Summary
Many believe that Disney has ‘ruined’Star Wars, but would the franchise really be better off without Disney?When Disney boughtStar Wars, there was plenty of concern about what this acquisition would mean forStar Warsmovies and TV shows. In truth, there has been mixed reception to the projects created by DisneyStar Wars.
In fact, many ofStar Wars’best TV showshave been created since Disney’s acquisition of the franchise. However, several of the movies thought to be some ofStar Wars’worst movies, the sequel trilogy among them, were also made by Disney. Given this divide, it’s worth asking:what wouldStar Warsreally look like today if Disney had never purchased the rights to the franchise?
What Has George Lucas Really Said About Disney Star Wars?
George Lucas created Star Wars and oversaw the franchise for decades, so what opinions has he shared publicly about Disney’s movies and TV shows?
George Lucas Would (Probably) Never Have Made The Sequels
George Lucas did have sequel trilogy plans, and they looked quite different from the DisneyStar Warssequel trilogy that was ultimately released. In Lucas’ plan, the main villains would have been Darth Maul as the Sith master and Darth Talon as the Sith apprentice, which manyStar Warsfans lament not coming to pass. Additionally, Princess Leia would have been the central hero of this trilogy, completing the father, son, and daughter trio of trilogies, and Luke Skywalker would have re-established the Jedi Order.
Of course, much of this sounds thrilling, and it’s fair to wish that these concepts had been brought to life; however,it’s unclear whether George Lucas' sequel trilogy would have ever really been created. In fact, according toThe Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, written by Robert (Bob Iger), Lucas only wrote his own sequel trilogy scripts to increase Lucasfilm’s value for the Disney acquisition. Lucas was aiming for a number closer to Pixar’s sale price, which was an astounding approximately $7.4 billion.
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In the end, Lucasfilm sold for closer to $4.05 billion. Regardless, evidently, George Lucas only drew up these drafts of a sequel trilogy to sell to Disney. This may mean that, had Disney not purchasedStar Wars, this sequel trilogy may never have come to be anyway. Of course, Disney still could have used these ideas, which likely would have been popular, but this doesn’t suggest that Disney’s acquisition ofStar Wars’ruined' Lucas' plans.
The Clone Wars Would’ve Continued Uninterrupted
One of the most controversial decisions DisneyStar Warsmade early on was to cancelStar Wars: The Clone Wars. Although this show is now beloved in the franchise, it had mixed reviews initially. Perhaps for that reason, Disney decided that they wanted to takeStar WarsTV shows in a different direction. Of course, ultimately,The Clone Warswas renewed and completed.
Had Disney not purchasedStar Wars,The Clone Warsvery likely would have continued without any cancelation and renewal. However, what that would have looked like may forever remain a mystery. Presumably, the creative minds behindThe Clone Warsalready had a plan that was then disrupted by this cancelation and the years in between the show ending and its renewal. Whether that plan was ultimately followed isn’t clear.
The Clone Warsconclusion was a truly perfect ending to the show.
Yet,The Clone Warsconclusion was a truly perfect ending to the show, which raises questions about the degree to which Disney negatively impacted the show. The finale in particular saw Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker connect one final time, revealed that Ahsoka was one of the survivors of Order 66 (in an absolutely stunning way), and contextualizedStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithso much more. It’s difficult to say thatThe Clone Wars(orStar Wars) was ‘ruined’ by Disney in light of this fantastic ending.
Interestingly,Star Wars: The Bad Batchwas in the works before George Lucas soldStar Warsto Disney, meaning that this show would likely have existed either way. Again, it’s difficult to say whether the story would have been the same (particularly in the later episodes), but the show itself was already planned. However, this was not the case forStar Wars Rebels.
Rebelswas a DisneyStar Warscreation, and, like the ending ofThe Clone Wars,it was a brilliant addition toStar WarsTV shows. In fact, this show introduced the characters Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla, and others, all of whom have become absolutely beloved in the franchise. These characters are also proving more and more important, as all three returned inAhsokaand will presumably be included in the upcomingAhsokaseason 2 as well.
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Yet again, this represents a brilliant addition to theStar Warsfranchise. Of course, it’s impossible to say what other characters, TV shows, and story ideas might have been introduced had Disney not acquiredStar Wars. Regardless, though, the idea thatRebelsand all the characters who were introduced on the show would not exist is difficult to imagine.
What Would’ve Happened If George Lucas Still Retired?
Even if Disney hadn’t boughtStar Wars, it’s unlikely that George Lucas would have stayed with the franchise for much longer. Clearly, he was interested in selling, and he has spoken before about feeling that it was time for him to move on in light of how much the film landscape had already changed and would continue to change. Given that,Star Warslikely would have changed hands around this time either way; it’s just a question of to whom it would have gone.
For better or worse, by selling to Disney, Lucas more or less guaranteed thatStar Warswould continue to be a prominent franchise.
It’s possible that George Lucas would have directly handed the reins over to Dave Filoni, who has become absolutely essential to the franchise. However, it’s unclear what that would have looked like and how that would have impactedStar Wars’media presence. For better or worse, by selling to Disney, Lucas more or less guaranteed thatStar Warswould continue to be a prominent franchise.
Ultimately, the claims that Disney ‘ruined’Star Warsare unlikely to ever stop. There are always going to be those who believe the franchise would have been much better had Disney never acquired the rights. Even so, though, there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary, not only in terms of George Lucas’ plans but also in light of the additions Disney has made toStar Warsover the years.
