4 Star Wars Disney+ Shows That Completely Let Down the Franchise

Star Wars is the single most iconic cinematic franchise of all-time, as it is one that belongs exclusively to the movie theaters. While sagas like James Band and The Lord of the Rings were based on novels that had already developed their own fanbases, George Lucas faced the doubt of every Hollywood studio when he created one of the most ambitious original productions ever, and kickstarted a property that would completely envelop culture. It’s due to the fact that Star Wars is so exclusively tied to changing the cinematic landscape forever that the television shows can’t help but feel “lesser,” even within an era where streaming series are often a better option for mature content aimed at adult viewers than the slop that is in theaters. Unlike Marvel or DC, which lend themselves to serialized storytelling, Star Wars has always struggled when being told at a smaller scale on television.

There are certainly great things to come out of the Disney+ era, most notably Andor. Andor did exactly what streaming television should do because it took a story that wouldn’t have worked as a film (or even a trilogy) and used it to make a compelling, politically timely story about the process in which a resistance becomes a true revolution. The biggest consequence of Andor is that it set such a high bar for what Star Wars television could be that everything else has looked like a major disappointment in comparison. Given that Disney is now desperately trying to ensure that the Star Wars franchise remains on the big screen by moving forward with some significant cinematic projects, the entire era of shows dumped right on Disney+ feels like a blip in the continuity that is best left ignored.

4 ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ (2021-2022)

The Book of Boba Fett is among the most disappointing Star Wars projects ever because it served as another reminder that some characters work when they are only shown in limited quantities. Boba Feet is effective in the original trilogy because he is mysterious and unknowable, and the attempts to give him a backstory in the prequels only neutered the character. The Book of Boba Fett took what had already been an overlong arc of Temuera Morrison’s tenure on The Mandalorian and extended it into an entire series that didn’t make use of its dual narrative structure; half the time is spent on a dull backstory of how Fett escape the Sarlaac Pit after the end of Return of the Jedi, and the rest turns him into a boring character as he attempts to be a noble leader in the place of Jabba the Hutt.

The action and visuals in The Book of Boba Fett are uninspired and Morrison doesn’t have the presence to lead the show. It doesn’t help that the series diverts for its last few episodes and essentially becomes a season of The Mandalorian, and brings back Cad Bane (Corey Burton) for a face-off with Fett that had been teased since Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and only ended in disappointment.

3 'Tales of the Empire' (2024)

Tales of the Empire was the second of three anthology shows that used the same animation style as previous Filoni projects, and was centered on the duelling journeys of Morgan Elsbeth (Cathy Ang) and Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger). The previous series, Tales of the Jedi, had actually filled in some gaps within the timeline because it explained pivotal events for Dooku (Corey Burton) during his time as a Jedi, and added some transitional moments that explained what Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) was doing in-between her appearances in other shows. The issue begins with the fact that neither of these characters are necessarily associated with the Empire at first, as the title Tales of the Dark Side might have been more appropriate; Barriss betrays Ahsoka and is imprisoned before the end of the Clone Wars, and Elsbeth is a renegade Nightsister who only ends up being recruited by Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen).

The biggest problem with Tales of the Empire is that both characters were underdeveloped before the show began, leading them to conclusions that were unsatisfying. The twist that Barriss had framed Ahsoka never made much sense when it first occurred, as she had previously never been depicted as having any predilections for the dark side; it felt like a case in which a jaw-dropping moment was added just to have shock value. Elsbeth was sadly not given much to do on either The Mandalorian or Ahsoka, and details about why she joined the Empire would have been better-suited as a flashback within either of those shows. It’s also notable how static and unappealing the animation style in Tales of the Jedi is, especially when compared to the more expressive, exhilarating look of Maul- Shadow Lord.

2 ‘Ahsoka’ (2023- Present)

Ahsoka was the first indication that Filoni may not have been the best choice to lead Lucasfilm into the future given his limited understanding of how to tell live-action stories. While Filoni has an understanding of Star Wars lore that is remarkable, the franchise has benefitted from the presence of non-fans like Tony Gilroy, who simply want to tell the best story possible. With Ahsoka, Filoni was trying to wrap up the stories that he had set up on his animated shows, but didn’t put in the work to ensure that the live-action iterations were just as meaningful. The biggest indication of the show’s failure is that the titular character doesn’t work; while the Ahsoka Tano voiced by Ashley Eckstein in The Clone Wars and Rebels was a spunky, altruistic hero who showed optimism and humility, the version played by Rosario Dawson is a dull and insular mentor figure who feels closer to Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.

The use of “The Volume” as a special effects device has never been worse, as there is nothing that feels authentic or grounded about any of the environments. Ahsoka also faces the problem of not resolving anything and essentially just building up for a second season, which now is not slated to return until 2027. Despite all the build-up regarding Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), a beloved character from the Timothy Zahn novels who was also included within Rebels, he doesn’t have much presence because he rarely interacts with any of the lead characters. By the time that Ahsoka set up that Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) had force powers, which was never hinted at before in any other installments in the series, it began to feel like Filoni had lost his way without Lucas there to guide him. Lucas was heavily involved with The Clone Wars and created much of its best elements, and it’s easy to forget that he was the one that created the character of Ahsoka.

1 ‘The Acolyte’ (2024)

The Acolyte is a series that got an unfortunate amount of backlash before it even began airing thanks to some of the more toxic figures in the Star Wars fanbase, but that doesn’t mean that it needs to be valorized for its obvious narrative beats. The Acolyte presents a thesis that the Jedi Order was actually always corrupt, and that their monk-like infrastructure and strict guidelines have made them a liability that is easily corruptible. The issue with this is that this is an idea that has already been done before, and better; Star Wars: The Last Jedi questioned how failure had become a lasting legacy of the Jedi Council, The Clone Wars examined how the Jedi failed to save Ahsoka from being a scapegoat, and even the Star Wars prequels suggested that it was arrogance and ignorance that allowed Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) to rise to power.

The Acolyte is a structural mess that attempted to replicate the style of Rashomon, but only pointed towards very obvious answers and left characters acting without reasonable motivations for the sake of trying to offer surprises later on. The greater issue is that the Jedi in The Acolyte are depicted as being just as boring and self-serious as they are in the prequels, except there isn’t a cast here that can elevate the material; Amandla Stenberg sadly didn’t have the range needed to play the twin roles, and compelling actors like Carrie-Anne Moss and Dean Charles Chapman were not given enough screentime. While some would use the episode “Night,” in which The Stranger (Manny Jacinto) kills a collective of Jedi in a lightsaber fight, as a point in the show’s favor, one battle scene does not make up for all the poor storytelling choices; the same exact thing could be said about the Darth Maul fight in Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace, one of the worst films in the series. The Acolyte has a visual grayness and awkward pacing that embodies the worst of what Star Wars streaming content has become, and it lacks any of the humor, wit, or inventiveness that make the franchise feel truly special. Even if there was an attempt to make a message, like Andor, it was done in a condescending way and without much substance. While The Acolyte tried to tell a story outside of the Skywalker saga, it shows that the main issue might just be the Jedi.