Star Wars: Visions

Star Wars: Visions
Title card for Season 1
Genre	Action-adventure Anthology Science fiction Space opera
Based on	Star Wars by George Lucas
Country of origin	United States
Original languages	Japanese English Korean
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	18
Production
Executive producers	Jacqui Lopez James Waugh Josh Rimes Justin Leach
Producer	Kanako Shirasaki
Animator	Various (see below)
Running time	13–22 minutes
Production company	Lucasfilm
Original release
Network	Disney+
Release	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22) – present (present)

Star Wars: Visions is an animated anthology series created for the American streaming service Disney+. Produced by Lucasfilm, the series consists of original animated short films set in, or inspired by, the Star Wars universe, with each episode being a self-contained narrative produced by a non-American studio.

The first volume of nine anime short films were produced by seven Japanese animation studios: Kamikaze Douga, Studio Colorido, Geno Studio, Kinema Citrus, Production I.G, Trigger, and Science SARU, with the latter two creating two shorts each. The second volume expanded the show's reach to various studios across the globe, featuring shorts from animation studios El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D'art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa/Ireland). The creators at each studio are given free rein to re-envision the ideas of Star Wars as they see fit, while receiving guidance from Lucasfilm's executive team; further, D'art Shtajio's short was co-produced by Lucasfilm.

The first volume was released on September 22, 2021, while the second was released on May 4, 2023. Both volumes have received critical acclaim.

Premise

Star Wars: Visions is a collection of animated short films presented "through the lens of the world's best anime creators" in the first volume that offers a new, diverse perspective on Star Wars. Created outside of the constraints of the franchise's traditional canon, the films provide creative freedom to each director and production studio, while maintaining fidelity to the themes and emotional identity of the Star Wars saga. Additional volumes feature animation styles from various companies around the world.

Episodes

Volume	Episodes		Originally released
1	9		September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
2	9		May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)

Volume 1 (2021)

