How Disney can restore faith in Star Wars
Perhaps the best thing to do is try and give Star Wars a bit of a break. Yes, Disney wants to keep it up but having multiple TV shows a year takes away some of the specialness and allure the property has. Letting fans wait for the next movie in a couple of years would be better for building anticipation. Less really can be more with such a huge franchise.
If nothing else, cutting down the number of shows can also be good. Granted, it’s obvious why Disney felt Star Wars fans would want more material and the wide range of characters and eras offers a great slate of ideas. Yet if they can’t make the actual show work, the results can only be seen as weaker and feed the backlash against the property.
It has to be quality, not quantity, something a lot of franchises (like Star Trek) have had to learn the hard way over the years. The MCU is in much the same boat and the regrouping including cutting down on the number of theatrical releases per year. Star Wars could do the same as taking time to develop a great movie or show is much better than trying to rush out one to meet demand.
Star Wars is hardly dead and still retains a far more passionate fanbase than some haters would contend. However, the higher-ups need to recognize they can’t be haphazard in putting these projects together or try to make more of a “message” that could be misunderstood. It’s always about the fun and passion of the property that gets fans going and how it feels far more special than other franchises.
If anything, Disney should see The Acolyte’s failure as a learning experience for the future and how, hopefully, future Star Wars projects can succeed better using what the show did right while avoiding its missteps.
The Acolyte streaming on Disney+.