George Lucas’s galaxy far, far away has always been rife with amazing ancillary stories that sit outside the canonical Star Wars movies. After all, these books, comics, and games were all fans could consume during the 16-year interim between the release of episodes VI and I, then again until the Disney acquisition back in October of 2012. This newly rebooted extended universe, however, is anything but a cash grab, with Star Wars’ most recent animated TV offerings serving to trigger events and plot lines that are now starting to permeate big screen entries.
If you haven’t been watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars or Star Wars Rebels until now, you’ve been missing out. But don’t worry, because a new animated Star Wars series is scheduled to debut later this year, giving you another chance to get involved in the animated universe. Star Wars Resistance is set to take place in between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and here’s why those still invested in Lucasfilm’s upcoming movie slate will want to pay attention.
Where Elements From All Eras Converge
Like or loathe the prequel trilogy, it happened; it’s canon. And so far, the Star Wars extended universe has done a decent job of taking some of the best elements first introduced here (Darth Maul, the clone army, Anakin’s slow descent to the dark side) and even expanding upon them for the better. It’s through The Clone Wars and its sequel series that we get to experience such arcs as Rex, a clone trooper captain that broke free from the emperor’s Order 66 programming, wrestled with the fact that he was bred for war, before going on to fight alongside the rebels at the Battle of Endor. And this is canon!
Both of showrunner Dave Filoni’s existing animated TV shows are full of examples similar to this, where what were thought to have been throwaway concepts and characters are given time to fully develop. Sometimes to such a degree that those who just watch Star Wars movies can even be left scratching their head. Did a certain former Sith’s presence at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story leave you shocked? Not if you’ve been paying close attention elsewhere.
This crossover between all of Star Wars’ greatest era elements is arguably best witnessed during the finale of Rebels season 2. For it was here where fan-favourite characters Darth Vader and Darth Maul got to share the same space. In a two-part special titled “Twilight of the Apprentice“, we got to see our regular cast of rebels fight off evil on two fronts with Jedi protagonists Ezra and Kanan battling Maul — long thought dead, as Clone Wars’ Ahsoka Tano is forced to face her former Jedi master in his Vader guise for the very first time.
It’s through interweaving like this that any casual or committed viewers get to experience the level of grandeur previously only thought present in the movies. Dave Filoni’s genuine appreciation of the franchise, however, means he can have this bleed through even in a much shorter format. Expect great narratives and moments like this to continue in his upcoming Star Wars Resistance.
Documenting Events Leading Up To Episodes VII VIII and IX
When Star Wars exploded back into our lives with the arrival of The Force Awakens, it did so leaving a big time gap. We were left wondering how the First Order were able to rise up from the ashes of the defeated Empire, why Luke Skywalker sought to retire after becoming a Jedi master, and how the Rebellion crumbled away until the Resistance was all that remained.
A sprinkling of these stories have been told mainly in books and comics until now, but it’s this period that will act as the main thrust to Star Wars Resistance. We’ll get to experience it through the eyes of an entirely new character known as Kazuda Xiono, who Dave Filoni describe as “a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order.” This makes it seem like a safe bet that we’ll get to witness this period from the viewpoint of both factions. Exciting considering the new trilogy’s tendency to show the dark side as evil and vice versa.
Given how closely linked Rebels was to The Clone Wars, don’t be too surprised if you see threads originally spun in those shows iterated upon in the new series. Characters like Ezra, Hera, and Zeb are all rebels capable of surviving the events of Return of the Jedi, and their wisdom is sure to come in handy during the early days of the Resistance. People we know we’ll be bumping into include Poe Dameron – expected considering the show’s emphasis on pilots – alongside the underutilised Captain Phasma.
Big Screen Talent on the Small Screen
Giving Star Wars Resistance some cachet is the fact that both Dameron and Phasma will be voiced by original live-action actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, respectively. This isn’t the first time original stars have returned to their characters for TV. Billy Dee Williams, Ian McDiarmid, and even James Earl Jones have lent voicework previously, but this willingness to avoid recasting proves that Star Wars Resistance won’t feel any less authentic than the cinematic episodes.
Captain Phasma’s inclusion is where the real excitement stems from here. It’s currently unknown if the stormtrooper captain will return after her apparent demise at the hands of Finn in The Last Jedi, so Star Wars Resistance is the perfect opportunity to expand the background of the character. We’ve been told she’s a forceful presence, but unlike Poe who’s been graced with enough time to shine in episodes VI and VIII, Phasma has often felt like an afterthought. With any luck, Star Wars Resistance will change this and let us appreciate the “tough veteran commander” schtick.
Given the popularity of Dave Filoni’s past animated Star Wars shows and what we know about Star Wars Resistance so far, the stars are seemingly aligned to make Kazuda Xiono’s tale one worth watching. How else will anyone be able to fully appreciate the subtle callbacks present in the main saga going forward?
Star Wars Resistance debuts on Disney XD this autumn.