Star Wars is a franchise that never seems to die. Ever since the original film, the universe and its characters have fully enraptured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world to the point where there has never been any risk of the series truly disappearing. Whether it’s films, comics, books, video games, TV shows, merchandise, or Baby Yoda memes, Star Wars has had new content coming out pretty consistently for over 40 years now. Now that Disney’s trilogy of films is complete, and a deluge of new films and shows are on the horizon, a new question arises: Do audiences really need another full trilogy of Star Wars?
Of course, there’s almost certainly one on its way at some point, the brand is too big to be left alone for long, but is it really necessary? Between The Mandalorian, The Clone Wars, the numerous upcoming Disney Plus shows, and various spin-off films like Rogue One and Solo, the argument could certainly be made that Star Wars has been getting a lot more mileage out of standalone projects than the sequel trilogy itself. While films like The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker proved divisive, shows like The Mandalorian have been almost universally beloved. That said, there are both benefits and drawbacks to hashing out another full trilogy of films.
Let’s start with the biggest drawback: trilogies are a huge commitment. It may not seem that way in an era where franchises are greenlit before the first film hits theaters, but committing to a three-film story is a serious risk that can go seriously wrong if the studio isn’t careful. While it’s easy to plot out a simple “hero takes on the empire over three films” arc, there’s a lot of things that can easily misfire. What if people don’t like the protagonist? Maybe the first film gets poor reviews, but the next two cannot easily diverge from the points established within it. The sequel trilogy in particular suffered from having two different directors who may not have been entirely on the same wavelength, for instance.
Another potential issue is the story. What would a third trilogy of films even be about? Another Empire rising from the ashes with yet another resistance movement in need of a Jedi? Both the original trilogy and the sequels had a very similar core concept, and Disney really only has two choices: either repeat that concept again, and risk audience fatigue, or do something new, and risk alienating an audience that just wanted more of the films they already liked.
There are benefits too, though. The most obvious being the fact that Star Wars has transcended basic film release into becoming a cultural event. While Solo and Rogue One also had impressive box office numbers, who could ever forget the lines of people waiting for hours to see The Force Awakens? Those mainline films were more than just a fun science fiction film, they were a cultural touchstone that just could not be escaped no matter where people looked, and that’s hard to do with a standalone spin-off film.
Perhaps the biggest benefit though is the fact that a brand new trilogy could be a great opportunity for cultivating new talent. In the same way that John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Adam Driver all saw huge career boosts from appearing in Star Wars, Disney could use a guaranteed smash hit franchise as a way to give a big project to unique directors, actors, and crew. Ironically, huge films like Star Wars are typically lower risk than smaller, more experimental projects due to their massive fanbase, and if there has to be another huge new trilogy of Star Wars films, it’d be nice to see them handed to people who have interesting new perspectives.
Either way, there will certainly be no shortage of Star Wars content for those in love with that galaxy far, far away. Fortunately for Disney, there’s almost no wrong answer, as pretty much any film, spin-off or otherwise, is almost sure to be received well by audiences. Still, as the main franchise takes a back seat for now, it will be interesting to see what the future of Star Wars holds, and how much Disney invests in spin-off materials vs. a more traditional trilogy of mainline films.
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