How Disney Destroyed Star Wars | Video Essay 

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It's absolutely insane that they didn't have a plan for the sequels. Anyone in their right mind would fire everyone who approved it to be made that way. Billions of dollars and these people just wing it. Incredible mix of arrogance and idiocy

you know it's bad when EA treats Star Wars with more respect than Lucasfilm itself!

You’re being WAY to kind towards this shitty Disney trilogy. And this isn’t Star Wars, it’s DISNEY Star Wars.

Why did they keep on hiring people who didn't like or didn't know Star Wars? Seems like a really weird decision. At the very least they could have been like "If you want the job, LEARN."

The success and the maturity of Dune is everything we wanted from the new Star Wars films.

Personally I love how they got busted for using a Hot Toys Palapatine on the ROS poster....and didn't change it.

Another big issue with TLJ was that it whipped the media into a frenzy, with them going after the “toxic man-babies”, which typified the “blame the fans” movement. “Star Wars fans are so entitled! They are never happy! The complain about everything! No one hates Star Wars like Star Wars fans!” Fast forward to today, and what do they have to show for it? Toy sales down by over 60%, with pallets of them rotting for years at discount stores, news that the Disney Star Wars films only earned 1.7 Billion in profit at the box office (meaning Disney is still 2.3 Billion in the hole from a box office stance) from their $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilm 10 years later, no new Star Wars movies in nearly 5 years, $1 billion marketing push for The High Republic (which has gone nowhere), another billion into the Galactic Starcruiser Hotel (which closed in a year and a half), expensive live action series that get terrible reviews (and viewer ratings so poor that Disney doesn’t show them anymore), animated shows that are all but forgotten, and now three trailers for upcoming Star Wars projects are all massively downvoted. You have dozens of projects announced then abandoned, directors switched out and having most of their films reshot, and worse still the film starring the character nobody wants is being directed by a woman who has only done documentaries and was quoted saying “I enjoy making men uncomfortable”. Years from now Lucasfilm will be used in business schools as a cautionary tale of what happens when you alienate your customer base. It truly is a tragic fate: what was once seen as a pinnacle of modern entertainment, a proverbial golden goose, has been destroyed, choked to death, with only the memories of better days and stories to comfort us. It breaks my heart.

SW is glorified fast food now. While stuff like Andor is chicken salad with dressing. A show that was made lucky. While everything else was lucky to be made. And that's all coming from a modern SW neutralist and apologist. Make that what you will.

I’m 48 years old when I was two years old the first movie I ever went to my parents took me to see the original Star Wars in 1977. I am too young to remember that so obviously I’ve seen it many times since then I remember when the Empire back came out, my dad took me eight times to see it because I loved it so much when I was a kid. And so on and so on. when Disney first got Star Wars, I was extremely excited about it being that I have been a lifelong fan. I liked the force awakens and I loved Rogue One. Then The last Jedi came out, I walked out of the theater about halfway through that’s when Star Wars died for me. Star Wars ended in 2005 with the revenge of the sith.

I don’t know how Lucas did it, but he understood how to release his movies by releasing 4 through 6 and 1 through threes years apart from one another. He understood how to make Star Wars feel special which Disney does not.

Just considering the sequels alone, Kathleen Kennedy has cost this studio (at least) *$1B* in lost profits.. and that doesn't even take into account all the terrible TV shows, the Solo movie (the biggest SW flop, so far), merchandising, the failed hotel, Galaxy's Edge, etc Her still being gainfully employed is one of the most baffling business decisions in the 21st century

They turned it into content, not productions. Also, forcing fans to watch multiple shows to follow one storyline is greasy stuff

I made a terrible decision on May 4th, I rewatched the sequels, hoping there was some redeeming quality that I couldn't see. If anything, those films, especially Rise of Skywalker, just show how hollow the series is now, or at least one aspect of the series, the Disney aspect.

"Half of Star Wars fans thought The Last Jedi was a masterpiece" Really? Barely half would have thought The Force Awakens was a masterpiece. Do you remember Fin placing his hand on Reys head when climbing up - like in cartoons? If he really put weight into his hand he would have seriously injured her neck...

