As a fan of both Star Wars and anime, I was beyond excited when I heard about Star Wars Visions. I loved the entire premise and how Disney gave creative license to so many different artists who approached Star Wars with their own fresh, unique perspectives.
My dad and I watched all nine of the episodes over the course of a few days. After we finished, my brother, who had seen them before us, sent a list he had created rating them and asked what we thought. In response, we both created our own lists rating the episodes from least to most favorite and compared. It was pretty funny how totally different our lists were, but I think that speaks to how each episode presented its own distinct feel and genre that appeals to certain people.
Honestly, I enjoyed watching every single episode, and it took a lot of consideration and inner debate to create this list. And I bet if I thought about it a little longer, or watched the episodes again, things would shift. I will say that one of the biggest criteria I ended up using when deciding on my top choices was whether or not the episode set up the characters and story in a way that it could be added to, and whether or not I would want to watch further episodes if they existed.
At this point, I haven’t heard anything about Disney making series out of any of these stand-alone episodes, but I really, really hope they do, because there are some true winners here. Now, without further ado, here are the episodes from my least to most favorite. Please note that I will be talking about spoilers, so don’t read any further if you haven’t watched them yet. I also feel the need to reiterate that these are ALL good, I just personally enjoyed some better than others.
9. Akakiri
My brother was terribly offended that this was last on my list because it was pretty high on his. In fact, his exact words were, “Akakiri is so good you emotionally stunted peasants.” So, there’s that. This one for me was a little difficult to understand. My dad asked me a few times while we were watching what was happening and I just had to shrug. I pretty much got it by the end, but I didn’t feel as drawn in or connected to the characters while I was watching since I was confused. Also, something that may seem stupid but really bothered me for some reason was that the main girl’s face didn’t seem to fit with the style of the other characters, and it bothered me throughout the story. Lastly, I didn’t feel as compelled for a continuation. I was just kind of like, “Okay, great. Done with that.” But who knows, maybe with more time I’d connect to the characters more.
8. The Elder
The main characters here have a lot of potential. I don’t think this episode necessarily gave them as much opportunity to show it, but it exists nonetheless. The villain was also super creepy and weird, which totally fit into the Star Wars universe, but was still not my favorite to watch. There also didn’t seem to be as much story happening. When I think back on it, it was just two guys landing on a planet and fighting a bad guy. But I do think it introduced characters I’d be happy to see again.
7. Lop & Ocho
I LOVE Lop. She’s an extremely likeable character with a touching backstory. I loved the family dynamic and how her adoptive father gave her the family sword even though she was not blood related. That was all great and I’m a fan for sure. The only problem I really had with this one was Ocho and her somewhat totally random turn to the dark side. Like, it gave her reasoning for wanting to help their people blah blah blah, but it didn’t make sense or have any real logic behind it, and it also meant betraying her own family, which the beginning had shown was very important to her. Her actions didn’t line up with the person she was presented as at the start, and there was no legitimate reasoning on why she changed.
6. Tatooine Rhapsody
This group of ragtag musicians won my favor within the first few minutes of meeting them. They were each unique and funky with a strong comradery that made me root for them. This one was also one of the most entertaining to watch and the added music was fun. The end was just a little bit anticlimactic to me. I guess I was expecting some epic, dramatic fight scene or that the band had come up with some brilliant strategic plan to rescue their friend, so when it ended up just being that Jabba liked their music, I was let down a little. And it didn’t really set up for a series, but the characters were fun and I bet they could come up with some great shenanigans if given the chance.
5. T0-B1
FREAKING CUTE. That is the overwhelming thought on this one. T0-B1, or “Toby,” is so sweet and adorable. I was so sad for him when his master died, but it was extremely satisfying to watch him get the lightsaber and fight the evil guy. I’m also here for there being a droid Jedi. It’s a whole new idea that I love, and I think T0-B1 is the perfect candidate. This one set up perfectly to be continued, and I’ll be here if/when they do.
4. The Duel
The fight scenes in this episode were epic. It felt very Mandalorian-esque to me in that the protagonist was a mysterious man of few words who came in unexpectedly and whooped everyone’s butts. And the fact that he collects Sith kyber crystals was a “woah” moment. I would love to see more of his journey taking down Sith Lords. It would be awesome.
3. The Village Bride
A great cast of characters and a solid plot with this episode. I liked the traditions and culture that were portrayed. It gave the story more depth and helped to show who these characters were. They did a great job introducing the main protagonist Jedi while still leaving lots of questions that make the viewer (aka me) want to learn more. This story was great because it solidly wrapped up the situation while also providing a perfect avenue for continued stories to come after. Loved this one.
2. The Twins
My favorite character, Karre, comes from this episode. I’ll also admit that I’m a sucker for a twin trope. Of course, one of the most infamous sets of twins comes from Star Wars already, but I thought the idea here took it to a whole new level that was simply magnificent. Karre is one of two twins who were born by the power of the dark side. I found his struggle with his “mission,” what he was created and raised for, to be compelling. He’s trying to find the right way in a world where everyone around him thinks and tells him the opposite. I think he has a long way to go to truly discover what he believes in and what the right way is, and that adds to his story arc and where it could go from here. Then throw in the fact that his sister is his nemesis while at the same time being a person he loves, and there’s a recipe for great character development, epic battles, and a Zuko level redemption arc. This one has soooooo much potential and I would be absolutely ecstatic to see more of it.
1. The Ninth Jedi
This was the single undisputed episode amongst my family, ranking favorite for all of us, hands down. I’m getting excited just thinking about it. The moment when all the “masterless jedi” grabbed the lightsabers and they lit red was EPIC. It was a total plot twist for me. Each of the characters has a compelling backstory—with room for more explanation—and brings something distinct to the table. The group as a whole that emerges at the end with Ethan, Juro, Kara, and that one other Sith guy who was actually a Jedi and whose name I cannot remember, is a perfect mixture of wisdom, inexperience, and passionate drive. This episode also ended with the clear goal for the future of saving Kara’s father (and restoring peace to the galaxy) that would be perfect for a series. So, Disney, if you’re out there, please please please make more of these. I will watch and support them 100%.
Thanks for making it through this semi-long rant. May the force—and may your towel—be with you.
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