Star Wars: Visions Anime Series Reveals New Story and Timeline Details

The new Star Wars anime project Star Wars: Visions has revealed new details about the storylines and settings for the multi-episode anthology series – including their places in the larger Star Wars Timeline.

During a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, the anime production studios working on Star Wars: Visions presented previews of episodes including “The Twins”, “The Elder”, “The Duel”, and “The Ninth Jedi”. They are all pretty interesting concepts (details below), and they were presented with new details about how particular episodes fit into the timeline of Star Wars, with some pivotal episodes set at both the beginning and end of the Skywalker Saga.

Scroll below for new details about the episodes of Star Wars: Visions!

Star Wars: Visions – “The Elder”

Studio Trigger’s (Kill la Kill) Masahiko Otsuka revealed that this episode of Star Wars: Visions will be set before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. “The Elder” will explore the dynamic of Jedi Masters and their padawans, during that time of the Republic, giving new fans a fresh entry point into the series. 

As Otsuka explains: “Our story is not directly connected to any of the characters from the films, but it explores the idea of the Jedi Knights and the master and padawan dynamic in an older setting.”

Star Wars: Visions – “The Twins”

Studio Trigger’s Hiroyuki Imaishi revealed that this episode of the series will be set after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. “The remnants of the Imperial Army have raised a pair of twins on the Dark Side of the Force, and the story goes from there.”

Star Wars: Visions – “The Ninth Jedi”

 Production I.G.’s (Ghost in the Shell) Kenji Kamiyama revealed this story is also set after The Rise of Skywalker, and gave this lengthy synopsis: 

“I wondered, after Episode IX, has the galaxy settled into peace? We all love stories of the Jedi and lightsabers, but what became of the Jedi Knights after the movie series? My story is about that … When I first saw Star Wars, I was fascinated by the story of this kid Luke Skywalker who came from nothing and went on a huge adventure, and for me that is the root of Star Wars’ charm. … So I wanted to depict a galactic-level adventure with a different character.”

Star Wars: Visions – “Lop and Ocho”

Geno Studio’s (Golden Kamuy) Yuki Igarashi revealed that this story is set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope – a new favorite era of the franchise (see: Solo, The Bad Batch). The soundtrack will be John Williams-style classic Star Wars music with a Japanese twist. As for the story: 

“The Galactic Empire is expanding throughout space. On a particular planet where the inhabitants are very close to nature, the Empire lands and builds a base. Their new technology causes conflict with the inhabitants, and the protagonist Ocho, who is the daughter in a kind of local yakuza family, meets the enslaved orphan Lop, who is a humanoid rabbit-like alien creature inspired by Jaxxon from the classic Star Wars comics; they meet and form a familial bond that is not bound by blood.”

Star Wars: Visions – “The Duel”

Kamikaze Douga’s (Batman Ninja) Junpei Mizusaki worked with Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki on an episode meant to shine a Last Jedi-style light on Star Wars: 

“The Jedi versus the Sith and the Rebels versus the Empire are common parts of Star Wars lore. But what if some random person in an unknown corner of the universe got hold of a lightsaber or some of that power on his own? That’s the premise of ‘The Duel.’ I never thought I’d be given this much freedom to interpret Star Wars in my own way, so I figured if we were allowed to do whatever we wanted, we should go all in.”

Star Wars: Visions – “The Village Bride”

Kinema Citrus’ (Made in Abyss) Hitoshi Haga will get into the alien side of Star Wars with a galactic wedding story that takes a turn: 

“There are so many planets in the galaxy, and I wanted to explore the various customs that might be out there. Weddings are celebrated in so many different ways, even here on Earth, and I wanted to show how customs can differ by using the relatable example of a wedding ceremony. Even in Japan, we have had a variety of different kinds of wedding customs over time – and not all weddings are happy occasions,” Haga explains. “So who knows what could happen.”

Star Wars: Visions – “Akakiri”

Science SARU’s (Japan Sinks: 2020) Eunyoung Choi has made a short that she describes as “an ephemeral love story between a Jedi and princess – and it doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending. It’s a kind of ephemeral road movie that follows the two of them and their friends on their journey,” 

Star Wars: Visions – “T0-B1”

Science SARU’s Abel Góngora has a segment inspired by the Astro Boy anime, which tells “a story about a little droid, but even though he is a droid, he has his own dreams. But eventually, he will give up on his dreams for something bigger, so it’s like a growing-up story.”

Star Wars: Visions – “Tatooine Rhapsody”

Studio Colorido’s (Burn the Witch) Taku Kimura when with this nostalgic reference for his segment, which will be very much a rock opera musical: 

“It has rock music, action, and a concert scene. It has a message of doing what is in your heart, regardless of your position.”

Of course, invoking the name of “Tatooine” comes with some clear obligations to the Star Wars fanbase: 

“Boba Fett and Jabba the Hutt have a lot of existing fans who love them, so I tried to balance that weight of expectation with some new characters and a satisfying story,” he said. “It’s a lot of pressure!”

Star Wars: Visions will stream on Disney+ starting September 22nd.

Via: IGN