The acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney was groundbreaking. Until it was announced that only two items were being included within their new canon, making everything else a part of the Expanded Universe (EU). The news left long-time Star Wars fans nervous regarding the franchises future. While Disney has gotten a bunch right, they’ve also got plenty wrong too.
“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” stated George Lucas, chairman and CEO of Lucasfilm, in a statement. “It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers.” And we thank you for all you’ve given us George. What most fail to realize is that Lucas was right in what he said. But who’s to blame then if the new directors aren’t living up to the expectations set by George and the fans?
It’s easy to target the director, but what about the ones who are actually pulling the strings. Disney hasn’t been mentioned much regarding the most recent controversy over The Last Jedi. Instead, Rian Johnson has taken a brunt of the criticism. But what if he was doing what was asked of him? Clearly, he’s not the only person responsible. It’s not like Rian Johnson took George Lucas’ place.
Which is why we’ve dug deep into the Star Wars EU, along with the existing canon, into discovering how Disney has gone astray with Star Wars. No stone was left unturned. From getting rid of great video game stories to the core issue surrounding The Last Jedi, here are 20 things Disney got wrong about Star Wars.
20 Video Games Expand Canon
Prior to the Mass Effect trilogy or Dragon Age, BioWare released Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 2003. Not even two years later, a sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords, was released by Obsidian Entertainment. Both games received praise and accolades while being considered a great addition to the Star Wars canon. In 2011, BioWare Austin released the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, which still receives praise today.
And then Disney took over.
Everything associated with The Old Republic, spanning nearly 25,000 years within the Star Wars universe, no longer counts. Leaving many fans and gamers longing for its reintroduction back into canon. Darth Revan is talked about on the same scale that Thrawn is, which should catch Disney’s attention, but hasn’t.
19 Teasing New Characters
The concept behind Captain Phasma, along with the novelization of her character, led fandom to believe Disney was progressing forward. Not only was she a powerful female character who held a high rank within the First Order, but her story was powerful and refreshing. The novel provided a much-needed backstory for Phasma, along with General Hux and his father Brendol Hux.
But TLJ chucked Phasma’s novelization aside like Luke did his lightsaber.
Star Wars: Phasma, written by Delilah S. Dawson, was an excellent addition to the new canon. Fans were stoked to see how her character would continue to grow in The Last Jedi, only to have her receive less than 5 minutes and screen time — followed by an apparent end to her character forever. Disney had to the chance to elevate a female villain while making money off her character through comics, toys, and books. But instead threw her out like yesterday's trash. Bad form Disney.
18 Rogue One Vs. The Last Jedi
There is a popular fan theory going around which states “those who love Rogue One despised The Last Jedi.” Thanks to relevant and well-thought-out points delivered by YouTuber and amateur theme park fan, Jenny Nicholson, the subject has taken on a life of its own. Regarding my loose interpretation, the third act of Rogue One, featuring the Darth Vader scene, encouraged the split between fandom over The Last Jedi.
And it’s technically Disney’s fault.
Add in the fanservice given in The Force Awakens and it’s a wonder that Kathleen Kennedy is shocked over the divide taking place. What did Disney expect? No clues, or setups, were given to the fanbase regarding the shift within the continuity of the Star Wars story. Even Star Wars Rebels is following the original blueprint put in place by George Lucas.
17 Everything Regarding Snoke
Personally, I enjoyed the Snoke twist featured in TLJ, largely because his character stunk from the beginning. Compared to Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine), Disney’s take on the “big bad guy,” fell way short of expectations. Snoke being removed from the storyline was his characters silver lining.
Snoke’s presence wasn’t menacing, nor was his appearance frightening. For those who were following the theories, the gold robe should have been an indicator that something was afoul. Basically, Rian Johnson called out Disney for creating a hapless evil villain and destroyed him because of it.
But seriously, wasn’t that a huge waste of time and money? Fans would have likely gotten a proper villain story from the get-go, rather than having to tread through the garbage we got.
16 Missed Potential With Inferno Squad
Putting aside the EA lootbox debacle and game glitches, Battlefront II had the opportunity to expand the Disney canon through a video game platform. Something they had yet to do outside of mobile gaming. This was a huge opportunity, and it seemed that Disney was ready to elevate their new canon. But alas, much like the issues surrounding the mechanics of the game itself, the story of Operation: Cinder failed to deliver and connect with fans.
Commander Iden Versio is another powerful female character who’s been added to the lineup, only to have her tale overshadowed by weak story points and a Luke Skywalker who wasn’t represented in The Last Jedi. Battlefront II was on the cusp of being revolutionary, only to be shot down by greed and continuity errors. Having the ability to play a FPS with Star Wars ships, was the only positive aspect presented within Battlefront II. If only EA could keep their servers from lagging.
15 Not All Dark Force Users Are Evil, Disney
Lucasfilm was on the verge of something spectacular with the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Despite the series barely sneaking in as part of the new Disney canon, the idea regarding tapping both sides of the force has been put on an indefinite back-burner.
