Star Wars fans debate whether franchise should do more movies or TV shows
By Anwesha Nag
For the longest time, science-fantasy fiction stories like Star Wars were only ever made for the movies, with their massive galactic battles and zooming space cruisers making ideal visuals for the big screen.
However, times have changed, and so have the preferences of the audience. Ever since the rise of OTT streaming platforms, viewers have largely switched to binging their favorite shows whenever and wherever they please.
To cater to the demand, production houses have switched as well. Star Wars is no different.
A television series allows the plot and character arcs to develop at a more realistic pace, giving the audience more time to get familiarized with the story. But does that mean movies have no place anymore in the world of bearded Jedi knights and sand-hating, heavy-breathing Sith lords?
One Star Wars Twitter fan account kickstarted a debate on the topic last week when they posted the following:
I miss Star Wars on the big screen
— Star Wars Stuff (@starwarstufff) September 15, 2022
In the comments section, fans were divided in their opinion on whether the multi-billion franchise should focus more on movies or stick to TV shows in the coming days.
Some agreed with the original post, wishing for a movie every year, or at least in between TV shows, while some others were ready to wait a few years.
Should be a yearly event!
— Tie Dye Guy (@BradleyBones2) September 15, 2022
I hope they do that before the Ahsoka show comes out
— YHWACH (@asg1049) September 16, 2022
The only place where Star Wars belongs
— Julien (@MemeJulien) September 16, 2022
Me too, dude. I hope that it comes back, but I’d also like a live action break for a few years before we get our next cinematic film, so we can really feel like it. The films are such an event, that I wouldn’t want a new one to just get lost amongst all the content we’re getting
— Tom | The Outatime Film Podcast (@outatimefilmpod) September 15, 2022
I do too. 😔 Star Wars tells a more cohesive narrative as TV series though imo.
— Ty-Guy (@TyGuyTries) September 15, 2022
One fan was very specific about what they want to see on the big screen:
They should show the Siege of Mandalore Clone Wars Arc in the big screen.
— Brandy Clause ⚔️ 🍁 🎄 (@BrandonDodge176) September 15, 2022
On the other side, there were fans who thought TV shows were of much better quality than recent Star Wars movie outings.
Obi-wan was some of the best Star Wars I have seen. I would rather have more shows than movies....better, more complete stories.
— Heart of the Rebellion 🇺🇸 ⚓️ ✈️✝️⚖️ (@Tsnyder_74) September 15, 2022
But not the quality of the Sequels......
— Julian✈️🚄 (@julian_ngamer) September 16, 2022
https://twitter.com/geekymoviemom/status/1570769802863714304?s=20&t=pkoSiTHOgMyq5Kuuh4DfQQ
Fans last saw Star Wars in the theaters in 2019 when the 40-year-old Skywalker Saga limped across its ending with the much-criticized The Rise of Skywalker.
With that and the previous underperformance of Solo, Lucasfilm shifted their entire focus on enriching their bingeable catalogue on Disney+ with shows like The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
At the moment, the only two Star Wars movies in the making are Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron and Taika Waititi’s untitled film.
In a stark comparison, there are a slew of TV shows planned for the next year, including Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and the much-awaited season 3 of Pedro Pascal-starred The Mandalorian.