After The Mandalorian and Grogu, Only One Star Wars Release Left This Year — And It Could Redefine the Jedi

Star Wars is in that weird in-between place right now: The Mandalorian and Grogu is on the big screen, everyone is arguing about the box office, and the long-term plan feels... fuzzy. But there is one new story actually landing this year, and it might be the one worth paying attention to.

Where things stand after The Mandalorian and Grogu

Lucasfilm trotted out three new movie announcements at Star Wars Celebration 2023, then seemed to rethink the roadmap not long after. The only film on the near horizon we actually know about is next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter. On the TV side, it is basically a blackout after Ahsoka Season 2.

About that: Disney originally aimed to drop Ahsoka Season 2 this year. Instead, it quietly slid all the way to 2027. If you were hoping The Mandalorian and Grogu would be a grand relaunch that kicked off a flood of Star Wars projects, that delay stings.

The next Star Wars show this year is animated, and a spinoff that actually makes sense

Coming this year: Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi. It spins out of Visions, the animated anthology where different studios reimagine the Star Wars sandbox with bold, non-canon stories. That format has always been a great entry point: gorgeous animation, no homework required, and a lot of love for George Lucas’ core ideas without being chained to continuity.

The Ninth Jedi is the first standalone miniseries to break off from Visions, and it is set up to do something big: rethink the Jedi from the ground up.

So what is The Ninth Jedi actually about?

It takes place in an alternate timeline where the Jedi Order has already been wiped out, but not by Order 66. In this version of the galaxy, the Sith are everywhere, and the last Jedi are barely hanging on. A few scattered lightsiders rally as the new vanguard, and the story centers on Lah Kara, the daughter of a legendary swordsmith who reinvented lightsabers. He has been kidnapped, and she is pulled into the fight.

The series comes from IG Animation and builds on Ninth Jedi lore introduced in Visions Season 1 and revisited in Season 3. Lah Kara is already framed as a kind of Chosen One, with a powerful bond to her father that intentionally echoes Anakin’s attachment to his mother. That gives the show room to remix the saga’s biggest themes: Do we watch another Anakin-style rise, or do we finally see a Chosen One resist the slide to the dark?

Because these Jedi are basically rebuilding from ashes, the series can also present a very different take on the Order than the Prequel-era institution we know. Frankly, that contrast is overdue.

• The Mandalorian and Grogu: in theaters now, box office chatter is loud and messy
• Movie slate: three films were announced in 2023, but the plan shifted; next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter is the only one we actually know
• Live-action TV: nothing firm after Ahsoka Season 2
• Ahsoka Season 2: once planned for this year, now bumped to 2027
• This year’s new story: Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi, a standalone animated miniseries from IG Animation
• Setup: alternate timeline, Jedi nearly extinct (not because of Order 66), Sith in force, a handful of Jedi step up
• Lead: Lah Kara, daughter of a kidnapped master swordsmith who reinvented lightsabers; positioned as a potential Chosen One
• Roots: spins out of Visions Season 1 and Season 3 shorts; non-canon, high-creative-ceiling storytelling

Why this could be the one to watch

Visions has always thrived by stripping away baggage and letting creators swing big. The Ninth Jedi keeps that freedom while telling a continuous story, which is exactly the kind of experiment Star Wars needs right now. If this ends up being the last Star Wars release of the year, it has a real shot at being the best one too.