No. overall	No. in volume	Title	Directed by	Written by	Animated by	Original release date
1	1	"The Duel" Transliteration: "Dyueru" (Japanese: デュエル)	Takanobu Mizuno	Takashi Okazaki	Kamikaze Douga	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
Set in an alternate history, 20 years after a war between the Feudal-Jedi Empire and a renegade Jedi sect called the Sith, a lone wanderer known only as the "Ronin" witnesses a legion of former stormtroopers attempt to besiege a small village. The Ronin fights the leader of the bandits, a self-declared Dark Lord of the Sith armed with a heavily-modified lightsaber while his droid saves the villagers; the Ronin, actually a former Sith himself, lures the bandit leader into a trap and kills her. The Ronin, shown to be collecting red kyber crystals from each Sith he has killed, decides to give the leader's crystal to the villagers, citing that it can ward off evil. Cast : Ronin (Japanese: Masaki Terasoma; English: Brian Tee), Bandit Leader / Kouru (Japanese: Akeno Watanabe; English: Lucy Liu), Village Chief (Japanese: Yūko Sanpei; English: Jaden Waldman)
2	2	"Tatooine Rhapsody" Transliteration: "Tatuīn Rapusodi" (Japanese: タトゥイーン・ラプソディ)	Taku Kimura	Yasumi Atarashi	Studio Colorido	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
During the Clone Wars, a Jedi Padawan named Jay attempts to escape from the war, only to stumble upon a Hutt named Gee. Gee offers to take Jay in if he becomes the lead singer of Gee's rock band, Star Waver, and Jay accepts. Years later, during the reign of the Galactic Empire, the members of Star Waver are hunted by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Fett eventually captures Gee and reveals that Gee's relative, Jabba the Hutt, wishes to execute him due to Gee not wanting to be a part of his family's crime syndicate. Jay inspires the other members of Star Waver to go to Tatooine and attempt to save Gee; they manage to convince Jabba to let them play one more song together before Gee's execution. The song is loved by the execution's audience, and Jabba ultimately spares Gee and becomes the band's first sponsor. Cast : Jay (Japanese: Hiroyuki Yoshino; English: Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Geezer (Japanese: Kōsuke Gotō; English: Bobby Moynihan), Boba Fett (Japanese: Akio Kaneda; English: Temuera Morrison), K-344 (Japanese: Masayo Fujita; English: Shelby Young), Lan (Japanese: Anri Katsu; English: Marc Thompson)
3	3	"The Twins" Transliteration: "Tsuinzu" (Japanese: ツインズ)	Hiroyuki Imaishi	Hiromi Wakabayashi	Studio Trigger	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
In the aftermath of the Battle of Exegol, the remnants of the First Order and Sith Eternal begin the construction of two conjoined Star Destroyers that house a large superlaser capable of destroying planets. Using Sith alchemy, they are also able to create two Force-sensitive biological twins named Karre and Am, who they then train in the dark side of the Force. The twins eventually become the leaders of the remnant and plan to use their superweapon to destroy the New Republic. However, Karre goes rogue on the day the weapon is supposed to be fired due to him having a vision of the future involving his sister's death; he also steals the large kyber crystal that powers the superweapon. Am confronts Karre outside of the Star Destroyers in outer space and they duel. During the battle, the crystal is split in half and Am uses a piece to power a metal exoskeleton, despite Karre's warning that he has foreseen this causing her death. Using his X-wing and the power of hyperspace, Karre is able to destroy Am's sliver of the crystal and the superlaser; he crash-lands on Tatooine and vows to rescue his sister from the dark side. Cast : Karre (Japanese: Junya Enoki; English: Neil Patrick Harris), Am (Japanese: Ryoko Shiraishi; English: Alison Brie), B-20N (Japanese: Tokuyoshi Kawashima; English: Jonathan Lipow)
4	4	"The Village Bride" Transliteration: "Mura no Hanayome" (Japanese: 村の花嫁)	Hitoshi Haga	Takahito Oonishi & Hitoshi Haga	Kinema Citrus	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
Years after the Great Jedi Purge, a former Jedi Padawan named F is drawn to a remote planet by an explorer named Valco. Valco explains that bandit raiders have reprogrammed old Separatist battle droids and are holding a village hostage; the village chief's granddaughter Haru and her fiancé Asu intend to surrender to the bandits as collateral the following morning, while Haru's sister Saku wants to fight the bandits. The next morning as Haru is led to the arriving bandits, F removes her mask and cuts her padawan braid. The bandits reveal they have captured Saku and attempt to execute her, but F and Valco intervene and defeat the bandits as F declares herself a Jedi. F then departs the planet. Cast : F (Japanese: Asami Seto; English: Karen Fukuhara), Haru (Japanese: Megumi Han; English: Nichole Sakura), Asu (Japanese: Yuma Uchida; English: Christopher Sean), Valco (Japanese: Takaya Kamikawa; English: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), Izuma (Japanese: Yoshimitsu Shimoyama; English: Andrew Kishino), Saku (Japanese: Mariya Ise; English: Stephanie Sheh)
5	5	"The Ninth Jedi" Transliteration: "Kyūninme no Jedai" (Japanese: 九人目のジェダイ)	Kenji Kamiyama	Kenji Kamiyama	Production I.G	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
