Ever since Disney Plus launched in 2019 it has seen a plethora of content come our way. The jewel in its crown, of course, remains the global phenomenon that is The Mandalorian and we’ve seen more content in 2022 on the small screen than we thought possible with the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Tales of the Jedi and The Book of Boba Fett.
But could there be more from the archives?
I believe there is, and here we take a glimpse at some media that are crying out for a release on Disney Plus. Some are obvious; others not so much…let’s dive in and take a look. (Don’t worry…you’re safe from the Oscar worthy Holiday Special. We’ve all been through enough).
EPISODE IV – VI ORIGINAL THEATRICAL CUTS
This one would please fans the galaxy over, especially if the films were released in glorious 4K. Right now the only way to view the original versions of the films is with the 2006 individual DVD release sets. Though Disney and Kathleen Kennedy herself have stated they have no desire to tinker with George’s films, such are the changes that the films have undergone over the years it makes for a wholly unique and special experience viewing these versions now.
I can attest to this as not long ago my pal and I, Chris Cooke (of Toys of the Jedi), realised we hadn’t’ seen these versions in quite some time so we sat down one night to do a marathon of Star Wars, Empire and Jedi. With popcorn at the ready we were on the edge of our seat once again all night as such is the power of the films it felt like we were watching the first time all over again and the magic was tangible to feel. If Disney Plus was so adamant about these no longer seeing the light of day then perhaps a one day ‘May the 4th’ deal could be reached to celebrate the saga.
DETOURS
This one may elicit an eye-roll or a groan but a streaming service like Disney Plus is ready made for a show like this. Not long after the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm it was announced that this show was shelved indefinitely. At the time it made complete logical sense. They wanted a clean slate, to focus entirely on Episode VII and no one at the House of Mouse wanted the first glimpse of their new brand to be a light-hearted animated comedy. Flash-forward a decade and goodness knows what the world could do with is a light-hearted comedy.
If Disney Plus placed this away from the main banner of Star Wars and treated it like what it is; a bit of fun and giggles then fans could do with it as they see fit. The show wouldn’t be canon so no harm, no foul. Take it or leave it. Nobody loses out. It would even add an emotional element as this would come from the Maker himself and at this stage it seems sinful that a total of 39 episodes of George’s work remains completed but hasn’t seen the light of the day. This show is destined for cult adoration…all it needs is someone to believe.
STAR WARS: A MUSICAL JOURNEY
The first iteration of A Musical Journey came in 2005 as a bonus DVD on the Revenge of the Sith soundtrack CD and it was a delightful surprise. Carefully and lovingly put together, the roughly 60-minute special was hosted by none other than The Emperor himself; Ian McDiarmid. It featured the story of the saga told through the guise of the music of John Williams and the viewer could see the narrative in new ways and experience new emotions. This special edition feature clearly struck a chord as a few short years later I found myself at London’s O2 arena at the world premiere of STAR WARS: A MUSICAL JOURNEY (Later to be known as Star Wars: In Concert) and this time hosted by Anthony Daniels. The experience was nothing short of spectacular and the atmosphere was electric. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed live to the breath-taking images and montages that played out on gigantic LED screen above. There must be a recording of this somewhere in the archives and with all the recent activity on streaming services of concerts being streamed live much like network television used to, a whole new generation of fans could experience the wonder of this amazing achievement once more.
THE COMPLETE FORCE AWAKENS TABLE READ
Before the days of Disney, there was one thing that Lucasfilm could do with their eyes closed and do it better than anybody else in the game and that was home media special features. Starting right back to The Phantom Menace with the perfectly executed making-of documentary THE BEGINNING, Lucasfilm continued to deliver time and time again. I have friends who hail Within a Minute as the perfect example of filmmaking and who can forget Empire of Dreams that itself felt like a film event upon its release and I still believe was worthy of a cinema showing. Flash-forward to present day and Disney’s offerings of behind the scenes content has been somewhat paint-by-numbers. A simple, though always fun, telling of production and talking heads but the one feature everyone was looking forward to on the Blu-ray release of The Force Awakens was the much hyped cast table read. We even had a trailer!
Our disappointment hung in the air though, much like the stench of Bantha Poodoo, when we discovered the feature itself was less than 5 minutes…nothing more that trailer of a trailer. Seeing the full length version of this could give fans a new perspective on Disney+ as we could settle down and listen to the story of Episode VII as told through the eyes of none other than Luke Skywalker himself and hear how dynamics changed and characters developed. They missed a golden opportunity with this, I believe, in 2020 as December 18th would have marked the film’s fifth anniversary.
THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES
A slight sidestep from Star Wars but with the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny just over six months away, this one feels natural. For those who have read Bob Iger’s autobiography you’ll know that the show itself was the catalyst for Lucas selling to Disney. So the story goes; the network did not want to pick up Young Indy for second season due to costs, viewership and so on but Iger respected Lucas and what he was trying to achieve with his vision for the show. As head of ABC programming at the time, Iger greenlit the rest of the episodes and Lucas swore that he never forgot the grace that Iger showed him, and the rest as they say is history.
As we find ourselves in the final days of 2022 and Indy’s last hoorah on the horizon, now would be the perfect time to give this show a new platform and let people witness how Lucas continued to push every envelope in whatever medium he worked. If the show was allowed to flourish under a ‘Non-Canon Indiana Jones Banner’ then it could lead to Lucasfilm exploring something many of us have been begging for for nearly five years; the triumphant return of Alden Ehrenreich in the original Disney Plus series The Young Han Solo Chronicles but much like a famous desert farmboy…maybe I’m just a dreamer.
