, primarily Disney+, but this is a fraction of what the box office can rake in. By the same token, they go hand in hand, as the only way budgets for the TV content can get signed off is if there is a large amount of profit brought in from the movies, so they do co-exist.

So the question is, which is better, the movies or TV content? There is no right or wrong answer here as everyone has their own opinion of where the Star Wars franchise stands these days. Personally, I love the theatrical cinema release for the movies and the events surrounding those, but equally, I am happy to sit down and enjoy anything released on Disney+ in the comfort of my own home.

How about you? What do you think?

Written By KT Glitz

Syndicated From Culture Slate

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