Summary

  • Star Wars dove into live-action TV with The Mandalorian in 2019, showcasing new storytelling away from box office pressures.
  • The Book of Boba Fett was highly anticipated but fell short, lacking cohesive conclusions and misfitting politics for Boba Fett.
  • Ahsoka season 1 was a success, bringing fan-favorite characters into live-action while telling an engaging story with great performances.



In recent years, Star Wars has dove head-first into live-action television, though some shows have been more rousing successes than others. Star Wars produced many animated series starting in 2003 with the 2D Star Wars: Clone Wars, and it took well over a decade to produce its first live-action television show. These animated shows have since become a basis, or a jumping-off point, for Lucasfilm’s live-action success.

After Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was met with both audience and critical disappointment, Lucasfilm turned their attention to television, where they felt they could better tell a more well-rounded and detailed story without the pressures of the box office. This was kick-started by The Mandalorian, which premiered in 2019 and has since grown exponentially. In fact, new Star Wars shows are being developed and released now, with The Acolyte currently in the middle of its run and Skeleton Crew on the horizon. Some, however, have been better than others, and here are all the individual seasons ranked.


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7 Boba Fett’s Return Was Highly Anticipated (& Fairly Disappointing)

The Book of Boba Fett (2021)

The legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett has been a fan-favorite character since he appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy. Nearly forty years after Fett’s supposed death inside the sarlacc pit during Return of the Jedi, the character was reintroduced in The Mandalorian season 2. His subsequent spin-off show, The Book of Boba Fett, was highly anticipated, as getting to see more of this iconic character while he took control of Mos Espa seemed fascinating.


However, the seven-episode season left much to desire. There was a lot of Boba Fett dealing with politics that didn’t fit his character well. Additionally, the final battle in The Book of Boba Fett finale fell flat and wasn’t a very cohesive conclusion. The latter half of the series was utterly dominated by The Mandalorian‘s Din Djarin, and the inclusion of Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Cad Bane fell flat without context for his connection to Boba. While The Book of Boba Fett succeeded in showcasing the talents of Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen, their characters deserved better writing.


6 Din Djarin & Grogu’s Return Undid Much From The Previous Seasons

The Mandalorian Season 3 (2023)

Despite The Mandalorian being one of the most successful shows in all of Star Wars, season 3 fell flat. The show still had its charm from the first two seasons, though the writing felt like course-correcting after the events of The Book of Boba Fett.The Mandalorian season 3 had great arcs for characters like Bo-Katan Kryze, but other characters like Grogu were kind of just there and not adding anything to the season’s arc.

Additionally, after such a satisfying end in The Mandalorian season 2, having Moff Gideon return as the “big bad” for The Mandalorian season 3 felt a bit like a cop-out. With the tease of Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Imperial Shadow Council, having Moff Gideon going rogue felt off and not very satisfying. Despite this, The Mandalorian season 3 did set the stage for Jon Favreau’s upcoming movie The Mandalorian & Grogu, which will hopefully expand on details established in season 3.


The Mandalorian & Grogu
goes into production this year.

Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, and Moff Gideon in Mandalorian Season 3 Finale

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5 Kenobi’s Return Wasn’t Another Happy Landing

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)


There is no doubt that Ewan McGregor has a deep love for his Star Wars character, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi; however, that wasn’t enough to make this show the hit audiences hoped for. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a genuinely good show, with meaningful character interactions and an epic final duel between Kenobi and Darth Vader. Despite these high highs, there were also some low lows. One of the biggest issues was the use of LED lightsabers on set, which darkened everything and made any scene with lightsabers incredibly hard to see.

While Obi-Wan Kenobi does not deserve all the criticism it’s gotten online, some genuine missteps prevented the show from reaching its true potential.


There were also too many characters who had plot armor that audiences knew couldn’t get hurt or die. Characters like Kenobi, Vader, Leia, Luke, Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, and the Grand Inquisitor were never in any real danger. While Obi-Wan Kenobi does not deserve all the criticism it’s gotten online, some genuine missteps prevented the show from reaching its true potential. Small plot corrections would’ve boosted this show into the stratosphere of Star Wars content.

4 Din Djarin’s First Outing Was A Rousing Success

The Mandalorian Season 1 (2019)


Disney’s first step into Star Wars live-action television came in the form of The Mandalorian season 1. Audiences were immediately in love with the little green companion of the show’s titular character, whom they deemed “Baby Yoda.” Despite social media’s obsession with Baby Yoda, The Mandalorian was incredibly well received. The storytelling was engaging and showed off a part of the Star Wars galaxy that hadn’t been seen before.

