Why 2022 Could Be the Biggest Year for Star Wars Yet
It is no secret that Star Wars: “The Mandalorian” caught the world by storm upon its release in December of 2019. It was the first live action Star Wars TV show to be released and became a worldwide phenomenon in short order.
After the success of The Mandalorian, Disney began to shift it’s focus from the theatrical world to the television world when it came to Star Wars. In fact, on Disney Investor Day 2020, the company revealed multiple new projects coming to their streaming service in the near future.
Photo Credit: StarWars.com
As time has gone on, we have learned that we will be seeing upwards of seven live action TV shows on Disney+.
Included in those live action TV series are “The Book of Boba Fett” which is currently airing, The Mandalorian season three, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Acolyte, Lando as well as Andor.
This all is on top of the additional animated content such as a second season of the well-received show “The Bad Batch” and a new animated adventure “A droid story.”
This has all led to 2022 potentially becoming the most Star Wars content filled year in history. Fans may very well get to enjoy The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, The Bad Batch season two and the third season of the Mandalorian throughout this upcoming calendar year.
Image: Disney+
This is very off brand for Star Wars when it comes to releasing content. While Marvel has flourished releasing multiple projects a year (last year saw them releasing as many as 10), Star Wars has always taken a different approach.
The first six films of the saga were released every three years. It started with the original trilogy which had release dates that took place in 1977, 1980 and 1983. Next came the prequel trilogy which started in 1999 and followed up with 2002 and finished in 2005.
Image: Star Wars
However, upon Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, they announced plans for a new trilogy with release dates occurring every other year and spinoffs that would come in the years in between. Disney did just that and from the years 2015 to 2019, five Star Wars films were released accounting for one theatrical release a year.
With Star Wars films on the backburner for now and the addition of the widely successful streaming service Disney+, Star Wars fans can now expect much more content on a yearly basis. That all begins this year in 2022.
Image: Lucasfilm
The year begins with weekly episodes of “The Book of Boba Fett” which premiered on December 29, 2021 and is set to run through February 9th 2022. The series follows famous bounty hunter turned crime lord Boba Fett as he navigates the crime world of Tatooine.
Led by showrunners Robert Rodriguez, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, the show has received mostly positive reviews thus far and is an extension of the Mandalorian universe.
Next up on the release schedule, remains to be seen. However, we do know for certain that The Bad Batch season two, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor will be coming to Disney+ in 2022.
The first season of The Bad Batch ran for 16 episodes, and it is safe to assume the second season will run for a similar amount of time. The show follows a group of clones with unique abilities and saw positive reviews in its first season.
image: Disney+
Dave Filoni executive produces the show, and it is overseen by Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau.
Perhaps the most anticipated Star Wars project in existence is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The limited series marks the return of both Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in their roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader.
Image: Lucasfilm
The series is set roughly ten years after “Revenge of the Sith” while Kenobi is in exile on the planet of Tatooine. It is currently rumored that this series may drop on May 4th which is known worldwide as “Star Wars Day.”
Another series that is set to release this year is Andor. This series has flown under the radar but has potential to “wow” fans of the franchise. The series will follow Rebel Spy Cassian Andor years before the events of the widely successful Star Wars spin off film, “Rogue One.”
Diego Luna is set to reprise his role and the series is led by showrunner Tony Gilroy who also wrote Rogue One. This series is very exciting since it takes place during a dark time where the Empire is in charge.
Could we see other characters from Rogue One? Could we see Darth Vader or even the Emperor? We will have to wait and see.
The Mandalorian is also amid filming its third season and it is entirely possible that we will get to watch the premiere of the new season during November or December similarly to The Book of Boba Fett.
Beyond potentially viewing those five TV shows, Star Wars will also continue to publish projects from its massive High Republic initiative. Phase one of the wide spread releasing of books, comics and more has wrapped up and the next phase is set to begin this year.
Fans can also expect many new books and comics to be released throughout the year such as the loved Darth Vader comic line by Greg Pak and the Doctor Aphra line by Alyssa Wong.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be released this year and rumors of several other Star Wars video games continue to ramp up.
If all of that content is not enough, you can also plan a trip to “outer space” come March 1st when the “Galactic Starcruiser” opens in Walt Disney World. This two-night trip entails you boarding a spaceship and enjoying a fully immersive Star Wars experience.
All in all, 2022 is set to be jam packed with everything Star Wars. Fans can expect new Star Wars content nearly every month and sometimes every week of the year.
Whether all of the content is enjoyed by the fanbase remains to be seen but either way, fans of all ages have something to look forward to. We will certainly be following along.
