4 Star Wars Disney+ Shows That Completely Let Down the Franchise

Published Aug 18, 2026, 5:49 PM EDT Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows. In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA. Star Wars is the single most iconic cinematic franchise of all-time, as it is one that belongs exclusively to the movie theaters. While sagas like James Band and The Lord of the Rings were based on novels that had already developed their own fanbases, George Lucas faced the doubt of every Hollywood studio when he created one of the most ambitious original productions ever, and kickstarted a property that would completely envelop culture. It’s due to the fact that Star Wars is so exclusively tied to changing the cinematic landscape forever that the television shows can’t help but feel “lesser,” even within an era where streaming series are often a better option for mature content aimed at adult viewers than the slop that is in theaters. Unlike Marvel or DC, which lend themselves to serialized storytelling, Star Wars has always struggled when being told at a smaller scale on television. There are certainly great things to come out of the Disney+ era, most notably Andor. Andor did exactly what streaming television should do because it took a story that wouldn’t have worked as a film (or even a trilogy) and used it to make a compelling, politically timely story about the process in which a resistance becomes a true revolution. The biggest consequence of Andor is that it set such a high bar for what Star Wars television could be that everything else has looked like a major disappointment in comparison. Given that Disney is now desperately trying to ensure that the Star Wars franchise remains on the big screen by moving forward with some significant cinematic projects, the entire era of shows dumped right on Disney+ feels like a blip in the continuity that is best left ignored. 4 ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ (2021-2022) Image via Lucasfilm The Book of Boba Fett is among the most disappointing Star Wars projects ever because it served as another reminder that some characters work when they are only shown in limited quantities. Boba Feet is effective in the original trilogy because he is mysterious and unknowable, and the attempts to give him a backstory in the prequels only neutered the character. The Book of Boba Fett took what had already been an overlong arc of Temuera Morrison’s tenure on The Mandalorian and extended it into an entire series that didn’t make use of its dual narrative structure; half the time is spent on a dull backstory of how Fett escape the Sarlaac Pit after the end of Return of the Jedi, and the rest turns him into a boring character as he attempts to be a noble leader in the place of Jabba the Hutt. The action and visuals in The Book of Boba Fett are uninspired and Morrison doesn’t have the presence to lead the show. It doesn’t help that the series diverts for its last few episodes and essentially becomes a season of The Mandalorian, and brings back Cad Bane (Corey Burton) for a face-off with Fett that had been teased since Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and only ended in disappointment. 3 ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ (2022) Image via Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi is a series that Star Wars fans had been begging for because of how beloved Ewan McGregor’s performance as the titular Jedi Master was in the Star Wars prequel trilogy; it was universally agreed upon by those who both loved and hated the prequels that McGregor’s interpretation of Obi-Wan was a standout, especially when considering the impossible task he had of capturing the charisma of Sir Alec Guinness. Unfortunately, the events in other Star Wars television had made it so Obi-Wan Kenobi had to go in a different direction than what was best suited for the character. Although it would have made sense for Obi-Wan to stay on Tatooine protecting a young Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t do that because it would feel derivative of The Mandalorian. The most natural villain for Obi-Wan to face off with would be Darth Maul (Sam Witwer), but the show did something different because that storyline was already wrapped up on Star Wars Rebels. Obi-Wan Kenobi was clearly meddled with based on the differences between what Deborah Chow had in mind and the end result, suggesting that Dave Filoni played a role in altering her vision. The fundamental issue is that it makes no sense for Obi-Wan to encounter Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) again after the events of Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith, as it undercuts the weight of them seeing one another again in the 1977 original. It was more than obvious that, based on how little actually happens in the show, Obi-Wan Kenobi should have just been a film. Collider Exclusive · Star Wars Quiz Which Force UserAre You? Light Side · Dark Side · Or Somewhere Between The Force is not a binary. It is a spectrum — from the serene halls of the Jedi Temple to the shadowed corridors of Sith space. Ten questions will reveal where you truly fall. The Force has always known. Now you will too. 