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Every Star Wars Success And Failure, Outside Of The Main Movies

By Mat Elfring on May 31, 2018

In 1977, Star Wars made its debut. Its release marked the start of one of the biggest movie franchises in history, which has expanded into games, books, comics, and more. The past 40-plus years have seen the main movie series expand to include eight movies, which range from amazing to the absolutely horrific.

Additionally, there have been plenty of TV series and spin-off movies that take place outside of the core Skywalker story. Some of these breakouts were awe-inspiring while others continue to live on in infamy, spoken only as whispers among Star Wars fans. We've put together a list of all of the Star Wars movie and TV spin-offs from the past four decades and examining the franchise's major successes and failures. Not included are the Lego Star Wars series from Cartoon Network. They're outside of continuity completely.

If you're looking for more Star Wars, check out our Solo review, find out how much every movie made in the box office, and every type of Trooper we've seen throughout the history of the franchise.

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Mild Success: Rogue One (2016)

Mild Success: Rogue One (2016)

The first Star Wars movie spin-off was a huge departure, tonally, from the rest of the series. It was dark, hopeless, and pretty sad. The characters we grew to love throughout the film all ended up biting the bullet by the end. Rogue One made a ton of money at the box office, and people seemed to enjoy it, but it wasn't really a story that needed to be told, and one where we all knew the ending in the back of our head. It was a mixed bag in that aspect, but it was a solid way to kick off the spin-off movies.

Mild Failure: The Ewok Adventure (1984)

Mild Failure: The Ewok Adventure (1984)

In 1983, Return of the Jedi came out, and we were all hungry for more Ewoks, believe it or not. So Lucasfilm released Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure straight to TV a year later. The film took place before Return of the Jedi and followed the Ewoks on the moon of Endor who were trying to help two humans whose parents had been kidnapped by the Grorax, a giant race of monsters. At the time, the movie was nominated for a couple of awards, including two Emmys. However, it hasn't aged exceptionally well and is a pretty simple movie compared with everything else in the Star Wars Universe.

Success: Star Wars: Clone Wars TV Series (2003-05)

Success: Star Wars: Clone Wars TV Series (2003-05)

Remember how Episode 2: Attack of the Clones never really showed the Clone Wars? In 2003, Cartoon Network put together a miniseries of the actual war, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack). The episodes were 3-15 minutes long, but they were instrumental in launching a new Star Wars animated universe.

Mild Failure: Ewoks (1985-87)

Mild Failure: Ewoks (1985-87)

Following the Ewoks on the moon of Endor, a good chunk of the cartoon isn't that bad it all. It builds on the Ewok mythos and has a nice fantasy vibe to it. There's a reason for that. 14 of the episodes were written by Paul Dini, the mind behind Batman: The Animated Series. The other 21 episodes ranged from decent to unwatchable, as the show relied on the Ewoks falling and oh so much running moreso than telling interesting stories.

Success: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Success: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Because of the success of Tartakovsky's Clone Wars series, Lucasfilm created this CG animated movie set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The film follows Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi leading the clone army against the Separatists. This movie also introduced the young Jedi Ahsoka Tano, who becomes a big part of the Star Wars television universe.

Failure: Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)

Failure: Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)

Following up the first Ewok movie is The Battle for Endor. Taking place after the events of The Ewok Adventure, Wicket and his brethren are attacked by marauders who have invaded the moon of Endor. It's more of the same, and while it won an award for visual effects, it simply doesn't hold up and easily feel like a product of its time, cashing in on the Ewok hype.

Success: Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV Series (2008-15)

Success: Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV Series (2008-15)

A few months after the release of the movie, Cartoon Network launched the Clone Wars series. It's a continuation of the movie, following Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano and featuring some recurring Clone Troopers and a whole bunch of Yoda. It also introduces some new characters like the Nightsisters and Cad Bane. Additionally, the series marks the return of Darth Maul, who survived being cut in half in The Phantom Menace. The prequels may not have been good, but because of them, we got one of the best animated series in decades.

