Between The Mandalorian and the recently concluded The Acolyte, Star Wars fans have been getting the best content in the past five years. Now, before we delve into new projects under the Disney banner such as the upcoming Skeleton Crew and a potential second season for The Acolyte, let’s take a look at how the recent live-action TV shows set in a galaxy far, far away rank against one another.
6. The Book of Boba Fett
The Book Of Boba Fett follows Boba’s story after the events of Return Of The Jedi. While it is considered to be a spin-off of the acclaimed TV show The Mandalorian, the Book of Boba Fetts can’t really live up to its hype due to the lack of cohesive storytelling and very few focus on its main character. Some of its commended episodes usually sidelined Boba Fett in favor of other characters, which could pass up with a new show title such as The Book Of Boba Fett and Friends.
Despite this, the Mandalorian lore and bounty hunter story arcs in Star Wars as still getting more popular than ever, with new seasons coming in for The Mandalorian and a remaster of the game Star Wars: Bounty Hunter releasing next month.
5. Obi-Wan Kenobi
Highly anticipated due to the return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, Star Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi had so much audience expectations that it ended up receiving mixed reviews. It garnered various criticisms for having inconsistent story pacing and questionable story choices. As with any other show, Obi-Wan Kenobi had its highlights and lowest points but the show has had considerable inconsistencies throughout.
While this may be the case, the final showdown between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan may possibly be one of the most exhilarating things to happen in recent Star Wars TV history.
4. The Acolyte
Set in the High Republic era, The Acolyte touches on the period when the Jedi were considered to be at their peak and takes on a mystery-thriller narrative that follows a pair of twins who got involved in various Jedi killings.
While The Acolyte’s narrative and choreography are notable in their own rights, the show has received various criticisms mainly due to poor dialogue choices, pacing, and a various mix of performances for its cast. Some actors and actresses shine whenever they have their scene on screen, while others tend to have mediocre performances.
3. Andor
While a wide range of audiences consider Andor to be the top Star Wars live-action show in recent Star Wars TV history, the show is considered to be a slow burn by some Star Wars diehards. It does not have flashy action scenes or edge-of-your-seat moments, but the storytelling is enough for the audience to get hooked by the end of the finale.
Andor also suffered from the lack of interesting new characters, and the absence of intriguing moments due to the story having little to no stakes at all. A character may die and have no immediate consequences to the consequent moments.
Andor is gritty and moves away from the typical Star Wars nostalgia, but it is still Star Wars nonetheless.
2. Ahsoka
Continuing the story of the beloved character from Star Wars: Rebels, Ahsoka has received various commendations and praises for its visuals and performances, especially by Rosario Dawson who plays the titular character. The show is teeming with characters who have the potential to progress the stories and lore further and greatly references other Star Wars shows such as the Clone Wars and Rebels.
Ahsoka Tano as a character is loveable and relatable in many different scenarios. She may have had the most interesting character development in all of Star Wars, with her story going way back from being Anakin’s padawan to the events of Rebels and the show itself. A second season is currently in development and will push the beloved Jedi and the Star Wars lore further.
1. The Mandalorian
Since its debut in 2019, The Mandalorian has always been a standout among the current Star Wars TV shows. With captivating characters such as Din Djarin and Grogu (Baby Yoda), The Mandalorian has also pioneered new filming techniques with Industrial Light & Magic’s StageCraft technology.
While there might be inconsistencies throughout the different seasons, The Mandalorian is still action-packed while being filled with emotional and relatable scenes. It also takes its storytelling up a notch by taking on the original trilogy’s narrative and style and transitions from The Return Of The Jedi to The Mandalorian flawlessly and perfectly.
With appealing characters, new filming techniques, and remarkable storytelling and direction, it makes The Mandalorian the best Star Wars TV show so far.
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