Five Great Star Wars Stories From 2024

Yes, I know it's too late to be doing a year in review post...

2024 was an interesting year for Star Wars.

In some ways, it was the last of its kind. As the focus for Lucasfilm shifts back to making movies, it’s unlikely we’ll have another year with three major series again. Looking ahead at 2025, we’ve already seen this season of Skeleton Crew wrap up and Andor will complete its run with its second season later this year. Visions will also return, but no word yet on any other animated projects.

Meanwhile, The Bad Batch season three, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew all released most of their episodes during the last calendar year. That’s two live-action shows and one animated—there were also six mini-episodes of Tales of the Empire. At least two of those shows won’t be seen again as The Acolyte was unceremoniously cancelled and The Bad Batch reached its conclusion. Another Tales series seems probable, though Skeleton Crew’s future remains up in the air.

A new full series hasn’t been announced since 2022 and most of the series that were announced back then have either reached their conclusion or will soon. Series of animated shorts like Tales and Visions are likely to continue, but the big-budget, weekly series (live-action and animated) appear likely to be scaled back. Ahsoka’s second season will be shot this year but likely won’t air until 2026, the same year that The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theatres (the first Star Wars movie in cinemas since 2019).

There’s certainly a case to be made that this is a positive move. It is possible to have too much of a good thing. And Star Wars movies are meant to be events. It might be hard for a Star Wars movie to feel like an event where new Star Wars shows are beamed into our homes every week. Especially, if those movies feature the same characters as the shows.

Meanwhile, the books and comics show no signs of slowing down. There will always be a broad, expanded universe of stories for folks who want more. But for the general audience, 2024 is likely the end of an era that began in 2020 when the focus shifted away from movies to streaming. It was a trend that began pre-Covid but was expedited by the pandemic, but the streaming bubble has burst and a more balanced approach seems like the way forward.

But before we look too far ahead at this new era, let’s look back at the year that closed out the previous one.

A quick note about this list: it’s not a top-five list in the traditional sense. I’m not here to make grand declarative statements about this being better than that. The goal is to celebrate what we liked, not tear down what we didn’t (sorta like what a certain Resistance maintenance-worker-turned-fighter once said). Also, one story that won’t appear on this list is the video game Star Wars: Outlaws. This isn’t a comment on its quality, as I know many people enjoyed it, but rather a reflection of the fact that I have not played/watched someone else play it yet. Something to get to in 2025…

Honourable Mention: Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy

When the idea of a What If style show in the Star Wars universe was first floated, I was not intrigued. I only made it through two episodes of the Marvel show and that was enough for me. I didn’t need or want that from Marvel, and I definitely didn’t need or want it from Star Wars.

Then Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy came out and I’m happy to admit I was wrong.

Side note: I’m not quite sure why this was released as a series and not a straight-to-Disney+ movie. All four episodes came out at once and work very well together as a cohesive story. It could, and should, have been a movie. Anywho…

Rebuild the Galaxy struck the perfect balance between the fun alternate universe stuff (Darth Jar Jar, surfer dude Luke, etc.) and just telling a really good story. By the end of the movie fourth episode, I found myself so invested in the stories of Dev and Sig that the “What If-ness” was almost an afterthought. They managed to tell a classic Star Wars tale amidst all the universe-bending madness.

And it was funny. Beyond just the surprise of a Jedi council consisting of Palpatine, Jabba, and Cad Bane, there were some quality jokes. I thought I’d seen and heard every possible humorous take on the “I am your father” reveal, and yet writer/producers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit managed to find a new and hilarious one.

By being funny and heartfelt, Rebuild the Galaxy truly takes the best of Lego and the best of Star Wars and smashes them together to make something truly special.

5. Tales of the Empire, “Realization”

The second half of Tales of the Empire serves as a sequel to one of the most iconic arcs of The Clone Wars in which Barriss Offee, having become disillusioned with the Jedi Order frames Ahsoka Tano for murder. Once her plot is discovered, Barriss explains that her actions were meant to expose the Jedi for losing their way. Though her views are defensible, her actions were not and she was imprisoned at the end of the arc, her story left untold for eleven years.

