Sta.sh
Let me just start by stating that Star Wars has always been a constant in my life. And it was looking to be a promising good year for the beloved franchise, with a new trilogy in the works and a ton of other new material ready to expand the enticing story of a galaxy far, far away. Hell, earlier this week, the original cast from the original trilogy were confirmed to have signed on for the upcoming sequels. So yeah... I was genuinely excited... until today, where my faith in Disney's abilities to manage this gem of a franchise... was shaken considerably. Why? Well, let's go through all the bombshells in a neat little order.
1. STAR WARS: FIRST ASSAULT (VIDEO GAME)
The multiplayer shooter, Star Wars: First Assault, has been rumored in the works at LucasArts for some time. However, the recent buyout of LucasFilm by Disney has put the game on shakey ground. The title is intended to be a kind of proof of concept that could possibly lead to Star Wars: Battlefront III (which I've been waiting around for since god knows when) if it sells well. However, everyone at LucasArts waits for the higher-ups at Disney to make a decision. This same fate has also befallen the highly anticipated Star Wars 1313, which I will explain next.
SOURCE: [link]
2. STAR WARS 1313 (VIDEO GAME)
It looks like Star Wars 1313 will not see the light of day this 2013 as three different insiders confirmed to Kotaku that the development of the action shooter has stopped since, wouldn't you know it, Disney acquired the Star Wars. Are they holding it ransom? Maybe not, but it sure feels like it. The game was intended to put the player in the role of a bounty hunter navigating the planet Coruscant's subterranean level 1313 underworld as they try to uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy. Now tell me that isn't fresh and exciting! But seeing as how the game will take a more mature, gritty direction compared to past Star Wars video games, we can't say for sure that Disney would even think to brand a rated M game.
SOURCE: [link]
3. STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (TV)
After five critically acclaimed seasons, the Clone Wars TV series has also "inexplicably" resigned. Cancelled. Gone with the wind. Apparently Lucasfilm wants to move away from the clone wars era and reach into other areas of the EU. I can understand that, but why leave viewers with so many unanswered questions? So many unresolved storylines of the characters we've come to know and love? Supervising Director Dave Filoni promises that the team is still working on additional Clone Wars story arcs, but it's not immediately clear when or if those will appear. The end of Clone Wars indicates that Lucasfilm is closing the book on the whole prequel era, which I feel should have gone out with a bang. Disney, obviously the real power behind these circumstances, seems bent on luring fanboy interest to material that may or may not surround their upcoming movies, both the sequel trilogy and the recently announced standalone movies.
SOURCE: [link]
4. STAR WARS: DETOURS (TV)
The purge raves on
. As part of the new direction of Lucasfilm's animation department, the studio has also halted plans for the upcoming animated Star Wars comedy series Detours from Robot Chicken mastermind Seth Green. George Lucas had previewed the project last year at a Star Wars event. I was admittedly looking forward to this because I thoroughly enjoyed the Robot Chicken parodies of Star Wars, and felt the franchise could use a touch of humor. If you haven't yet seen Emperor Palpatine's antics voiced by Seth Macfarlane, you're missing out XD [link]SOURCE: [link]
So many changes. So many doubts. If Disney truly is this careless, I'm deeply concerned for the continuity of the expanded universe, the one previously established before Disney's takeover. Everything hangs in the balance, as anyone formerly associated with Lucas is no longer calling the shots, letting these treasured games, shows, and movies fall into the hands of a corporate empire that I'm not so sure I can trust with this franchise.
Happy Birthday! 
