The 16-year hiatus between Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Episode I - Phantom Menace (1999)—and again after Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) until Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015))—became known to fans as the Dark Times. That is, stretches when Star Wars went more-or-less silent. Now, in 2025, we might be living through another one.
At age 81, George Lucas finally took the Comic-Con stage—his first-ever visit—and talked Star Wars only to remind everyone he’s moved on. Focusing on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, he spoke passionately about collecting comic and narrative art, not specifically the future of the galaxy far, far away.
Granted, Lucas sold his empire (pun intended) in 2012, handing over all creative direction to The Walt Disney Company. While he hasn’t played an official role in the future of the galaxy in well over a decade, Lucas still seemingly influences today’s productions. For example, he was spotted on set with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni during filming for The Mandalorian Season 1 and Season 2.
As for the current state of Star Wars, it’s already been six years since Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker hit theatres in 2019. In that time, numerous Disney+ series have been released, but even that slate is wearing thin. The critically acclaimed Andor wrapped its final season earlier in 2025 and earned 14 Emmy nominations, including a nod for Forest Whitaker. Yet, it’s already been confirmed that Season 3 isn’t happening, nor has there been significant chatter regarding any spin-off of Tony Gilroy’s exceptional series. Skeleton Crew seems to have ended after a single season (though Jod Na Nawood is reportedly slated to return in future projects, and The Acolyte was also axed after its freshman run.
Upcoming is Star Wars: Visions, an artistic animated anthology that has had two prior seasons. Disney+ will deliver Volume 3 in October 2025. No major live-action projects are on the horizon until next year, however. And, the High Republic initiative—a decade-long transmedia experiment—is ending its final phase this summer with no new stories announced.
Scheduled Film Projects That Feel Safe
Just two major Star Wars theatrical films have official release dates as of now:
- The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters May 22, 2026—essentially Mando Season 4 on the big screen.
- Star Wars: Starfighter, set five years after the First Order falls, will star Ryan Gosling under Shawn Levy’s direction – it is currently set for theatrical release on May 28, 2027.
On the small screen, Dave Filoni has Maul – Shadow Lord (animated) on deck and Ahsoka S2 is expected in 2027.
One passionate fan summed up their feelings in r/saltierthancrait, “...none of the newer Star Wars stuff (or MCU shows, for that matter) have any overall connective tissue other than fan service and nostalgia bait. It feels like a bunch of Buzzfeed articles dressed up as Star Wars. Disney is the definition of a content mill..”
Another Redditor mused, “...for the most part they did not hit on what made Star Wars and [sic] empire and rotj special.
“Now it’s one thing when you see new people telling their own story like the clone wars cartoons,” the fan continued, “It’s another when it’s soulless corporate committee generic product crowd sourced and reshot over and over to meet metrics. They try to create imitation soul…”
Why the Creative Freeze?
Lucasfilm’s true creative pulse appears to be Mandalorian-adjacent. Projects that stray outside that orbit seem to face an increasingly uncertain future.
While the Rey film is still “in development” according to ScreenRant August 2024, no release date has been locked, and even Daisy Ridley admitted to Variety that she doesn’t know when cameras will roll.
Meanwhile, other previously hyped projects have fallen completely off the radar. Patty Jenkins’s Rogue Squadron has been shelved indefinitely, and the Rian Johnson trilogy — the subject of frequent questions since 2017 — apparently never moved past early conversations. As we reported in July, Johnson himself has nixed his return to the galaxy far, far away.
The pattern is becoming all too familiar: seemingly high-profile titles are announced at events like D23 Expo and Star Wars Celebration, go silent, and then quietly collect dust.
Comparing to Previous Dark Times
- 1983–1991: George Lucas didn’t budge. Fans waited nearly a decade for Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire books to revive the franchise, and much longer for another Star Wars movie.
- 2005–2015: Despite prequel-heavy branding, the galaxy went silent on screen for ten years.
Now, it seems we as a fandom may be staring at our third such lull.
Disney’s strategy right now seems a bit transactional. Drip-feed nostalgia, merchandise safe bets (like Din and Grogu), and try not to rock the boat in the way the sequel trilogy did. For casual fans, this might be enough, but for others who have let Star Wars shape who they are as people, there are still thousands of stories to be told and dozens of eras to explore…