After The Ninth Jedi, These 3 Star Wars: Visions Episodes Need Their Own Spin-Offs on Disney+
Star Wars: Visions is a bold experiment that has produced some of the best Star Wars content since the original trilogy. This anthology series succeeded by handing the keys to animation studios around the world and granting them the creative liberty to craft standalone stories outside the bounds of established continuity. While this format is the show’s greatest strength, it has created a unique problem: the episodes are so compelling that fans are clamoring for more from these worlds and characters. Disney was quick to catch on and has already begun to release Visions spinoff projects. The visually stunning premiere Visions episode, “The Duel,” has already spun off into a well-received novel, a hit comic book, and a follow-up episode in Season 3.
Even more exciting, the fan favorite Season 1 episode “The Ninth Jedi” has received a full spin-off series, Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi, which just premiered. Exploring more of “The Duel” and “The Ninth Jedi” is a great start, but the Visions series holds far more potential that deserves to be tapped; it feels like a missed opportunity for so many other brilliant concepts in the anthology to be confined to single episodes. Disney has proven it is willing to revisit these stories, and if they plan to continue building on Visions, several episodes absolutely need more.
3) “Akakiri”
This impressive season finale follows Tsubaki, a lone Jedi aiding his long-time friend, Princess Misa, in her fight against a Sith Lord embedded in the royal family. Produced by Science SARU, this episode boasts the studio’s signature hybrid animation style and is a joy to watch. “Akakiri” builds up to a gut-wrenching tragedy when the Jedi surrenders to his destiny. Tsubaki sacrifices himself for Misa, allowing himself to become an apprentice to Sith Lord Masago in exchange for the princess’s life.
Like many episodes of Star Wars: Visions, “Akakiri” offers only a glimpse of a larger story that leaves viewers wanting more. It concludes with Misa watching as her former friend, no longer himself, departs with the Sith Lord. Tsubaki and Misa’s relationship was the heart of the episode. and it feels like so much more is still left to be said. Misa is shown to be a formidable warrior herself, deploying her crossbow effectively throughout the episode. Tsubaki did what had to be done to save her; there is no doubt that Misa would do the same for him. Not only that, but the Sith Lord is Misa’s aunt, so there is much more to this story that has yet to be revealed.
2) “Screecher’s Reach”
While the first season of Star Wars: Visions was exclusively anime, the second season expanded its scope globally by bringing in animation studios from around the world. A standout among these phenomenal entries is “Screecher’s Reach,” produced by Cartoon Saloon, the Irish studio behind The Secret of the Kells. The episode is instantly iconic for its arresting and charming art style that feels like a mural in motion, delivering some of the most striking imagery in the entire series.
“Screechers Reach” follows Daal, a child laborer who secretly arranges her escape by passing a brutal test from a Sith Lord. After defeating a feral Sith in a cave, she abandons her friends for a dark new future. The episode’s open-ended conclusion is made all the more poignant by the Celtic-inspired art style and intricate backgrounds. Even the Sith Lord is jaw-dropping in her design, arriving in a ship that looks like an unwinding flower. Daal’s meeting with her mysterious master feels like only the beginning of a larger, more intricate narrative, and the episode’s final moments leave the door wide open for Daal to have a change of heart. Whether she pursues her future as a Sith apprentice or rejects that path and returns to her friends, there remain too many open questions to let it end there.
1) “The Bounty Hunters”
Easily one of the most entertaining episodes of the recent season, “The Bounty Hunters” stars Sevn and her robot companion IV-A4 as they evade old enemies while hunting for work. The episode functions as a self-contained side quest focused on the rescue of child slaves from an evil corporate ghoul, while teasing an overarching narrative and stakes that left fans eager for more.
IV-A4 is a medical droid with an installed assassin protocol that is slowly frying it’s circuits, yet repairs are constantly delayed as the pair face life on the run. Meanwhile. Sevn is haunted by dreams of a mysterious Jedi from her past that forever altered her life. Neither of these threads are resolved by the time the credits roll, and the episode even ends with Sevn swearing to track down the Jedi and give them a piece of her mind. The setup is fantastic and absolutely needs to be followed up on, if only to spend more time with this hilarious duo. This episode feels like it was a pitch for a full-on series not unlike Visions Presents.
The freedom from the constraints of established canon is the core strength of the Visions project and what makes the series work. However, many of these brilliant concepts deserve to be explored and fully realized beyond a single episode. Disney has already demonstrated an interest in doing so with “The Ninth Jedi” and “The Duel”, and fans can only hope that their efforts to expand on these narratives do not stop there.
