Star Wars gave fans exciting new looks for Star Wars: Visions, with the surprise announcement that The Ninth Jedi episode from the first season will receive its own limited series. The Ninth Jedi was one of the nine self-contained episodes of Visions Season One, produced by Japanese studio Production I.G. The episode became a fan-favorite among watchers and is one of the several episodes that will receive its own sequel episode in Visions Season Three. The sequel, called The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope, will be followed by a limited series, Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi. The limited series is currently the only confirmed spin-off of Star Wars: Visions, and the same creative team who worked on the episode returns for the series.
Visions‘ big appeal was seeing the Star Wars universe through the radically different lens of anime. Each Visions episode is set outside the main Star Wars canon and produced by an overseas studio. The first season exclusively had all the episodes made by Japanese studios, giving the series a distinct anime vibe. While not every anime-inspired episode was as well-received, Ninth Jedi stood out thanks to its interesting story premise, strong animation, and story potential. It is the perfect Visions episode to become a full series.
[RELATED – Star Wars: The Acolyte Deserved Better]
The Ninth Jedi Had the Most Interesting Story Set Up
Each Visions episode tells a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. However, several episodes leave specific things open-ended, leaving many plot-related parts without clear resolutions. These episodes almost act as part of an ongoing narrative we won’t see, making the world feel more lived-in. Nonetheless, the Ninth Jedi had one of the biggest unresolved storylines among all the Visions episodes. The story follows the daughter of a lightsaber blacksmith, who must deliver a collection of sabers to a group of Jedi. Initially, the girl didn’t display any force sensitivity. But as she becomes more well-versed in using her lightsaber, her force powers begin manifesting.
A great concept The Ninth Jedi used that isn’t canonical within the main series is that the color of a lightsaber is determined by the person wielding it. When Kara, the sabersmith’s daughter, begins her journey, her lightsaber is grey. As her adventure continues, her lightsaber gets more and more colorful before turning green in the end. The lightsaber colors are also used to great effect at the end of the episode, where the group of Jedi are revealed to be Sith when their lightsabers turn red. Kara and the few real Jedi successfully fight off the Sith. The group then heads out to locate more Jedi and Kara’s father, who was kidnapped by the Sith.
Even though the first Ninth Jedi episode completed Kara’s arc from novice to Jedi, there were still plenty of key plot details that were worth continuing. The Ninth Jedi takes place thousands of years in the future, where the Jedi are once again a myth, with only a few existing in the galaxy. Whereas the other Visions episode had a definitive ending to the narrative, Ninth Jedi purposely set up story beats that were begging to be followed up on. The main protagonists have a specific goal, finding other Jedi, which works well for serial storytelling. The fate of Kara’s father is also a big cliffhanger that deserves to have a resolution.
The Ninth Jedi Has Fun Animation by Production I.G.
Furthermore, it’s important just to recognize that The Ninth Jedi was a great episode. Kara is an enduring protagonist with a satisfying hero’s journey. Her courage is rewarded, and it feels gratifying to see her lightsaber turn green given the context. The animation from Production I.G. is fluid and kinetic, with some top-tier choreography. Although the story feels very classic Star Wars, the lightsaber duels are more evocative of the Prequel trilogy. If Production I.G. gives the limited series the same ambition and heart as the one-off episode in Star Wars: Visions, then the Ninth Jedi may become a future Star Wars classic!
The post Star Wars Visions’ Ninth Jedi Anime Was the Perfect Choice for a Limited Series (And Here’s Why) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
