As most fans know, Disney originally had plans to launch a series of standalone Star Wars films, but the box office failure of the surprisingly decent Solo put those plans on carbonite. Instead, projects like the Obi-Wan Kenobi film and Boba Fett film were repurposed as TV shows on Disney+. Execs thought this sounded like a great way to drive subscriptions to their fledgling streaming service, but this decision ultimately threatened the long-term health of the franchise.
What does this story about Star Wars failures have to do with Andor’s success? Despite all of Disney’s efforts, most fans see these new shows as less prestigious and important than theatrical films, even bad films. That’s one reason why the fandom is still arguing about The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker but has largely forgotten The Book of Boba Fett, a show that had all the resonance of those direct-to-video Ewok films from the ‘80s.