No, Lucasfilm Isn’t Wiping Out the STAR WARS Sequel Trilogy, Even if You Hoped They Would

There’s always something stirring in the Star Wars fandom, and lately it’s been another round of wild speculation claiming Lucasfilm is gearing up to erase the sequel trilogy from canon.

If you’ve spent even a few minutes on certain corners of YouTube or social media, you’ve probably seen the fans talking about it. But let’s cut through the noise and actually look at what’s going on, why these rumors keep popping up, and why they just don’t hold up.

It all started with a familiar kind of online movement. Fans looking to celebrate Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy pushed the idea that Disney should scrap the sequels entirely and adapt those books instead.

From there, things escalated fast. Certain YouTubers jumped on it, claiming mysterious “sources” had revealed that future projects like Ahsoka Season 2 would somehow blast the sequels out of existence. Yeah… that escalated quickly.

The reality is, Star Wars YouTube can be a mixed bag. There are genuinely thoughtful channels out there, but others lean hard into outrage because that’s what gets clicks.

Now, let’s be real for a second. The sequel trilogy, made up of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, isn’t exactly a perfectly crafted story. It had its issues.

The first film set things up well, The Last Jedi took some big swings that didn’t fully align with what came before, and The Rise of Skywalker tried to course-correct in ways that didn’t land for a lot of fans. Watching them back-to-back can feel very messy.

Lucasfilm should’ve mapped out the entire trilogy before filming even started. That lack of a unified plan shows. But even with all that said, there’s a huge difference between something being flawed and a studio deciding to erase it completely.

We’ve actually seen this kind of rumor cycle before. After Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, they did reset the Expanded Universe.

That move sparked theories that the prequels might be next on the chopping block because of their divisive reception. People pointed to the cancellation of The Clone Wars and the original trilogy-heavy vibe of The Force Awakens as “evidence.”

Fast forward to now, and that theory looks pretty silly. The prequels have been fully embraced by a lot of fans. Characters like Darth Maul came back in Star Wars Rebels, and both Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor returned in major roles. The Mandalorian era is packed with prequel connections, and Ahsoka has become one of the most important characters in the franchise.

History is repeating itself, just with a different target. Despite the backlash, the sequel trilogy made a massive amount of money. The Force Awakens alone pulled in over $2 billion worldwide and still ranks among the highest-grossing films ever. The full trilogy crossed $4.4 billion. From a business standpoint, that’s not something a company like Disney is going to toss aside.

And here’s something that often gets lost in online debates. Not everyone hates these movies. At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Rey was everywhere in cosplay. When Daisy Ridley walked on stage to announce her return in a new Jedi Order film, the crowd reaction was huge. That’s not a fanbase rejecting a character. That’s one embracing her.

Lucasfilm has also been actively building around the sequels, not ignoring them. Books like Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher and the upcoming Legacy by Madeleine Roux are expanding that era.

Shows like The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian are laying groundwork for elements like Palpatine’s return through Project Necromancer and cloning experiments involving Grogu.

And here’s the key detail. These connections happened under Dave Filoni, who is now co-president of Lucasfilm. The idea that he secretly hates the sequels just doesn’t line up with what’s actually being made.

Looking ahead, the franchise is moving forward, not backward. Projects like Shawn Levy’s upcoming Starfighter are set after the sequel trilogy, exploring what the galaxy looks like post-First Order. That’s an expansion, not erasure.

There’s also the theme parks to consider. Galaxy’s Edge is heavily tied to the sequel era. Rey, Finn, and Poe are part of the experience, and attractions like Rise of the Resistance are built around those stories. Scrapping the sequels would create a massive disconnect, not just narratively but financially.

Then there’s all the merchandise, novels, and ongoing projects centered on this timeline. From Cavan Scott’s The Jaws of Jakku to Kwame Mbalia’s The Last Order, Lucasfilm is clearly investing in this era. That’s not something you do if you’re planning to throw it all away.

At the end of the day, these rumors tend to follow the same pattern. Anonymous sources, vague claims, and a lot of “if true” hedging. It’s content designed to get reactions, not to inform.

The sequels might not be everyone’s favorite chapter in Star Wars, but they’re a permanent part of the saga. Just like the prequels before them, time will likely reshape how they’re viewed. New stories will fill in the gaps, smooth out the rough edges, and maybe even win over some skeptics.

But one thing is clear. Lucasfilm isn’t about to hit the reset button on a multi-billion-dollar trilogy.