Many generations after the Jedi Order became mostly extinct, Margrave Juro invites seven Jedi to his aerial temple to receive lightsabers, whose design has been lost to time. Juro's droid gifts a lightsaber to one of the Jedi, Ethan, and promises that the others will arrive shortly. On the planet Hy Izlan below, the sabersmith Lah Zhima finishes constructing the remaining lightsabers – including one for his Force-sensitive daughter, Kara – before being captured by hunters working for the Sith. Kara finds transportation to the temple and presents the lightsabers to the other six Jedi, who reveal themselves as Sith imposters intending to kill Juro and any surviving Jedi. Juro's droid reveals himself to be Juro in disguise, and he assists Kara and Ethan in killing five of the Sith; the last remaining Sith, Homen, is spared as he returns to the light side, having been a Jedi survivor who was corrupted by the imposters' influence. Ethan, Kara, and Homen join Juro's new Jedi Order and prepare to rescue Lah Zhima, who is being held on a Sith-controlled planet. Cast : Lah Kara (Japanese: Chinatsu Akasaki; English: Kimiko Glenn), Margrave Juro (Japanese: Tetsuo Kanao; English: Andrew Kishino), Homen (Japanese: Hinata Tadokoro; English: Patrick Seitz), Lah Zhima (Japanese: Shin-ichiro Miki; English: Simu Liu), Ethan (Japanese: Hiromu Mineta; English: Masi Oka), Roden (Japanese: Kazuya Nakai; English: Greg Chun), Niizo (Japanese: Rina Satō; English: Eva Kaminsky), Narrator (Japanese: Akio Ōtsuka; English: Neil Kaplan), Hen Jin (Japanese: Daisuke Hirakawa; English: Michael Sinterniklaas), Hanbei (Japanese: Jin Urayama; English: Adam Sietz), Toguro (Japanese: Ryota Takeuchi; English: Kyle McCarley)
6	6	"T0-B1" (Japanese: T0-B1)	Abel Góngora	Yuichiro Kido	Science SARU	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
Shortly after the Great Jedi Purge, a droid named T0-B1 (Tobi) lives on a deserted planet with his armless creator Professor Mitaka, and dreams of becoming a Jedi Knight. One day, Mitaka tells him that in order to become a Jedi, he must find a kyber crystal so he can forge a lightsaber. T0-B1 scours the planet, but finds nothing. He defies Mitaka's orders to never enter his basement, discovers a starship, and accidentally sends a signal that alerts a Sith Inquisitor to their presence. Mitaka reveals himself to be a former Jedi and hides both T0-B1 and his old lightsaber hilt. When T0-B1 leaves his hiding spot, he discovers that the Inquisitor has ransacked Mitaka's lab and killed him. T0-B1 continues his research and successfully terraforms the planet, but is confronted by the Inquisitor. Upon fixing Mitaka's lightsaber, T0-B1 is revealed to be powered by a kyber crystal and designed by Mitaka to be able to wield the Force, and igniting the lightsaber, kills the Inquisitor in a duel. He then departs the planet to explore the galaxy and uphold Mitaka's legacy. Cast : T0-B1 (Japanese: Masako Nozawa; English: Jaden Waldman), Mitaka (Japanese: Tsutomu Isobe; English: Kyle Chandler)
7	7	"The Elder" Transliteration: "Erudā" (Japanese: エルダー)	Masahiko Otsuka	Masahiko Otsuka	Studio Trigger	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
Centuries after the death of Darth Bane and the initial extinction of the Sith, Tajin and his Padawan Dan are sent to explore the Outer Rim when Tajin senses a disturbance in the force. They land on an isolated planet and arrive at a remote village, where they learn of a mysterious elder man who hiked onto the mountaintop. Dan follows the Elder's trail and meets the man, who reveals himself to be a former Sith who left the order before it fell apart. The Elder wounds Dan, and Tajin arrives to fight the Elder. Tajin narrowly manages to kill the Elder, who decomposes into a rocky sediment and detonates an explosion that destroys his ship as he dies. As they leave the village upon Dan's recovery, Tajin tells Dan that being a Jedi means being kindhearted so they do not end up like the Elder. Cast : Tajin Crosser (Japanese: Takaya Hashi; English: David Harbour), The Elder (Japanese: Kenichi Ogata; English: James Hong), Dan G'vash (Japanese: Yuichi Nakamura; English: Jordan Fisher)
8	8	"Lop and Ochō" Transliteration: "Norausa Roppu to Hizakura Ochō" (Japanese: のらうさロップと緋桜お蝶)	Yuki Igarashi	Sayawaka	Geno Studio	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
During the reign of the Empire, a rabbit-like alien slave named Lop escapes her captors on the planet Tau and is discovered by the planet's clan leader Yasaburo and his daughter Ochō, the latter of whom convinces the former to adopt Lop as his daughter. Seven years later, the Empire has occupied their planet and is exploiting it for its natural resources; Yasaburo wants to drive the Empire off their planet, while Ochō wants to cooperate with the Empire. After failing to convince Yasaburo to join her, Ochō enlists in the Imperial navy despite Lop's protests. With Ochō gone, Yasaburo passes down the family treasure, an ancient lightsaber given to their ancestor and passed down the generations, to the Force-sensitive Lop, and departs to confront Ochō. Ochō blinds Yasaburo in a fight, but Lop arrives and injures Ochō, who is forced to flee. Lop then vows to return Ochō home. Cast : Lop (Japanese: Seiran Kobayashi; English: Anna Cathcart), Ochō (Japanese: Risa Shimizu; English: Hiromi Dames), Yasaburo (Japanese: Tadahisa Fujimura; English: Paul Nakauchi), Imperial Officer (Japanese: Taisuke Nakano; English: Kyle McCarley)
9	9	"Akakiri" (Japanese: 赤霧)	Eunyoung Choi	Yuichiro Kido	Science SARU	September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
Prior to the initial extinction of the Sith, a Jedi named Tsubaki, who has been suffering from visions of an unidentified individual dying in front of him, reunites with his old love Misa, a princess who has been overthrown by her dark-side-wielding aunt Masago. With the aid of guides Senshuu and Kamahachi, Tsubaki and Misa make their way to the royal palace. Masago captures Tsubaki's friends and overpowers him, then attempts to convince him to join her as her apprentice. When Tsubaki refuses, Masago's masked henchmen attack him; Tsubaki kills them, but also accidentally kills Misa dressed in their uniform, just as he had foreseen. Completely broken, Tsubaki agrees to join Masago, forming a dyad to resurrect Misa, and departs. Cast : Tsubaki (Japanese: Yū Miyazaki; English: Henry Golding), Misa (Japanese: Lynn; English: Jamie Chung), Senshuu (Japanese: Chō; English: George Takei), Kamahachi (Japanese: Wataru Takagi; English: Keone Young), Masago (Japanese: Yukari Nozawa; English: Lorraine Toussaint)