There was a lot riding on The Mandalorian’s success, as Disney+ was still in its infancy and the streaming service needed a show to be a rousing success. The Mandalorian did this while showcasing the beauty of using the LED Volume stage, which has since been used in multiple Star Wars shows as well as other Disney+ titles. While The Mandalorian season 1 wasn’t perfect, it set the stage for all that was to come after it, making it incredibly important.


Din Djarin and Grogu In The Mandalorian Season 3 Textless Poster

Din Djarin

Din Djarin was once a lone bounty who has since tasked himself with raising his adopted son and Mandalorian apprentice, Grogu. Born on Aq Vetina and raised on Concordia by the Mandalorian faction the Children of the Watch, Din is an orphan and Mandalorian foundling who has risked both his life and his Mandalorian Creed to protect Grogu. Djarin has become an important part of the galaxy’s fight against the Imperial Remnant that lingers in the wake of the Empire’s fall, as he is now working under-the-table for the fledgling New Republic’s rangers.

3 Ahsoka Brought Fan-Favorite Characters Back To Star Wars

Ahsoka Season 1 (2023)

Lucasfilm had been setting up an Ahsoka Tano-based live-action television show since she first appeared in The Mandalorian season 2. The former Padawan to Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka was a fan-favorite character from The Clone Wars animated show, and there were some questions about whether the former Jedi would ever get her own time to shine. When Ahsoka season 1 premiered in 2023, it was well-received by almost everyone. Some were concerned that bringing characters from shows like Star Wars Rebels into the mix would isolate some of the viewers, but Dave Filoni was able to do it with minimal hiccups.


Overall, the story that Ahsoka season 1 told was incredible. Between the amazing performances by the late Ray Stevenson and Lars Mikkelsen returning to play Grand Admiral Thrawn in live-action, Ahsoka was engaging. The twist of introducing a different galaxy paired with Hera Syndulla’s struggle with the politics of the New Republic helped paint a full picture of the galaxy at the time. This, coupled with Hayden Christensen’s triumphant return as Anakin Skywalker in the World Between Worlds and commanding Clone Wars flashbacks, makes Ahsoka season 1 one of the best Star Wars seasons yet.


ahsoka-season-2-news-updates-story

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2 Star Wars’ First 12-Episode Live-Action Season Is Of The Highest Quality

Andor Season 1 (2022)

One of the reasons why Andor is so highly regarded by critics and Star Wars viewers alike is because of the amazing cinematography and incomparable writing. Having Andor split into three-episode arcs was a brilliant idea and allowed for each of these stories to flourish in their own way. In fact, Andor might just feature three of the best live-action episodes of Star Wars ever made. Between the beauty of the Eye of Aldhani, the moving speeches by Kino Loy and Luthen Rael, and the funeral of Maarva Andor, the show was constantly one-upping itself.


Additionally, all the other characters introduced to Andor help create this sense that the galaxy is a powder keg waiting for that spark of rebellion.

There were some doubts about telling a story about Cassian Andor because audiences knew he was to tragically die at the end of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but those doubts were quickly silenced once the show came out. Diego Luna leads Andor with such sincerity and emotion that it’s hard not to root for Cassian. Additionally, all the other characters introduced to Andor help create this sense that the galaxy is a powder keg waiting for that spark of rebellion. With such an amazing first season, it’s no wonder why audiences anxiously await Andor season 2.


1 The Mandalorian Upped Its Game For Its Second Installment

The Mandalorian Season 2 (2020)

The Mandalorian season 1 was a rousing success, which made the sophomore season highly anticipated. Luckily, show creators Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni didn’t let audiences down. The Mandalorian season 2 built on everything good from its first season while still telling an interesting and engaging story. While there were many appearances by other Star Wars characters like Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze, Boba Fett, and even Luke Skywalker, they never felt like they were purely for fan service. In fact, all of these characters were vital in some way to The Mandalorian season 2’s story.


This, coupled with Din Djarin’s final battle with Moff Gideon where he won the Darksaber in combat, was nothing short of amazing. Din Djarin breaking his Mandalorian Creed because of his love for Grogu was incredibly heartwarming and heartbreaking when the two parted at the end of the season. There’s so much to love about The Mandalorian season 2 that it’s hard to find any way it could’ve been better. Between excellent performances by Pedro Pascal and Mark Hamill’s return as Luke Skywalker, The Mandalorian season 2 has solidified it as the best TV season ever in Star Wars.



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