Star Wars had so much content in the expanded universe of novels and games. What a waste!

I can't believe they're even thinking about making a Rey movie. I guess there may be enough people out there that like the sequels but is it enough to support another "Rey can do anything" movie?

Why do Disney Star Wars shows look so ugly? They just look like low budget fan made shows. It’s sickening to look at

The fact that I’ve switched to being more excited for dune then Star Wars means a lot to me.

Disney really destroyed star wars.

The OT, especially a new hope, is the reason I'm a filmmaker today. I a heartbroken I can no longer witness this...franchise.

Star Wars would’ve been UNSTOPPABLE by now if Disney didn’t screw up all the time

I do think that all of the problems of Disneys SW started back in 2015 with the Force Awakens: its a souless and uninteresting movie. Its the definition of “Disney doesnt make Star Wars films, they make movies about Star Wars”. Just do a back track, and you will see how much damage this film made to the franchise.

It's only dead for you if you consume Disney's products, there's a bunch of videogames, books, comics and media you can consume that are before 2014, you know?

Finally Star Wars and Star Trek fans can come together. We both detest that soulless cash grabbing ideologs destroyed our beloved worlds.

Star Wars makes me depressed now 😭😭

Every single step, every single one that you've described is exactly how I felt as time went on with this franchise. You even highlighted the bright spots that gave a new hope (pun most-definitely intended); and by that, I mean Rogue One and Andor. It's cathartic to hear someone break down this downfall so perfectly.

My favourite franchise since I was a kid and even to this day. Its a shame how greed, activism and a warped ideology can destroy something so grand. I hope I get to see the return of Star Wars...again. Great video mate :) .

I have been grieving for 10 years. The Real Star Wars before Disney will live on in the fans

I don’t want to watch a Star Wars that subverts expectations. I don’t want a show that favors moving away from George’s vision. His vision has lasted four decades and is the reason it lasted that long. I don’t need a tie in to the prequels. Disney has done nothing to heal their fan base, to bring them back together. Instead they’ve insulted them repeatedly for any criticism. I was like you. Kenobi was the nail and Ahsoka drove it in. Acolyte confirmed my decision. I’m out on Disney Star Wars.

Disney had a once in a generational opportunity to create their own “Lord of the Rings” trilogy in the sense of creating one cohesive story and filming all at once. This could have been the one trilogy to surpass LOTR in regards to cinematography, filmmaking, passion and respect for existing lore, and THE AUDIENCE WAS ALREADY THERE. They acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 and still could have released the movies in 2017, 18, and 19 or something. Instead, they opted for the quick cash, knowing people would see them no matter what, and put little to no effort in them.

Don't forget how Ewan and people like Simon Pegg just call all fans who criticize them racists!

I've been a SW fan for my whole live, and realizing that one is not obliged to watch every single SW thing that the mouse puts out has given me a lot of mental freedom, as well as the time to watch many actually good tv shows and movies such as hot d or succession. No need for BOBF, Kenobi or Ahsoka. Move on, guys. This is not SW. It hasn't been for a long time, and it never will. Why keep up with it then? The real SW will always be there.

They should have filmed their crap with another name, but no, they wanted to insult original fans and call them racists, mysoginists, sexists etc., for not liking stories that have nothing to do with star wars and the real conception of the Force

personally I already hate the EP7...

I was late to the party as well. When i watched the the last Jedi I was on the fence, then i saw the rise of skywalker i was like “wtf is this crap??” Now I have zero faith in Disney Star Wars. I expect it to suck.

“I don’t like sand” *Thunderous applause*

All I want is either a Star Wars show or a movie, “Shadows of the Empire.” Even based on the N64 game and should make Dash Rendar a cool-driven character alongside Andor. That could happen, but they didn't want that. If not, then I would make this series instead of what Disney can do. It could be a fun and amazing fan-favorite Star Wars entertainment.

They can't ruin what came before them, but Disney killed any new Star Wars when they didn't follow the story Lucas gave them for the sequels. Whatever that script was, it was the real story and we didn't get it.

