Star Wars fans heartbroken as another major project is "cancelled"

The Star Wars franchise is one of the biggest in Hollywood today. The fact that we can even say that over three decades after it became one of the biggest franchises is a testament to its staying power. With 11 theatrical releases thus far, its drawing power is proof of its enduring success as fans love to head out to the movies to enjoy more adventures from that galaxy so far, far away.

The film saga expanded its horizons in recent years, branching out into streaming television. Yes, there have been a number of Star Wars shows produced for Disney Plus, including the iconic first one The Mandalorian, which has become one of the streamer's all-time biggest shows. Not all of them, however, have been the success that the streamer was hoping for, and thus not all of them have lasted as long as they should have.

The most successful of them all, however, will reportedly end for different reasons. And that has fans feeling incredibly sad... even if there are more adventures from its title character on the way.

Star Wars fans not happy about The Mandalorian's apparent cancellation

Star Wars fans were pretty upset to hear that The Mandalorian would likely not be returning for a fourth season. The report, which claims that the show's third season will be its last as any plans for a fourth have since evolved into upcoming movie The Mandalorian and Grogu, originated from prolific industry insider Daniel Richtman, which means it's likely true. Especially since the movie has now replaced those initial season 4 discussions.

While there is no doubt that Mando and Grogu deserve to have their adventures seen on the biggest screen possible, the show had already been renewed for a fourth season according to reports, so this potential switch-up doesn't sit too well with viewers. One commented "this is not the way" - a reference to the show's legendary phrase "This is the way". Another responded by saying that they were very disappointed to hear this report of the show's potential premature ending.

Another one of the main reasons for the disappointment about it all is the fact that it seems like the Star Wars Disney Plus era is coming to an end. In fact, this Mandalorian update comes shortly after the cancellation of Star Wars series The Acolyte, which lasted just one season. That show premiered on the streamer with 11 million viewers, but after a sharp decline, it wasn't given a chance to find its own audience (likely due to its extremely high budget).

Meanwhile, Mandalorian spinoff The Book of Boba Fett may have only ran for one season, but there have been rumors that a second season would have been on the cards if the reception had been warmer. And even though Obi-Wan Kenobi was a resounding success, it was a limited series so fans can't expect any more episodes. Speaking of limited series Andor will conclude after its second season, while the upcoming Skeleton Crew is also a standalone that will run for just one season.

That all leaves Ahsoka as the only regular TV show left on Disney Plus that is set in the Star Wars universe. While it proved extremely popular, it's still unclear how long it will run for, and if it's set to be joined by any other future Star Wars shows.

Sure, a lot of those one-season shows were creative choices, but between that and the cancellations, it does feel like Star Wars' streaming era could be coming to an end sooner than expected. With movie projects on the horizon, including The Mandalorian and Grogu, it appears that Lucasfilm will be refocusing on the silver screen adventures set in that galaxy so far, far away in the very near future.

And, honestly, as great as it will be to see Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and "Baby Yoda" Grogu on the big screen, it's easy to understand fans' frustrations about the film being the direct cause for the decision to end The Mandalorian. After all, if you watch the show without the knowledge that there is a movie continuation, it can feel a little unfinished - especially as season 3 wasn't the show's strongest outing.

Star Wars will continue to dominate on the big screen for sure, but it's future on the small screen seems a little less certain.