When we meet her again in Tales, she becomes an Inquisitor, hunting down any Jedi who survived Order 66. But the thing is, Barriss isn’t a true believer in the Empire or the Sith. She may have tapped into the Dark Side to make her point about the Jedi, but ultimately her path is that of the Jedi (a true Jedi path, not the politicized one of the prequel era Order).

In “Realization,” having seen firsthand how the Empire and her fellow Inquisitor, the Fourth Sister, Lyn, “take care” of its people, Barriss realizes that everything she rightly accused the Jedi of is true now of the Empire, worse even. Once she tracks down a lost Jedi in the mountains, Barriss makes her choice. She wants to save her former comrade and turns against the Empire.

With its stellar use of dynamic lighting, the short is one of the most beautiful episodes of Star Wars animation ever produced. The sharper colours give “Realization” an almost surreal look as the line between Clone Wars-style animation and live action is further blurred. It heightens the stakes as Barriss’ choices are put into stark contrast with Lyn’s.

What Barriss realizes in this episode is the worst fear of every revolutionary. She was right to want to tear down the previous system, but what replaced it is undoubtedly worse. Barriss never bought into the Empire’s ways. She still approaches her mission like a Jedi, building connections and wanting what’s best for those she’s helping. The other Inquisitors, and the Empire at large, are after vengeance against anyone who stands against them.

“Fear will keep the local systems in line,” Tarkin says in A New Hope of the Death Star, “fear of this battle station.” The same applies to the Inquisitors. They want the citizens of the Empire to fear them so that they won’t rise up. This is the opposite of what Barriss wanted. She wanted a Jedi Order that served the people and was less connected to politics. Now she is an embodiment of what she swore to destroy.

Realizing this, she walks away choosing to become the Jedi she wishes the Order had been. When we find her in the next episode she’s a healer, helping those in need, regardless of their situation. And she doesn’t just heal bodies, she also heals minds. When Lyn finds her again, instead of killing her Barriss helps her find a way out—both literally (of the ice cave) and figuratively (of the Dark Side).

Barriss’ story is a classic example of making the wrong choices for the right reasons. Her critique of the Jedi is an accurate one, it just takes her a while—and a few missteps—to find the right way to respond.

4. The Bad Batch, “The Harbinger”

Since the beginning of The Bad Batch, there have been questions about Omega and her potential Force sensitivity. Those questions were finally brought to the forefront in Season Three when she found herself at the centre of Imperial experiments involving “M-counts.” Uncertain of what this means, the Batch puts out a call for information. That call is answered by Asajj Ventress, who puts Omega through a series of tests to assess her Force potential.

The dynamic between Ventress and the rest of the Bad Batch is tense. They quickly recognize her from her role in the Clone Wars and confront her.

Ventress, however, is the one to make the point that they are no longer enemies. She outlines how the old battle lines have broken down and were a scam anyway. The threat the Empire poses is bigger and the two “sides” of the last war have more in common than they realize.

“We were pawns in the same war,” she tells Hunter. “And we all lost. The Empire is more dangerous than you could possibly fathom. I am many things, but I am not your enemy.”

This is something The Bad Batch explored often in its three-season run, the idea that the Separatists and the dissenting members of the former Republic are actually natural allies. The Clone Wars was a deception, a game rigged by Palpatine to achieve a specific outcome. The “sides” were manufactured, and differences were played up to encourage hatred of the other, all the while the real villains gained power without anyone noticing. Once the survivors on both sides realized they were being played, the only way forward was for them to come together.

We saw this earlier in the season when Ryo Chuchi (Republic senator) and Avi Singh (Separatist senator) held a clandestine meeting to discuss a pact of resistance against the Empire—a rebel alliance, if you will.

What Ventress’ showdown with the Bad Batch shows, however, is just how difficult this can be. While Chuchi and Singh may have been willing to sit down and talk, Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair were quick to take up arms against their old foe. The scars from the last war run deep and it will not be easy for those who fought and lost loved ones on the front lines to work together.

