Kathleen Kennedy has been the custodian of the Star Wars franchise ever since creator George Lucas stepped away and sold Lucasfilm to Disney. Kennedy has been at the helm of affairs through the controversial sequel trilogy and the misfire of an expansion in the streaming space.

As a result, I am not a fan of Kennedy, especially given how diluted the Star Wars brand has become under her leadership. However, Kennedy recently revealed the new plans for the franchise’s future. Therefore, Kennedy might be avoiding the mistake that killed the MCU, and she might have one last shot at saving the galaxy far, far away.

The Star Wars franchise is in a bit of a strange place in 2025, having finally delivered a bona fide streaming hit with Andor season 2, in a Hail Mary of an attempt. Meanwhile, the franchise is looking to return to the big screens next year and is likely to remain focused on theatrical releases.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy recently attended a BFI screening of George Lucas’ original cut of 1977’s Star Wars. During the event, Kennedy shared her plans for the franchise’s future, indicating that the space opera saga would be moving toward more standalone projects.

At the screening, Kennedy made the following statement regarding the franchise’s future (via The Independent):

It doesn’t necessarily have to connect to every little thing that’s been done in Star Wars; it can actually be a standalone story that then builds into many, many other stories.

Kennedy’s comment suggests that the future of Star Wars lies in telling more unique stories, crafted by capable filmmakers, which was Lucas’s intent when he launched the franchise. As a result, the franchise could avoid the major flaw that killed the MCU, with its needless connections between every project.

In its heyday, the MCU thrived on the interconnected nature of its projects under Kevin Feige. However, with the advent of streaming, the franchise somewhat lost its way, with several Disney+ shows becoming homework for fans. Similar issues plagued the Star Wars universe post the sequel trilogy.

The sequel trilogy was a major failure and polarized the fanbase, resulting in no theatrically released Star Wars movie in the past 6 years. Kennedy also bore the brunt of the criticism for the sequel trilogy’s failure. As a result, the producer might finally have a chance to win back some goodwill with the new plan.

Kennedy is already reported to be planning to step down from her role as Lucasfilm President in the future. However, she is still involved with the upcoming Starfighter movie, starring Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth and directed by Shawn Levy.

Starfighter seems to echo Kennedy’s new philosophy for standalone Star Wars movies, and its success could pave the way for more such projects. As a result, before she leaves the company, Kennedy has one final shot at redeeming herself and saving the franchise. While only time will tell whether Kennedy’s decision to abandon interconnected stories pays off, I’m hopeful about its prospects.