In the years following the massive success first established by the originalStar Warsmovie, the franchise has often looked to the original trilogy as a foundation of sorts for everything that’s followed. It makes sense thatStar Warswould want to follow the original trilogy’s template in order to both remain consistent and to achieve similar success.
This was especially the case in the earliest parts of the Disney era. TheStar Warssequel trilogy’s main criticisms arose from those who thought that its story was too closely replicated from the original trilogy, most notablyA New Hope. Ten years later, however, it’s clear thatStar Warshas actually found a new, possibly even better, foundation.
Star Wars Animation Is The Basis Of The Franchise Now
Its Influence Is Undeniable & Inescapable
There’s no denying thatStar Warsanimation - fromStar Wars: The Clone WarstoStar Wars Rebelsand evenStar Wars: The Bad Batch- has become the franchise’s newest foundation for its storytelling. All of our modernStar Warsstories, whether they are TV shows or movies, havesome kind of foundational root inStar Warsanimation.
Similarly to howStar Warsonly had the original trilogy to work from after 1983, which defined the childhoods of many fans,Star Warsanimation filled the void after the prequel trilogy, and alsodefined a generation of brand-new fans.The Clone Warshas become essential to theStar Warsmythos, withRebelsandThe Bad Batchfollowing in its footsteps.
The live-actionAhsokaseries is considered aRebelssequel series for a reason. It quite literally picks up where theRebelsepilogueleft off, with the majority of its cast of characters all deriving from the animated series. Eventhe critically acclaimedAndormade use of animated characters, such as Saw Gerrera and Erskin Semaj.
ThenextStar Warsmovie,The Mandalorian and Grogu, will even featureZeb Orrelios ofRebelsin a story that has certainly found plenty of inspiration fromStar Warsanimation.The Mandaloriancreator Jon Favreau may have always loved Boba Fett, but his interest in Mandalorians grew from playing Pre Vizsla inThe Clone Wars.
Animation Is Star Wars' Most Perfect Medium
Despite Live-Action’s Popularity
It’s truly no surprise that animation is servingStar Warsthis way, because it’s undoubtedly the franchise’s most perfect medium. WhileStar Warswas born in the live-action medium, and that remains its most popular,Star Warsanimation can, and has, achieved what live-action simply has limitationson.
Star Wars animation manages to capture a consistent amount of magic and charm that can be hard to replicate.
From full fluidity in lightsaber fights to character designs and more,Star Warsanimation simply does what no live-action property could ever recreate. This is why many characters who have entered live-action from animation have been on the receiving end of some heavy criticism;live-action cannot properly recreate what’s so flawlessly portrayed in animation.
Star Warsjust feels so right when it’s portrayed in animation. It doesn’t mean that live-action can’t be just as good at times, or that it ought to remain obsolete in comparison. Rather,Star Warsanimation manages to capture a consistent amount of magic and charm that can be hard to replicate in live-action.
Star Wars Is Recognizing The Importance Of Animation
It’s Getting The Appreciation It’s Long Since Deserved
Now, twenty years after the formation of Lucasfilm Animation,Star Warsis truly starting to recognize just how important animation is to the franchise. They broughtThe Clone Warsback for a final season in 2020, years after it was initially canceled, and they continue to build from this series in various live-action projects.
Most recently,The Bad Batchhas gotten a lot of appreciationin the form of spin-off materials. The comic miniseriesStar Wars: Hyperspace Stories — The Bad Batch — Ghost Agentsby Michael Moreci and the upcoming novelSanctuary: A Bad Batch Novelby Lamar Giles have both continued the story ofClone Force 99, even after the series ended.
Preorder Sanctuary: A Bad Batch Novel here
Having an animated series receive so many spin-off stories is almost unheard of in a franchise likeStar Wars, asthat kind of treatment is typically reserved for live-action stories. This is why something likeAhsokais also so noteworthy; its dependency on animation isn’t something that’s exactly common, yet it needs the context ofRebelsto be understood.
There’s certainly a balance to be struck with it all, but it’s undeniable thatStar Warsanimation is the most important thing to the franchise right now. It’s more than likely that 2026’sMaul: Shadow Lordanimated series will continue this tradition as well.Star Warshas identified its newest foundation, and it truly is perfect for the franchise.