This is where the next generation, who didn’t fight in the Clone Wars, comes in. It’s Omega who gets her brothers to trust Ventress, or at least to allow her to give Omega her final test. She gets her brothers to see that the threat of the Empire means they are better off working with Ventress, instead of settling old scores.

As for the results of Ventress’ tests, I’ve always been a believer in Omega’s latent Force sensitivity and I remain so. Espescially after Ventress’ cagey conversation with Crosshair and Hunter at the end of the episode. Ventress points out that Omega’s training as a soldier is what’s causing her to hold herself back. Every time Omega fails a test it’s because she gave up on herself, not Ventress.

With time and training, away from the influence of her brothers, she may yet find that connection. A connection, it’s worth noting, that anyone can find. Ahsoka upended our notions about who can and cannot use the Force. M-counts may make it easier to tap into, but it is not a total barrier to entry. And the right teacher can bring out the Force potential in anyone.

Ultimately, this appears to be a story for another day. Omega doesn’t fully leave her brothers until the series epilogue when, as a young adult, she leaves to join Hera in the fight against the Empire. We know of a few other Force-sensitives involved in the Rebellion that could pick up her training.

And, of course, Ventress is still out there with a few lives left…

3. The High Republic, “Tempest Breaker”

If you are not reading The High Republic, you’re missing out.

The series of novels, comics, and audio dramas have played out over the last three years, telling a massive, interconnected story about what happens when the Jedi lose control. It’s a tale of loss and heartbreak, yes, but also one of hope and resilience. A story with complicated heroes, maniacal villains, and those who walk the space in between. There are failures, triumphs, and second chances.

Perhaps no story embodies that better than Tempest Breaker, an audio drama written by Cavan Scott and performed by a full cast.

Tempest Breaker continues the story of Phase III, the final phase of the overall High Republic story, with the Jedi and Republic dealing with the twin threats of the Nihil—a group of pirates led by Marchion “The Eye” Ro who has cut off an entire segment of the galaxy from the Republic—and the Blight—a plague that is spreading across the galaxy and consuming every living being in its path.

Ro goes through an interesting evolution in Tempest Breaker. When we first met The Eye in Phase I, he was portrayed as something of a charlatan. His success at the end of that Phase, however, has led to him being lionized and, rightly, feared. But in Tempest Breaker, we start to see him as a pretender again. He’s the dog who caught the car, he doesn’t like the actual work of ruling now that he’s taken control. He has positioned himself as a saviour to Republic and Nihil alike and now has to actually deliver on that promise.

Lourna Dee, however, is the star of the show, serving as our mostly-reliable narrator for the adventure. Her story has been one of the most intriguing throughlines of The High Republic, going from villain to anti-hero—from one of the Ro’s top lieutenants to rogue to reluctant ally of the Jedi.

One thing Scott does well with Tempest Breaker is how it serves as a redemption story for Dee, but she still does things her way. To borrow a phrase from Sherlock, she may be on the side of the angels but that doesn’t make her one. Her alliance with Jedi like Keeve and Avar is one of convenience. Both sides want to poke Ro in the eye (pun intended), but Dee is ultimately looking out for herself (though she does show some minor angelic tendencies towards the end).

The Nihil crisis has forced the Jedi to look beyond their Order for answers. The question facing them now is how far are they willing to go.

2. Skeleton Crew, “You Have A Lot To Learn About Pirates”

Honestly, Skeleton Crew was so good that any of the episodes could have made this list. The series has done such an amazing job at tapping into the wonder that’s at the core of Star Wars.

Through the first four episodes, Wim, Fern, Neel, and KB experience the wider galaxy far away from their sheltered life on At Attin. They saw wonders and they saw horrors. In “You Have A Lot To Learn About Pirates,” they learn a new lesson about putting your trust in the right people.

