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Ever since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the company has relied heavily on George Lucas’ Star Wars. Now, it’s finally about to enter a new era.
At first glance, it might not seem like Disney has relied that much on the George Lucas era, given that post-2012 Star Wars is anchored by the sequel trilogy, whose first film, The Force Awakens (2015), begins 30 years after the original trilogy’s finale, Return of the Jedi (1983).
Disney Star Wars Has Mostly Orbited the George Lucas Era
However, while Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian (2019), The Book of Boba Fett (2021), and Ahsoka (2023) started to fill that 30-year gap (the New Republic era), they only take place a few years after the original trilogy, which allowed for plenty of cameos from legacy Star Wars characters.
The Disney era has relied heavily on characters from George Lucas’ Star Wars across the board. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), and R2-D2 appeared throughout The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
And let’s not forget that Han got his own solo film (aptly titled Solo) in 2018, where he was played by Alden Ehrenreich, with appearances from Chewie (Suotamo) and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). The first standalone movie under the A Star Wars Story banner, 2016’s Rogue One, even doubled as a prequel to A New Hope (1977) and featured Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing), and a Leia (Ingvild Deila) cameo.
Original trilogy and prequel trilogy characters have also played a huge part in tie-in media over the past 14 years, including the Battlefront games and Fortnite events, and animated shows like Forces of Destiny (2017) and Galaxy of Adventures (2018).
Other animated entries such as The Clone Wars (whose first six seasons predate Disney’s ownership), The Bad Batch (2021), and Maul – Shadow Lord (2026) all take place either during or a few years after Lucas’ prequel trilogy with several characters from those films involved, while Rebels (2014), which featured a new cast, took place nearer A New Hope.
Then came the live-action Disney+ television shows, including Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), which was set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith (2005), with Ewan McGregor reprising his role as the titular Jedi, alongside Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.
There’s also Andor (2022), which is essentially a Rogue One prequel, and Skeleton Crew (2024) also takes place during the “Mando-Verse” era (The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka).
The Mando-Verse now also includes the latest film, The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026).
Related: Disney Just Confirmed It Will Abandon George Lucas’s ‘Star Wars’ Skywalker Saga
Legacy Characters Appear Everywhere in Disney Star Wars
Disney Star Wars content hasn’t always relied upon George Lucas’ films, though.
Aside from the sequels, there are plenty of entries that don’t take place during or anywhere near the prequel trilogy or the original trilogy. Resistance (2018), for instance, takes place before and during the sequel trilogy, while the likes of The Acolyte (2024) and Young Jedi Adventures (2023) occupy the High Republic Era, which predates even the prequel films.
Still, most of these shows have featured legacy cameos from iconic characters, who have appeared almost everywhere throughout Disney Star Wars, regardless of what era along the franchise’s extensive timeline a particular film or television show inhabits.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney World might be designed around the sequel era, but it still features the Millennium Falcon. While Han’s iconic ship appears throughout those films, it remains more widely associated with George Lucas’ Star Wars.
Now, original characters such as Luke, Leia, and Han have even started to appear at the hugely popular themed area in Disneyland, suggesting something of a timeline shift — at least in the Disney Parks setting.
In film, however, Disney is finally about to move forward with a new era and a never-before-explored part of the Star Wars timeline.
The Mandalorian & Grogu Has Been a Box Office Disappointment
It’s no mystery that The Mandalorian & Grogu has been a box office disappointment.
Released on May 22, the film, which is a continuation of the Disney+ series, marks the franchise’s first time in theaters since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. However, it has failed to resonate with audiences, receiving mixed reviews and underperforming at the box office.
It has grossed $294 million worldwide so far (as of June 8) against its reported $165 million budget. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin, who returns alongside Grogu for an all-new adventure. But the big-screen adaptation of the hit Disney+ series has struggled with audiences since the first trailer launched last year, with many criticizing it for looking like an extended episode.
Will Mando and Grogu Return?
It remains to be seen what the future looks like for these once-untouchable characters. According to recent comments from The Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau, who also directed the film, plans for a fourth season of the Disney+ series have been shelved.
Dave Filoni’s long-gestating untitled Mando-Verse project, which was expected to bring together Din, Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson), and other characters from those shows, is also unlikely to move forward, with rumors suggesting that the project is instead being reworked into a limited series for Disney+. Alternatively, those plans may be integrated into the upcoming second season of Ahsoka, which is now the only Mando-Verse project on the table.
Earlier this year, “according to insider Daniel Richtman, Lucasfilm is considering potentially moving away from the Mando-Verse for future Star Wars projects,” The Direct reported.
The only other project we know about is a minor one: Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu – Danger in the Dark, a one-shot comic centered on Din and Grogu.
Either way, now that the Mando-Verse has culminated in a poorly received film, any new content beyond Disney+ is unlikely.
A New Star Wars Era and Timeline Begins in 2027
With The Mandalorian and Grogu soon to be in the rearview, Disney is preparing to launch a new era in 2027 with the release of Star Wars: Starfighter, a standalone film that will bring the franchise into uncharted territory, as it’s set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, the end of the sequel trilogy.
However, despite being standalone, it doesn’t fall under the A Star Wars Story banner.
Directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine), Star Wars: Starfighter stars Ryan Gosling in the lead role, alongside Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. StarWars.com describes the film as “an entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored” in the franchise.
Other theatrical projects remain in development, but Starfighter is the only one set in stone with a release set for May 28, 2027. The likes of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey film and Simon Kinberg’s new trilogy reportedly remain in development but with no recent updates.
Either way, with only Ahsoka Season 2 on the horizon, live-action Disney+ Star Wars content appears to be slowing down. And although the franchise’s latest film has proven to be a flop, it would seem the future of Star Wars lies on the big screen where it belongs.
The only question now is whether Starfighter will be a return to form for the franchise, or another box-office disappointment like The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Do you think Disney is right to move beyond the Skywalker Saga and explore a new part of the Star Wars timeline, or should the franchise continue building on familiar characters and stories? Let us know in the comments below!
