Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures – Season 1 Episode 20 Recap & Review

Episode 20 Recap

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures is back with a string of new episodes. While it seemed that this was going to be a new season, it’s not. In the initial release window, 19 episodes aired. While that seemed like a complete season, 6 more episodes have been added, bringing the total length of season 1 to 25 episodes.

Aftershock

In episode 20 of Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures season 1, Kai, Lys, Nubs, and Master Zia help a village community after an earthquake. The king and queen aren’t sending relief aid. The young prince Cyrus leads the Jedi to his parents. They are greedy and uninterested, but send Cyrus to see the village.

Cyrus attempts to steal supplies from another project. He destroys some droids and confesses that he’s angry that he’s been confronted with the suffering of strangers. Being a young kid, he feels powerless. Kai encourages him to take matters into his own hands. They stand up to a final, large security droid, and then the king and queen intervene. The villagers stand behind Cyrus and the Jedi, and Cyrus’s parents gain respect for him for taking action to help. The Jedi and Cyrus begin to rebuild the village.

Feather Frenzy

Kai, Lys, and Nubs practice flying. Nash contacts them because she needs help. Her moms are bringing an important shipping leader home, Mr. Niskell. The problem is there is a horde of giant birds making a mess at their house. Nash doesn’t know why they showed up, and can’t get them to leave. The young Jedi try to help as well, but can’t get them to go away. They feed them, hoping they’ll leave, but even more show up.

Lys identifies the birds as baby firehawks, which are extremely rare. They put together that they are lost baby firehawks. Lys suggests they make Nash’s ship look like an adult firehawk to lead them to their migration destination. The plan works, but Nash isn’t able to make it home in time, so there’s still a giant mess. However, Mr. Niskell overhears Nash’s confession. Mr. Niskell loves firehawks and knows they’re impossibly stubborn. He’s so impressed, he decides right there, to do business with Nash and her moms.

The Episode Review

The return of Young Jedi Adventures came in a strange way, to round off an already long first season. It’s generally been hit or miss. At best, it’s a well-animated addition to Star Wars, geared towards families with young children. At worst, it’s merely something to occupy toddlers. After all, six more episodes were tossed onto season one on Valentine’s Day… Despite all of this, the first of these new episodes was surprisingly good.

Star Wars sticks to the idea that violent rebellion can be justified- in a show that’s basically for four-year-olds. It’s a bold move, but it pays off in Aftershock. The classic tropes of spoiled, apathetic emperors are all there: lying across a throne meant to be sat in, eating dangly fruit, and having a (droid) servant wave a large feather to keep them cool. Their son defies their orders, beats on their droids and repurposes their resources to a better cause. It’s kind of funny that his parents just end up impressed. It’s kinda sad, however, to see Master Zia placate them to join the Republic. The mention of the Starlight Beacon is a good tie-in, as is the presence of the ‘faithier’ creatures from The Last Jedi.

Feather Frenzy is another surprisingly strong episode. It presents an interesting, unique problem that seems appropriate for 8-10 year-old Jedi and doesn’t involve lightsabers. Moreover, it leans into the core elements of Star Wars in a more natural way. It encourages respect for nature as well as inclusivity and teamwork.

While the show overall is often a bit lacking, it seems the quality dial has been turned up. Will it last? What do you think of this episode or the show in general? Let us know in the comments below.