Volume 2 (2023)

No. overall	No. in volume	Title	Directed by	Written by	Animated by	Original release date
10	1	"Sith"	Rodrigo Blaas	Rodrigo Blaas	El Guiri	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
As the Sith remain in hiding during the reign of the High Republic, Lola, a former Sith apprentice, lives in solitude on a desolate planet with her droid E2 and is trying to channel the Force into painting her base. However, despite her efforts, the paint keeps forming dark smudges that don't go away. While investigating a droid that crashed on the planet, she is suddenly visited by her former Sith Master who chases her down to her base with two droids and forces her to fight him. Inside, he insists that she is to become the new Sith Master by killing him, enforcing the Rule of Two. Lola comes to the realization that she needs to accept both light and dark halves and promptly kills the Sith Master when her double-edged lightsaber produces one yellow and one red blade, with him telling her "You are the Sith Master now." before crumbling to dust. Now in control of her own destiny, calling herself simply "the Master", Lola finishes the painting and leaves the planet with E2. Cast : Lola (Úrsula Corberó), Sith Master (Luis Tosar)
11	2	"Screecher's Reach"	Paul Young	Will Collins & Jason Tammemägi	Cartoon Saloon	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
Prior to the initial extinction of the Sith, a young girl named Daal works in a sweat shop with her friends Baython, Quinn, and Keena. Tired of living there, Daal convinces her friends to head out to Screecher's Reach, a remote cave, with her by stealing some land speed vehicles. The cave is rumored to hold a ghost within its walls, and the friends are eager to find it. Throughout the journey, Daal is motivated by an unusual necklace she carries. They find the cave and run into the Ghost, who turns out to be an elderly Sith apprentice woman that has been trapped inside. Daal has her friends run away, then using the force, she crushes the Ghost with a boulder and then finishes her off with her own lightsaber. After Daal escapes the cave, the necklace is revealed to be a communicator to a Sith Lord called the Sith Mother, who had given Daal the task to finish off her own apprentice and take her place by the Mother's side in exchange for refuge from the sweat shop. Despite Daal's efforts, the Sith Mother refuses to also take her friends, leaving them feeling betrayed. As Daal reluctantly leaves, she looks back at her friends one last time. Cast : Daal (Eva Whittaker), Baython (Alex Connolly), Quinn (Noah Rafferty), Keena (Molly McCann), Sith Mother (Anjelica Huston), Ghost (Niamh Moyles)
12	3	"In the Stars"	Gabriel Osorio	Gabriel Osorio	Punkrobot	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
During the reign of the Empire, two sisters, Koten and Tichina, are the last of their kind after the Empire conquered their planet and committed genocide on their species. Their mother, a Force-sensitive, led a failed rebellion against the Empire, who have created a factory that took their clean water; she was killed in the resulting conflict, and the factory has since caused severe light pollution as well as water pollution for the sea. While Tichina is convinced that they can defeat them with the Force, the elder and jaded Koten is solely focused on keeping them both alive. After they run out of water, Koten is forced to sneak into the factory to take water from the factory's water purifiers. However, Tichina follows her inside and gets spotted by the Stormtroopers. Exposed, Koten and Tichina attempt to flee, but Tichina runs back inside, intending to destroy the primary water tank with the Force and with it the base. Subsequently caught, she is nearly executed, but Koten awakens her own Force abilities to save her sister and together, they destroy the factory and flood everyone within. As the sisters happily embrace, they see that life is returning to the planet and their mother, who they believe is a star, looks down on them. Cast : Koten (Valentina Muhr), Tichina (Julia Oviedo), Officer (Kate Dickie), Officer (Amparo Noguera)
13	4	"I Am Your Mother"	Magdalena Osinska	Story by : Magdalena Osinsaka Teleplay by : Holly Walsh & Barunka O'Shaughnessy	Aardman	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
Some years after the defeat of the Empire, Wedge Antilles has formed a Flight Academy for new pilots. One of the cadets, a Twi'lek named Anni Kalfus, was inspired to become a pilot by her single mother Kalina but has since come to find her coddling and embarrassing; consequently, she neglects to tell her about a starship racing event from the Flight Academy where families compete against each other. Anni is also picked on by fellow student Julan Van Reeple, whose mother Dorota, pilots a much more sophisticated ship. When Kalina suddenly shows up to return Anni's lunch, she learns of the race and is egged on by the Van Reeples when they insult her ship. During the race, Anni admits to her mother that she embarrasses her, but she takes in stride and has her win the race for them, defeating the Van Reeples. Anni apologizes for what she said, but Kalina tells her that embarrassing her is what moms do best. Cast : Kalina Kalfus (Maxine Peake), Annisoukaline "Anni" Kalfus (Charithra Chandran), Dorota Van Reeple (Daisy Haggard), Julan Van Reeple (Bebe Cave), Wedge Antilles (Denis Lawson), the robot cooker from the Wallace and Gromit short A Grand Day Out appears as a background character
14	5	"Journey to the Dark Head"	Hyeong Geun Park	Chung Se Rang	Studio Mir	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
