Lucasfilm’s Soul

2-min read

Right, it's time for the serious edition of Emailer of the Week. Only deep thinkers get through the door today.

Step forward, Theo from Kitzbühel, Austria, who asks:

“What is going on with the folks at Lucasfilm? Why can’t they have one vision, and one decent story?”

Theo, thanks for your email. I can tell you’re a bit upset, and I’m guessing it’s because you’ve just watched the latest The Mandalorian, and it let you down in a big way.

There’s a long queue of disappointed fans, and I’ve saved you a spot in the line, so why don’t you come and stand by me and let’s talk about what’s really going on.

Let me ask you something, Theo. Do you believe that a corporation can have a soul? No, not a mission statement, but an honest-to-God soul. Something that remembers why it exists.

I believe it can. Lucasfilm does have a soul. The problem is, they seem to have drifted a bit and lost their way.

The Lucas era

Not to get all nostalgic, but this was the golden era when they gave us the original trilogy, the Indiana Jones series, Labyrinth, just hit after hit. Not everything worked, but at least they were trying things.

They had a single creative heartbeat, built around the messy and passionate ideas of George Lucas. You could tell there was an actual person behind it, trying to make something rather than fill a release calendar.

The Disney era

There was so much hope when Disney took over.

Then, in The Rise of Skywalker, Oscar Isaac gives a subtle headshake and sigh just before he has to say the single worst line in any Star Wars movie:

“Somehow, Palpatine returned.”

Talk about a kick to the soul.

You can like it, sure. But defending it? No. You deserve better.

But Disney is not a villain. It’s an efficient, content-making machine. It churns out stuff that appeals to everyone, everywhere, all at once.

The bright spots

But Theo, here’s the thing, just when you’re ready to give up on them, they surprise you.

Andor stands among the greatest television ever made. It’s Star Wars stripped to its bones: ordinary beings uniting against oppression. Turns out, a proper story still works.

And to prove it wasn’t a fluke, they also gave us the masterpiece that is Rogue One, and Seasons 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian (simplicity wins over spectacle).

So you see, Theo, we know they can do it. The soul is still in there, man.

The misses

Then came The Acolyte. Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Book of Boba Fett. Even Ahsoka had its issues. Poorly written, aimless, expensive in all the wrong ways. What are we doing here?

This is what happens when you move away from crafting stories and start building a content machine around marketing.

To be fair, Star Wars fans are not exactly an easy crowd. Fans typically want something different, new and fresh. And for everything to stay the same.

The hopeful bit

So don’t worry Theo, Star Wars isn’t dead. It’s just tired and needs a bit of a spark.

Every time Lucasfilm hands the reins to someone who actually cares about the story, the soul flickers back to life. That's the whole lesson of Andor.

The soul's still in there, Theo. It just needs someone to listen to it.