Celebrating (or Grieving) the Anniversary of the Disney Acquisition of Star Wars

Last week marked 13 years since The Walt Disney Company announced it had purchased Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4.05 billion — a move that forever changed not only the Star Wars saga, but modern entertainment itself. The acquisition meant that for the first time, the galaxy far, far away would continue without its creator, George Lucas, at the helm.

At the time, Disney promised a bold new era for Star Wars, beginning with The Force Awakens in 2015. The announcement reignited the fandom after years of dormancy following Revenge of the Sith. New films, spinoffs, theme park attractions, and eventually streaming series like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka followed, expanding the saga in ways Lucas himself could never have imagined.

But the purchase also split the fanbase. To some, Disney breathed new life into a beloved franchise, introducing new heroes like Rey, Finn, and Din Djarin to a generation of younger fans. To others, the corporate direction and narrative choices — especially in the sequel trilogy — represented a departure from the mythic tone that defined Lucas’s original vision. Star Wars had become not just a story, but a cultural battleground over creativity, nostalgia, and ownership.

Thirteen years later, Disney’s stewardship of Lucasfilm remains a defining experiment in myth-making at scale — one that continues to evolve through streaming, animation, and a growing transmedia universe. Whether fans celebrate or critique it, the 2012 acquisition stands as one of the most consequential deals in entertainment history, marking the moment Star Wars truly became bigger than any one creator — a living, shared myth spanning generations.