During the initial war between the Jedi and Sith, an adolescent monk named Ara believes that the statues on her home planet, whose stones around its base have foretelling abilities, control both light and dark, as one is lit in blue light and the other in red. She resolves to destroy the dark head in the belief it can turn the tide of the war. Years later, Ara, now a teenage mechanic, requests the Jedi Council for a bodyguard on her quest; they assign a young Padawan named Toul to the task. Toul has recently lost his Master at the hands of a sadistic Sith Lord, Bichan, leaving him traumatized and in constant fear. The two of them collect supplies and head to the planet where Bichan chases them. They make it to the statues, but Ara realizes that both light and dark evenly flow between them, making it impossible to destroy. Toul overcomes his fear and with Ara's help manages to kill Bichan. The two of them decide to continue journeying together. Cast : Ara (Korean: Jang Ye Na; English: Ashley Park), Toul (Korean: Lee Kyung Tae; English Eugene Lee Yang), Bichan (Korean: Yun Yong Sik; English: Daniel Dae Kim), Interpreter (Korean: Chwang Kwang; English: Albert Kong), Master Leesagum and Shopkeeper (Korean: Shin Young Woo; English: Greg Chun), Training Partner (Korean: Lim Chae Hon; English: Greg Chun), Master Duta (Korean: Choi Soo Min; English: Jonella Landry), Master Moru (Korean: Lee So Young; English: Judy Alice Lee)
15	6	"The Spy Dancer"	Julien Chheng	Julien Chheng	Studio La Cachette	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
Around twenty years after the formation of the Empire, a group of aliens with heterochromia and small horns run a high class club which is frequented by stormtroopers. It is revealed that the club's primary dancer, Loi'e, leads a faction of the Rebel Alliance that consists of the rest of her staff, and she places trackers on the stormtroopers' armor during her dance performances. One night, she spots a familiar looking officer and in flashback it is revealed that, twenty years prior, her infant child was taken from her by the supposed officer. Against her allies' wishes, she plans to kill the officer, only to realize that it is her child now fully grown and integrated into the Empire. As her group battles through the soldiers and the officer's KX-series droid, Loi'e takes the officer to the roof and offers proof that he is indeed her child, leaving him confused. The club's maitre'd, Hétis, helps Loi'e escape. Loi'e reveals that she left him a holo-device of him as an infant, which itself has a tracker on it. The officer views the hologram, and uncovers his severed horns. Cast : Loi'e (Camille Cottin), Jon (Lambert Wilson), Hétis (Kaycie Chase), The Officer (Rudi-James Jephcott), Mee'ma (Barbara Weber-Scaff), Additional voices (Bruce Edward Sheffield), Additional voices (Taylor Gasman)
16	7	"The Bandits of Golak"	Ishan Shukla	Ishan Shukla	88 Pictures	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
During the Galactic Civil War, Charuk and Rani are siblings that were forced to flee their home and are headed to the city of Golak for refuge. Rani is being targeted because she is Force-sensitive which Charuk desperately tries to hide and are nearly caught when on the train ride to Golak, only to be saved when a Rebel group called the Jangoris attack the Stormtrooper-guarded train. They eventually make it to a small oasis setting run by an elderly woman named Rugal, but an Inquisitor arrives, knowing of Rani and the incident on the train. After tricking the siblings into exposing themselves, the Inquisitor attempts to kill them, but Rugal - revealed to be an Order 66-surviving Jedi - evacuates the area with her powers and slits the Inquisitor's throat. Afterwards, Rugal tells Rani that she must come with her through a tunnel to keep her hidden with other Force-sensitives, but leave Charuk behind. The siblings have a tearful parting with Charuk giving Rani a jalebi-shaped lollipop and Rani giving Charuk their father's flute to remember her by. Cast : Charuk (Suraj Sharma), Rani (Sonal Kaushal), Inquisitor (Neeraj Kabi), Rugal (Lillete Dubey), Maghadi and Scavenger (Sahil Vaid), Conductor, Jangori Leader, and Dhoona (Sumanto Ray), Helper (Rajeev Raj), Stormtrooper (Aviral Kumar), Stormtrooper and Alien (Ish Thakkar), Stormtrooper and Alien (Additya Sharma), Crowd (Shivani Darbari)
17	8	"The Pit"	LeAndre Thomas and Justin Ridge	LeAndre Thomas	D'Art Shtajio and Lucasfilm	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
Just after the Empire is conquered, a large group of Imperial slaves are forced to dig a giant pit in the middle of the desert for kyber crystals, which the Stormtroopers use to build a nearby city. After years of digging, they hit the bottom, only for the Stormtroopers to completely abandon them in the deep pit. One of them, Crux, tells his daughter Livy that he will escape the pit and ask help from a nearby city. He successfully does so and manages to get the attention of the citizens of the clean futuristic city, but Stormtroopers stun him and drag him back to the pit, tossing him to his death. Livy inspires everyone in the pit to chant "follow the light", which echoes to the people of the city. They overpower the stormtroopers and rescue the people from the pit. As they leave, Livy is revealed to have kept a kyber crystal which responds to her touch, revealing she is Force-sensitive. Cast : Crux (Daveed Diggs), Eureka (Anika Noni Rose), Livy (Jordyn Curet), Old Prisoner (Cedric Yarbrough), Commander (Steven Blum), Stormtroopers (Matthew Wood)
18	9	"Aau's Song"	Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke	Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke	Triggerfish	May 4, 2023 (2023-05-04)
Not long after the initial extinction of the Sith, the people of the mountain planet Korba are helping the Jedi purify the kyber crystals, which have been bled by the Sith. A young native girl named Aau seems to have an unusual effect on the crystals when she sings. Her father, Abat, is trying to help a Jedi named Kratu with finding a way to heal the crystals, but warns Aau that her singing is dangerous. While Abat is in the mines, Aau discovers another cave entrance with crystals and begins to sing, only for Abat to interrupt her, causing the caves to react violently. Kratu attempts to save them, but Aau realizes what she must do and sings again, which manages to finally purify the crystals. Kratu reveals that Aau must come with her to fulfill her destiny as she and Abat have a tearful goodbye. Cast : Aau (Mpilo Jantjie), Aau's Singing (Dineo Du Toit), Abat (Tumisho Masha), Kratu (Cynthia Erivo), Attu (Faith Baloyi)

