Let’s be honest with ourselves: We’re lucky to still be getting new Star Wars content in 2022, and to have such a variety of media releasing consistently throughout each standard calendar year (TV shows, books, comics, and more) is an even greater privilege.
But we need to talk about what’s happening with Star Wars’ release schedule in 2023 — especially concerning its Disney+ shows.
Last week, Lucasfilm released a new trailer for The Bad Batch Season 2. Once again, it was confirmed the season would start on January 4, 2023. Currently, it’s assumed the show will run through at least March.
This wouldn’t be an issue among fans if it weren’t for the puzzling announcement that The Mandalorian Season 3 will also debut in 2023 … on March 1. Presumably at the same time, on the same day, as new episodes of The Bad Batch are still releasing on Disney+.
I get it. We haven’t gotten new episodes of The Mandalorian since 2020; it’s time to welcome these characters back into the fray. But — and this is a legitimate question higher-ups have yet to address — what is the purpose, the benefit, the need, of releasing two Star Wars shows at the same time?
And why overshadow an animated show with a live-action series that will immediately push down its viewership when new episodes of each drop on the same platform on the same day?
Production delays are still widespread across many industries, not just film and television, and audiences still largely accept it even two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. But in this case, there is such a thing as too much Star Wars. It’s fun to watch new books release alongside new video games when a show is airing every week. But there is no logical reason to release two shows at once, especially when the release of one is ultimately going to hurt the success of the other.
We love you, Star Wars. But respectfully, what are you doing?
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