Lucasfilm Heard Star Wars Fans, And The Next Disney+ Show Proves It

Published Jul 15, 2026, 5:38 PM EDT

This has caused a period in which fans of the series desire one thing above all else: a loose sense of collaboration. Audiences continue to hope that Lucasfilm takes into account some of their desires with upcoming Star Wars movies and shows, and, while I still believe that fans should never dictate the stories told in major franchises, it appears the production company is somewhat listening. The proof of this comes from the next Star Wars project to be released: Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi.

This story stems from the Star Wars: Visions episode, "The Ninth Jedi," which was among the two best-received episodes of that entire show. With an IMDb rating of 8.4/10, a score rivaled by only one other episode, "The Ninth Jedi" proved itself as a story many Star Wars fans wanted to see. With Lucasfilm's announcement of an entire spin-off show, it became clear that the company had heeded this from audiences and fast-tracked production on a Star Wars show that was sure to appease.

Although Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi, or the original show, for that matter, will not reach the same widespread heights as shows like The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm has ensured that it is telling a story fans have clamored for. This will almost certainly make the show one that receives acclaim from critics and audiences alike, as opposed to just one or the other.

Star Wars' 2026 Animation Has Been For The Fans

What makes this all more compelling is that another Star Wars animated show was released in 2026 that, in many ways, was very much for the fans. In April 2026, Maul - Shadow Lord was released on Disney+. This story centered on the titular character, who has long been a fan-favorite, and outlined his rise to power in the criminal underworld of the galaxy, shortly after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

For years now, audiences have desired two things when it came to Maul's character: a standalone project with him as the protagonist and a payoff for the reveal that he was the leader of Crimson Dawn in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story. Maul - Shadow Lord provided both of these at the same time, with the show delving deeper into his character than ever, while future seasons promise to lead directly into Solo.

Star Wars Still Needs To Find A Fan-Studio Balance

Despite moving in the right direction with telling well-made, fan-desired stories, Lucasfilm still has room to grow in this aspect. After all, the main criticism of recent theatrical installments, specifically, is that they either were not asked for or did not find a good balance between appeasing fans and telling a compelling story. The Mandalorian and Grogu, for instance, came too late after the success of seasons 1 and 2, meaning audiences felt as though it was a story no one really desired, as evidenced by its becoming the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie of all time.

Going back to the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is arguably the last movie to have struck the balance between what audiences wanted to see and new, original concepts. Star Wars: The Last Jedi relied much more on the latter, which proved to be controversial regarding the former. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker then course-corrected too much by bringing back big Star Wars heroes, villains, and broader concepts, though with little to no narrative cohesion or logic.

Evidently, Star Wars, especially when it comes to theatrical features, is still struggling to gauge what audiences want. Hopefully, future movies like Star Wars: Starfighter and Simon Kinberg's new episodic trilogy will strike a better balance in this regard, following on from a project that is sure to do the same in Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi.