Star Wars is home to a lot of interesting characters, planets, and storylines, thus paving the way for it to be a transmedia franchise over the years. Initially, the famous space epic started off as a trilogy, but its resounding success ultimately led to the formation of spinoffs that mainly focused on side characters from the saga.
After dominating the movie realm, Star Wars branched out to other mediums like television, leading way to the mega franchise's takeover of the small screen. However, during its first run, history suggests that some entries didn't exactly earn a similar reception to that of the films, and a fitting example would be 1978's Star Wars Holiday Special.
While the holiday-themed spinoff was somehow redeemed by the recently released LEGO Star Wars special, there is still a good amount of shows that appear to be on the forgotten list of the franchise. This was further amplified when Disney purchased Lucasfilm, essentially turning previous entries into its own brand in the form of Legends, meaning that those stories and concepts (and even characters) are not canon to the current Skywalker Saga.
Despite that, it seems that Disney is finally giving importance to these shows, as evidenced by a new report.
STAR WARS VINTAGE COLLECTION ON DISNEY+
Lucasfilm confirmed the arrival of several Star Wars classics on Disney+, with the studio naming them as the Star Wars Vintage Collection. The slate includes “several long out-of-print and previously unavailable movies and series.”
On top of that, the big reveal is the confirmation that Star Wars: Droids will also join the Vintage Collection lineup later this year. Created in 1985, Droids follows the adventures of R2D2 and C3PO in-between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
The full list of content includes Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, The Story of the Faithful Wookie, Ewoks, and Clone Wars 2D Micro-Series — Volume 1 & 2.
MORE CONTENT FROM THE GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
In many ways, this latest development is a clear indication that Disney is now embracing the non-canon projects of Star Wars. If anything, this is a clever move for the studio since it expands the streaming service's content offering.
These Star Wars classics are a fitting reminder of the expansive nature of the franchise, and this could serve as an inspiration for the next chapter of the space epic on Disney+. During last year's Disney Investor Day, a plethora of shows and films were announced by Lucasfilm, meaning that the studio is trying to replicate its previous plan, but they seem poised to do it in much better fashion this time around.
For example, Star Wars: Droids was originally planned to expand the franchise's storytelling through the perspectives of C3PO and R2D2. It was a daunting task, to say the least, and it eventually led to poor reception.
Despite that, the show's second lease of life on Disney+ is definitely a good sign since it gives the new generation a chance to relive the animated adventures of the famous droids. In addition, this should serve as a great refresher for the upcoming A Droid Story project that is currently being developed.
While the story will no doubt be different, the dynamic of the two droids is expected to be at the center of the narrative, thus making the animated series a must-see for those fans seeking a preview.
All in all, the arrival of these Star Wars projects gives an opportunity for longtime fans to relive the franchise's past while also looking ahead to its bright future.
Star Wars Vintage Collection is now streaming on Disney+, with Star Wars: Droids coming later this year.