Production

Development

Development of the Star Wars: Visions project began when James Waugh, vice president of franchise content at Lucasfilm, pitched the idea to Kathleen Kennedy at the beginning of 2020. To facilitate the international production, Lucasfilm collaborated with independent producer Justin Leach and his company Qubic Pictures, which helped facilitate the discussions between the US-based executives and Japanese studios; this became particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when planned in-person collaborative meetings had to be canceled. Production of the shorts took place in Japan throughout 2020 and 2021.

On December 10, 2020, it was announced that Star Wars: Visions was an anime anthology series of ten short films by different creators set in the Star Wars universe. It was previewed by producer Kanako Shirasaki and the executive producers at Anime Expo Lite in July 2021. At the event, it was revealed that the number of episodes had decreased from ten to nine, due to The Ninth Jedi originally starting development as two films, but was eventually combined into one film. The animation studios creating shorts for the first volume are Kamikaze Douga, Studio Colorido, Geno Studio, Trigger, Kinema Citrus, Production I.G, and Science SARU.

A second season of Visions was announced at Star Wars Celebration in May 2022, to include shorts from studios based in Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Chile, France, South Africa, South Korea and the United States. Waugh described the second volume as "a celebration of the incredible animation happening all around the globe". The animation studios for the second volume are (along with Lucasfilm) D'Art Shtaijo, El Guiri, Cartoon Saloon, Punkrobot, Aardman, Studio Mir, Studio La Cachette, 88 Pictures, and Triggerfish. The second volume was released on May 4, 2023.

Writing

We really wanted to give these creators a wide creative berth to explore all the imaginative potential of the Star Wars galaxy through the unique lens of anime. We realized we wanted these to be as authentic as possible to the studios and creators who are making them, made through their unique process, in a medium they're such experts at. So the idea was, this is their vision riffing off all the elements of the Star Wars galaxy that inspired them — hopefully to make a really incredible anthology series, unlike anything we’ve seen before in the Star Wars galaxy.

—James Waugh on the creative freedom for Visions.

Star Wars: Visions's stories were not required to adhere to the established Star Wars timeline. The story of The Duel was specifically billed as "an alternate history pulled from Japanese lore". Lop and Ochō is set during the reign of the Galactic Empire between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The Elder is set "sometime before" The Phantom Menace while The Twins involves "remnants of the Imperial Army" after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. The Ninth Jedi explores "what became of the Jedi Knights" after The Rise of Skywalker; director Kenji Kamiyama was particularly focused on wanting to use "the original lightsaber sounds" that are known to children throughout the world. For T0-B1, director Abel Góngora sought to combine visual and narrative elements of the classic trilogy with those of classic anime by drawing parallels between the anime and manga of the 1960s, and the cinema tradition of the late 1970s. In planning her film Akakiri, director Eunyoung Choi noted that "creating visuals that combined both the fairy tale-style lessons of Star Wars with the advanced technology found in this universe... was particularly important."