I’ve written before about how Jude Law’s performance of Jod is what has made this series work so well. He makes you want to trust him, even when everywhere you look you see giant flashing signs saying not to. This episode embodies this, as right up until the final moments he had us all believing that his goals were aligned with those of the kids.

When Wim is feeling down about the prospect of returning to his boring, unfulfilling home life, Jod is there to give him a pep talk. He says all the right things about making your life what you want it to be—he even quotes Qui-Gon!—surely this is a good guy, right? He then creates an admittedly thin illusion to sneak the kids into the spa that has replaced Captain Renaud’s pirate lair. He even guides the kids down through the booby-trapped, Indiana Jones-style temple to Renaud’s vault. He has to be on their side!

But the twist comes once the truth about At Attin is finally revealed. The long-lost treasure isn’t pirate loot, it’s the last Old Republic mint. Realizing he could soon have a literal licence to print money, Jod drops the kindly veneer. He murders the gang of pirates chasing them by refilling the pool above them with acid, and challenges Fern for captainship of the Onyx Cinder, threatening her life if he doesn’t get what he wants.

We see finally the difference between Jod’s life and the kids’ lives. To the kids, this has all been a game. It’s a fun adventure they’re on before they go back to their lives—they were jumping on the bed and having a pillow fight earlier in the episode. For Jod, though, it is literally life and death. Brutus’ crew is after him and it’s kill or be killed when it comes to pirates. At Attin is his ticket out of this cycle.

All the kids have had stand-out moments throughout Skeleton Crew, but Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Fern) and Ravi Cabot-Conners (Wim) both get a chance to shine in the final moments of this episode. Armstrong’s look of betrayal as Jod threatens Fern and her plea that he can’t hurt kids, sell just how devastating a moment this is for her. And the way Cabot-Conners swings from heroic to scared as he grabs the stolen lightsaber and stands up to Jod, only to realize he is holding the weapon upside down, emphasizes the difference between who Wim wants to be and who is at this moment.

“You Have A Lot To Learn About Pirates” is a reality check for the kids. The twist recontextualizes everything that has come before and sets the stage for the heroics of all four kids in the finale. Plus Jude Law is just so good, both when he’s trying to keep the kids in line by pretending to be their friend/mentor and when he finally shows his true colours.

1. The Acolyte, “Night”

When it comes to an individual episode (not a series), you’re hard-pressed to find a better twenty-seven-ish minutes of Star Wars than the fifth episode of The Acolyte.

“Night” is essentially an episode-long lightsaber duel, with a half dozen combatants, some of whom don’t make it out alive. Finally face-to-helmet with The Stranger, Sol, Jecki, and Yorde try to stop the mysterious Sith warrior, all while trying to keep Osha alive so they can capture her twin sister Mae. In the end, Jecki and Yorde are killed, Osha is taken by The Stranger, and Mae steals her sister’s identity so she can escape with Sol.

A lot happens.

The choreography, cinematography, and editing of the fight sequences are superb. The crew of The Acolyte set out to top the duel from the end of The Phantom Menace and if they didn’t succeed they certainly came close.

The big reveal of the episode, that The Stranger is actually Qimir, the aloof character aiding Mae through the first four episodes, is also executed perfectly. Manny Jacinto does an excellent job portraying The Stranger with a calm, but dangerous energy. And the way he slips back into the Qimir performance for a line to make a point about how blind everyone was to his identity was a terrific touch.

Jacinto also delivers some devastating lines about the Jedi hypocrisy. When Sol tries to call out The Stranger’s villainy for killing Jecki, The Stranger points out that he was the one who put her in danger in the first place. Sol knew that whatever they found on Khofar, there was a high potential for danger. And yet he brought his student anyway. He put her in danger and The Stranger struck the killing blow.

The Acolyte didn’t hold back in its depiction of the flaws of the Jedi as an institution. The practice of taking children away from their parents so they can be trained has long been an aspect of the Jedi that has come under fire. Here we see where that criticism comes from and just how devastating the results can.

