Even though the Star Wars canon is as expansive as it is, covering nearly 50 years of storytelling, including 11 mainline films, dozens of TV series, and a myriad of other multimedia projects, not everything is created equal. In fact, there are clearly four least essential Star Wars TV shows on Disney+ that, for one reason or another, do not necessarily stack up to the likes of The Mandalorian as a pillar of the Lucasian lore.
This is not a comment on each of these titles' quality; however, there are simply some Star Wars streaming series that do not carry the narrative weight of some of the others (whether it be setting up a movie like Andor or following up on a significant hanging thread like Ahsoka), making them less of a priority for those looking to hit the critical beats in their journey across the galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars' 4 Least Essential TV Shows
The Acolyte
Leslye Headland's The Acolyte series has become a divisive topic among the Star Wars fandom, with fans of the iconic sci-fi franchise duking it out over whether they loved or hated the streaming prequel series. However, no matter what you actually thought of the Jedi-focused epic, it is hard not to argue how inessential it is in the greater Star Wars conversation, especially as the franchise stands now.
The most significant factor in The Acolyte's appearance on this list is that it is cordoned off from the rest of the Star Wars franchise (or at least what the general audiences know of it). The 2024 streaming series was the first live-action Star Wars TV show to take place before the events of the movies, set right at the end of the vaunted High Republic era.
However, at this point, fans have only gotten to dive into High Republic lore through characters and stories seen in Star Wars' vast array of books set in the time period. This leaves The Acolyte on an island with no intrinsic connections to the movies most fans know the franchise for, and the only connection to the rest of the universe is through characters/plot points tackled in the Star Wars books.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
If Star Wars were a college class, Obi-Wan Kenobi would be the supplemental reading you often find on the syllabus. Unlike other entries on this list, the Ewan McGregor-focused streaming series is intrinsically tied to the mainline Star Wars movies; it does not ultimately add to the Skywalker Saga in any meaningful way.
While Obi-Wan Kenobi focuses on characters fans know and love, following McGregor's longtime Jedi Master as he protects a young Princess Leia Organa while contending with his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (played yet again by Hayden Christensen), what happens during its six-episode arc does little to change perspective on the franchise going forward.
That is not to say it has no connective tissue to the rest of the Star Wars world; it provides excellent added context for the relationship between Obi-Wan and Leia. However, it ultimately leaves its characters in the same place they were at the end of Revenge of the Sith and could even add a bit of confusion for fans heading into A New Hope with this added confrontation between Obi-Wan and Anakin.
Star Wars Resistance
The Star Wars franchise has been showered with praise for its animated fare. Whether it is Star Wars: Rebels or the epic Clone Wars, Star Wars animation has proven it can meaningfully push the story forward, adding impactful context for the series' most significant plot points. However, one major exception is Star Wars Resistance.
The former Disney XD sequel era series tells the story of a group of Resistance recruits fighting the dastardly First Order during The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker. But unlike Clone Wars or Rebels, it does not add to the story of the Star Wars time period it is set in much.
Aside from a few characters from the movies making cameos during the show's two seasons, everything that happens in Resistance does not impact the overall narrative of the Star Wars world.
Skeleton Crew
Probably the best argument for this list not necessarily being a comment on a particular project's quality is the recently released Skeleton Crew series. The 2024 streaming show from Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts earned a stellar 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, praised for its Goonies-like story of a treasure hunt across the stars.
However, its narrative has almost no ties to the rest of the Star Wars universe. The only significant connection the series has to the greater canon is that some of its pirates appeared as teases to set up the Disney+ series in The Mandalorian Season 3.
Outside of that, though, Skeleton Crew operates entirely outside of the sweeping Star Wars story. However, that could change as time goes on, as there is a chance the events of Skeleton Crew come back to tie into Dave Filoni's in-development MandoVerse culmination movie.
BONUS: The Book of Boba Fett
If it weren't for two episodes, The Book of Boba Fett wouldn't be on this list. However, it sits just outside the inessential realm because of a few key details. The Jon Favreau and Robert Rodriguez Mandalorian spin-off primarily focused on Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett (as seen in Season 2 of The Mandalorian) following the events that led up to his appearance in the mainline Mando series and his quest to become daimyo of Tatooine.
While that might sound like it is not too tied into the greater Star Wars story, two episodes hidden within its seven-episode season push the narrative forward. These two episodes focus more on Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin (aka The Mandalorian) as he retrieves Grogu from his Jedi training with Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker.
These two chapters changed the course of the MandoVerse entirely, bringing The Mandalorian's dynamic duo back together and laying the groundwork for Mando Season 3 and the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu movie.