Music

In July 2021, it was revealed that Kevin Penkin would be composing the score for The Village Bride, and Michiru Ōshima will be composing for The Twins and The Elder, while Yoshiaka Dewa composed the score for Lop and Ochō and Tatooine Rhapsody, Keiji Inai to compose the score for The Duel, A-bee and Keiichiro Shibuya compose the score for T0-B1, U-zhaan compose the score for Akakiri, and Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi will be composing the score for The Ninth Jedi. Soundtracks for each film were released digitally on October 15, 2021.

Track listings

All music is composed by Keiji Inai

Star Wars: Visions – The Duel (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Ronin's Theme"	3:47
2.	"SIgn of deaTH"	1:52
3.	"The Duel"	3:48
4.	"May The Force Be With You"	2:01

All music is composed by Yoshiaki Dewa

Star Wars: Visions – Tatooine Rhapsody (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Order 66"	0:36
2.	"Galactic Dreamer"	2:04
3.	"Star Waver"	0:53
4.	"Boba Fett Chase"	0:34
5.	"Encounter"	0:38
6.	"Mos Espa Grand Aren"	1:21
7.	"Tatooine Rhapsody"	1:18
8.	"Galactic Dreamer (Instrumental)"	2:04

All music is composed by Michiru Oshima

Star Wars: Visions – The Twins (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Twin Star Destroyer"	1:37
2.	"Anthem of Imperial (Am's Theme)"	2:01
3.	"Warning Issuance"	0:29
4.	"Passage Through"	0:37
5.	"The Battle of Hangar Bay"	2:44
6.	"The Kyber Crystal"	1:17
7.	"Force-sensitive"	1:06
8.	"The Fate of Dark Side"	1:26
9.	"Duel of the Lightsaber"	1:09
10.	"Out of Control"	0:44
11.	"Choose Your Own Destiny (Karre's Theme)"	1:22
12.	"THE TWINS"	1:36

All music is composed by Kevin Penkin

Star Wars: Visions – The Village Bride (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Village Bride"	4:32
2.	"CHIKYU"	0:45
3.	"A Desert of Two Sons"	1:19
4.	"Bue, Pluck & Bow"	3:05
5.	"IZUMA"	1:18
6.	"A Flock of X-Wings Descend Into a Mountain's Garden"	2:16
7.	"Requiem for Blasters"	1:22
8.	"MAGINA x FORCE"	2:22
9.	"Postlude"	0:58
10.	"Composer Diaries: Children of Magina"	6:37

All music is composed by Nobuko Toda & Kazuma Jinnouchi

Star Wars: Visions – The Ninth Jedi (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Ninth Jedi - Prologue"	2:08
2.	"Seven Masterless Jedi"	2:31
3.	"Kara and Father"	3:48
4.	"Jedi Hunter"	0:59
5.	"Lightsaber"	1:14
6.	"Speederbike Chase"	1:31
7.	"Sendo-shi"	1:15
8.	"To the Aerial Temple"	0:45
9.	"The Battle of Jedi"	5:48

All music is composed by A-Bee & Keiichiro Shibuya

Star Wars: Visions – T0-B1 (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Start the Droids"	1:53
2.	"Dreaming"	0:46
3.	"Mitaka's Lab"	2:52
4.	"Adventure"	2:29
5.	"Electronic Force"	1:52
6.	"E-J-K (Electronic Jedi Knight)"	3:24

All music is composed by Michiru Oshima

Star Wars: Visions – The Elder (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Arrival"	0:37
2.	"The Contacts of the Heart"	0:38
3.	"Explore"	0:46
4.	"The Elder"	0:56
5.	"Darkness and Rain"	1:04
6.	"Fight"	0:38
7.	"The Winner"	0:21
8.	"Time Goes On"	0:42

All music is composed by Yoshiaki Dewa

Star Wars: Visions – Lop and Ochō (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Empire"	0:47
2.	"Lop"	2:26
3.	"For MY Family"	3:17
4.	"Imperial Officer"	1:52
5.	"Ochō's Preparedness"	0:42
6.	"Succession Ceremony"	4:01
7.	"Thoughts"	4:19
8.	"FAMILY"	0:31

All music is composed by U-Zhaan

Star Wars: Visions – Akakiri (Original Soundtrack)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Battle Rela"	1:13
2.	"Cameling - Shinobi Theka"	1:14
3.	"Float"	0:42
4.	"Anokoro"	0:52
5.	"Battle Rela (Reprise)"	1:21
6.	"Fall"	0:32
7.	"AKAKIRI"	1:06
8.	"Written Dream"	0:27

Release

Star Wars: Visions was released on September 22, 2021, on Disney+. From September 21 to 27, Disney screened The Village Bride along with movies playing at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. By November, the studio had submitted the film for consideration for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The second volume of shorts was released on May 4, 2023.

