The new anime series unleashes a horde of new characters on the galaxy.
Lucasfilm has invited some of the world’s most reputable anime studios to tell stories in a galaxy far, far away for Star Wars: Visions, an assortment of short films heading exclusively to Disney Plus.
The action-packed trailer, released earlier this summer, teased a number of intriguing new characters set to join the long-running franchise, some of whom hail from alien species and wield multiple lightsabers.
Naturally, that piqued the interest of Star Wars fans, who are keen to learn more about these mysterious additions as well as their place in the franchise canon.
After some initial confusion, Lucasfilm has cleared up whether Star Wars: Visions shares the same continuity as mainline entries in the blockbuster series. Read on for details.
Is Star Wars: Visions canon?
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Over the summer, Star Wars: Visions executive producer James Waugh spoke on a panel unpacking the new series at Anime Expo Lite, revealing that writers and animators were not required to tie into any existing continuity (via StarWars.com).
“We really wanted to give these creators a wide creative berth to explore all the imaginative potential of the Star Wars galaxy through the unique lens of anime,” he said.
“We realised we wanted these to be as authentic as possible to the studios and creators who are making them, made through their unique process, in a medium they’re such experts at.”
Waugh added: “So the idea was, this is their vision riffing off all the elements of the Star Wars galaxy that inspired them — hopefully to make a really incredible anthology series, unlike anything we’ve seen before in the Star Wars galaxy.”
This free rein can be taken as confirmation that the stories of Star Wars: Visions aren’t intended as firm additions to the franchise canon, but dedicated fans could well find a way to weave them into the timeline regardless.
When is Star Wars: Visions set?
While Star Wars: Visions is evidently not a canon entry into the sci-fi saga, some anime creators working on the series clearly considered the franchise timeline during the writing process.
For instance, Lop and Ochō is imagined as taking place between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, while fans have also been promised an episode set after 2019’s divisive The Rise of Skywalker.
In addition, The Elder takes place sometime before the events of The Phantom Menace, featuring a Jedi and Padawan at a time when the Sith have been vanquished for hundreds of years.
So, while not strictly canon, fans could choose to drop the stories of Visions into their own personal understanding of the Star Wars universe if they so desire.
Which Star Wars characters appear in Visions?
Star Wars: Visions mostly features original creations, allowing some of anime’s brightest talents to explore bold new heroes and villains within their 15-minute short films.
However, fans can expect cameos from some established figures in the Star Wars universe, with bounty hunter Boba Fett and crime lord Jabba The Hutt confirmed to appear in an episode titled Tatooine Rhapsody.
Star Wars: Visions drops on Disney Plus on Wednesday 22nd September. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.