So I just got finiahed watching the orginal trilogy for May the 4th. And I've begun to discover why we love it so much. It's not just the lightsabers, the space battles, heck not even the effects. It's the awe and wonder. Listening to Yoda talk about the Force to Luke in Empire felt like a teacher giving a life changing lesson to his student. And the dialogue didn’t feel cheap, it felt authentic. Like this character really believed in the power of the Force and the effect it had on the Galaxy and the world. That's what Star Wars today is missing that awe that wonder. We got invested in Star Wars because it felt like we were in a whole new world. But now, it just feels like kids playing Star Wars real life. Where Lightsabers are just plastic sticks and our spaceships are just your Dad's old pickup truck with cardboard wings duct taped to it. Disney made Star Wars feel like exactly what it is. Fake, unreal and for children. There's no awe and wonder there, they try their darn hardest to remind you that you can't escape real life. Instead of trying to make a fake world feel like real life. George Lucas always had his head in the clouds, constantly thinking of new ideas for his future Star Wars movie. But Disney, their head isn't in the clouds It's in their a$$.

The one major issue Disney made about Star wars was that they deliberately ruined the Lightsaber physics, the choreography fight scenes and such

good ... goood let the hate flow through you

Finn was always insinuated to be Force sensitive since Episode 7. It's just that all the other movies after that F'd it up.

Your views on Star Wars is my view on the MCU, I was so hooked and keen on every movie to come out and after end game I was excited to see what direction they would take moving forward and I've been nothing but disappointed.

As someone who has enjoyed a decent amount of the stuff Disney has put out, I completely understand and agree with how out of touch and backwards they're treating this franchise. We need new stories that are focused on being good stories that add to Star Wars and not cameofests, I want to look forward to Star Wars again because this franchise is so special and it needs the love and care that projects like Andor have gotten.

Force awakens was a chore to get through, still it was fun hearing the whole audience in the cinema laughing out loud when Daisy Ridley was able to match Adam Driver in combat. Rogue One was an absolute blast especially that third act. TLJ would have to be one of the worst movies ever put on film, how did it ever get the green light let alone get released?

I have to say, I try not to be a cancel person, but knowing the unspeakable acts Ms Headlund is guilty of, I find it very difficult to imagine supporting any project she is involved in. I wonder what happened to Metoo?

Great video! Spitting nothing but facts for 18 straight minutes. I was exacly like you, thinking I could never not love Star Wars, until Kenobi. That was my breaking point. I haven't even bothered watching anything since then except Mando S3. I'm glad to see more and more people are waking up.

Disney has broken Star Wars so beyond repair that I honestly feel depressed just thinking about Star Wars.

The Solo movie was a monstrosity and absolutely contributed to this mess....

Andor: a character with no real importance and only seen in one movie and wasn’t even the star, in a series that no one asked for, became the best series in the whole Disney EU. That’s f-ed up lol it’s also, Palpatine ironic. Lol

In obi wan kenobi: the infamous laser gate fiasco….. I genuinely thought that he was shooting the ate because he was going to use the transport to drive away. But he didn’t . wtf?!

Welcome to the club. Acceptance is the first step to recovery.

It's not the inclusion of cameos that is making the new stuff bad, it's the RELIANCE on those cameos to get people to watch. And this isn't just a star wars issue, but one with Marvel as well and it shows that it is in fact a Disney problem.

what really sucks is how disney pushed back against the dissatisfied fandom to the breaking point... the point that even the general audience is apathetic and enthusiasm is in the sub-levels of energy. now that public stock on WDC has plummeted to near-worthlessness, they NOW decide to pivot, and the change in tone feels disingenuous. great essay, btw, it pretty much sums up how i believe most of the fans feel...

I remember being ecstatic when Disney bought Star Wars. I thought with George Lucas being retired , So was Star War. I remember saying “any Star Wars is good Star Wars”. Now I flat refuse to watch any new Star Wars. But it makes me thankful too.. at least we still have the old stuff..

Even though I was frustrated leading up to it, Obi-Wan was my breaking point and I haven’t looked back since. Interesting video and I hope it gets better for anyone still watching.

I still love Star Wars but not because of Disney. But because of Dave Filoni. Many of the Star Wars projects he personally took part in never failed to make me feel like I was in a universe were George Lucas never sold to Disney.

