The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now, and there’s intense debate about the Star Wars film’s box office – not to mention what it means for the franchise’s future. In truth, that’s pretty hard to decide. Lucasfilm announced three future films at Star Wars Celebration 2023, but appear to have changed course shortly afterwards. We know about next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter, but that’s about it. Even live-action Star Wars TV shows are a blank after Ahsoka Season 2.
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Disney originally planned to release Ahsoka Season 2 this year, but it was unceremoniously pushed back to 2027. That’s disappointed viewers who hoped The Mandalorian and Grogu was going to be a major franchise relaunch. But there is still one Star Wars story in the works this year, albeit a lower-profile one that’s thankfully full of potential.
The Next Star Wars TV Show is an Exciting Spinoff
This year will see the release of Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi, an animated series that spins out of the Visions series. The original show is an anthology, with each episode offered to different animation houses so they can reinvent the Star Wars mythology and tell fresh, original, joyously non-canon tales. There are low barriers to entry, the animation is stunning, and the stories honor George Lucas in the very best way. The Ninth Jedi is the first separate miniseries to spin out of Visions, and it promises to be thrilling – not least because it can reinvent the Jedi.
The Ninth Jedi is set in a timeline where the Jedi Order was wiped out – but not by Order 66. This is a timeline where the Sith are legion and the Jedi are on the brink of extinction, one arguably darker than even the Dark Times in main continuity. Now, a handful of Jedi have gathered as champions of the light side. The star is Lah Kara, daughter of a famous (but now kidnapped) swordsmith who reinvented lightsabers. Created by IG Animation, The Ninth Jedi spins out of episodes in Visions seasons 1 and 3.
This is a thrilling opportunity for Star Wars. Lah Kara has already been positioned as a Chosen One figure, and her strong attachment to her father mirrors Anakin Skywalker’s to her mother. That means The Ninth Jedi is a chance for Star Wars to riff on the Skywalker saga’s central themes, perhaps showing another Anakin or revealing how this new Chosen One avoids the dark side. With the Jedi Order ascendant, Star Wars can also show us a very different vision of the Jedi, and in so doing give us a welcome contrast to the Order we’re used to. The Ninth Jedi may be the last Star Wars release this year, but it could potentially be the best.
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