Static Thoughts - History of Star Wars on TV

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Today marks the premiere of the 3^rd season of Disney’s CGI Star Wars series Rebels.  To mark this particular occasion, and because I want more Star Wars related content on this site, I’ve elected to celebrate with a look back at Star Wars’ history on TV.  A lot of this is forgotten now because of the strange way in which modern audiences remember geek phenomena but Star Wars actually has a very eclectic history in the realm of television going all the way back to the franchise earliest days and leading up to the present.  The series has been adapted through 2D animation, CGI, live action, and even stop motion in its 30 plus years of television adaptation.  Obviously, that’s a lot to cover so let’s dive in. 

Star Wars Force Awakens Photo Leaks

So, you’ve probably heard there’s a new Star Wars film in the works; The Force Awakens, first of a new trilogy slotted to open this Christmas.  As befits a new Star Wars film this is a pretty big deal.  Force Awakens will mark the beginning of Disney’s cinematic stewardship of the property and a major step in repairing some of the major tarnishing the franchise suffered throughout the ‘00s.  This is also a pretty big step for director J.J. Abrams.  Abrams has been brewing in Hollywood for a while now as a writer, director, and show runner.  He was the mind behind Lost and Alias as well as the director of the abysmal Star Trek reboots, though to his credit the direction in those films was pretty spot on.  He’s generally synonymous with an infuriating marketing gimmick known as the “mystery box” that involves teasing out very unimpressive reveals about his films via viral marketing and such. 

Thankfully he’s decided to eschew all of his worst impulses when it comes to Star Wars, relying on a marketing campaign that’s preserved the film’s secrecy without making that mystery central to enticing audiences.  Instead the trailers and teasers for Force Awakens have all worked through a unique blend of evocative tone and beautiful iconography.  It’s a ballsy move that just grabs the viewer and says, “this is Star Wars, YOUR Star Wars,” and so far it’s worked like gangbusters.  However info leaks still happen and I’m addressing one here today when a bunch of Force Awakens action figures & set photos leaked online.