Season 1 |
Season 2 |
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Episode Guide
Episode 1: Heroes and Hotshots/A Jedi or a Pirate
Episode 2: The Rustler Roundup/A New Discovery
Episode 3: A Pirate’s Pet/The Secret Ship
Episode 4: Nub’s Big Mistake/The Jedi Rescue
Episode 5: The Tower of Tenoo/The Prince of Masks
Episode 6: Battle for the Band/Uprooted
Episode 7: Mine and Ours/The Andravan Circuit
Episode 8: The Great Gomgourd Quest/A Sticky Situation
Episode 9: The Missing Day Life Feast/The Lost Treasure of Tanoo
Episode 10: The Wild Aklyrr/Lys’ Lost Lightsaber
Episode 11: Tower Run/ The Jumping Jetpack
A long time ago, in a decade now far far away (sorry if that makes you feel old), George Lucas made a blockbuster sci-fi adventure film that (whisper it) was for kids! Sure, millions of adults around the world loved the movie (and its sequels/prequels), but Lucas’s primary audience was children and young teens.
As such, we shouldn’t get too critical about his decision to include the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi or Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace. Some adults hated these characters – millions of voices cried out in terror – but younglings, i.e. Lucas’s target viewers, fell in love with them.
It’s because the original movies were intended for kids that adults shouldn’t complain about Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. At the time of the first season’s release, some grown-ups worried that Disney had lost their grip on the Force by dumbing down the franchise and creating something juvenile. But they were focussing the attention on themselves and their own needs rather than considering the junior audience that the series was so clearly aimed at.
So, here’s the thing. Don’t come to Season 2 of Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures expecting a deep continuation of Star Wars lore. To misquote Obi-Wan-Kenobi, this is not the show you’re looking for! Instead, watch it with your kids (if you have any) and let it be their introduction to the universe that George Lucas created all those years ago. Children over 8 will prefer The Clone Wars, but those younger than that should enjoy the new run of episodes that are currently available.
The series is set during the High Republic era of the Star Wars timeline and focuses on a group of Jedi younglings training to be Jedi Knights. As the stories within Young Jedi Adventures take place a couple of centuries before the events of Revenge of the Sith, you have no need to worry about an angry Anakin Skywalker storming through the academy and wiping these little ones out. This is a children’s series, after all!
During the season, the young heroes travel to new planets, embark on a series of adventures, and learn more about their Force powers. They also learn valuable lessons about friendship, teamwork, and self-discipline – lessons that younger viewers will hopefully benefit from.
The main characters from the last season, including Lys Solay (Juliet Donenfield), Kai Brightstar (new voice actor Jecobi Swain) and Nash Durango (Emma Berman), are back in the new season, and there are a handful of new faces too, including Padawan Wes Vinik (Gunnar Sizemore) who joins the gang on their adventures.
The episodes are bright and colourful, with improved animation over the first season and a capable bunch of voice actors who bring each character to life. Unlike a lot of animated series for youngsters, this isn’t overly childish or laden with musical numbers, so parents watching with their kids (or die-hard Star Wars fans) shouldn’t have an awful time while watching it. Again, you do need to remember it’s definitely a show for children, but the adventures the Jedi younglings embark on are exciting enough to catch a grown-up’s attention.
Within the stories this season, the characters battle space pirates, embark on rescue missions and tackle adversaries old and new (with one newcomer being Bulcha the Hutt). These adventures are bold and thrilling but never particularly life-threatening, as the series’s mostly cheery tone means there’s not much room for the dark side of storytelling.
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures is a playful, not-too-serious series that stays true to the spirit of the movies while giving youngsters a corner of the SW universe that they can relate to.
Season 2 of the show is on Disney+ right now, with 11 shorter than a stormtrooper episodes. It might not grab you like one of Darth Vader’s chokeholds but it should keep your young Padowans entertained while you’re off saving the universe elsewhere.
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Verdict - 6.5/10
6.5/10