Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon. It’s been so weird watching episodes of The Mandalorian these past few weeks because it’s the future of the franchise—not an Earth-shattering event that’s decades in the making, but a weekly series that comes at you gradually without the weight of mammoth expectations. Of course, there will still be movies and those movies will be important, but we now live in a world where Star Wars is more constant rather than being some fascinating piece of pop culture that has morphed from blockbuster to cult fandom and back again.
Disney has released a new video to celebrate the series’ impact on the culture, which feels like a victory lap from one of the best-known brands in the world. While other franchises try to emulate the success of Star Wars and assume that fans will always come back, this video reminds us that Star Wars occupies a special place where people just know it and love it. Of course, there will always be folks who have never seen Star Wars, but it’s so embedded in the culture that people will know what you’re talking about even if they haven’t seen the movies. It will be fascinating to see how the franchise grows and changes once the Skywalker saga concludes.
Check out the video below. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20th.
Here’s the official synopsis for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker:
Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.
The film stars Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, with Ian McDiarmid and Billy Dee Williams
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams and Michelle Rejwan. Callum Greene, Tommy Gormley and Jason McGatlin serve as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Chris Terrio & J.J. Abrams and the story is by Derek Connolly & Colin Trevorrow and J.J. Abrams & Chris Terrio, based on characters created by George Lucas.
via Collider