Hello and welcome to our coverage of the second season of Star Wars: Visions! For season one, we did a ‘Three Thoughts’ pieces for each episode but, honestly, some of them were a stretch to get to three thoughts. So this year, we’re cramming it all into one piece! Strap in, folks.
Episode 1: “Sith” (Produced by El Guiri)
The season kicked off on a visually striking note, with “Sith” being one of the more unusually animated pieces. The story involves a character painting, and the animation style very much borrows from the paintings that she is doing. Colors whoosh across the screen, changing shapes and distorting our views as they progress. It’s a beautiful effect that represents how the main character is living her life after leaving the Sith Inquisitors. El Guiri is based in Spain, and it isn’t too hard to see the influence of Spanish art, specifically the surrealism of Salvador Dali, in the animation style.
This is a very The Last Jedi-themed episode, in terms of letting old things/ideas/ways die, and building something new for yourself, and through our character’s solitude and artistic endeavors, she has made something truly for herself. The degree to which she is willing to defend her corner of the galaxy is inspired; we should all be so determined to keep our lives free from fascism.
Episode 2: “Screecher’s Reach” (Produced by Cartoon Saloon)
This is one of the best episodes not just of Visions, but of Star Wars TV overall. This journey begins with an almost Stand By Me type vibe, of young characters leaving their home for an adventure without their parents knowing, but it turns quickly. This has some legitimately scary elements to it, especially the ghost’s screams, and has one of the best twists on a show of this type I’ve ever seen. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, because you deserve to experience it yourself, but damn was this effective.
Cartoon Saloon is an Irish studio, and the do incredible work here, making something that borrows from some classic sci-fi imagery (specifically Metropolis in the camp/home) but also has an innocence that betrays its dark underbelly. This is a staggering piece of work, and should be a must-watch for all Star Wars fans.
Episode 3: “In the Stars” (Produced by Punkrobot Studio)
This is the second story to use artwork within the story to tell part of the tale. It is also the second, after “Sith,” to purposefully use non-American/English accents, which shouldn’t have to be commented on, but because of the rarity in which we see these types of decisions, it still needs to be said. This is also one of three stories that either is using elements of stop-motion animation, or is attempting to give the feel of that style of animation. It’s a great choice, as stop-motion is one of the great arts that has been somewhat lost to technology and Punkrobot does a fun job blending that style with more modern techniques to give something that feels timeless, in part due to its form.
This episode is a touching story of siblings who represent the last of their kind, and the stories that need to be told/preserved in order to keep their family and people alive. This is also the second episode in a row to really nail the ending and give the viewers something special and memorable.
Episode 4: “I am Your Mother” (Produced by Aardman)
One of the amazing things about this season of television is that we get to see an Aardman-produced Star Wars story. And the balance is just right; while certain characters (like Wedge Antilles!) wouldn’t look out of place with Wallace and Gromit, but this still feels undeniably like Star Wars. Part of that is giving the lead roles to a pair of Twi’leks, but there are so many small touches that feel true to both the studio and the setting.
That’s a really important part of the best Visions stories, because they need to be connections to the overall Star Wars world, but the whole point of the process is to bring in different voices and styles. All but one of the shorts this season does this, but none do it as noticeably as “I am Your Mother” because the Aardman aesthetic is already so well known. In terms of a story, this one has some sweet familial elements to it, but is somewhat forgettable. However, the animation and charm do enough of the work to make this a setting I’d love Star Wars to return to one day.
Continued belowEpisode 5: “Journey to the Dark Head” (Produced by Studio Mir)
The Korean Studio Mir is known for The Legend of Korra and The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, and their familiarity with grand sci-fi is shown here. This episode is one of two that felt, tonally, most familiar, but this one’s animation is so impressive and fun that it never for a second felt like a retread of something we’ve seen before. This episode has the most traditional depiction of Jedi and Sith that we’ve seen in the entire season, but it still feels fresh and new, in part because of the fun power of limited foresight that one of the characters possesses.
The other piece of this that I rather liked is the idea of balance in the Force, and not being able to take out the Dark Side without harming the Light. There’s a lot of really solid Star Wars mythology and storytelling in this short episode.
Episode 6: “The Spy Dancer” (Produced by Studio La Cachette)
It is easy to see the inspiration behind this short; there are long stories of governments trying to use entertainers to seduce/infiltrate behind enemy lines. This is basically Willie’s cabaret from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, except that Willie isn’t the fucking worst and the film was set six or seven years later in Europe. But there is some absolutely gorgeous animation from the Parisian studio, which uses long scarfs and aerial dance as the visual inspirations for the artform.
But beyond that, there is a really touching story of loss and hope that is surprisingly well done. I’m a sucker for parent/kid stories, and this one is unexpected in its reveal, and has a lot to enjoy about it. But more than that, this is visually so unlike any other Star Wars animation that it would be a treat if silent.
Episode 7: “The Bandits of Golak” (Produced by 88 Pictures)
I am going to come off as being hard on this episode, but it is only because, of all of the episodes produced, this one felt the most traditionally Star Wars, both in terms of subject matter and in terms of animation. The Indian studio does a fantastic job creating the visuals, but the visuals are all too close to what we’ve seen before to feel as fresh and new as every other episode in this batch.
Is there some good stuff here? Yes, there is. I’m not really sure why, but this feels particularly Indian, and I love international flair of this and many of the other stories. There’s something that can’t be ignored about who this was created by that feels really vital; that’s easily the best part of the short. But beyond that, aside from multiple dishes of food being, essentially lollipops, there’s little here that is really new. It’s still fun, it’s still good, there is still wonderful sibling story elements, it is just expected.
Episode 8: “The Pit” (Produced by Lucasfilm Ltd and D’art Shtajio)
The least established studio in this batch is D’art Shtajio, which is a Black-run studio in Japan, founded by folks from New Jersey (Garden State reprefuckingsent!), and they made by far the darkest episode yet. Yes, “Screecher’s Reach” has a dark undercurrent to it, but no one in “Screecher’s Reach” sees their lives lost because of the rich literally not caring about the lives of the poor. This is an angry, visceral tale of the need to eat the rich, and I am here for it.
This story does end on a hopeful note, but that note is conditional. Yes, people escape the pit, but they can’t escape the Empire. What will happen to them? Will they be able to honor their fallen comrade’s sacrifice? We don’t know, and that makes for a poignant and open-ended conclusion.
Episode 9: “Aau’s Song” (Produced by Triggerfish)
The final episode is a doozy, with another faux-stop motion style, some of the best fantastical singing since “Final Crisis,” and some really well developed characters. It is rare that characters can be this fully formed in such a short amount of time, but we know almost everything we need to about Aau, her father, and the Jedi all in their first minute of screen time.
Continued belowThis isn’t the first of this batch to be focused on Kyber crystals, but it is the first to do so in such an interesting way. This Kyber story isn’t exactly the usual Kyber canon, but the concept is simple enough that it could easily be added in without too much trouble. I love everything about this story, and couldn’t help but get choked up at Aau leaving home at the end. Like I said, I’m a sucker for parent/child stories.
All told, I think this season is easily better than the first, and the first was already excellent. I truly hope this becomes a yearly tradition for Star Wars. See ya next year (we hope)!
