When Lucasfilm dropped the first volume of Star Wars: Visions, it was like walking from a black-and-white world into full-blown technicolor. Star Wars and animation already had a storied history. But this time, by embracing all these different cultures and animation houses, Visions showed fans the true scope of what Star Wars could be beyond the main shows and movies. That has since continued over two more Visions anthologies, with a few of the more popular stories even getting sequels.
But now, one of those stories has broken out. After two shorts during Visions, Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi is its own standalone limited series. It debuts on August 5 and runs for eight half-hour episodes. At an Anime Expo panel, Lucasfilm unveiled its first full trailer, and here it is.
So yes, if you watched “The Ninth Jedi” and “Child of Hope” and were desperate more on these characters, this story, world, and mythology, you’re in luck. It’s all happening.
Here’s how Lucasfilm described this whole thing. “Part of an all-new Star Wars: Visions Presents banner, which will be used to tell longer-form Star Wars: Visions stories, the limited series picks up not long after the events of the Visions shorts: ‘The Ninth Jedi’ and ‘The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope.’ In the new series, Lah Kara continues to train in the ways of the Jedi under Margrave Juro. Kara goes on an epic journey of self-discovery as she and Juro’s small fellowship of Jedi-in-training embark on a quest to save her father.”
Two things jump out to us from that official description. One is that the Star Wars: Visions banner will be used to tell more long-form stories in this manner. So The Ninth Jedi is just the beginning. But, more than that, Visions allows its creative team (which includes supervising director Kenji Kamiyama, director Shunsuke Tada, and producer Hitoshi Ito) to tell stories Star Wars filmmakers would never, ever be allowed to do.
Think about what we just got in The Mandalorian and Grogu. A fun Star Wars adventure, sure, but nothing to do with some of the things that make Star Wars so great—Jedi, Sith, the Force, and lightsabers. The Ninth Jedi is all about that and more. So we think, based on this trailer, the show has the potential to really give Star Wars craving that deep lore something to celebrate.
Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi debuts on Disney+ August 5. What did you think of the trailer?
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