What Would Star Wars Really Be Like Without Disney?

Many believe that Disney has ‘ruined’ Star Wars, but would the franchise really be better off without Disney? When Disney bought Star Wars, there was plenty of concern about what this acquisition would mean for Star Wars movies and TV shows. In truth, there has been mixed reception to the projects created by Disney Star Wars.

In fact, many of Star Wars’ best TV shows have been created since Disney’s acquisition of the franchise. However, several of the movies thought to be some of Star Wars’ worst movies, the sequel trilogy among them, were also made by Disney. Given this divide, it’s worth asking: what would Star Wars really look like today if Disney had never purchased the rights to the franchise?

George Lucas Would (Probably) Never Have Made The Sequels

George Lucas did have sequel trilogy plans, and they looked quite different from the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy that was ultimately released. In Lucas’ plan, the main villains would have been Darth Maul as the Sith master and Darth Talon as the Sith apprentice, which many Star Wars fans lament not coming to pass. Additionally, Princess Leia would have been the central hero of this trilogy, completing the father, son, and daughter trio of trilogies, and Luke Skywalker would have re-established the Jedi Order.

Of course, much of this sounds thrilling, and it’s fair to wish that these concepts had been brought to life; however, it’s unclear whether George Lucas’ sequel trilogy would have ever really been created. In fact, according to The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, written by Robert (Bob Iger), Lucas only wrote his own sequel trilogy scripts to increase Lucasfilm’s for the Disney acquisition. Lucas was aiming for a number closer to Pixar’s sale price, which was an astounding approximately $7.4 billion.

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In the end, Lucasfilm sold for closer to $4.05 billion. Regardless, evidently, George Lucas only drew up these drafts of a sequel trilogy in order to sell to Disney. This may mean that, had Disney not purchased Star Wars, this sequel trilogy may never have come to be anyway. Of course, Disney still could have used these ideas, which likely would have been popular, but this doesn’t suggest that Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars ‘ruined’ Lucas’ plans.

The Clone Wars Would’ve Continued Uninterrupted

One of the most controversial decisions Disney Star Wars made early on was to cancel Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Although this show is now beloved in the franchise, it had mixed reviews initially. Perhaps for that reason, Disney decided that they wanted to take Star Wars TV shows in a different direction. Of course, ultimately, The Clone Wars was renewed and completed.

Had Disney not purchased Star Wars, The Clone Wars very likely would have continued without any cancelation and renewal. However, what that would have looked like may forever remain a mystery. Presumably, the creative minds behind The Clone Wars already had a plan that was then disrupted by this cancelation and the years in between the show ending and its renewal. Whether that plan was ultimately followed isn’t clear.

Yet, The Clone Wars conclusion was a truly perfect ending to the show, which raises questions about the degree to which Disney negatively impacted the show. The finale in particular saw Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker connect one final time, revealed that Ahsoka was one of the survivors of Order 66 (in an absolutely stunning way), and contextualized Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith so much more. It’s difficult to say that The Clone Wars (or Star Wars) was ‘ruined’ by Disney in light of this fantastic ending.

We’d Have Gotten The Bad Batch… But Not Rebels

Interestingly, Star Wars: The Bad Batch was in the works before George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, meaning that this show would likely have existed either way. Again, it’s difficult to say whether the story would have been the same (particularly in the later episodes), but the show itself was already planned. However, this was not the case for Star Wars Rebels.

Rebels was a Disney Star Wars creation, and, like the ending of The Clone Wars, it was a brilliant addition to Star Wars TV shows. In fact, this show introduced the characters Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla, and others, all of whom have become absolutely beloved in the franchise. These characters are also proving more and more important, as all three returned in Ahsoka and will presumably be included in the upcoming Ahsoka season 2 as well.

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Yet again, this represents a brilliant addition to the Star Wars franchise. Of course, it’s impossible to say what other characters, TV shows, and story ideas might have been introduced had Disney not acquired Star Wars. Regardless, though, the idea that Rebels and all the characters who were introduced on the show would not exist is difficult to imagine.

What Would’ve Happened If George Lucas Still Retired?

Even if Disney hadn’t bought Star Wars, it’s unlikely that George Lucas would have stayed with the franchise for much longer. Clearly, he was interested in selling, and he has spoken before about feeling that it was time for him to move on in light of how much the film landscape had already changed and would continue to change. Given that, Star Wars likely would have changed hands around this time either way; it’s just a question of to whom it would have gone.

It’s possible that George Lucas would have directly handed the reins over to Dave Filoni, who has become absolutely essential to the franchise. However, it’s unclear what that would have looked like and how that would have impacted Star Wars’ media presence. For better or worse, by selling to Disney, Lucas more or less guaranteed that Star Wars would continue to be a prominent franchise.

Ultimately, the claims that Disney ‘ruined’ Star Wars are unlikely to ever stop. There are always going to be those who believe the franchise would have been much better had Disney never acquired the rights. Even so, though, there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary, not only in terms of George Lucas’ plans but also in light of the additions Disney has made to Star Wars over the years.