The EU is done because there are no real possibilities. Adapting those stories, which are far messier than anything Disney has released, is not going to appease anyone—as even if they tried, fans of those novels/books/comics/games will always be pissed that it isn’t how they imagined it.

Acolyte is going to be one of the better ways forward, and I wish more was announced like that: in a different era. As fun as Dave’s and John’s three new shows spinning out from Mandalorian sound, I think it’s time to move away from the sequel trilogy. I enjoyed Rogue One, I look forward to Andor, Kenobi sounds cool, as does the other show. The Bad Batch will be cool, and similar to Clone Wars and Rebels, while the other two animated series, Visions and A Droids Story, will find their audiences too.

I think Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte and, if it’s ever brought back to the table, Rian Johnson’s trilogy going to new eras less connected to the main saga of nostalgia will be the better way forward. But fans will complain regardless. Catering to fans just doesn’t work, if you don’t believe me: rewatch The Rise of Skywalker. We need new things, and fans need to embrace that some things will be different. The more we support the franchise as a whole, the more they’ll invest in giving us new and diverse (both by representation and types of stories) content.