Star Wars: With Kathleen Kennedy Gone, Is It Safe to Return to a Galaxy Far, Far Away?
For over a decade, one name has loomed larger than any other over the modern Star Wars era: Kathleen Kennedy. Love her or loathe her, her tenure at Lucasfilm has defined what the franchise became after Disney’s $4 billion acquisition. Now, with Kennedy stepping away from her role as president of Lucasfilm and day-to-day steward of Star Wars, fans are asking a question that once felt impossible:
Is it finally safe to return to a galaxy far, far away?
Who Is Kathleen Kennedy—and Why Her Exit Matters
Kathleen Kennedy is one of Hollywood’s most accomplished producers, with a résumé that includes E.T., Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and dozens of other classics. In 2012, George Lucas personally selected her to lead Lucasfilm after selling the company to Disney.
On paper, the choice made sense. In practice, her leadership became one of the most polarizing eras in franchise filmmaking history. Kennedy oversaw everything from the sequel trilogy to Disney+ television, making her departure—however partial—feel like a seismic shift for fans who have been disengaged for years.
The Negatives of the Kennedy Era
It’s impossible to talk about Kennedy’s tenure without acknowledging the long list of issues that plagued Star Wars under her watch.
Box office performance declined. While The Force Awakens opened strong, each subsequent film saw diminishing returns. Solo: A Star Wars Story famously underperformed, becoming the first theatrical Star Wars film widely labeled a financial disappointment.
Audience reception became wildly inconsistent. Some Disney+ series found success, but others were met with indifference or outright backlash. Shows like The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi divided audiences that once would have shown up unquestioningly.
More projects were canceled than completed. From announced trilogies to standalone films and showrunners quietly exiting, the Kennedy era became synonymous with vaporware. Fans stopped believing announcements because so many never materialized.
The fan base fractured. Perhaps the most damaging outcome was cultural rather than financial. Star Wars stopped being a shared experience and became a battleground. Longtime fans, casual viewers, and newer audiences all seemed to want different—and often incompatible—things.
What Kennedy’s Step-Down Means for Lucasfilm
With Kennedy no longer running Lucasfilm day to day, the company has an opportunity—at least in theory—to reset its priorities. Clear creative leadership, consistent long-term planning, and a renewed respect for legacy storytelling could help stabilize the brand.
But opportunity does not guarantee execution. Lucasfilm’s problems weren’t just about one person; they were systemic. Changing the name at the top doesn’t automatically change the culture beneath it.
For Some Fans, It’s Already Too Late
There is a sizable portion of the fandom that simply isn’t coming back—and The Last Jedi is the reason why.
Directed by Rian Johnson, The Last Jedi didn’t just divide opinion; it fundamentally altered how fans related to the franchise. The film subverted expectations in ways many viewers found nihilistic, dismissive, or hostile to what they loved about Star Wars.
More importantly, it made permanent decisions that cannot be undone. Beloved legacy characters were killed off, sidelined, or recontextualized in ways that closed narrative doors forever. No course correction can bring back opportunities that were deliberately discarded.
For those fans, no leadership change can fix what feels like irreversible damage.
Kennedy Isn’t Really Gone
Another complication: Kathleen Kennedy isn’t expected to fully exit Star Wars. While she may no longer be president of Lucasfilm, she is still anticipated to remain involved as a producer on future projects.
That matters. Creative influence doesn’t disappear just because a title changes. If future films and shows are still shaped by her sensibilities, skeptics will reasonably question how much has truly changed.
Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan: A Real Change—or More of the Same?
Leadership is reportedly shifting to Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, both longtime Lucasfilm executives.
Filoni, in particular, is beloved by many fans for his work on The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian. However, it’s worth noting that both Filoni and Brennan were already deeply involved during the Kennedy era. They helped shape the very projects fans have mixed feelings about.
This raises an uncomfortable question: Is this a new direction, or just a rebranding of the same leadership structure? If the creative philosophy remains unchanged, expectations of a dramatic turnaround may be unrealistic.
The Ultimate Test: Upcoming Star Wars Projects
Ironically, the projects that may define post-Kennedy Star Wars were largely developed under her watch.
The upcoming Mandalorian and Grogu theatrical film and Star Wars: Starfighter will serve as a litmus test. If these projects resonate with audiences—especially lapsed fans—it could signal that the franchise still has life beyond its recent controversies.
If they fail, however, it will confirm what many already suspect: that the damage wasn’t just about leadership, but about a loss of creative identity.
Is It Safe to Return to Star Wars?
For some fans, yes. For others, never.
Kathleen Kennedy stepping aside closes a chapter in Star Wars history, but it doesn’t automatically open a better one. Trust, once broken, is difficult to rebuild—especially in a franchise built on nostalgia, myth, and emotional connection.
The next few years will determine whether Star Wars can once again feel like a shared cultural event rather than a cautionary tale. Until then, many fans will remain on the sidelines, watching carefully… and skeptically.
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