🔵Jedi Master 🟡Padawan 🔴Sith Lord ⚫Inquisitor ⚪Grey Jedi IGNITE YOUR SABER → 01 What is the Force to you? Your relationship with the Force defines everything else. AA living energy I must be worthy of — it is not mine to control. BSomething vast and mysterious I'm only beginning to understand. CNeither light nor dark — just a current I choose to ride. DPower. Pure and simple. The strong take it; the weak don't. NEXT QUESTION → 02 When you feel strong emotions — anger, grief, love — what do you do? The Jedi suppress. The Sith feed. Others choose differently. AAcknowledge them, then release them. Attachment leads to suffering. BFeel them fully, then decide what to do — they're not the enemy. CBury them. Emotion is a liability I can't afford to indulge. DUse them. Passion is the engine of the dark side for good reason. NEXT QUESTION → 03 The Jedi Council gives you an order you disagree with. You: How you handle authority reveals your alignment. AFollow it. The Council's wisdom surpasses my own perspective. BVoice my objection clearly, then defer to the decision. CComply outwardly while doing what I think is right. DIgnore it. The strong don't answer to committees. NEXT QUESTION → 04 You are offered forbidden knowledge that could give you enormous power. The cost is crossing a moral line. You: The dark side's pull is never more than a choice away. ARefuse without hesitation. There is no cost worth that price. BWeigh it carefully — sometimes darkness holds real answers. CFeel the pull but walk away — for now. DAccept it. Power justifies the method used to obtain it. NEXT QUESTION → 05 Your approach to training and learning is: A student's habits become a master's character. ADedicated but humble. There is always more to learn from my masters. BRigorous and patient. Mastery is earned through years of discipline. CEclectic — I draw from every tradition, not just one. DRelentless and brutal. Pain accelerates growth. Rest is weakness. NEXT QUESTION → 06 In a duel, your lightsaber fighting style reflects: Combat is the purest expression of a Force user's philosophy. ADefense and composure — I wait for my opponent to overcommit. BFast and instinctive — I trust the Force to guide my movements. CUnpredictable — I blend styles to keep enemies off-balance. DOverwhelming aggression — I end fights before they begin. NEXT QUESTION → 07 A defeated enemy lies at your feet, powerless. You: Mercy — or its absence — is the truest test of alignment. AStrike them down — compassion toward enemies is naïve and costly. BNeutralize them permanently. I can't afford loose ends. CSpare them if I can — but stay clear-eyed about the risks. DOffer them a chance to surrender. Every being deserves that. NEXT QUESTION → 08 The Jedi Code forbids attachment. Your honest view on love and bonds: The source of the greatest falls in the galaxy. AThe Code is right. Attachment clouds judgment and invites suffering. BLove is not a weakness — the Jedi Code got this one wrong. CI have no attachment — only loyalty to my master's mission. DI feel it deeply but struggle to reconcile it with my training. NEXT QUESTION → 09 Why do you use the Force at all? What's the point? Purpose is the difference between a knight and a weapon. ATo learn. I'm still figuring out what I'm capable of. BTo protect and serve. The Force is a responsibility, not a gift. CTo survive — and maybe carve out something worth having. DTo dominate. Strength demands to be expressed, not contained. NEXT QUESTION → 10 At the final moment — light side or dark side pulling at you — what wins? In the end, every Force user faces this moment. What does yours look like? AThe light. I choose peace, even when darkness would be easier. BNeither fully — I carve my own path through the middle. CWhoever I serve — my loyalty defines me more than my morality. DThe dark. Power is the only thing that's ever actually been real. REVEAL MY ALIGNMENT → Your Alignment Has Been Determined Your Place in the ForceThe scores below reveal how the Force sees you. Your highest number is your true alignment. Read on to understand what that means — and what it will cost you. 🔵 Jedi Master 🟡 Padawan 🔴 Sith Lord ⚫ Inquisitor ⚪ Grey Jedi Disciplined, compassionate, and deeply attuned to the living Force, you have walked the path long enough to understand its demands — and accept them. You lead not through authority alone, but through example. You have felt the pull of the dark side and chosen otherwise, every time. That is not certainty. That is courage. You are earnest, powerful, and brimming with potential — and you know it, which is both your greatest asset and your most dangerous flaw. You act before you think, trust your gut over your training, and sometimes confuse impatience for bravery. The Masters see something in you, though. The question isn't whether you have what it takes — it's whether you'll be patient enough to find out. You are not simply dangerous — you are certain, and that is worse. You have decided what the galaxy needs, and you have decided you are the one to deliver it. Your power is genuine and formidable, earned through sacrifice that would have broken lesser beings. But examine your victories carefully. Every Sith believed their cause was righteous. The dark side's cruelest trick is that it agrees with you. You were forged in fire and reshaped by those who found you at your lowest. You serve, because service gave you structure when you had none. Your allegiance is not to an ideology — it is to survival and to the master who gave you purpose. But there is something buried beneath the conditioning. The Jedi you hunt? You recognize them. Because you remember what it felt like before the choice was taken from you. You have looked at the Jedi Code and the Sith Code and found both of them incomplete. You walk the line not out of indecision but out of conviction — you genuinely believe both extremes miss something essential. The Jedi don't fully trust you. The Sith think you're wasting your potential. They're both partially right. But so are you. