The Star Wars brand is more than just movies: it’s a myth, merchandising, dioramas, and collectibles. Kathleen Kennedy’s presidency at Lucasfilm, starting in 2012 with Disney’s acquisition of the company, delivered unprecedented economic success but also had a deep and controversial impact on the fandom and the collecting community.
Now, with the handover to Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, Star Wars enters a crucial phase: the opportunity to reconcile industrial success, narrative coherence, and cultural value. This article explores every aspect of brand management, showing how past strategies have influenced the perception of the myth, collectibles, and the diorama industry.
Kennedy was chosen for her proven industrial experience and ability to transform intellectual properties into highly profitable franchises. With over 70 produced films, collaborations with Spielberg and Lucas, and a career with more than 120 Oscar nominations and 25 wins, her approach prioritized financial stability, product multiplication, and brand expansion on a global scale.
The positive side is clear: billion-dollar box office, expansion into theme parks, licensing, and merchandising. However, the industrial approach often overlooked narrative coherence and character depth, essential for the fandom. The direct consequence was a fragmented collector market: action figures and dioramas tied to inconsistent productions were less appealing, while the classic trilogy remains the primary reference. Kennedy guided the expansion of Star Wars into new media, including live-action series such as The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but this prolific output created a universe perceived as unstable for collectors.
Under Disney, Star Wars underwent a radical transformation: from auteur-driven cinematic saga to industrial serial product. Films and series were produced at a high pace, including annual trilogies, spin-offs, and live-action series, but market saturation diminished the event-like impact of original releases.
For model makers and collectors, this serial production had tangible consequences: dioramas and set pieces from new films often appear less iconic and more difficult to interpret artistically. The classic trilogy and Rogue One remain preferred because they offer coherent, symbolic settings, essential for complex sets and collections. Additionally, the high production pace prevented collectors from developing a lasting connection with new settings, crucial for the motivation to build dioramas or invest in complex collections.
The Force Awakens grossed over $2 billion and reignited global excitement, but it created a limited narrative base. Characters like Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren, although popular, lacked the narrative depth that motivated the creation of lasting dioramas and collections.
This creative void directly impacted collecting: fans had fewer narrative tools to create coherent, engaging sets, reducing the appeal of new products. The safe narrative strategy ensured box office success but compromised the cultural identity of the brand, making Star Wars feel more like a product than a shared myth.
The Last Jedi introduced narrative innovations, subverting iconic symbols and fragmenting the fandom. This division negatively affected the collector market: many fans stopped investing in dioramas and action figures of new characters, focusing instead on the original trilogy.
Galaxy Diorama has recorded fewer requests for new sets, demonstrating how creative management directly influences the interest of model makers. The division highlighted that a shared myth can be weakened by a lack of coherent narrative vision, making collectors more cautious about investing in products tied to controversial or inconsistent films.
Spin-offs clearly showed the effects of management: Rogue One created iconic and coherent settings, stimulating collectors and model makers, while Solo suffered production issues and market saturation, resulting in a commercial and cultural flop.
Solo‘s failure weakened fan confidence in new products and reduced the motivation to create complex dioramas, demonstrating how narrative management impacts tangible product success. The perception of instability and lack of vision reduced interest in merchandising, action figures, and STL files, directly affecting companies like Galaxy Diorama.
The Rise of Skywalker attempted to reconcile the fandom but confirmed negative trends: declining box office, perception of forced storytelling, and lack of identity. For collectors, this meant decreased enthusiasm for new dioramas and action figures.
The nostalgia-driven strategy without innovation reduced model makers’ interest in expanding their collections, confirming that economic success alone cannot keep the myth alive. This period also marked a generational transition within Lucasfilm, preparing the way for the new leadership of Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan.
Series like The Mandalorian and Andor have demonstrated that creative freedom can revitalize fandom and stimulate collecting, thanks to coherent set design and solid storytelling. Filoni, with his long-standing experience in developing The Clone Wars and Rebels, has contributed to creating content that respects the myth and is widely appreciated by fans.
Projects like The Acolyte, however, have shown ideological and narrative interference, reducing their appeal to model makers and collectors. The combination of coherent creative management and narrative autonomy is fundamental to stimulate the creation of dioramas, action figures, and merchandise.
Economic success did not guarantee the cultural consolidation of Star Wars. The fandom is fragmented, and interest in dioramas from the sequel trilogy has declined, while the classic trilogy remains the primary source of inspiration.
This dynamic has tangible effects on Galaxy Diorama: fewer requests for new sets, lower sales of action figures and STL files, and difficulties in offering new dioramas based on recent films. Narrative management has a direct impact on the real market, showing that the stability of the myth is essential for collecting. Kennedy’s experience, while economically successful, shows that a lack of narrative continuity can compromise the connection between the brand and collectors.
At Galaxy Diorama, we observe firsthand the effects of brand management. The most requested dioramas remain from the classic trilogy, such as the Lars Homestead and Mos Eisley Cantina. STL files and action figures from the sequel trilogy show less interest, with the only exception being Galaxy’s Edge, which maintains appeal thanks to its immersive experience.
With the handover to Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, Lucasfilm is entering a new era. Filoni, an Emmy-winning creative with extensive experience in animated and live-action Star Wars, will lead the creative direction, while Brennan, with over 30 years at Industrial Light & Magic and international awards, will oversee operations and finances. Their combination promises to stabilize the brand, ensuring narrative coherence and renewed interest from collectors and model makers.
Dioramas thus become a mirror of fandom: the more stable and myth-respecting the management, the more meaningful and sustainable the creation of detailed sets and collections.
With Kathleen Kennedy’s departure, Lucasfilm enters a new phase. Filoni and Brennan bring over 30 years of combined experience, preparing to lead the brand toward new stories, innovations, and coherent content. This marks an epochal shift: the opportunity to reconcile myth, narrative consistency, and economic success.
The future of Star Wars will depend on its ability to honor the myth, stimulate collecting, and rekindle interest in dioramas and merchandise. With balanced management, model makers and collectors can once again be active participants in the galaxy far, far away, helping to write a new era for the brand.
