Star Warshas a really frustrating relationship with its past. Since Disney bought the franchise, they’ve wildly fluctuated between bold new directions and dull retreads of familiar material. Legacy characters, concepts, and stories consistently infiltrate and weaken new narratives. That’s not to say that every new entry needs to be totally unrecognizable, but Disney’s current policies often make a potentially endless galaxy feel small and unimpressive. The current reaction to manyStar Warsshows suggests that fans are more interested in new horizons, likeThe MandalorianandAndor, and a little less interested in Jedi.
The Acolyteis the newestStar Warsshow at the moment. It launched with the promise of providing a new look at the Jedi Order, but it fell depressingly flat. Fans didn’t tune in, andDisney quickly pulled the plug. For all of its flaws,The Acolytewas a very inventive series that tried a lot of new concepts. It was a mix of unique ideas and familiar material, but people were not interested. Part of the reaction was the typical internet bigotry against anything with a diverse cast, but a lot of people expressed a lack of interest in even familiar concepts.
Star WarsMovies Used the Jedi Differently
In the original trilogy,Star Warstreated the Jedi as a background element. The Jedi Order was long dead and only a couple of holdouts remained.Obi-Wan Kenobi spoke about thedistant past with Luke, framing the warrior monks as the heroes of a bygone age. Fans got a bit more information out of Yoda inThe Empire Strikes Back. Remember the scene in which Darth Vader chokes a coworker? He assaults his fellow Empire employee for daring to belittle the Dark Side. The early films often spoke about the Jedi and the Sith the way modern people talk about King Arthur, despite only around 30 years passing since their extermination. When the Jedi were a vague ideal to strive for and a historical relic representing a better time, they were infinitely compelling. TheStar Warsfranchise hasa common problem with offering new information.
TheStar WarsPrequels Gave Fans All the Jedi They Could Ever Need
After their very vague mentions in the original trilogy, the prequels depicted nearly every aspect of the Jedi. Fans saw them fight, debate, investigate, explore, sit in a massive circle, and everything in between. The films followed two Jedi, allowing them to lead the audience through every level of the organization. Fans were lessexcited to see all the politicsand more excited to see what these legendary warriors of the past could do on a battlefield, and the prequels were more than happy to answer that question. Unfortunately, the prequels are also famously difficult movies with tons of weak points. This painted the Jedi in a weird light, offering endless moral and logical questions that the films resolutely refused to answer. The unfortunate truth is that theStar Warsfranchise delved too deep into the mystery. Fans wanted to know more, and now they know too much.
The Jedi Are Defined By What They Don’t Do
If theJedi Knights were straightforward warriorswho carried out their cool missions without the need for additional nuance, there would be some temporary fun in that. They’re far more complicated in a way that doesn’t help them remain fun. There are massive moral issues surrounding the Jedi Order that theStar Warsfranchise simply cannot contend with. They mandate the complete cessation of several critical parts of life as a thinking, feeling being in order to keep passion at a minimum. The Jedi had overwhelming political and military power that they frequently wielded in questionable ways. They took children from their parents en masse, inducted them into a religious military, and shipped them off to war.
Star Warscould lean into these massive problems, offering moral complexity to the fairy tale heroes, but they don’t want to abandon the idea of the Jedi as themoral center of the galaxy. A couple of works have explored the potential moral weaknesses of the Jedi Order, but many seem to hate it when the previous heroes aren’t portrayed with complete righteousness. This leaves them in an impossible position. They want simple, straightforward heroes, but they also want toleave a million unanswered questionsfor fans to loudly ponder. Fans have already seen the questions, but Disney doesn’t want to provide the answer.
CanStar WarsMake the Jedi More Interesting?
There are plenty ofinterestingStar Warsstories about Jedi, but very few of them ever make it to the screen. The novels, games, and comics frequently capture something more interesting than the usual on-screen Jedi story. It seems easy to simply focus on the personal stakes of the extended universe characters. Part of the problem is that the big-budget movies and shows have to revolve around characters from the 70s and their modern equivalents. They can’t explore new stories like they can in other avenues. Ahsoka Tano first appeared in 2008, but she’s still a relatively new character. Good characters are very rarely defined by their job, but the Jedi Order subsumes personality and commands uniformity. All Disney would have to do is write compelling characters who happen to wield lightsabers. They can treat Jedi like cops or soldiers,lean into the spiritual elements, or even address the many problems with the Jedi Order. The possibilities are endless; Disney just has to allow creators to try new things.
Star Warsshows likeThe MandalorianandAndordemonstrated the franchise’s potential to continue creating new things. Those shows almost entirely eliminated the Jedi, focusing onslightly more grounded elementsof the galaxy. They aren’t winners because they excised most of the space wizards. They’re good because they focus on telling nuanced, engaging stories within the framework of the beloved franchise. AllStar Warshas to do is bring in creators who can find something new and interesting to say about one of the most important factions in the universe.