Ahsoka’s character arc within the Clone Wars animated series was brilliant.
In leaving the Jedi Order, Ahsoka embarked on a path that would tap into both the light and dark sides of the force. Much like Asajj Ventress’ arc following her split from the Sith Lord Count Dooku. Yet, neither of these types of tales have been carried over into the movies yet. Which is a real shame.
It’s plausible that a gray force user will emerge in Star Wars IX, or within the new trilogy on the horizon — but with Disney calling the shots, it remains uncertain whether non-evil dark force users will become a reality.
14 Merchandising! Merchandising! Merchandising!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, merchandising has always been a driving force behind the Star Wars franchise. Hence, the hilarious scene created by Mel Brooks in Spaceballs with Yogurt in 1987. With the takeover of Lucasfilm by Disney, marketing and toy products have been elevated to a whole new level.
Not that fans mind the new droids like BB-8, K-2SO, and Chopper. Even the Porgs are becoming more accepted. But at what point does the merchandise become more important than the overall story? Disney is toting a very fine line regarding where their loyalty to the franchise lies.
The introduction of Force Friday, meant to be a Star Wars Black Friday sale, shows how dependent Disney is upon their merchandise revenue. But are they investing too much in it, especially in regards towards new characters and creatures? And is the story taking a back seat to toy sales?
13 The Future Seems Uncertain
The future of Star Wars seemed to be in the clear leading up to The Last Jedi. But after dozens of misdirects due to Rian Johnson’s influence, a major split has occurred in fandom. This leaves the future more uncertain than ever before. Whether or not you agree with his decisions.
Too many variables are being questioned.
Little to nothing is known about Solo: A Star Wars story (except behind-the-scenes drama), and fans aren’t exactly thrilled regarding the return of J.J. Abrams for episode IX. Will the ending of Star Wars Rebels set the new trilogy up for a story featuring the Unknown Regions? Or will the path continue for Reylo (Rey and Kylo) and the gang? Going back in time seems to be out of the question, which doesn’t leave Disney many options.
12 Luke Skywalker’s Lost Story
There is nothing wrong with Johnson’s take on Luke Skywalker. If, you ignore the last two decades of material written about the Rebels greatest hero. Which is why there continues to be so much controversy surrounding The Last Jedi. Disney wants fans to ignore the EU unless it’s financially beneficial to them.
Luke’s Legends story has plenty of pitfalls, but it also had more than a few beautiful and powerful moments. Like when he walked on the dark side within the Dark Horse comics series, or when he married the woman (Mara Jade) trained to eliminate him. Even their kids have been completely wiped out. Horrible things still happened to Luke Skywalker in the EU, but he never lost faith or hope. And isn’t that the entire underlining message behind A New Hope?
11 Ignoring The Masters Of Old
Say what you will about the direction of Sith vs. Jedi, it’s undoubtedly clear that Darth Vader plays a major role in the initial trilogy’s continued success. Because of his heightened popularity over the years, many stories concerning the old Sith Lords and Jedi masters saw a moment of revival.
And then they were extinguished in one fail swoop.
But this doesn’t mean they’re permanently done for. Thrawn is a perfect example of how a character can be made to work within the new Disney canon. But the staff under Kathleen Kennedy still seems hesitant in bringing back the history which formed the Star Wars story we know today.
Even George Lucas was smart enough to mention Darth Palgueis in Revenge of the Sith. Which potentially opened the door for an amazing story to be told. Wise up Disney, you’re sitting on a gold mine.
10 Sitting On Eggshells
The hiring of Lord and Miller to direct the untitled Han Solo movie was considered at the time a huge risk, which is not a word most Star Wars fans want to hear right now. Having Ron Howard take over the project calmed most fears, but then TLJ premiered. Questions and concerns flooded social media again, mostly regarding the state of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Would Kathleen Kennedy provide fandom with the fanservice they deserve with Han Solo’s character? Or are fans in for another round of shocking developments? Never mind episode IX, Han Solo is a character Disney shouldn’t roll the dice with. So, until May 25 rolls around, fandom will just have to hold their breath and wait.
9 The Marvel Approach
Disney acquired Marvel back in 2009. To which they’ve seen a resounding amount of successes, with only a few misses. Because of its accomplishments, Disney tried to carry over some Marvel techniques and incorporate them into Star Wars. Take for instance Guardians of the Galaxy. The two films produced thus far have been complete spoofs, harkening back to the days of Mel Brooks. And it’s worked, because prior to the films, most people had no idea who the Guardians of the Galaxy even were.
This isn’t the case concerning Star Wars characters.
Especially when talking about the ones featured in the original trilogy. Star Wars isn’t a spoof, Spaceballs is. George Lucas made plenty of mistakes, like secretly making Jar-Jar Binks a Sith Lord and then changing his mind. But his mistakes were made by taking real risks. Disney’s idea of taking risks is to incorporate a blueprint of another successful franchise into an already successful franchise. Come again?