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 2 ‘Ahsoka’ (2023- Present) Image via Disney+ Ahsoka was the first indication that Filoni may not have been the best choice to lead Lucasfilm into the future given his limited understanding of how to tell live-action stories. While Filoni has an understanding of Star Wars lore that is remarkable, the franchise has benefitted from the presence of non-fans like Tony Gilroy, who simply want to tell the best story possible. With Ahsoka, Filoni was trying to wrap up the stories that he had set up on his animated shows, but didn’t put in the work to ensure that the live-action iterations were just as meaningful. The biggest indication of the show’s failure is that the titular character doesn’t work; while the Ahsoka Tano voiced by Ashley Eckstein in The Clone Wars and Rebels was a spunky, altruistic hero who showed optimism and humility, the version played by Rosario Dawson is a dull and insular mentor figure who feels closer to Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. The use of “The Volume” as a special effects device has never been worse, as there is nothing that feels authentic or grounded about any of the environments. Ahsoka also faces the problem of not resolving anything and essentially just building up for a second season, which now is not slated to return until 2027. Despite all the build-up regarding Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), a beloved character from the Timothy Zahn novels who was also included within Rebels, he doesn’t have much presence because he rarely interacts with any of the lead characters. By the time that Ahsoka set up that Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) had force powers, which was never hinted at before in any other installments in the series, it began to feel like Filoni had lost his way without Lucas there to guide him. Lucas was heavily involved with The Clone Wars and created much of its best elements, and it’s easy to forget that he was the one that created the character of Ahsoka. 1 ‘The Acolyte’ (2024) Disney+/Lucasfilm /Courtesy Everett Collection The Acolyte is a series that got an unfortunate amount of backlash before it even began airing thanks to some of the more toxic figures in the Star Wars fanbase, but that doesn’t mean that it needs to be valorized for its obvious narrative beats. The Acolyte presents a thesis that the Jedi Order was actually always corrupt, and that their monk-like infrastructure and strict guidelines have made them a liability that is easily corruptible. The issue with this is that this is an idea that has already been done before, and better; Star Wars: The Last Jedi questioned how failure had become a lasting legacy of the Jedi Council, The Clone Wars examined how the Jedi failed to save Ahsoka from being a scapegoat, and even the Star Wars prequels suggested that it was arrogance and ignorance that allowed Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) to rise to power. The Acolyte is a structural mess that attempted to replicate the style of Rashomon, but only pointed towards very obvious answers and left characters acting without reasonable motivations for the sake of trying to offer surprises later on. The greater issue is that the Jedi in The Acolyte are depicted as being just as boring and self-serious as they are in the prequels, except there isn’t a cast here that can elevate the material; Amandla Stenberg sadly didn’t have the range needed to play the twin roles, and compelling actors like Carrie-Anne Moss and Dean Charles Chapman were not given enough screentime. While some would use the episode “Night,” in which The Stranger (Manny Jacinto) kills a collective of Jedi in a lightsaber fight, as a point in the show’s favor, one battle scene does not make up for all the poor storytelling choices; the same exact thing could be said about the Darth Maul fight in Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace, one of the worst films in the series. The Acolyte has a visual grayness and awkward pacing that embodies the worst of what Star Wars streaming content has become, and it lacks any of the humor, wit, or inventiveness that make the franchise feel truly special. Even if there was an attempt to make a message, like Andor, it was done in a condescending way and without much substance. While The Acolyte tried to tell a story outside of the Skywalker saga, it shows that the main issue might just be the Jedi. The Acolyte Release Date 2024 - 2024-00-00 Showrunner Leslye Headland