While the announcement that Lucasfilm was purchased by Walt Disney Studios in 2012 initially sparked excitement forStar Warsfans everywhere, the last few years have been particularly rough for fans of the galaxy far, far away. It’s not due to a lack of great projects, asAndor, The Last Jedi,and the final season ofThe Clone Warshave proven how exciting, dynamic, and original theStar Warsfranchise can be. The disappointment lies in the community that has emerged;Star Warsfandom has become very toxic,with some outspoken obsessives claiming that the new projects produced by Disney are in some way disrespectful to the original vision thatGeorge Lucashad in mind. While the new High Republic era mystery seriesThe Acolyteis the latest project to receive this unjust criticism, it’s worth remembering that Star Wars has always hada shaky relationship with its television spin-offs.
In the aftermath of the release ofReturn of the Jediin 1983, the Legends universe that existed prior to 2012 was not yet fully formed. Whilenovels likeSplinters of the Mind’s Eyeand the run of original Marvel comics existed, there was very little new content available to Star Warsfans interested in seeing the universe expanded. Although it would be years before Lucas would begin work on both the “Special Edition” releases of the original trilogy and the eventual prequel films, Star Wars was still a cash cow that had the potential to reach younger viewers. 1985 saw the debut of the animated showsDroidsandEwoks, which rank amongthe weirdest stories in the history ofStar Wars.
Star Wars: Droids
A pair of well-known droids wander through space and time, serving various new masters and getting caught up in exciting escapades. Throughout their journeys, they often become the unlikely heroes, facing challenges that test their wit and mechanical prowess in a universe filled with conflict and intrigue.
What Are ‘Droids’ and ‘Ewoks’ About?
Star Warshad first experimented with television in 1978 whenthe disastrousThe Star Wars Holiday Specialaired only oncebefore never being reproduced in any form of physical release. While the holiday-themed spinoff film was derided as one of the biggest disasters in American television history, it did receive some praise for a short animated segment titled “The Story of the Faithful Wookiee,” which featured the debut of Boba Fett.Lucasfilm continued their work with the animation company Nelvanaon two new shows that aired on ABC starting in 1985.Droidsfocused on the exploits of R2-D2 and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) before the events of the original trilogy, andEwokscentered on the furry residents of Endor before the Rebel Alliance arrived inReturn of the Jedi.
Any fans expecting substantial revelations about theStar Warscanon were likely disappointedbyDroids. Save for a brief cameo by Fett in one of the earlier episodes,Droidsdidn’t feature any of the characters from the classic trilogy, and only barely acknowledged the existence of the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. It quickly became evident that whilethe two droids were serviceable as supporting charactersin a larger story, they didn’t really work as the protagonists of a weekly adventure. C-3PO was overly fussy, ignorant, and didn’t seem to like going on adventures at all; R2-D2’s lines were, of course, gibberish to anyone that didn’t understand droid languages. Unsurprisingly, the show was canceled after only one season.
Ewoksmanaged to last into a second season, as it was likely aided by the release of the live-action television filmsCaravan of Courage: An Ewok AdventureandEwoks: The Battle For Endor, which featuredWarwick Davisreprising his role as Wicket the Ewok fromReturn of the Jedi.However,Ewokswas clearly aimed at a much younger audiencewith its childlike animation, which felt much closer in tone toCare BearsorThe SmurfsthanThe Empire Strikes Back. Star Warshas always been made with a children’s audience in mind, but a show likeEwokswas unlikely to have any crossover appeal to more mature viewers.
‘Droids’ and ‘Ewoks’ Played Loose With Star Wars Canon
One of the most beguiling criticisms leveled atThe Acolyteis that it somehow “contradicts” the canon of the film franchise with the introduction of miraculous conceptions and Force witches. Even ignoring the fact thatretcons are an inherent part of the franchise,nothing inThe Acolyteis quite as bizarre as the storylines inEwoksandDroids.Droidswas essentially a Saturday morning cartoon show that featured the droids facing off with all sorts of pirates, smugglers, monsters, and yes, even witches. Similarly,Ewoksdelved into some of the mystical aspects of Endor, while also dedicating an absurd amount of time to Ewok melodrama. Neither show is now considered to be canon in the new timeline, but they are both preserved in their entirety in the “Star WarsVintage” tab on Disney+.
What’s most disappointing aboutDroidsandEwoksisn’t the blatant disregard for continuity, but that there was very little effort poured into either program.Star Wars eventually proved to be a great universe for animation, asGenndy Tartakovsky’s groundbreakingClone Warsmicroseriesproved that a change of style was in the franchise’s best interest. Comparatively,EwoksandDroidsfelt like cheap knock-offs made to ensure that the Star Warsbrand remained in the public consciousness. They have little lasting legacy within the franchise and have been relatively forgotten about by anyone who isn’t a hardcore obsessive.
There’s No Overarching Trait That Defines ‘Star Wars’
The Acolytehas done a lot of bold things within the Star Wars franchise, and time will tell whether they are successful. Even if the show doesn’t stick the landing, it’s clear that showrunnerLeslye Headlandhas put a lot of effort into reaching interesting conclusions aboutthe legacy of the Jedi Order.Comparatively,EwoksandDroidsshow thatStar Warscontinuity has never been entirely precious.Anyone who is seriously upset about the emergence of space witches should watchEwoksandDroidsto see how truly awful the franchise can get.
Droidsis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
Watch on Disney+
