What is happening with Star Wars?

Is the Force still with us? In this episode, we're joined by long-time Star Wars fan Bhaskar to break down the current state of the franchise—from the highs of Andor to the lows of The Acolyte. We talk about the Disney+ overload, the trilogy that derailed itself, the missed opportunities, and whether it's time for a creative hiatus. There's plenty of fun, frustration, and fandom to go around—this one's for the galaxy brains. ✨Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MDgfxhURWtg👇 Timestamps:0:00 – Context for Episode0:42 – Music + official podcast intro1:16 – Welcome + Bhaskar joins the podcast1:37 – Star Wars fan spectrum: from casual to hardcore2:49 – Thoughts on The Acolyte so far4:13 – Five years since the last movie, is TV filling the gap?5:27 – Highs of Disney+ Star Wars (Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka)6:11 – Volume of content & mediocrity problem7:18 – Declining viewer motivation8:24 – Star Wars fatigue & missed opportunities11:03 – The Mandalorian & Book of Boba Fett burnout12:16 – Prestige TV or quantity over quality?13:52 – Budget vs. quality in Star Wars shows15:36 – Visual effects & production consistency17:24 – Inconsistent storytelling & directing18:16 – Similarities with Marvel’s struggles19:42 – Fan service vs. actual storytelling20:51 – Rian Johnson’s Reddit rewrite controversy24:13 – Week-to-week production changes?!25:33 – VFX crunch & poor visuals26:25 – Acolyte casting controversy28:02 – Disney’s creative echo chambers?29:13 – Corporate decision-making in creative studios30:35 – Diversity: authentic or performative?32:53 – Dathomir witches vs. Acolyte witches34:18 – Lack of musical identity in Acolyte35:10 – Should Star Wars take a break?36:30 – History of movie gaps in Star Wars38:38 – How Disney+ diluted Star Wars & Marvel39:56 – The pattern of cancelled Star Wars movies42:33 – Solo, recasting, and Elseworlds potential47:30 – Should George Lucas return?50:17 – Explore the future, not the past53:37 – High-quality animation as the future?55:52 – Andor’s success without fan demand57:40 – Wrap up: What next for Star Wars?58:06 – Merch jokes, Japan Celebration 2025, and outro📲 Follow us: @CognitiveRecalibration on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube📧 Email: [email protected]🔔 Subscribe & hit the bell icon for more movie breakdowns and discussions!The equipment we use:Rode Podmic: https://amzn.to/2LSeJPbRodecaster Pro: https://amzn.to/3bLykLPRode PSA1 Boom Arm: https://amzn.to/2M0ujIpXLR Cables: https://amzn.to/38QTEOgåIf you want to support this podcast so we can keep producing our content for free consider the following options:Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3gjnw87åBuy us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/CRecalibrationAcast Supporter: https://supporter.acast.com/cognitive-recalibrationIf you enjoy our content, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you haven't already done so, please give us a review on iTunes or Spotify and help spread the word.If you wish to contact us to ask a question or give us some feedback, please do so via the channels below:Facebook Page: Cognitive RecalibrationInstagram: cognitiverecalibrationTwitter: @CRecalibrationTikTok: @cogrecalCognitive Recalibration theme composed by Esteban:Instagram: iam.wakeFiverr: https://www.fiverr.com/iam_wakeLogo and Artwork created by Rita Sus:Instagram: 5smallSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/cognitiverecalibration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.