Only One TV Show Has Broken Star Wars' Declining Trend Since The Mandalorian Season 1 (& That's Why It's Getting A Season 2)

It's no secret that Star Wars movies and TV shows have been struggling recently, yet Ahsoka managed to break a major Star Wars trend, suggesting why Ahsoka season 2 is one of very few upcoming Star Wars shows. Star Wars has sadly hit a bit of a rough patch, realistically beginning with the sequel trilogy, which quickly became controversial and continues to be considered among Star Wars' worst movies by many. These issues with backlash, controversy, and even low viewership have impacted Star Wars shows as well, particularly in the last 5 years.

Some of Star Wars' best TV shows have been released since 2019, yet Star Wars also faced a negative trend in terms of engagement during this window of time. Specifically in terms of Google Trends, Star Wars shows' scores were increasingly dropping—that is, until Ahsoka released on August 22, 2023. In fact, Ahsoka shockingly beat out some of the (seemingly) most popular shows in the franchise.

Ahsoka Was The First Star Wars TV Show To Break The Downward Trend

Ahsoka's Positive Turn Was The First Of Its Kind (Even With One Major Exception)

Prior to Ahsoka's 2023 release, Star Wars shows were constantly dropping in terms of their Google Trends scores. The Mandalorian, which was released in November 2019, topped the charts for Star Wars with a Google Trends score of 100, and season 2 of The Mandalorian wasn't far behind with a score of 93. That quickly changed for the worse, though.

The Book of Boba Fett was released next, in December 2021, and earned a staggeringly low Google Trends score of 25. While Obi-Wan Kenobi saw a spike when it was released in May 2022, with a Google Trends score of 69, it was swiftly followed by Andor in September 2022, which has the lowest score overall, at 24. Notably, Obi-Wan Kenobi was envisioned as a limited series (although Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are keen to return). The appearance of these major Star Wars stars made this an unusual event and something of an anomaly as a data point.

Surprisingly, The Mandalorian season 3 also performed poorly in terms of Google Trends scores when it was released in March 2023, dropping to 30—a massive 63-point difference from The Mandalorian season 2. This downward trend took a positive turn with Ahsoka's release in August 2023, as Ahsoka has a Google Trends score of 43. Although that show was followed by another dip, with The Acolyte's score of 31 in June 2024, Ahsoka's positive shift could explain why Ahsoka season 2 is one of only two confirmed upcoming Star Wars shows.

Now We Know Why Ahsoka Is Getting Season 2

Star Wars Likely Wanted To Build Upon This Momentum

With even the fan-favorite show The Mandalorian dropping in terms of Google Trends scores with season 3, the renewed interest in the franchise due to the release of Ahsoka was presumably a major motivating factor in Star Wars' decision to renew the show. It's also not entirely surprising that Ahsoka had such a draw. Since Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano has largely been considered one of Star Wars' best characters, and this live-action journey had many viewers captivated.

Ahsoka also saw the return of Hayden Christensen in the role of Anakin Skywalker, and it brought Star Wars Rebels characters Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, and Hera Syndulla to live-action for the very first time. It will be interesting to see how Ahsoka season 2 compares and what Star Wars: Skeleton Crew's Google Trends score will be, as that show is currently releasing. Given the trend Star Wars was facing when Ahsoka was released, however, it seems safe to assume this positive turn was a factor in the franchise's decision to renew the show for season 2.