Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi, an eight-episode anime series, has arrived on Disney Plus to critical acclaim, achieving a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. This reception stands in stark contrast to the recent theatrical release, The Mandalorian and Grogu, which received middling reviews and underperformed at the box office. The Ninth Jedi's success suggests a potential avenue for the franchise's future, one that allows creators more freedom to explore new ideas outside of established canon.
The series expands upon beloved stories from the original Star Wars: Visions anthology, focusing on Lah Kara, the daughter of a lightsabersmith in a future where the Jedi are nearly extinct. Alongside Jedi Master Margrave Juro, Kara embarks on a mission to rebuild the Jedi Order and search for her missing father, Lah Zhima. Their journey sees them recruiting potential Jedi across worlds and battling the forces of General Nawaam, a masked warlord threatening the galaxy.
Despite its familiar Star Wars elements, The Ninth Jedi exists outside the main canon, a decision that grants its creators significant creative liberty. This freedom has been leveraged to reimagine core concepts, such as lightsabers that change color based on their wielder and a questioning of what it truly means to be a Jedi. Supervising director Kenji Kamiyama noted that the intention was to move beyond the traditional Light Side-Dark Side dichotomy and create a new vision for the Jedi Order, represented by Kara.
This approach offers a refreshing departure from the franchise's current focus on looking backward, with many upcoming projects delving into the Skywalker saga and established characters. The Ninth Jedi, in contrast, introduces new characters and an unfamiliar era, utilizing its non-canonical status to re-examine long-held franchise rules.
Critics have largely embraced this creative freedom. The Ninth Jedi debuted with a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with subsequent reviews praising its animation, dynamic lightsaber battles, compelling new characters, and its ability to tell a compelling Star Wars story independent of the Skywalker legacy. This critical success highlights the potential of stories that diverge from established continuity, offering a promising glimpse into the future of the Star Wars franchise.