STAR WARS is expanding its fictional universe with an exciting set of new content to release this year. Viewers looking to further explore the growing franchise can anticipate four shows that capture the different stories of characters struggling to find their place in a constantly changing universe. They will each welcome the nostalgic return of familiar faces to the Disney+ streaming service: Ewan McGregor reprising his role as a former Jedi Master in Obi-Wan Kenobi, an elite fighting force (Clone Force 99) in The Bad Batch, Pedro Pascal as the warrior protagonist in The Mandalorian, and Diego Luna as Rebel intelligence officer Cassian Andor in Andor. Through these familiar faces, the Star Wars universe will further explore the difficult lives of those attempting to survive following the fall of the Galactic Republic.

The tale of a failed Jedi Master: Obi-Wan Kenobi

   Obi-Wan Kenobi is a new show currently premiering on Disney+ portraying Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi’s story after the events in Revenge of the Sith[1]. Rumored since 2019, the show began streaming last month and will finish with six episodes on June 22[2]. Taking place ten years after the fall of the Galactic Republic—the former democratic, interstellar government of the Star Wars Universe—the show follows Kenobi’s treacherous life as he navigates a universe ruled by a newly risen galactic empire. Viewers last saw Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith devastated by the fall of his Jedi padawan and closest friend Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. Skywalker was believed to be the “The Chosen One”: a prophetic figure in Jedi folklore foretold to bring balance to the F[SPLS1] orce by destroying the evil Sith. However, his fall from grace led to the near elimination of the Jedi Order and facilitated the rise of a galactic empire ruled by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. The movie franchise then picks up with Kenobi helping Anakin’s son Luke Skywalker realize his destiny in the 1977 movie A New Hope as[2] [3] the galaxy’s last and final savior.

   For over four decades since the release of the first Star Wars movie, there has been no show or movie documenting Kenobi’s time in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope; this show fills that gap. Viewers will see a former general of the Grand Army of the Republic exiled to the desert planet Tatooine as a man in hiding for his faith in the Jedi Order. Both the teaser and official trailers promise head-spinning twists with the return of Inquisitors—[4] agents of the Galactic Empire that hunted and killed Jedi—[5] and the return of actor Hayden Christensen reprising his role as Darth Vader. Feeling complicity in his padawan’s fall to the Dark Side, Kenobi will be seen attempting to rectify his mistakes by assuming the responsibility of looking after Luke Skywalker in the hopes that he will save the galaxy and return balance to the Force.

Defying the Galactic Empire they once served: The Bad Batch season 2

   The Bad Batch season 2 is expected to return to Disney+ this year following a twist of events in its first season finale[3]. The show takes place following the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, featuring the fall of the Galactic Republic and the rise of the Galactic Empire. It follows an elite group of soldiers known as Clone Force 99: a squadron of five highly specialized clone troopers. Hunter is the group’s leader and has a heightened sense of abilities, making him the best tracker; Tech is a technology genius helping to reengineer tools, ships, or weapons; Crosshair is a skilled sharpshooter with a pragmatic and cool mind; Wrecker is the team’s muscle, befitting of his large and loud personality; and Echo is a half-man and half-machine clone whose internal machinery makes him a useful asset for infiltrating enemy technologies.

   Clone Force 99 stands out from other clone troopers because they are one of the few clone forces who refused to comply with Order 66: a protocol ordering the execution of all Jedi. Their daring escape from an empire they refused to serve is the story that becomes the premise of The Bad Batch. The original force of five eventually splinters, with Crosshair later swearing allegiance to the Galactic Empire and the remaining four (Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, and Echo) refusing to join him. Crosshair was later replaced with the adoption of Omega: a young clone and a former medical scientist on the planet Kamino. She would guide the team through an endless adventure of fighting off bounty hunters and meeting fellow rebels as the team struggled to avoid detection by a galactic empire intent on their elimination.

No longer a Mandalorian: The Mandalorian season 3

   The Mandalorian is expected to return to Disney+ this year following Din Djarin and Grogu’s last appearance in The Book of Boba Fet[4]. Djarin is a Mandalorian warrior tasked with overseeing the safety of Grogu, a young child he had encountered during one of his missions. With a short stature, goblin-like ears, and a lifespan lasting hundreds of years, Grogu was one of the few survivors of Order 66 during the fall of the Galactic Republic. The final season of The Mandalorian finished with Djarin and a hasty band of Mandalorians, bounty hunters, and a New Republic officer rescuing Grogu from a former Imperial officer intent on taking advantage of the child to study his Force-sensitive abilities. After being cornered by a squadron of Dark Troopers—an elite droid-fighting force with near-indestructible armor—Jedi Master Luke Skywalker flew in with his iconic X-wing to destroy the droids, save the team, and ultimately save Grogu. By Mandalorian Creed, Djarin was obligated to return Grogu to Skywalker because Grogu was meant to be a Jedi, just like Skywalker. But the season ended with a tearful goodbye between Djarin and Grogu as the latter returned with Skywalker to become the first student of his new Jedi academy.

   While that was the season finale of The Mandalorian, the two protagonists were reunited in The Book of Boba Fett as they helped Boba Fett defend Mos Espa from the Pyke Syndicate, a notorious spice trafficker within the Star Wars universe. The Book of Boba Fett brought Djarin and Grogu back together as Grogu decided to leave Luke Skywalker’s academy and rejoin Djarin. This show is expected to begin streaming this December, continuing Djarin and Grogu’s newfound journey.

A spinoff of a spinoff: Andor

   Andor is a new series that will be released on Disney+ this year[5]. It is set prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and follows the story of Cassian Andor, a skilled intelligence officer for a growing military force sworn to defeat the Galactic Empire—the Rebel Alliance[6]. He made his first appearance in theaters as the character that helped Jyn Erso, the daughter of the research scientist who designed the Death Star, to locate her father and steal the schematics for the superweapon from the planet Scarif. Throughout Andor’s mission, he eventually learns of a fatal flaw in the Death Star’s construction, which was purposely designed by Erso’s father to allow the superweapon to implode and destroy itself. [6] While both Andor and Erso would eventually perish at the hands of the Death Star after stealing the superweapon’s schematics from Scarif, their success would set the stage for A New Hope, where Luke Skywalker and his friends use these findings to dismantle the Death Star.

   This show will portray Andor’s life before the dramatic events in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Diego Luna[7] [8] will return to reprise his role as Andor, along with Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma: a former Republic Senator and cofounder of the Rebel Alliance. The show completed production late last year and is expected to release later this year with 12 episodes.

[1] IndieWire

[2] Deadline

[3] The Direct

[4] GamesRadar+

[5] The Direct

[6] What’s on Disney Plus