FanSided 250: How Star Wars can move up the rankings in 2021

Star Wars has ranked at 111 on the FanSided 250. And while this is still very respectable, there is definitely room for improvement next year.

2020’s FanSided 250, the annual ranking of the year’s best fandoms, has been released. The fandom being ranked at 111 is still high praise, especially given the lack of Star Wars content that was released this year. Also, while the composite ranking of 111 is throughout all fandoms, Star Wars ranked much better among movie fandoms, where it is number four, coming in behind Black Widow, Wonder Woman, and Marvel.

So, how exactly can the fandom move up in the rankings as we round the corner in 2021? The biggest contributor would definitely be more content. While the COVID-19 pandemic was obviously a factor, there was never a ton of Star Wars content slated for this year. The biggest thing to come out in 2020 was season 2 of The Mandalorian, which didn’t premiere until the end of October.

While other small projects like the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special were sprinkled here and there, there is no comparison between the amount of content in 2020 versus everything the fandom received in 2019, a year that saw the release of The Rise of Skywalker, the premiere of The Mandalorian, and Star Wars Celebration Chicago, among numerous other things.

However, there are bright spots for next year. The New York Times reports that Disney+ is slated to announce expanded offerings for next year. While it is possible that this could simply include a wider variety of Disney movies and shows, it would be hard to believe that there won’t be some mention of the Star Wars media to come.

This is in the wake of numerous Star Wars television shows reportedly in production and a report that the Obi-Wan spinoff show will begin shooting this January in the United Kingdom. While this content likely won’t be seen until very late 2021, and likely 2022, it should still stir up a great deal of anticipation among fans next year.

Another bright spot to bring Star Wars fans together will come as Lucasfilm celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021. StarWars.com reports that there will be a number of exclusive product launches related to the anniversary, and although the company has been characteristically quiet, there will likely be other exclusive events around this momentous milestone.

Star Wars has seen good years and bad years and has always lived on through the fans. As 2020 will come to an end in a few weeks, there’s no reason to believe that there won’t be more stories to tell in a galaxy far, far away in 2021 and beyond.

The first big content drop from Star Wars next year will be on Jan. 5, when Charles Soule’s novel Light of the Jedi, the first book of the High Republic chronicles, releases.