Despite a few misfires over the last few years — namely The Rise of Skywalker and The Book of Boba Fett — it’s still an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. There are five TV shows coming from a galaxy far, far away in 2024 but, like it or not, there’s no room for Baby Yoda.
Star Wars has been going for over 45 years now, and the franchise has delivered some of the best science fiction movies to date, but there’s still so much more to come. However, next year, the focus will be firmly on Star Wars series rather than big-screen adventures.
In 2024, we will see the Andor season 2 release date (my personal highlight), as well as brand new stories in the form of The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew. There’s also returning animated fun with Tales of the Jedi season 2 and The Bad Batch season 3. That’s a lot of small-screen Star Wars to drink in, and we couldn’t be happier about it.
With the range of new Star Wars movies still a while away, it’s down to the various Disney Plus shows to keep us engrossed in the galaxy. And, after the lukewarm reception to both Ahsoka and The Mandalorian season 3 this year, the fact that LucasFilm is avoiding the Mandoverse in 2024 feels like a really refreshing move.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Baby Yoda (yes, I know his name is Grogu) as much as the next person, but the Disney era of Star Wars has relied a little too heavily on fan service and pandering for my liking. The fact that we’re getting fresh stories from different periods of the Star Wars timeline is exactly what the franchise needs in order to move forward.
The Acolyte, in particular, is a project which really has me excited. To explore the earlier days of the Jedi and the Sith and learn more about the High Republic era will be a fascinating change of pace and allow us to leave the Skywalkers in the past.
Still, as much as I want to escape the existing roster of Star Wars characters for a little while, I can’t deny Andor season 2 will be the event of the year. Season 1 of the show managed to be one of the best TV series of last year and struck a perfect balance between having some connective tissue with the franchise at large while predominantly doing its own thing.
The galaxy is a big place, and Star Wars really needs to start reminding us of that. 2024 is a big swing for Disney and LucasFilm, but one I really think will pay off in the long run, with horizons expanded and any Star Wars fatigue remedied in the process.
If you are a sucker for the past, though, you can always watch the Star Wars movies in order again or learn more about the Star Wars cast. There’s also our list of the best Star Wars villains if you dare to face them. Or, if you’re bored of Star Wars, you could look ahead to new movies like Deadpool 3 instead.