10 George Lucas Star Wars Rules That Have Been Broken By Disney

George Lucas didn’t have strict rules for expanding the Star Wars universe. Instead, he offered creative suggestions to ensure everything felt consistent with the story’s overall feel, myths, and lasting appeal.

Since Disney took over Star Wars, some of the original guidelines established by George Lucas have been changed or ignored. This isn’t necessarily negative, as it’s sometimes resulted in more interesting stories and deeper themes. Here’s a look at 10 of those original ‘rules’ that have been altered or broken as the Star Wars universe has grown.

Wookiee Jedi

George Lucas wasn’t initially keen on the idea of Wookiees being Jedi, but a few appeared in stories created before Disney acquired the franchise in 2012. Interestingly, he later gave the go-ahead for Gungi, a Wookiee Jedi Padawan, to be introduced in the Clone Wars animated series.

We’ve seen more Force-sensitive Wookiees appear recently, like Burryaga from The High Republic and Kelnacca from The Acolyte. Wookiee Jedi are undeniably impressive, possessing great strength and a commanding presence. Burryaga uniquely saw the Force as a vast forest, where every being was a connected part of a larger network. And Gungi’s lightsaber, with its wooden hilt, is particularly awesome.

No Zippers, Paper, Buttons

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Lucas deliberately avoided anything that would make the Star Wars galaxy feel too much like modern Earth. He didn’t want to show things like zippers, buttons, or paper—everyday items that would remind viewers of our own world.

Disney has generally stuck to its established rules about what can be shown in its shows, though there have been some exceptions. For example, both Andor and Skeleton Crew include breakfast cereal, deliberately mirroring real life. Skeleton Crew, which focuses on treasure hunting, avoids the rule against paper items by using old parchment maps. Zippers and buttons have also popped up here and there, but most viewers haven’t noticed.

Glasses Were Off-Limits

Although Star Wars featured protective eyewear like goggles, simple glasses hadn’t appeared in the films. George Lucas believed glasses would feel too contemporary and might be visually distracting.

Things started to shift when Disney took over. Both The Mandalorian and Skeleton Crew featured characters wearing glasses, like Doctor Pershing and Wim’s dad, Wendle. Similarly, in season 2 of Andor, Diego Luna’s character, Cassian, wore sunglasses as part of a disguise while posing as a fashion designer on Ghorman.

Seatbelts

The Disney Junior show Young Jedi Adventures consistently shows characters wearing seatbelts, which is a smart way to teach young children about safety.

Seatbelts aren’t very common in Star Wars, especially in earlier films. You could probably count the times they appear on one hand, though there’s a memorable instance with Jango Fett and young Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones. It’s always good to prioritize safety!

Bending The Sith’s Rule of Two

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George Lucas’s Star Wars films established Darth Bane’s Rule of Two as a strict guideline: there could only ever be one Sith Master and one Sith apprentice at any given time.

Eventually, it became clear that for an apprentice to take over, they needed help from another, less powerful follower to defeat their master. Recent stories also confirm that Palpatine didn’t actually follow the Rule of Two – he often had multiple apprentices at the same time, like both Dooku and Maul.

No Sequel Heroes Lose A Hand

Losing a hand or arm used to be a common occurrence for important characters in George Lucas’s Star Wars movies. But the more recent Disney sequels – The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker – don’t follow this pattern at all. None of the main heroes or villains suffer a major limb loss (though Snoke’s injury doesn’t quite fit the pattern).

Disney Introduced Non Skywalker Saga Stories

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As a fan, I always understood that George Lucas saw the core of Star Wars as the story of the Skywalker family. His six films were all about them, and everything else just built around that. When Disney took over, they continued the Skywalker story for a while, but then they started doing something amazing: they proved Star Wars could be incredible even without focusing on the Skywalkers! Projects like Rogue One, Andor, Solo, The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka showed us that the galaxy is huge and full of stories, and it doesn’t need the Skywalkers to be exciting.

Expanding Beyond The Galaxy Far, Far Away

For many years, all the stories in the Star Wars universe took place in a single galaxy. But the 2023 series Ahsoka broke new ground by introducing a completely different galaxy, Peridea. This world is the ancient home of the Nightsisters, powerful Force-wielding witches, and has strong ties to the mysterious Force gods of Mortis.

Challenging The Idea Of “Balance in the Force”

Recent Star Wars stories created during the Disney era have been delving into the idea of a true balance in the Force – meaning not just good triumphing over evil. Concepts like Force dyads – pairings of Force-sensitive individuals – and the necessity of both light and dark sides have been particularly interesting areas to explore.

Deviating From The Hero’s Journey

Disney has been moving away from the classic hero’s journey format and the themes of corruption and redemption that were central to the original Star Wars films about the Skywalker family.

While we still enjoy the grand, sweeping stories that define Star Wars, we’re now seeing projects that are more complex, mature, and explore darker themes. A great example is this year’s Maul: Shadow Lord, which will be the first Star Wars show to focus on a well-known villain as its main character.

2026-02-10 06:02