Take Kathleen Kennedy out of 'Star Wars' and ...

What do you have? That's the long-view question to ask in the next few days

Well, I certainly picked an interesting time to jump on a few airplanes and head over the International Date Line.

For starters, all of March 1 — the one-year anniversary of Rational Sheep — will pretty much vanish later this week. That will affect when I get to post some kind of update about what I think I have learned here in the past 12 months. That will also be a challenge since I cannot sleep on airplanes, which means I will almost certainly arrive in Sydney, Australia, in a Walking Dead state that will affect my ability to focus aging eyes on a laptop screen.

But enough about me, a 70something person. Let’s talk about media maven Kathleen Kennedy, another 70something person.

Dramatic things are happening in the Disney kingdom camped under the “Star Wars” banner. Here is yesterday’s news, as presented in a public-relations feature (that’s my personal opinion) published by Variety with this headline: “‘Star Wars’ Boss Kathleen Kennedy Planning to Exit Lucasfilm at the End of 2025.” The overture:

Kathleen Kennedy, the longtime president of Lucasfilm, is expected to step down at the end of 2025.

She intends to retire after her current contract ends, according to a source with knowledge of her plans. A separate source close to Kennedy, however, dismissed the initial report by Puck as “pure speculation” and said nothing has been decided.

Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair alongside “Star Wars” creator George Lucas. Shortly after, Lucas exited his post as Disney acquired the company for $4 billion, and Kennedy was elevated to president.

She is credited with reviving the property by launching the sequel trilogy, beginning with 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” as well as the critically acclaimed 2016 spinoff “Rogue One.” Kennedy has also charted a future for the franchise on streaming with television series such as “The Mandalorian” and “Andor.”

Let’s see. What is missing from this early take on the long-anticipated news of Kennedy’s departure?

Lots of important things, actually, including oceans of red ink. But, for me, the key word that’s missing is “Acolyte.”

In fact, if you run a Google News search for some logical terms such as “Kathleen Kennedy,” “Star Wars,” “Acolyte” (those are “logical” for me and lots of other Disney watchers) you will notice something interesting.

Apparently, publishing news that includes scary information about one of the major Disney+ trainwrecks in the Kennedy culture “Star Wars” era is officially “conservative” news.

Scan that Google News search again and look for headlines from major news outlets or even the official digital voices of Tinsel Town. In the universe containing the word “Acolyte,” the biggest story is from The Daily Mail, a conservative source if there ever was one. That headline: “Star Wars film boss Kathleen Kennedy will 'step down' this year months after Elon Musk said she'd turned the franchise 'woke'.” Here is some background information therein:

Last year saw the release of The Acolyte, following a former Padawan reuniting with her Jedi master.

Some praised the spinoff for its diverse cast. … An aggregate of top film critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes gave the show a 72 percent positive rating.

But audience reviews painted a very different picture, with The Acolyte receiving just 19 percent support.

Elon Musk responded to a post on X that pictured Kennedy as a 'franchise killer', asserting that 'she's more deadly than the Death Star!'

Why does any of this matter to folks who care about faith, family and-digital screen culture?

Let’s flash to a Rational Sheep post that include some discussion of a Forbes feature with this headline: “The Very Obvious Reason Disney Canceled ‘The Acolyte’ — It Wasn’t ‘Toxic Dudebros’.” My double-decker headline stressed this:

Disney Wars: $Billions at stake, as well as …

The future of entertainment franchises that ordinary Americans offer to their children

Here is some of that Rational Sheep post, with these paragraphs chosen for their relevance to the new development with Kennedy (and beyond):

… Disney-era “Star Wars” has had more misses, in terms of ratings and dollars, than hits. But there have been SOME hits. What were the most common criticisms of the misses and the common threads found in the hits? And why is this whole war an important cultural “signal” worthy of the attention of parents, pastors, teachers and counselors?

The Forbes feature avoided the moral, cultural and, yes, religious issues raised in “The Acolyte” and focused — with good cause — on why so much money was handed to a controversial showrunner with little or no producing experience and a healthy dose of attitude about the flaws in old-school Star Wars. For example, I had no idea that R2-D2 was gay.

Moving on. In addition to “The Acolyte,” there is an important legal battle unfolding linked to one of the most successful of the Disney+ “Star Wars” products — “The Mandalorian.” The question is whether Disney fired actress Gina Carano because of her cultural and political views (she is a conservative of some kind, obviously), while also making efforts behind the scenes to crush her career.

If this case goes to court, with Carano’s lawyers having “discovery” powers to seek Disney emails and internal documents, what will the parents, pastors, teachers and counselors learn about the worldview of the principalities and powers at Disney?

Ah, the dangerous Carano lawsuit.

What if Disney is forced — while hiding libraries of nasty emails (maybe even by Kennedy) — to shell out mountains of cash to prevent that whole “discovery” thing from reaching the point that even mainstream newsrooms will have to cover it? Maybe that threat is relevant to Kennedy’s departure?

What would force mainstream reporters to cover that story? How about a press conference by Elon Musk (who has backed Carano) and Donald Trump’s patriarchal trio of “Special Ambassadors” to Hollywood?

What if the president is standing next to them and delivers some remarks? That might awaken, maybe even “awoken,” the big newsrooms.

OK, what comes next? Start here, with another “logical” set of Google search terms to scan — “Gina Carano,” “lawsuit,” “2025” and “moves forward.”

I will also ask this: Is it possible that these leaks about Kennedy’s retirement didn’t originate with her?

The Hollywood Reporter manage to offer a report that featured a few bites of info about the complex road ahead for “Star Wars” and the Disney gods. That headline: “Lucasfilm Boss Kathleen Kennedy Expected to Retire This Year.”

Let’s end with this look ahead:

Disney released a Star Wars film every year from 2015-2019 and then took a pause following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which received a mixed response and earned just half of what Force Awakens had brought in just a few years earlier.

As Lucasfilm boss, Kennedy held one of the most visible and scrutinized jobs in Hollywood, and it was not always smooth sailing. She fired Chris Lord and Phil Miller as directors of Solo: A Star Wars Story in the middle of production. (The film went on to be the first Star Wars movie to lose money theatrically.) She also sidelined Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards, replacing him with Tony Gilroy, who was brought on to oversee reshoots. (The film became a $1 billion hit).

Other projects were promised that never materialized, such as Rian Johnson’s trilogy, and another one overseen by Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Benioff and David Weiss. Daisy Ridley’s upcoming return to Star Wars has been languishing in development since being announced to fanfare almost two years ago.

But even as Star Wars struggled to return to the big screen, the franchise found new-found life on Disney+, with The Mandalorian launching in November 2019 along with the streaming service. It became a breakout hit, spawning multiple spinoffs, including the critically acclaimed Andor, which returns for a second season in April, as well multiple shows that failed to hit the zeitgeist and sparked worries of diluting the Star Wars brand.

Coming up, Lucasfilm has The Mandalorian and Grogu from director Jon Favreau due out May 22, 2026 as the first big screen outing for the franchise since Rise of Skywalker.

Once again, what is missing from that summary of “Star Wars” offerings at Disney+?

We aren’t just talking about “The Acolyte.” There have been other stumbling blocks.

This isn’t a gossip story. It’s a drama about the future of one of the most powerful, and family friendly (once upon a time), entertainment giants in America and the world.

Stay tuned.