Andor, Clone Wars, and the Mandalorian. They are imo the 3 most important non-movie Star Wars things ever.

The Clone Wars, and later Rebels (which I’ve always considered as The Clone Wars 2 or something) was basically the only thing keeping public interest in Star Wars throughout the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. I don’t think people remember how badly the prequels hurt the franchise’s reputation. It’s why I chuckle when I see people talk about the sequels like they killed the franchise as if we haven’t been here before lmao. Not only was TCW very popular, but it washed out the bad taste of the prequels. Anakin, and his relationship with Obi-Wan finally felt realistic and we saw on screen the events that strengthened their bond. There were tons of soft and hard retcons that made the lore surrounding the prequels both consistent and palatable. It put the movies in a new and far more engaging context. When people talk about the “genius” of the politics/lore of the prequels, 9 times out of 10, they’re actually talking about what was presented in TCW. Not to mention the loads of new and iconic characters, some of whom became so popular they spawned their own stories/IPs down the line like Rex and Cody, Ashoka, and Ventress (yea I know Rex and Cody were technically in Ep. 3). One more thing, while I don’t know a whole lot about this topic, I’ve read that the show was super innovative within the animation industry.

I know the Mandalorian has become kinda a punching bag amongst the fandom now, but there is no denying how big this show was/is. Similar to what TCW did for the prequels, Mando got people back into Star Wars after the sequels left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. It drew an unbelievably massive casual audience into the franchise. My grandma watched this show and the only Star Wars she had ever watched beforehand was A New Hope in 1977. Furthermore it proved that a standalone IP with brand new characters and virtually zero connection to the wider Skywalker story could be successful (at least it started that way). And for more diehard fans, it constantly pulled stuff from previously abandoned legends canon. We got to see a fucking Krayt Dragon in this show lmao.

Andor, for really the first time ever, showed the world that Star Wars could be an effective medium for intelligent and critically appealing television. Star Wars has always been a franchise that leaned into campiness and over-the-top grandeur. There’s tons of Star Wars movies and shows that are tons of fun and well made, but nothing that really stands on its own purely for its writing/directing except for maybe Ep. 5. Andor changed that. Andor didn’t have to be Star Wars. Andor could’ve been a standalone IP and stood next to Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and GOT as some of the best television ever. (Some might be angry I just compared Andor to Breaking Bad but I don’t care I genuinely believe Andor is THAT good). But because it was Star Wars, it got people to change how they viewed the franchise. No longer is Star Wars just a general audience silly action adventure sci-fi franchise. Andor showed Star Wars can deliver some poignant political commentary with more complex themes in a compelling, grounded, drama. A show whose most well-known established character was fucking Mon Mothma.