Who the hell said the last Jedi was a masterpiece? Was that the one with Luke drinking an alien cows milk? LOL

I haven’t seen a single Disney “Star Wars” since TLJ. I’m just done with it, and I never EVER thought I’d ever feel that way. It’s such a damn shame

Just went to watch the Phantom Menace in theatre’s and my god, I forgot how exciting it used to be to go see Star Wars in theatre’s. Can’t wait to see Attack of the clones in the future.

I really miss star wars man, I replayed Jedi fallen order and I'm now replaying survivor and man those games remind me of what star wars can be. I really miss being excited for Star Wars. It was my place to escape to when I needed to get away from the world, now I don't have it anymore and I'm trying to fill the hole with other IP's like Fallout, Power Rangers, etc.. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't pray that Star Wars will be brought back from the grave but I'm starting to feel that's just wishful thinking and me being gullible.

Disney CEO just openly called this “mining” in an earnings call.

Have to say that outside the theatrical releases I haven't caught any Disney Star Wars, largely because I'm not nine any more and have simply outgrown it. But a large part of the current problems are that it is treated as a franchise and in modern Disney terms that is to squeeze every last drop of blood from whatever they own. Disney's business model has, for a long time, been to make a movie and, if successful, a sequel, after that they keep on pumping out product with the inevitable diminishing returns.

If I had a platform to express my current feelings about the state of the Star Wars franchise, I would say basically the very same things you just said; almost verbatim. Thank you for making this video. There is some solace in knowing you’re not the only one.

I remember right as soon as EA Star Wars Battlefront 2 started getting really good they ended all development out of nowhere, we can’t have anything nice with this franchise

So, for May the 4th me and the fam watched episodes 1-2 and yesterday we watched episode 3. And I couldnt help but get emotional for 2 reasons. 1 Episode 3 is so good, and those fights are god tier. Ewan and Hayden really just give an all out performance physically in those fights. The respect to the lore and craft and everything is on full display on the mustafar fight. 2 it respects the OG trilogy and is a good bridge to go to episode 4 (My 8 yr old son literally said “Can we watch episode 4 now” after finishing episode 3) 3 it sucks because in the new stuff, you see so much disrespect in the current star wars era. Besides a few things Favreu and Filoni have touched. And it sucks. Me and my family love disneyland. And even star wars land is just the new crap. Idk. It sucks. And what disney has done can not be done. I dont even want to show my kids the new trilogy because it just doesnt compare. IDK.

One small correction: The Last Jedi Split the fandom into two parts: A. Those who didn't like it; and B. The media, critics and Disney employees frothing at the mouth with rabid, visceral hatred of anyone who fails to uncritically praise it.

I’ve never hated Star Wars as much as I do now. They are doing nothing with the brand. They are so out of touch and stubborn they genuinely think that they can outlive the old fans but the thing is you gotta cultivate a new fan base to replace the old and they can’t even do that.

Andor S2 will hopefully be just as good or better that S1, so that's hopefully something to look forward to with some hope

I will always love Star Wars and I refuse to allow it to be ruined for me. The best Star Wars content right now is the animation. Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch, and Tales of the Jedi are great! Tales of the Empire was ok.

I can't believe they fked up Boba Fett. He was the favorite Star Wars character for a lot of people

To this day I still don’t understand why Disney didn’t just use the legacy books to base the new sequels movies & TV shows on. There were so many amazing stories.

Lucas destroyed star wars by selling the franchise to Disney.

Besides, it's destroyed for cheap politics; we all grow up. Man, the alien designs in Star Wars look so childish and like bad Halloween costumes. Aren't Ahsoka's tails so goofy?

The reason why clowns wear makeup is so that we don't confuse them with the REAL CLOWNS that don't. 😊

Hiring a bunch of freaks who would rather put your ideal believes and show propaganda rather than have a good story with characters we actually love and care about. There i summoned up what killed majority of Star Wars and probably many other franchises.

