Now that Star Wars Celebrations has recently concluded its cascade of content has been fully announced. And, all of it is, in Darth Vader’s words, “Impressive, most impressive.” While this is the case, it is clear that some of the announcements are a cut above the rest in terms of hype and quality. Therefore, it’s important to highlight the top five announcements. These picks, Andor, The Bad Batch season two, Jedi: Survivor, Skeleton Crew and Tales of the Jedi, are in no particular order.
Andor
Starting off Celebrations strong, on the first day of the event fans across the world got their first look at the series focusing on Cassian Andor. The trailer set the tone of the show extremely well through its use of tribal music and quick shots of the Empire taking over a planet. It sets up a darker take on the Star Wars world, away from the spiritualism of the Jedi and to the more mechanical look at the formation of the Rebel Alliance. The trailer also features Mon Mothma quite heavily, showing the first look at the Imperial Senate and also the first live-action look at Coruscant under Imperial rule. The series is bound to be full of political intrigue and espionage, exactly as the early Rebellion should be. Andor also got an August 31st release date, with two episodes dropping at once.
The Bad Batch – Season 2
Season one of The Bad Batch started Cloneforce 99’s journey into the galaxy in the period immediately after Order 66. The season two trailer looks to continue their journey, and will also continue the exploration of what it’s like to be a clone in the age of the Empire. The trailer promises the return of several beloved characters, such as Palpatine, Gungi the youngling and most importantly Commander Cody. After the creation of Star Wars Legends, Cody’s story has been left without an ending for nearly ten years. He was almost brought back in Star Wars Rebels, however that idea was scrapped. The Batch’s exploration across the galaxy is also set to continue, with them visiting what looks to be Kashyyyk. This would make perfect sense for what the show wants to explore, as the Wookies suffered heavily under the Empire.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor is the sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order, and it got a cryptic first trailer. Opening with a shot of stormtroopers marching, it reminds the audience that this is firmly set during the age of the Empire. The ship the player spent a lot of their time on during Fallen Order, the Mantis, is shown to be empty, looking to be destroyed. Cal’s lightsaber has been taken by a high ranking Imperial, and in a different shot, Cal is seen fighting a hooded figure who wields a red lightsaber. More importantly, the trailer focuses on someone in a Bacta tank. The trailer only asks these questions, it doesn’t give many answers. This only drives audience anticipation, as fans will be desperate for answers. They won’t have to wait too long, as the game will be released in 2023 on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.
Skeleton Crew
Jon Watts’ Star Wars project has now been formally announced, and it promises to bring Jude Law into the universe. This announcement is surprising, as it will be the third Star Wars show to debut in 2023, alongside Ahsoka and The Mandalorian season three. It will be set during a similar time period to The Mandalorian, and that it will also include as of yet unnamed kid actors alongside Law. The show will focus on trying to return several kids to their home. Law’s role has yet to be disclosed, though he is likely to act as some sort of shepherd to these kids. While the inclusion of kids could worry the fans about Disney softening its tone, executive producer Dave Filoni has reassured audiences that it will have a similar tone to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. That show had its fair share of brutality, not to mention it engaged with the high politics of the universe. Audiences have plenty to look forward to with this show.
Tales of the Jedi
Another surprise announcement at Celebrations is the animated Tales of the Jedi, focusing on Jedi of the prequel era. It will consist of six short episodes, split between Ahsoka and Count Dooku. While the Ahsoka centric episodes feel like Star Wars is piling on with the Ahsoka content, the Dooku episodes are a lot more compelling. Audiences have not seen much of Dooku as a Jedi, and to top it all off it will also include a young Qui Gon Jinn, voiced by Liam Neeson’s son. Neeson himself will also voice the Jedi Master in his adult life, maybe we see Jinn’s reaction to Dooku leaving the Jedi Order. Tales of the Jedi is set to release this fall.
These five announcements represent the best that Star Wars Celebrations had to offer. Whilst news from The Mandalorian season three and Ahsoka did drop (with the former debuting in February 2023 and the latter brought back), it was very little, with footage being kept private to those in attendance. However, these announcements came with a wealth of information that will tide audiences over until these projects are released. And, to the audiences’ delight, 3 of these projects will debut this year, giving plenty for audiences to look forward to in the near future. The future of Star Wars is still bright.
Words by Kieran Burt
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