Failure: The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

Failure: The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

You cannot talk about the hits and misses of this franchise without mentioning the dreaded TV Holiday Special. If you haven't seen it, here's a quick roundup: Kashyyk celebrates Life Day, but Wookies don't speak basic; Boba Fett makes his first appearance; more wookies; there's some song and dance numbers; and did we mention wookies? It is easily the worst thing to come out of the franchise.

Success: Star Wars: Rebels (2014-18)

Success: Star Wars: Rebels (2014-18)

Once Clone Wars came to an end, director Dave Filoni had a new plan up his sleeve: Rebels. The series took place five years prior to A New Hope and followed a group of Rebels starting the fight against the Galactic Empire. There are a lot of connections to the rest of the Star Wars Universe here, including Rogue One and Solo. The series lasted four seasons, and it was exceptional.

Failure: Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO (1985-86)

Failure: Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO (1985-86)

The animated series followed the titular characters on their adventures in a galaxy far, far away. It took place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and although it lasted two seasons, it does not hold up well. Sure, the show delivered some moments with Boba Fett and IG-88, but it was bland and uninteresting.

Success: Solo (2018)

Success: Solo (2018)

More than likely, this will end up becoming a "mild success" as moviegoers don't seem very keen to get to the theaters for this one. Sure, production on Solo was a mess with the original directors getting fired and a slew of reshoots coming from replacement Ron Howard, but don't let behind-the-scenes drama fool you. Solo is a really fun movie that is a perfect fit for the Star Wars Universe. Unlike Rogue One, an early Han Solo movie makes sense as there's a lot in his history fans don't know the specifics of, and this movie answers most of them.

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    gamingdevil800
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    gamingdevil800 - 8 months ago

    imo I feel like the cartoons under Dave Filoni are the only guys really nailing it for the star wars brand. Sure rebels had filler but the plot meaty episodes were so good.

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    inferiorego - 8 months ago

    @gamingdevil800: Filoni knows what he's doing and his work doesnt feel like a cash grab

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    gamingdevil800 - 8 months ago

    @inferiorego: It's a bit of pipe dream considering the hierarchy in Lucasfilm but I would like to see him in charge. He seems like a guy who really loves and understands the lore/universe.

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    Smosh150 - 8 months ago

    @gamingdevil800: If only. I may be skeptical on his future project, but there really isn't a better person for the job. He knows how to appeal to fans across all ranges no matter how invested they are in Star Wars. Even then his work often teaches those who don't know much a great deal of new and old lore.

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    Smosh150 - 8 months ago

    @gamingdevil800: You said it. TCW brought so much to the lore, characters, clones, etc. It still tears me up we that we never got to really watch the final season (From the sound of it that season would have been incredible). That series just really did so much for the Star Wars universe. Makes me really miss that we don't have a show of this caliber anymore for Star Wars.

    Rebels I am about with you on that. I didn't like it near as much as TCW, but it did have some great additions to it (Which tied in pretty well with TCW, films, and the comics). It was entertaining, but there was plenty to it that did irk me as well.

    Though I won't lie I am a bit wary on the new series Filoni is coming out with. Art style plays a huge role in it too.

    Edit: Plus, Thrawn. That easily cemented Rebels as a good series to me. Such a great character that was resurrected from the EU properly (Which ties in greatly with the book).

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    gamingdevil800 - 8 months ago

    @Smosh150: TCW cancellation is just another mistake on Disney's burning pile of star wars slip ups so far. It would of been good based on the unfinished block out animations taking place just before Revenge Of The Sith it seems.

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    Smosh150 - 8 months ago

    @gamingdevil800: Indeed. Maybe one day Disney will start treating it better, though I really doubt it. Maybe after Disney milks it for all it can we will see someone else take the reigns. Probably a considerable amount of years down the line though.

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