With the word that Kathleen Kennedy may be retiring from Lucasfilm, the key question is, what is happening to Star Wars now?
Kathleen Kennedy can be a divisive figure, to say the least, for Star Wars fans. And given this is one of the most infamously divisive fandoms in the world, that's saying something.
Since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, Kathleen Kennedy has been the boss and guiding force for the various franchises. It led to Star Wars hitting new heights in both theaters and TV screens and the merchandising a boon for Disney. Under Kennedy, we've gotten Andor, The Mandalorian, Galaxy's Edge, and a spark of life the franchise long needed.
At the same time, Kennedy has become the target of scorn and derision by some parts of the fandom. It's ranged from the quality of the sequel trilogy to reports of her clashes with various writers and directors that either altered movies like Solo or outright canceled others.
It's not just Star Wars, as the last Indiana Jones film was a bomb, and a Disney+ series based on the cult movie Willow was canceled after one season. For better or worse, Kennedy is seen as a target for every bad decision made in these projects, which can get heated.
The key thing to remember is that it's not like Kennedy came out of nowhere. She had been an experienced producer for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, a key hand in the creation of hits like ET, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and more. This was not someone handed the job off her gender, Kennedy knew how to make the biggest budget blockbusters around.
As much as she can be slammed for some "agendas" or bad control, Kennedy was the best pick for the job at that time. If she steps down as expected, it's after a great career that's based on merit, not other factors yet some in fandom won't accept that.
Maybe anyone put in the same spot would have faced the same problems. Kennedy, unlike Lucas, had to answer to Disney bosses and shareholders and the pressure to "Marvel-ize" Star Wars. Given how Star Wars fans have long had their divisions, anyone hired would have been targeted for a backlash.
To use another famous sci-fi franchise, Star Trek has been facing the same issues of creative overhauls and expanding itself with some efforts seen as better than others. Star Wars is a bigger deal and (speaking as a fan since 1977), some fans take it just a wee bit too seriously.
One thing to remember is that, contrary to what fans may believe, Kennedy wasn't spending her days on nothing but the movies and shows. She had to oversee Lucasfilm's number of projects with merchandising, licensing, and more. It may be that Kennedy was a fine producer but not cut out to be a top executive, which happens a lot in Hollywood.
We can spend all day debating Kennedy's work or whether or not Lucas and Spielberg approved of her in the end. What matters now is Star Wars has a chance to go in another direction with her departure. The question is whether they are doomed to be judged by fans.
The tricky needle for Star Wars
As of now, the big assumption is that taking over for Kennedy can be Dave Filoni, who has aided Star Wars' output on Disney+ with The Mandalorian, Ashoka and animated shows. On paper, he's a great fit as he loves the franchise, is experienced with it, and could provide some good stuff.
On the flip side, Filoni has been criticized for indulging in too much nostalgia for the past and going too far linking the animated shows with the live-action fare. Then again, anyone in the spot will be judged by a fandom that can't seem to decide what they want.
Star Wars fandom is a tricky thing to judge. Many fans want to replicate the same feeling as the original trilogy, ignoring that you can't set the block back to 1977-83. Lucas tried with the prequel trilogy, which was lambasted by fandom in its original release but is now seen in a much better light.
It's baffling that Star Wars fans can demand something fresh and different only to be upset when it happens. See the reaction to The Last Jedi: For every fan that loved it for breaking the conventions of the franchise, another loathed it for "ruining" "what they loved about Star Wars.
That's why Rise of Skywalker ended up being messy; Lucasfilm was pressured to "correct "the backlash" only to "make things worse. To be blunt, there's no pleasing some Star Wars fans and trying to do so is a futile gesture.
Every fandom, be it sports, movies, TV, or video games, will have those guys convinced beyond reason "I can do it so much better," ignoring" their lack of experience. There are guys on blogs convinced that if they were in charge of Lucasfilm, they'd create the "perfect" Star Wars movies, ignoring the logistics and studio interference.
Added on by how fans just can't agree on what makes "true" Star Wars, and whoever becomes head of Lucasfilm is in for a tough fight.
We need a nostalgia balance for Star Wars
This nostalgia factor isn't new. The older Legends books started in 1991 had the same issues of indulging in it too much, from inside jokes to trying to weave a larger mythology set after the movies. Like the Disney output, they could range from great works to, frankly, some very bad stories.
The attempts to spark up the EU, like the Vong invasion and killing Chewbacca, were met with backlash. It also just kept repeating plotlines of Imperial remnants trying to bring about some galaxy-destroying weapon. It's why Disney had to craft a new story for the sequel trilogy, try explaining the massive Legends continuity to a newbie or casual fan.
The Disney fare has indulged in this a lot, from reviving Boba Fett or the Emperor (both of which were done in the comics back in 1991) to bringing in the iconic foe Grand Admiral Thrawn. These have been met with delight by fans even as they would want Disney to do something fresher for the franchise. Then again, when they tried with Last Jedi, it didn't go well.
One thing ignored is that there is a new generation of fans who came up with the prequel movies and enjoyed them. There are also those coming into the fandom since 2015, so they don't have the same deep connection to the material as older fans do. That's why they don't take it as serioulsy as the older fans do.
It comes down to Disney needing to understand there will never, ever be pleasing the majority of Star Wars fans. There will always be some slamming it as horrible just because it's not what they personally want or want to do. Listening to fans is good, but listening more to the haters is a bad idea.
We've seen Disney bow to demand with Ewan McGregor back as Obi-Wan Kenobi and fans complain about it. There's the problem that Disney wants so much material in movies and shows that it can dilute the product too much. Many will agree that rushing the sequel trilogy to get a new movie out every two years led to problems.
Of course, what fans will want is some sort of movie or show that is well made and can deliver great entertainment. Andor has managed that wonderfully, while the other shows and films can boast great productions, with just iffy storytelling. Skeleton Crew, however, was met with praise for being just pure fun and we need more of that.
At the end of the day, whoever takes over from Kenndy leading Lucasfilm is going to be judged. It's not much different than when a football team fires a coach many saw as a failure, hires someone else and if they don't get to the Super Bowl in their first season, the calls to be fired will rise once more.
The successor will have a "grace period" but the moment the next Star Wars film or show is released, there will be judging and if it's not stellar, the calls for a new face to take over will be high. After all, before 2012, fans were calling for Lucas to leave it in the hands of someone else and now, the same fans complain that Lucas should have been allowed to complete the saga himself.
So Disney has a chance to spark up Star Wars with a new Lucasfilm boss. Yet it's likely it won't be an instant solution as there are still problems pleasing a divisive fanbase and the right factor of nostalgia as making Star Wars work isn't as easy as it sounds.