Star Wars Weekly: Anniversaries (17/02/25 to 24/02/25)
Celebration, Detours, and the question of re-releases...
This year marks important anniversaries for two beloved Star Wars films. Revenge of the Sith, released in 2005, celebrates its 20th anniversary this May, and The Force Awakens, released in 2015, celebrates its 10th anniversary in December.
Beyond making us each stop to ponder how time only marches forward and that we have a finite amount left on Earth, these anniversaries also give us a chance to celebrate the legacies of the two films. For Revenge of the Sith, that’s the beautiful and tragic conclusion to George Lucas’ saga, along with its great advancements in digital technology. And for The Force Awakens, it brought Star Wars into a new generation with an exciting new and young cast alongside the returns of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher to the franchise.
Lucasfilm has gone all out on its anniversary celebrations lately. Last year, The Phantom Menace returned to cinemas for a week to celebrate its 25th anniversary (and promote The Acolyte). And the year before that, Return of the Jedi also got a one-week re-release for its 40th anniversary. Even The Empire Strikes Back got an extremely limited release for its 40th anniversary in 2020.
Naturally, fans expect both Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens will receive similar treatment for their anniversaries this year.
There are signs this may happen. Anniversary logos were created for each, with the Mustafar lightsaber duel and BB-8 featured in front of a massive “20” and “10,” respectively. Star Wars Celebration is coming up next month, and it is tradition to have anniversary panels that reunite some of the cast and crew. Return of the Jedi’s 40th-anniversary re-release was even announced at its anniversary panel during Celebration London 2023.
I suspect Celebration Japan will feature similar panels for both movies, ending with the announcement of anniversary re-releases.
For Disney, these make a lot of sense. The movies are already made, so there are no production costs beyond commissioning a sweet new poster. And the window is small enough—usually about a week—so everybody has to go at roughly the same time, ensuring the theatres are full of popcorn-buying audience members which keeps cinema owners happy and willing to forgo using that space for new releases.
It would shock me if either movie celebrating an anniversary this year didn’t get that same treatment. It just seems like such an easy way to make extra money, and the one thing corporations love is more money. Disney even posted on their website about how The Phantom Menace made $14.5 million in a weekend last year.
But I do wonder if we will eventually reach a point where these re-releases stop having the same appeal.
Part of the fun is seeing a movie in theatres you haven’t seen in a while. But this only works if it’s been a long time since the film’s initial release (or last re-release in the case of the original trilogy). Yes, there will always be new(er) fans who relish the chance to see the movies from before their time up on the big screen (like me for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Phantom Menace), but I wonder if that will be enough. Especially, if the anniversaries are too close together.
The last few years have also seen a dip in the number of new blockbusters released, thanks to the Hollywood strikes and the lingering effects of the pandemic. Looking for any opportunity to make up for lower box office returns, entertainment executives turned to the archives. But the next few years, including 2025, expect to see a return to the usual number of blockbusters.
The other, unspoken reason for the re-releases is that no new Star Wars movie has been released in theatres since 2019. All those anniversary re-releases (along with the 2022 re-release of Rogue One to promote Andor) have occurred in years without new Star Wars movies. The only opportunity audiences had to see Star Wars on the big screen (the way it was meant to be seen) was the anniversary re-releases.
If a new Star Wars movie is out that year, you run the risk that fewer people show up for the anniversary. Or, maybe, some will sit out the new movie because they already got their cinematic fix of Star Wars with one of the classics. This would be extra distressing for Disney as the only thing corporations love besides making money is bragging about how much money they make! And missing out on being able to say “billion-dollar movie,” even by just a few million bucks might be a small, but real disappointment for the Disney executives.
The Star Wars movie drought will end next year when The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theatres on May 26, 2026. The only big anniversary that year is Roge One’s tenth anniversary, but another re-release seems unlikely given it just had one in 2022. So the new and old Star Wars movies will (probably) not be competing with each other.
2027, however, is a different story. It’s not only the 50th anniversary of Star Wars (the movie and the franchise), but it’s also not inconceivable that there will be two new Star Wars movies that year. While the 50th anniversary seems like too big a milestone not to mark, if there are already new Star Wars movies in theatres that year will it be worth it for Disney to go all out on a big celebration?
I could see it going one of three ways.
One, they do go all out. All Star Wars movies will get a one-week re-release at different points during the year. This would also acknowledge the big other anniversaries that year, Attack of the Clones celebrating its 25th and The Last Jedi celebrating its 10th. Neither film has seen a wide release since its initial run, so this route would allow each of them to have their moment in the sun too.
Two, they go low-key and only re-release A New Hope. It would basically be the same treatment Empire, Jedi, and Phantom Menace got in their respective anniversary years. They could even include a teaser for the next new movie or show with it (like The Acolyte with Episode I, or Andor with Rogue One). It would keep most of the focus on the new movie(s), while still acknowledging the movie that started it all.
