{"id":905621,"date":"2026-05-14T03:12:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T08:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/14\/i-cannot-divorce-the-two-how-star-wars-is-blending-technology-creativity-and-products-into-the-experience-itself\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T03:12:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T08:12:19","slug":"i-cannot-divorce-the-two-how-star-wars-is-blending-technology-creativity-and-products-into-the-experience-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/14\/i-cannot-divorce-the-two-how-star-wars-is-blending-technology-creativity-and-products-into-the-experience-itself\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI cannot divorce the two\u201d: How Star Wars is blending technology, creativity, and products into the experience itself"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cIt\u2019s like a community, right? And it\u2019s a global community that people really love and identify with.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Bobby Kim, Global Creative Director at Disney Consumer Products, describes Star Wars<\/a> fandom. And it\u2019s a framing that feels especially fitting as another May the 4th<\/a> is behind us and we\u2019re weeks out from a big-screen debut.<\/p>\n

For millions of fans, myself included, it\u2019s not just a set of films. It\u2019s something more of a shared language \u2014 one that extends far beyond the screen into collectibles, toys, robots, video games, and all sorts of media from films and TV shows to books, comics, and shorts.<\/p>\n

Inside Disney, that shift is increasingly shaping how Star Wars comes to life. It\u2019s no longer just about the next movie or series, but rather it\u2019s about how fans engage with the universe in between those major moments \u2014 and often, that starts with products.<\/p>\n

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Over a year into his role at Disney Consumer Products, Kim is still adjusting to the scale. Coming from a background in entrepreneurship and underground culture, he\u2019s used to building within tight communities. At Disney, though, the audience is global, multigenerational, and deeply invested.<\/p>\n

That level of connection, he says, comes with responsibility. Fans don\u2019t just watch Star Wars \u2014 they identify with it. And that changes what a product is supposed to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Star Wars taught folks like me and artists and designers and creatives is how to understand a story not just from the perspective of cinema, but through the perspective of product,\u201d Kim explained shortly after leading a conversation with The Mandalorian and Grogu<\/em><\/a> <\/em>director, co-writer, and producer, Jon Favreau.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a simple idea, but it reframes everything from a product generation discussion to planning for a rollout. For decades, Star Wars has existed beyond the screen through toys, collectibles, and apparel, but nearly 50 years on, these products are becoming the experience itself.<\/p>\n

From action figures to roleplay items, people can get closer and feel a connection to a specific character or legion \u2013 be it Rebel or Imperial \u2013 within the franchise. You don\u2019t need to follow every film or series to feel connected. You can build a Lego Star Wars set<\/a>, collect figures, or display memorabilia and still participate in the world in a meaningful way. Products aren\u2019t just extensions of the story \u2014 they\u2019re one of the main ways fans live with it.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s also why Disney is continuing to emphasize its internal design teams, ensuring that what it creates in-house reflects the same storytelling DNA as the films and shows.<\/p>\n

Technology is pushing that even further, and no better example is Lego Smart Play<\/a>, and the first wave of Star Wars sets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love what Lego is doing. Smart Play is technology within a product that has enchanted collectors for, you know, eons. Literally.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Kim, the key isn\u2019t reinvention \u2014 it\u2019s expansion. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t replace anything, it\u2019s additive to me. And it\u2019s just a new way that you can play with Lego Star Wars sets in a way that we maybe couldn\u2019t have thought of before.\u201d<\/p>\n

That idea of \u201cadditive\u201d design hints at where Star Wars products are heading. They\u2019re becoming more interactive, more flexible, and more open to interpretation \u2014 less like static objects and more like platforms that fans can shape themselves.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a natural evolution for a franchise that has always thrived on participation. From collecting to cosplay to fan builds, Star Wars has long encouraged people to make it their own. Now, the products themselves are starting to reflect that same philosophy.<\/p>\n

And as technology continues to blur the line between physical and digital, that connection is only getting stronger. At the end of April 2026, Hasbro<\/a> showed off a fully electronic Grogu \u2013 one of the most highly detailed and expensive Baby Yoda toys yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot divorce the two: the creative process from technology. It\u2019s always one and the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Disney, that means designing Star Wars as something that lives across formats \u2014 film, yes, but also objects, experiences, and tools for creativity. For fans, especially on May the 4th, it\u2019s a reminder of why the franchise endures. Star Wars isn\u2019t just something you watch.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s something you build, collect, and carry with you.<\/p>\n

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Jacob Krol is the US Managing Editor, News for TechRadar. He\u2019s been writing about technology since he was 14 when he started his own tech blog. Since then Jacob has worked for a plethora of publications including CNN Underscored, TheStreet, Parade, Men\u2019s Journal, Mashable, CNET, and CNBC among others. <\/p>\n

He specializes in covering companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google and going hands-on with mobile devices, smart home gadgets, TVs, and wearables. In his spare time, you can find Jacob listening to Bruce Springsteen, building a Lego set, or binge-watching the latest from Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Elida Grisby<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Image credit: Disney) \u201cIt\u2019s like a community, right? And it\u2019s a global community that people really love and identify with.\u201d That\u2019s how Bobby Kim, Global Creative Director at Disney Consumer Products, describes Star Wars fandom. And it\u2019s a framing that feels especially fitting as another May the 4th is behind us and we\u2019re weeks out<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":905622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25936,26299,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-905621","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cannot","8":"category-divorce","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/905622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}