Star Wars television, once an experiment, has become a franchise within a franchise. After the 2019 launch of Disney+ and the success of The Mandalorian, the “Mando-verse” has become the main focus of Disney+ Star Wars originals. These live-action series have explored the New Republic era with smaller-scale stories focused on characters like Din Djarin and Boba Fett, but in 2024, a new slate of series will look to usher Star Wars into its next chapter.
Empire Magazine has confirmed that Star Wars will release three series in 2024: Andor Season 2, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew. 2024 will therefore be the first year since Disney+ launched without a season of The Mandalorian or a related show, like The Book of Boba Fett or Ahsoka.
All three of these upcoming series take place at vastly different points on the timeline. Andor, the prequel show to prequel movie Rogue One, covers the years leading up to the events of the original trilogy. The Acolyte will shine some light on the last days of the High Republic, about a century before the events of the prequels.
Skeleton Crew is about as close to the norm as 2024’s slate gets. Jon Watts’ youth-focused series is set in the same New Republic era as The Mandalorian and has been referred to as a Mando-verse show before, but its tone (and huge, high-profile director roster) seems to be separate from what we’ve already seen.
In the wake of Ahsoka and The Mandalorian Season 3 being met with mixed reviews, this seems like yet another sign that Lucasfilm is experimenting with new tones and time periods to find a new centerpiece for Star Wars television. With Andor wrapping up after its second season, The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew may have the potential to take the torch from the show that gave Star Wars new life.
The Mando-verse is popular among fans, but every franchise needs to innovate to stay exciting. A series inspired by Stranger Things and another show diving deep into the past could offer just that.