Or three, they do nothing. Oh, there’ll be a Star Wars Celebration convention and product lines celebrating 50 years of Star Wars, but the main focus of the anniversary will be the new movie. If this is the Daisy Ridley-led “New Jedi Order” film, I say go all out and call it “Episode X” and say you’re celebrating the fifty-year legacy by setting up the future.
Regardless, I expect we will see the end of these anniversary re-releases within the next couple of years—at least for a while. If Star Wars is going to go back to releasing movies every year, then soon, every year will be an anniversary of something. And then we run the risk of the re-releases not being special anymore. There is a novelty factor to this sort of celebration. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing—I love the re-releases and go every chance I get—but eventually, the novelty wears off.
So let’s enjoy it while it lasts.
Top Story
Star Wars Celebration Japan Update: Art Show & Big Guests Revealed
Speaking of events that celebrate Star Wars, Star Wars Celebration Japan is now less than two months away and the updates keep coming.
This week, two big names were added to the guest list: Hayden Christensen and Vanessa Marshall!
Christensen and Marshall are both regulars at Celebration, but their presence is always welcome. And given that this event will be a great opportunity for fans who aren’t usually able to come to the US or European Celebrations, having them both there for those fans to shower them with love just feels right. Both will be signing autographs and doing photo ops with fans throughout the event. These experiences are on sale now.
The programming for Celebration remains a secret, but Christensen’s involvement with Ahsoka leaves open the possibility of some sort of retrospective on season one/tease for season two. Rosario Dawson is also attending so reuniting Anakin and Ahsoka on stage feels like too good an opportunity to pass up. And, hey, wasn’t somebody just saying something about a 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith panel? Christensen did appear at the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones panel at Celebration Anaheim in 2022, alongside Ewan McGregor…
Also revealed this week was the works that will be featured as part of the Celebration Art Show. Twenty pieces are featured by artists from around the globe, showcasing a wide variety of Star Wars projects and art styles. Prints will be limited to 250, with 200 being available for pre-order on March 5th (you must pick up your print at Celebration), and the other 50 being sold during the convention.
I’ve selected a few of my favourites to highlight below, but StarWars.com has the complete list along with comments from each artist about their piece. It’s well worth a read.
Headlines
Steven Knight Comments On Leaving The “New Jedi Order” Movie
We’ve heard a lot in recent weeks from and about George Nolfi, who has taken over writing the upcoming Star Wars movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinnoy and starring Daisy Ridley. But this week we heard a little from the man he replaced.
Steven Knight spoke with The Telegraph this week and shared his thoughts on his departure. “There’s a system, and when you engage with it, you know what it is,” the writer said. “You do your bit, you turn in your draft or drafts, as I did, and then the system moves on.”
Hollywood movies typically go through multiple writers. This process is almost always professional and drama-free. It sounds like that was the case here.
And it sounds like Knight was working well with Lucasfilm and the creative team behind this movie before he left. When asked how similar he expects the final film to be to his draft, he replied, “I fully expect that substantial amounts of what I did will be in the movie – who knows? But that’s the expectation.”
Knight took over the project from Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson who initiated the script. The original duo were reportedly replaced over disagreements on where to place the film in the timeline. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Obaid-Chinnoy wanted the film set fifteen years after The Rise of Skywalker so that Ridley could return as Rey, while Lindelof and Britt-Gibson wanted it set decades later with a recast, older actress playing the Jedi master.
“I joined the Star Wars universe and was asked to leave,” Lindelof said in April 2023. He then added, “I wish them all the best of luck. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an incredible director, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with.”
Seth Green Shares Why Detours Will Never Be Released
Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of Star Wars: Detours.
It was an animated comedy series from Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich that George Lucas commissioned in 2009. The duo, along with a team led by supervising director Todd Grimes, spent the next few years developing, writing, and animating the series. By 2012, when the series was first previewed to fans at Star Wars Celebration VI (which I was in attendance for) over a season’s worth of episodes had already been completed. However, when Disney bought Lucasfilm later that year, they quickly announced that the series was put on indefinite hold and never released a single episode.
Since then, it has remained an enigma to Star Wars fans. The trailer and clips from Celebration have been removed from the official Star Wars YouTube account, but fans have re-uploaded them for posterity’s sake. One sketch from the series was leaked on Reddit, but it was quickly taken down.
The only person who ever seems to talk about it is Seth Green, as he did this week when interviewed by ComicBook.Com, where he downplayed the likelihood of the series ever being released—despite having so many complete episodes.
“Detours itself would have to be edited, upgraded,” said Green. “They’d have to do new work on it to make it possible to put it on streaming. And I just don’t think that they’re willing to commit the spend to update and release this when they can’t see a clear benefit.”
He elaborated on the reasoning for the series’ cancellation in the first place, providing insight into the backdrop of both its creation and termination.
“Where that fit into Star Wars history was a very specific moment,” recalled Green. “George [Lucas] had not sold the company yet, there weren’t concrete plans to make any new Star Wars movies, and Lucasfilm was primarily like a licensing company.”