Sol, in some ways, is held up as the epitome of the Jedi. He doesn’t rush to judgment or play politics the way Vernestra or Yorde do. But while he has tried to grapple with the failures of his past, he never fully came to terms with what happened when Mae and Osha were children. This regret clouds his perception and he makes one mistake after another, ultimately leading to his death and Osha’s turn to the Dark Side.

That said, Sol alone is not the problem. He wants to be a part of the solution. When Sol is about to strike down The Stranger in anger, Osha reminds him of the Jedi path. His choices are meant to lead to a better way, but instead, outside forces—including the Jedi—prevent him from revealing the truth to Osha and Mae on his own terms. And in the end, he pays for this with his life.

The Acolyte is a story about what happens when good people make poor choices, how good intentions don’t always lead to good results, and the perils of keeping secrets.

“Night” shows us just how dangerous a secret can be.

…

This is the third year I’ve written a version of this list (here’s the 2023 list and the 2022 list), but it’s the first year I’ve struggled to figure out what stories were going to make the top five. For the last two years, there were episodes of each show that were clearly a cut above everything else. This was not the case this year.

I think this speaks to a level of quality that was achieved by most of the shows in 2025. Skeleton Crew, The Bad Batch, and Tales of the Empire were all so good that I could honestly have picked any episode from their seasons and made a case for its inclusion.

Which is why it was ironic when I realized I was giving the top spot to an episode of The Acolyte, perhaps the most inconsistent of all the Star Wars shows. As we discussed with “Night,” it was capable of greatness. But the episode before “Night,” titled “Day,” was not good. It was an episode with a lot of movement without anything really happening. And the episodes that followed “Night” leading into the finale had a noticeable dip in quality too.

(For what it’s worth, the finale, “The Acolyte,” also achieves true greatness.)

The elephant in the room when talking about The Acolyte is its cancellation. Despite clearly setting up more stories (Darth Plagueis, we hardly knew ye), word got out shortly after the finale that there would be no more episodes. Despite my above criticisms, I think this is a real shame.

One thing that has to be said about The Acolyte is that it wasn’t afraid to be bold. To shine a critical spotlight on your franchise’s most famous heroes, the Jedi, is definitely not playing it safe.

This is not to say The Bad Batch, Skeleton Crew, Tales of the Empire, and The High Republic aren’t bold. Nor am I saying all shows need to take the same stance as The Acolyte. They are all bold in their ways, and not every show needs to be so directly challenging to the viewer and their preconceived notions about Star Wars.

But George Lucas never shied away from challenging the audience. Everything he did, from The Empire Strikes Back to the Prequels to The Clone Wars had a bold perspective and were, at times, challenging. While time has shown the quality and brilliance of his vision, the stories he told were not always beloved when they were released (especially the Prequels and The Clone Wars).

We don’t yet know how time will treat The Acolyte, but I expect it will be kind to the series. There was a lot more good than bad in it and, if we ever get out of our current reactionary moment, future audiences may find that it had something interesting to say. And the incomplete story will give people something to speculate about and yearn for. Maybe one day that desire will grow loud enough that a continuation gets made, just like what happened with The Clone Wars and its final season.

The worry for now, however, is that the reaction to The Acolyte will scare Disney away from making more stories like it. Will any story in the next few years be as bold as The Acolyte? When The Last Jedi came out and there was a backlash against its boldness, it was followed up with The Rise of Skywalker, which is the opposite of bold. Unlike Lucas who was committed to seeing his vision through to the end, Disney will follow the reactions (and the money). And right now, the money isn’t leading to the type of boldness The Acolyte was offering up.

I hope to be proven wrong. Andor season two is coming out this year. That was a show that never shied away from being bold. Ahsoka was bold too in its approach to the Force, and its second season is set to shoot sometime this year. And who knows what the movies might bring.

Hopefully, the next wave of Star Wars stories will learn from the 2024 experiments. Like with the Force, balance is key. Great consistent storytelling, like with Skeleton Crew and The Bad Batch, with a healthy dose of The Acolyte’s boldness will be key to Star Wars continuing to entertain, inspire, and challenge its audience.

Like it’s always done before.