The State of Star Wars

The State of Star Wars

From Geeky Stoics by Stephen Kent

June 9, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

The episode explores the decline of Star Wars' cultural dominance and discusses potential paths for its revival.

We are witnessing the decline of Star Wars’ cultural dominance. In this week’s podcast, we’ll explore the current state of Star Wars, from its cultural impact to the storytelling challenges, and speculate about how the franchise might revive itself. We have a book coming this year!!! The Great Escape: 30 Reflections on Stoicism, Faith, and the Wisdom of Great Stories . Be the first to get early access, bonus content, and updates: The Rise and Fall of Star Wars Star Wars was more than movies; it was a shared cultural language. But since the end of the prequel era, its position in the cultural mainstream burst forth with the hype of The Force Awakens, then waned slowly but significantly. I’d argue that Star Wars has faded back into the niche. Not unlike the “Dark Times” of the late 80s and 90s, or even the post-Revenge of the Sith Clone Wars era. The explosion of Star Wars back into the zeitgeist after the Disney purchase showed its potential for a return to mass appeal. (Baby Yoda’s popularity is Exhibit A) Yet, the declining box office performance reveals a stark reality: audiences are less engaged, and the franchise struggles to resonate as it once did. (The decline in interest…

People in this episode

Host: Stephen Kent

Topics covered

  • Star Wars
  • cultural impact
  • storytelling challenges
  • franchise revival
  • cultural dominance

Keywords

  • Star Wars
  • cultural impact
  • storytelling
  • franchise
  • Baby Yoda

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Star Wars, Disney

Books & works: The Great Escape: 30 Reflections on Stoicism, Faith, and the Wisdom of Great Stories

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