When Kathleen Kennedy took over as president of Lucasfilm to make new movies, the series was cancelled so that new audiences’ first introduction to Star Wars would be the movies and not this animated comedy.
“So the idea that, on Detours, we have Vader in his Life Day sweater hosting a Life Day for all the imprisoned Wookiees in the detention center, it competes,” Green said. “You’re gonna alter the way that you meet these icons, which I agreed, at least for the purpose of pointing everything towards these movies, is valid.”
Though it was Kennedy who shut down the project, Green doesn’t hold any ill will towards the legendary producer. He spoke highly of his time working with her, saying, “I’ve learned so much just from getting to [make Detours], about everything. Getting to spend that time in tutelage by Kathleen Kennedy, it’s an honour.”
DNEG Shares Skeleton Crew VFX Breakdown
I love VFX breakdowns. Visual effects artists are some of the most underappreciated people who work on movies and TV shows, so I’ll take any chance I can to highlight their work.
This week, the VFX company DNEG posted a breakdown video showcasing what their artists did on Skeleton Crew. The breakdown shows all the layers of work that went into creating scenes from episode 4, “Can't Say I Remember No At Attin,” and episode 7, “We're Gonna Be in So Much Trouble.” You can watch it above.
It’s always eye-opening to see just how much work goes into creating what we see on the screen! CGI and VFX sometimes get a bad rap, but the vast majority of their work is usually so good that you don’t even realize it isn’t “real.” The video breakdown highlights this.
It’s actual movie magic!
From The Archives
Star Wars: Starfighter Released February 19th, 2001
The first prequel-era Star Wars flight simulator video game was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC this past week twenty-four years ago when Star Wars: Starfighter was released, putting players in control of a Naboo N1 Starfighter.
The game follows Naboo pilot Rhys Dallows, mercenary Vana Sage, and pirate Nym, with players being able to control all three at different points in the game. Obviously, the Trade Federation serves as the main villain of the story which culminates in the final battle seen in The Phantom Menace.
Starfighter was followed up in March 2002 with Jedi Starfighter, which tied in with Attack of the Clones.
In Other News
Daisy Ridley’s New Movie, Cleaner, Is In Theatres This Week
Part of the reason we’ve heard so much from Daisy Ridley about her upcoming Star Wars movie lately is she’s been promoting her new film, Cleaner.
Cleaner opened on February 21st in select theatres in the US and UK. Ridley stars in this action-thriller that many reviews have compared to Die Hard (both favourably and unfavourably). The film is directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed the 2006 Bond movie Casino Royale.
Ridley’s next project after Cleaner is We Bury The Dead, which will debut at SXSW next month. After that, hopefully, she can swing by Star Wars Celebration in April to announce when filming on her return to the galaxy far, far away will begin…
Podcast (and Radio) Corner
Team Canada playing Team USA in the Four Nations Face-Off final meant I skipped the Star Wars Underworld Podcast for this week. While I always hate to miss the show, seeing Connor McDavid score the winning goal on a pass from Mitch Marner was something that, as a Canadian, I had a patriotic duty to witness. And, the morning after the game, I appeared on CBC Radio Vancouver’s Early Edition to discuss the game and what it meant for Canadians. If you’re wondering, yes I did sneak a little Star Wars talk in with all the hockey and geo-politics.
You can listen to my segment here.
But the show went on without me, and Ben, Chris, and Hannah held things down on The SWU with some great Star Wars talk. Make sure you listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and/or YouTube.
And if you’re looking for more hockey talk, I hosted Game Over: Toronto for the first Leafs game after the Four Nations break. I had a lot of fun breaking down the 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes (and basking in the afterglow of Canada’s victory).
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch below on YouTube!
Coming Soon
Always in motion is the future, but here’s a look ahead at what we can expect in Star Wars over the next seven days:
The first Star Wars novel of 2025 hits shelves this week, as Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed is released on February 25th. The novel is set in the aftermath of Episode III and follows Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera as they respond in different ways to the rise of the Empire. Sequels are due in 2026 and 2027.
For young readers, a new Golden Book titled Galaxy's Edge: A Batuu Adventure! also drops on February 25th. Set in the streets of Black Spire Outpost, the book is a tie-in with Galaxy’s Edge—the Star Wars theme park land open at Disney Parks in Florida and California. On the cover are Vi Moradi and Kylo Ren, both characters you can find and interact with at the parks.
And finally, after a very long wait, the first issue of the comic book adaptation of The Rise of Skywalker hits shelves on February 26th. The adaptation is written by Jody Houser with art by Will Sliney. The series was originally slated to begin all the way back in June 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic. So far, neither Marvel nor Lucasfilm have explained why it took them almost five years to actually release the series. Regardless, it’s nice that it’s finally here.
“The Force was strong with Connor McDavid last night.” —Me, on actual FM radio.