Good video, sad video. I agree completely that the franchise has just declined and settled at some commercial lowest common denominator. Hiring directors that don't know the IP says it all- zero care beyond the dollars. I also feel similarly apathetic about what's coming out next (apart from Andor season 2). I write this as a huge fan of the original films and the clone wars etc, collected the vintage toys etc. I'm not sure how or if things can really turn around for the better. Therapy session over 😅

what do you think about the bad batch? I really enjoyed it. It felt cosy and added a lot of law to the universe!

100% correct I am of the generation that watched Star Wars at the cinema when it first came out and then agonisingly waited until the others were released slowly one by one, I introduced my son, nieces and nephews to this amazing universe but now I can't bare to watch it

We saw the films brother, we don’t need an essay. also you seem to have spared JJ abrams from the thumbnail

No one hates Star Wars more than actual Star Wars fans, it’s so sad to not feel excitement anymore for this franchise

😤 "How "DARE!!" you give (Headland) a.k.a. "WATER-HEAD 💦 BABY 🍼!" credit for (Anything) worth "NOTHING!"

My impression is that Star Wars just isn't made for people like me anymore. I too was a die hard who grew up with it and was obsessed with it, but Disney seemingly just wants to reach a different audience. If that's what they want, I shouldn't be expected to be a round peg trying to fit into a square hole.

Yea, I agree. Star Wars is dead

I'm still not sure TLJ split the fan base.. I'd say Star Wars fans hated TLJ and people who knew nothing about Star Wars enjoyed it and defend it for some reason

Honestly, I think that we need a story about the rise of siths. The story should tell about the Order of Siths, and it has to be dark, not as family-friendly as the previous films; fights in “Ahsoka” were quite bad because it was a family-friendly show.

Last Jedi is made for and by people who never heard or care about star wars

The Rise of Skywalker actually LOST money. UK Tax credits reveal it cost half a billion in production. Add in another 150 in marketing and cut the box office in half to account for the theaters cut, TROS lost money in the boxoffice.

I have long maintained the theory that the reason George Lucas sold Star wars to Disney, and double downed recently by showing his support for the current administration, is that he knew they would make a pig's breakfast out of it, and everyone would get off his back about how bad the prequels were.

I still don't trust the box office numbers for any Disney Star Wars movie

I was glad not to see Tales of the Empire on Disney Plus. And I still can’t believe the jerks who worked on that anthology show had a non-binary Jedi, holy shit.

OG Trilogy fans sitting here like, Star Wars was already killed by the prequels. We viewed the Disney sequels as a chance to resurrect what was already dead, but instead they just cremated it, haha.

The rerelease of Phantom Menace out grossed most of the new releases last weekend. Says it all.

Excellent video. Well said. My favourite Star Wars thing since Empire Strikes Back was Star Wars: Squadrons ...in VR, with HOTAS ...so so so so good!

This all started with a little movie titled The Force Awakens. Where Luke Skywalker was missing, Han Solo was a Smuggler again, and Leia isn't running the New Republic. All those things happen in the Force Awakens, and yet the fanbase cheered on. We even like boring movies like Rogue One. A movie that adds nothing to the story, but it has things from A New Hope in it.

Book of Boba fett is good, fight me

You see the mistake people make is in thinking that Star Wars was ever any good to begin with.

While some may argue that Disney's handling of the Star Wars movies hasn't met everyone's expectations, it's essential to recognize the broader scope of the Star Wars universe beyond just the films. Disney's acquisition has revitalized the franchise, providing opportunities for fresh storytelling through various mediums, including television shows on Disney+. These shows, such as "The Mandalorian," "The Book of Boba Fett," and "The Bad Batch," have garnered widespread acclaim for their compelling narratives, character development, and homage to the original trilogy's spirit. Moreover, Disney's commitment to expanding the Star Wars universe through diverse storytelling formats demonstrates a dedication to the franchise's longevity and relevance in contemporary pop culture. Thus, while the movies may not have resonated with everyone, the wealth of new content on Disney+ proves that Star Wars is thriving under Disney's stewardship.

Rian Johnson gets a lot of blame for Last Jedi, but the true blame belongs to Kathleen Kennedy for allowing Rian to go rogue. She clearly had no idea what Star Wars is, what the fans (customers) wanted or how to shepherd an IP like Star Wars into a new era. Her failure is now complete.