As a “crazy old man” (in the words of Owen Lars) once put it, the truths that we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. If you’re the type of “Star Wars” fan who engages with each and every corner of the franchise, you’ve likely been a bit overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of new titles set in a galaxy far, far away since 2019. On the other hand, if the movies are the only part of “Star Wars” you engage with, you’ve probably been tapping your foot impatiently in the five years since Sheev Palpatine somehow returned and was once again defeated, bringing the Skywalker Saga to a close. It’s a far cry from what Disney promised when it announced plans to unveil a new “Star Wars” film every year back in 2015.
The absence of “Star Wars” on the big screen certainly isn’t for lack of trying. Over the last decade, Lucasfilm has commissioned more “Star Wars” films than Yoda can shake his stick at, most of which have since been outright abandoned or indefinitely delayed. Even many of the ones that are actively moving forward at the time of writing appear in danger of collapsing at a moment’s notice. At this juncture, it’s only really safe to say “The Mandalorian & Grogu” will be the movie that finally ends the drought upon its arrival in 2026, seven years after the debut of “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker.” That will be the longest break between “Star Wars” theatrical films since 1999, tied only with the seven year period between “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” in 2008 and “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” in 2015.
It begs the question: How did we get to a place where, after seven years, the best idea the Mouse House can come up with for how to keep one of the most popular properties in box office history going in theaters is by (checks notes) making a movie spinoff of a TV show? The answer will require a bit of unpacking.