8 Aftermath Of A Failed Book Trilogy
Written by Chuck Wendig and published through Del Rey Books, the Aftermath trilogy was supposed to re-write the 30 years history spanning between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. For fans of the Star Wars Legends books, compiling dozens of stories into three books seemed daunting. But they were still willing to give Disney a chance.
It was hard to not be disappointed with the Aftermath trilogy books.
Not only did the books leave a thousand plot holes (most likely for future books), but the story was hardly captivating. All the Aftermath series did was set up the timeline for the First Order and the Resistance. Were three books necessary? While not all Disney canon books are bad (excellent ones exist), the Aftermath trilogy was a clear letdown.
7 Lack Of Aces In Places
In 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm for $4 billion, almost 5 years ago. That Disney is still juggling directors and scrapping mostly made films 4 years after the purchase is quite disconcerting. In the business world, this is often referred to as a lack of aces in places.
The direction regarding Star Wars compares to one spinning a wheel.
They’re literally targeting every possible audience, teasing them with content, and then cherry-picking the ones that stick. While this may be financially profitable short-term, the long-term effects could be disastrous. Disney needs to choose a proper direction and stick with it. Kevin Feige can get away with it regarding Marvel films, but Star Wars is a completely different beast.
6 The Right Women For The Job
In the EU, Natasi Daala was the first woman to reach the rank of an admiral in the Imperial Navy, who would also be later named Chief of State of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. Natasi was a classic villain who refused to go away no matter how many times she was defeated. Over-and-over, she would raise the Imperial Army and Navy out of the ashes while striking back at the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic.
Instead of reprising her character for the new canon, Disney introduced the Hux family in her place.
How’s that working out for you Disney?
Imagine Phasma and Daala working together, forming the First Order out of the ashes left and into the most powerful organization run by two women. Take my money, please.
5 Cherry Picking EU Characters
I don’t blame Disney for cherry picking, I would do the same if in their shoes. However, I disagree with what they’ve chosen as their elite picked items. Regarding characters, Thrawn and Rukh are the only two out of a dozen that fans might recognize.
And that’s only if fans are watching kids programming on Disney XD.
Of which I am totally guilty of. What doesn’t add up, is the lack of other key characters being chosen from the Star Wars EU. Thrawn has been a success, both with fans and financially, so where are the other key characters? It’s not like there aren’t dozens of awesome characters to chose from. But Disney acts like they were picking from a pool of 10 rather than a hundred plus.
4 Saving Face
Disney knew from the start that they would have to appease long-standing fans of the Star Wars franchise. Their solution was to create a storyboard team who would assist with continuity across all platforms. While this has been extremely beneficial regarding ships, weapons, and gear. Fans are questioning how much power the storyboard group actually has.
Originally, it was perceived that the group would keep individual writers, artists, and even directors in line regarding the continuity of the Star Wars story. But fans missed the small print from Disney that likely states: “May change without warning or proper reasoning.” It’s bad when a majority of fans don’t even know the storyboard group exists.
3 From A Different Point Of View
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s line seems to have taken on a life of its own. Disney released this concept through the form of novelization, supposedly preparing audiences for the drastic changes taking place in TLJ. But they failed to mention their aim, likely because they were afraid pre-ticket sales would drop.
Shouldn’t this have been a red flag?
Personally, I love the stories presented by 40 different Star Wars authors within the book. And I wish they had taken the same approach regarding the movies too. But let’s be real for a moment here. The amount of book sales compared to film sales are drastically different. Disney’s approach towards creating a grey area within the continuity of the story itself was feeble at best. And the book certainly didn’t prepare audiences for the changes that would appear in The Last Jedi.
2 Star Wars Land
The issue here has nothing to do with a theme park being built around Star Wars. Rather it has everything to do with what will be promoted within Disney’s new parks. Consumerism is a part of how Disney makes their money. But are they using the parks as a way to erase the old while only honoring the new?
The details regarding the parks are still fuzzy. Likely because Disney enjoys keeping secrets. But from what has been shown, it seems that the focus will be on what is shown through the films. Which would be sad if it were to be confirmed. The comics, novels, and animated series’ all make up the new canon. Leaving them out of internal promotions is a disservice to fans, and the creators.
1 The Dark Lord Trilogy
Hailed as one of the best series of novels within the Star Wars franchise, Disney messed up by not bringing them into its canon. The series is made up of three books which were never intended to be a series, but ended up becoming one because of how they tie together. The books included are Labyrinth of Evil, Revenge of the Sith novelization, and Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader.
Primarily the novels focus on how the Sith retook power from the Republic which ultimately led to the end of the Jedi Order. They include Darth Palgueis’ rise to power, along with his training of Palpatine (better known as Darth Sidious). The new comics, however, have covered Darth Vader in an appropriate way.
While it seems like the door is still open regarding shifting these stories into the existing canon, Disney has failed to captivate on this golden fanservice opportunity. Not only would it make them lots of money, but it would please the old school fans, perhaps lessening the blow they’re currently experiencing.
If failure is the key theme presented in The Last Jedi, then it’s time Disney starts learning from their own failures, along with everything they’ve gotten wrong about Star Wars.