So I grew up watching Star Wars The Clone Wars and eventually I moved onto watching Star Wars Rebels. At that point, I had no interest in watching the original trilogy because, as a spoiled digital native, I don’t like dated CGI. And then when I was 16, my friend was doing a quiz and revealed to me that Anakin Skywalker turned into Darth Vader. And though I knew enough to know that Darth Vader is evil and does horrific things, I’d never gone far enough in either show to discover that Anakin Skywalker turns into Darth Vader. And somehow, despite constantly getting sneak peaks into the universe, I managed to avoid learning this one fact until I was 16.

And I was absolutely devastated. I no longer wanted to watch Star Wars because I knew Darth Vader’s ending. And somehow, I had never quite connected the dots that the the existence of the original trilogy meant that most of the characters I’d grown up with and come to love would have tragic endings.

And yes, when I was 18, I did watch episode 4 and half of episode 5 but I could not continue. Because even now, the existence of the sequels means that it does not end well for even the original trilogy characters. If you continue watching Star Wars long enough, you watch every single one of your favourite characters end up with a tragic ending.

But somehow, I was able to watch shows like the Kenobi series and the Mandalorian while still not wanting to watch the original trilogy. And I think the main thing going in the favour of the shows is the amount of chaos present in them.

If Stories Were Cake, Plot Is The Sponge Cake And Chaos Is The Cream

The fact of the matter, by their very nature, the Star Wars movies don’t have enough time to have many subplots. You’re forced to follow along with the main storyline: whether that’s the rise and fall of the republic or the rise and fall of the empire. There is some chaos within the story but most of it is limited to the main plotline. You have your villains and heroes and it’s hard enough to follow their stories that you don’t really have time to explore the interesting side-characters. And you don’t have time for shit to just go wrong for reasons unrelated to the main conflict.

That’s why the Star Wars shows work so well. Yes, they follow the main conflict but they also infuse the storyline with chaos. And this is especially true for Star Wars The Clone Wars which is honestly the best thing to come out of this universe. In one episode, you could be exploring the main conflict and trying to free a planet from the separatists and in the next, you could have pirate shenanigans. Sure, you have a little of this in the movies but not enough. Everything is so rushed.

And especially when immersed in a universe as depressing as Star Wars, you need some low stakes chaos to break up the depression. Sure, I could watch Obi Wan Kenobi best Grievous but I know what happens to Obi Wan Kenobi at the end. Sure, I can watch Anakin Skywalker take out an entire fleet by disobeying orders but I know that soon enough, he’s probably going to blow up the planet he just saved.

It’s all so futile when you know what happens next.

But break that up with a story about droids getting lost and your audience has a moment of peace. Your story can’t be entirely high stakes and main battles. Sometimes, you need a little pure stupidity within a low stakes crisis.

The Mandalorian Is Just Chaos

Like most people with taste, I thoroughly enjoyed the Mandalorian. You have all the makings of a badass protagonist within a universe that desperately needs a hero. You could make a generic protagonist who, upon discovering that things are actually *gasps* bad and he’s the perfect person to fix it, goes on his merry way, collects a supporting cast and takes down the bad guys. You could do that. But why would you want to when you can just give this guy a kid?

The introduction of Grogu made this story infinitely more interesting. Rather than continue to be a self-interested bounty hunter, he can’t help but care for this “defenceless creature”. And the longer he spends with Grogu, the deeper their connection grows. He becomes a father figure for Grogu and is forced to question his ways and depend on other people because regardless of what his values were before, this little baby has taken over his entire world. Grogu becomes the most important thing in the galaxy for Din Djarin.

And my favourite part of this is that Din Djarin has no idea what’s going on or who anyone is. The man doesn’t even know what a jedi is. This is essentially what would happen if a side-character hijacked the story. So yes, while the main conflict is still happening, that becomes a side-plot to father-son shenanigans.

And that is why this show is so entertaining. We finally get a break from being consumed by the main conflict and the same set of main characters. Instead we shift the perspective onto someone who, previously, probably would’ve only been a side character.

The Kenobi Series

I’m not going to lie, there were definitely points in this show when I wanted to cry. There’s just something so heart breaking about seeing Obi Wan Kenobi lose himself after everything he’s been through. And if you’ve watched Star Wars The Clone Wars, you know he’s been through a lot. He has, arguably, one of the saddest storylines of any Star Wars character and he still resists the dark side of the force. And yet, despite refusing to give into darkness, he loses hope. He’s not a villain but he isn’t a hero either.

And that’s where chaos comes in. Sure, on a surface level, this is incredibly depressing. Obi Wan Kenobi is forced into hiding after failing his own student and brother. He is powerless to help the people he loves. And then comes along an adorable little girl who melts his heart and reminds him of his former student and friend.

Leia is a force of chaos and she is good. She reminds Kenobi of her parents, both of whom were his dear friends. Both of whom had trusted him at one point. And so even though Anakin had lost his way, Obi Wan knows that the old Anakin would’ve loved Leia and wanted her protected. And in a way, protecting her is his redemption. Maybe he can’t help his brother but he can help protect his legacy.

And while this is a devastating arc, Leia’s absolute refusal to follow the rules makes this show bearable. She refuses to follow the role set out for her and in that way, makes things so much harder for the adults in her life. But in doing that, she gives Obi Wan a purpose and hope. She reminds him why he needs to fight, even when it seems futile. And she reminds the audience that even in the most depressing storylines, there are always moments of joy and pure innocence.

Final Thoughts

A universe as big as that of Star Wars needs to sometimes shift away from the main storyline and explore something different. The stakes don’t always need to be sky high. Sometimes a personal conflict is all you need to make the story more entertaining. And while the majority of Star Wars should follow the main conflict, we shouldn’t forget the chaos.

It may be unnecessary for the main storyline to progress but it goes a long way towards keeping the viewer engaged.