The new ‘Star Wars’ has just premiered and is, at last, a breath of fresh air in the franchise

If I tell you “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” and it makes you yawn, you’re not the only one: Star Wars, for some time now, has become synonymous with disappointment because of its nonstop releases on Disney+ (does anyone remember The Acolyte or Skeleton Crew?) and movies like The Mandalorian & Grogu, which was a total mess. The audience has started to lose interest in the saga, and it seemed like we were never going to get the urge to watch it again… until now.

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One Against All

Quietly, Disney+ has already released three seasons of Star Wars Visions, an anthology of anime short films from different studios that have offered different versions of galactic adventures, even if they aren’t canonical. One of the adventures people liked most from the start was The Ninth Jedi, which told the story of a world where Jedi are in hiding and where lightsabers have disappeared. People liked it so much that it got a sequel… And now, at last, its own series!

Star Wars Visions Presents: The Ninth Jedi consists of 8 episodes, it’s created by the anime studio Production IG and will surprise you right away, because, at last, it moves away from that world so constricted (and at the same time gigantic) of Jedi warriors, Sith villains, alien races we already know, and cameos here and there from the franchise’s legendary characters. Everything here feels new, though without abandoning the saga’s rules. And the result is incredible.

This will be the first of several Star Wars Visions spin-offs, and the perfect demonstration of why they’re necessary: the story has more room to breathe than in the short films, the galactic lore can be expanded much further and it’s a pleasure to get away from the Skywalkers and the usual planets to tell a story of rescue and revenge. Now, please, a spin-off of The Duel, please.