Lucasfilm Could Solve All of Star Wars’ Problems by Taking a Cue from Star Trek’s Golden Age

Star Wars and Star Trek are often portrayed as rivals, but Lucasfilm needs to learn important lessons from Star TrekIt is the golden age. The last few years have seen Lucasfilm transform Star Wars in a bold transmedia franchise, but not everything worked out. What’s more, the latest reports suggest behind-the-scenes drama continues to plague the studioeven as Lucasfilm struggles to prioritize ramping up movies again while also continuing its Disney+ TV shows. If the reports are accurate, there is currently no real sense of direction.

To be fair, transmedia is hard – and it may well be even harder for Lucasfilm. It’s worth remembering that when Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, there were no real barriers in the development pipeline “George Lucas likes this idea” (according to Bob Iger’s autobiography The trip of a lifetimeThis is why Lucas didn’t get the “Pixar deal” he so coveted). Now, Lucasfilm is trying to manage multiple workflows across many different formats. All of this means the studio might be wise to look to others who have had success – including Star TrekIt is the golden age.

There needs to be a strong sense of direction

To this end, we will define the 1990s as the golden age of Star Trek. This was a time when the franchise thrived across multiple mediums at once, and characters and events spread across films and TV shows. This was the age of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nineand Star Trek: Voyager – three shows in the space of a decade, all leaving a lasting impact on the franchise’s history and lore. There were four films at the same time, three of which presented the TNG team. It’s an impressive time.

How it was Star Trek take it off? Much of the answer lies in the fact that the franchise was led by an (admittedly controversial) figure, Rick Berman. A protégé of sorts to Gene Roddenberry, Berman held the reins tightly but allowed others a fair amount of leeway. “My job…includes monitoring the ‘degree of curvature’…letting the shows and films evolve, but keeping Gene’s vision true to course,” Berman famously explained, illustrating the careful balance he felt he must strike. Under Berman’s leadership, TNG It was the first syndicated series to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.

Berman was far from perfect and the quality of his work generally declined in later years. But its influence on Star TrekBrazil’s golden age illustrates an important point about transmedia; there needs to be a singular vision. It’s a lesson Marvel Studios learned when creative conflict forced a complete corporate restructuring, with Kevin Feige put in charge and Marvel’s Creative Committee disbanded. It’s a lesson Lucasfilm has yet to learn; Right now, there are numerous projects underway, and the overall direction will be decided by which one is done first.

Take, for example, recent reports that Daisy Ridley’s Rey is returning in multiple films – not just Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. New Jedi Order film. The main problem is that whichever film is released first will effectively define Rey’s era and will require dramatic rewrites (or complete abandonment) of all other projects. This is not the way to manage a development pipeline, and a more singular vision – like Berman’s – is needed. Rey is considered Lucasfilm’s greatest cinematic asset and cannot be treated that way.

The Mandalorian Era Can Learn From Star Trek’s Transition

The Mandalorian is boldly going where Star Trek has gone before

The Mandalorian and Grogu is next Star Wars film, which will bring the franchise back to the big screen in 2026. However, it will make history for another reason; is the first time that Star Wars TV Show Made the Transition to Blockbuster Movies. But Star Wars is boldly going where Star Trek has happened before, in the case of TNG. In that case, Walk stumbled and Wars We can learn from these mistakes. The central problem was the concern with returning characters to archetype status, which affected the characters’ growth and progression.

The Mandalorian the season 3 finale reset Din Djarin’s status quo; although he returned to his original role as a bounty hunter, he now worked solely for the Republic. Although he was reunited with his charming pupil, Grogu, the ambiguity of their relationship was finally resolved, and he has now officially adopted Grogu as his apprentice. These subtle changes should allow The Mandalorian and Grogu pave your own way, but It is important that the film serves to boldly evolve its stars.

Other Star Wars shows can learn from Deep Space Nine

Other shows may have room to breathe

This leads us to Star Trek: Deep Space Ninemy personal favorite from the 90s Star Trek show. DS9 was less of a corporate priority, with a smaller audience, and Berman focused on TNG and Traveler; this meant the production team had more room to be creative and more flexibility to add depth and texture to the galaxy. This is important because it points to a subtle truth that is easily forgotten; not everything is equally essential when defining the brand. TNG and Traveler were precisely Berman’s focus, and DS9 prospered as a result.

If Lucasfilm wants to run an effective transmedia initiative, then there needs to be a strong sense of corporate priorities. Some movies or TV shows will serve as a focus for development, while other shows will be able to do their own thing, operating in the shadows of the stories already told. To be fair to Lucasfilm, this may well already be the approach taken by Lucasfilm; as exciting as Star Wars: Skeleton Crew may be, it doesn’t seem destined to be as impactful as Ahsoka.

Transmedia is not easy. At this point, all reports suggest that no one at Lucasfilm knows for sure what creative direction should be taken – at least beyond The Mandalorian era, which is clearly setting up a big story involving the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn. But Star Wars isn’t the first franchise to try to find balance when it comes to transmedia, and the example of Star Trek is important when it comes to defining the best approach.