Reception

Audience viewership

According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, Star Wars: Visions was the 3rd most anticipated new television series of September 2021. According to Whip Media, Star Wars: Visions was the 5th most streamed original television series in the United States, during the week of September 26, 2021.

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.20/10, based on 50 reviews for the first season. The site's critical consensus reads, "Gorgeously animated and wildly creative, Visions is an eclectic, but wholly enjoyable collection of Star Wars stories that breathe new life into the galaxy." The second season has received a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 9/10 based on 18 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Animated with all the vibrancy of a crackling lightsaber, Star Wars: Visions' second volume is the work of Jedi Masters." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter praised the anthology for "a love of Star Wars that runs so deep it's bound to make new fans of the young and uninitiated, and remind old fans why they fell so hard for this universe in the first place," and highlighted The Duel and T0-B1 as particularly strong installments. Tyler Hersko of IndieWire hailed the anthology as "one of, if not the best, titles - television, film, or otherwise - to come out of the franchise's era under Disney ownership," calling it "beautifully animated and smartly written" with "phenomenal" action scenes. Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote that the individual films "play like auditions for continuing series rather than organic wholes," while calling The Duel, T0-B1, Lop & Ocho, and Akakiri the most interesting and exciting films, and noting the "handcrafted beauty" and "visual variety" of an anthology which achieves "both cross-cultural collaboration and mutual homage." Writing for CNN, Brian Lowry called the shorts "striking" and noted that "Star Wars: Visions does indeed present unique and intriguing visions, indicating there's plenty of room to experiment."

Jake Kleinman of Inverse called Star Wars: Visions "a revelation" and "Lucasfilm's best new story since the original trilogy," and highlighted The Twins as the project's best film. Writing for The A.V. Club, Juan Barquin praised the anthology for sparking "a kind of endless wonder" and rekindling "a child-like fascination with Star Wars", while highlighting T0-B1, The Twins, The Village Bride, Lop & Ocho, and Akakiri as standouts. Jordan Woods of The Harvard Crimson identified The Ninth Jedi, Tatooine Rhapsody, and The Twins as the highlight segments, and called the project as a whole "Star Wars at its best: bold, ambitious, creative, and, most importantly, innovative." Amon Warmann of Empire spotlighted Akakiri, T0-B1, The Duel, and The Ninth Jedi as the best installments, rating the overall anthology with 4 out of 5 stars, and concluding that "the galaxy far, far away has never looked more stunning in animation, and at its best Visions folds core Star Wars tenets into compelling stories with characters you instantly want to see more of. Here's hoping this isn't the only season we get."

In addition to its reviews upon release, Star Wars: Visions was subsequently named one of the best animated projects of 2021 by Paste Magazine, TheWrap, Polygon, Collider, Gizmodo, Anime News Network, /Film, Comic Book Resources, and Rotten Tomatoes. The project was heralded as one of the best Star Wars titles in a decade or more, as well as what the future of the Star Wars franchise should be.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2022	Annie Awards	Best General Audience Animated Television Production	Star Wars: Visions (for "The Duel")	Nominated
	Golden Reel Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Animation Series or Short	David W. Collins, Matthew Wood, Luke Dunn Gielmuda, and Jana Vance (for "The Duel")	Nominated
	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Short Form Animated Program	Star Wars: Visions (for "The Duel")	Nominated
	Golden Trailer Awards	Best Animation/Family for a TV/Streaming Series	Star Wars: Visions	Nominated
2023	Kidscreen Awards	Best New Series		Nominated
		Best Animated Series		Nominated

Tie-in media

In March 2021, it was announced that Del Rey Books will publish Ronin: A Visions Novel, an original novel written by Emma Mieko Candon which builds on the story of The Duel. It was released on October 12, 2021.

In May 2022, it was announced that Marvel Comics will publish a Visions comic about the Ronin. The one-shot prequel comic was written and illustrated by Takashi Okazaki, the writer of The Duel. The issue was published on October 12, 2022. An art book with creator interviews and selected production materials from all nine shorts was published by Dark Horse Comics on that same month.

External links

• Star Wars: Visions at IMDb
• Star Wars: Visions on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
• Star Wars: Visions (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia