Every year on May the 4th, fans across the galaxy celebrate Star Wars Day, a global tradition born from the playful pun “May the Fourth be with you.”
What started as a grassroots fan holiday has since become an official event embraced by Disney and Lucasfilm. Now, the date serves as a cultural touchstone for everything connected to the galaxy far, far away.
From screenings and marathons to themed merchandise, theme park festivities, and new announcements about upcoming films, games, and Disney+ shows, May the 4th has become a day where both casual viewers and lifelong fans come together to celebrate all things Star Wars.
Beyond the marketing tie-ins, the day thrives on community. Fans share memes, dress as their favorite characters, and revisit iconic moments across the Skywalker saga and beyond. Star Wars Day highlights how the franchise has grown into something bigger than just movies—spanning animation, games, novels, and immersive experiences.
May the 4th is a yearly reminder that Star Wars continues to inspire new generations while keeping the Force alive for old ones. But that could all change in 2026.
How the Sequels Changed Star Wars Forever
There’s no denying that Star Wars hasn’t been the same over the past eight years.
When Disney launched the sequel trilogy with The Force Awakens (2015), expectations were sky-high. The return of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) alongside a new generation of heroes (Rey, Finn, Poe) promised to unite fans and propel the saga into a new era. Instead, what followed completely changed how many longtime fans see the franchise — and not for the better.
While The Force Awakens escaped the wrath of the fans (for the most part), the biggest criticism of the sequel trilogy as a whole lies in the lack of cohesive storytelling. J.J. Abrams set up mysteries in The Force Awakens with the promise of answers, only for Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi (2017) to deconstruct nearly all of them, discarding Snoke (Andy Serkis), side-lining Finn (John Boyega), and turning Luke into a disillusioned recluse.
By the time Abrams returned for The Rise of Skywalker (2019), the trilogy was desperately scrambling to course-correct, resulting in a messy and embarrassing finale that relied on nostalgia, such as the inexplicable resurrection of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
Worse still, the sequels divided the fanbase right down the middle. Characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley) often labeled a “Mary Sue,” were underdeveloped, while legacy heroes were written out in ways many felt betrayed their arcs. Star Wars went from being a unifying saga to a talking point of controversy — a shift that still overshadows the franchise today.
The fact that the sequels collectively grossed over billions worldwide means very little when it comes to how fans view the films. The trilogy’s financial success is simply a testament to just how bankable the brand was. But things have changed, no thanks to Disney+ saturating the franchise with live-action shows in the years since.
Star Wars‘ TV Shows Have Killed the IP
Many fans now attribute the true downfall of Star Wars to Disney+, which has saturated the franchise with several live-action TV shows since launching in 2019.
Not only were The Book of Boba Fett (2021), Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), Ahsoka (2023), The Acolyte (2024), and The Mandalorian Season 3 poorly received by viewers, but they also heavily contributed towards diluting the magic of Star Wars.
The Force Weakens With the Upcoming Movie
The upcoming film The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026) alone is proof that apathy towards the franchise is real. The first official trailer dropped last week, and the Force was not strong with fans’ reactions.
Complaints range from the film looking like nothing more than an extended episode of the TV series to the overall lack of interest in The Mandalorian, following not only the terrible third season but the two-year gap since it premiered (or over three years by the time the film comes out). Check out the trailer for yourself:
Related: Replacement of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Underway at Disney World
The Mandalorian & Grogu Could Flop Hard
The Mandalorian (2019) might have launched the live-action side of the faraway galaxy on the small screen while also getting Disney+ off the ground, but the flagship series has also become part of the problem. And, for the first time on the big screen, we may be about to witness just how much damage has been done to the Star Wars brand.
With the exception of Solo (2018), the franchise’s first box office bomb that grossed just $393 million worldwide against its estimated $270–330 million budget, Star Wars has yet to deliver a full-fledged cinematic flop. The original trilogy and the prequel trilogy speak for themselves, while Rogue One (2016) was a runaway hit with $1.059 billion. Even the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars made $68.5 million (against its $8.5 million budget).
“A New Hope” for Star Wars Emerges
The Mandalorian & Grogu could be Star Wars‘ first real financial disaster in theaters. Not only is the film failing to create the buzz an upcoming Star Wars movie should (and always has), but it’s also worth considering how difficult it is for films to perform particularly well at the box office these days. Although with that said, Jurassic World Rebirth — another heavyweight blockbuster brand — had no problem grossing well over $800 million worldwide this summer.
That said, there is “a new hope” for the faraway galaxy (on the silver screen at least). Starfighter, which releases in May, 2027.
Directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) with Ryan Gosling (Barbie) as the lead, Starfighter is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker. An official first-look image that was recently shared by Lucasfilm shows Reynolds’ unnamed character (presumably a fighter pilot) next to a young boy (played by Flynn Gray) in a watery environment:
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According to Disney, the film “is a standalone adventure taking place approximately five years after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. The film, which will begin production this fall, is an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet.”
Starfighter certainly sounds promising, but with The Mandalorian & Grogu heading into theaters on May 22, 2026, Star Wars Day could feel surprisingly flat for many fans, as the excitement surrounding the franchise certainly appears to be waning. Unlike previous Star Wars Days, next year’s celebrations may lack momentum.
Hopefully, though, with a director like Shawn Levy, who has given us hits like Deadpool & Wolverine and many episodes of the Stranger Things, and a beloved actor like Ryan Gosling leading the charge, Starfighter has the potential to be the spark that lights the fire that brings Star Wars back to life.
Starfighter releases on May 28, 2027.
How do you feel about Star Wars these days? Let us know your thoughts!
