Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures | |
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Genre | |
Based on | Star Wars by George Lucas |
Directed by | Elliot Bour (supervising) |
Voices of |
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Composer | Matthew Margeson |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 19 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Running time | 24 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | |
Release | May 4, 2023 – present |
Related | |
Star Wars: The High Republic |
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures is an American animated children's television series created for the streaming service Disney+ and the television network Disney Junior. It is part of the Star Wars franchise and follows a group of younglings as they learn to become Jedi Knights during the High Republic era, centuries before the main Star Wars films. The series is produced by Lucasfilm Animation and Wild Canary Animation, with Michael Olson as showrunner and Elliot Bour as supervising director. It is the first full-length animated Star Wars series targeted at young audiences.
The series stars Jamaal Avery Jr., Emma Berman, Juliet Donenfeld, Dee Bradley Baker, Jonathan Lipow, and Piotr Michael. It was announced in May 2022, with Olson and Bour already attached to the project. Casting was revealed in February 2023. Six shorts were released on YouTube ahead of the series premiere, before also becoming available on Disney+.
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures premiered on May 4, 2023, and was positively received, with critics praising the show for being an engaging first Star Wars experience for young viewers.
Premise
Set during the High Republic era, centuries before the events of the main Star Wars films, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures follows a group of younglings as they learn the ways of the Force, including compassion, self-discipline, teamwork and patience, to become Jedi Knights.[1]
Cast and characters
- Jamaal Avery Jr. as Kai Brightstar: a Jedi youngling who hopes to follow in the footsteps of Jedi Master Yoda and become a Jedi Knight[2]
- Emma Berman as Nash Durango: a pilot who is friends with Kai and the other younglings, and teams up with them to go on adventures[2][3]
- Juliet Donenfeld as Lys Solay, a Pantoran Jedi youngling who is Kai's best friend[3]
- Dee Bradley Baker as Nubs, a Pooba Jedi youngling who is Kai's other best friend[3]
- Jonathan Lipow as RJ-83, a droid friend of the younglings[3]
- Piotr Michael as Yoda, a Jedi Master[3]
- Nasim Pedrad as Zia Zanna, a human female Jedi Master who serves as a teacher to the Jedi younglings studying on planet Tenoo.
- Trey Diaz Murphy as Taborr Val Dorn, a pirate
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
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First released | Last released | Network | |||
Shorts | 6 | March 27, 2023 | April 24, 2023 | YouTube | |
1 | 25[4] | May 4, 2023 | February 14, 2024[5] | Disney+ Disney Junior |
Shorts (2023)
No. | Title | Original release date | |
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1 | "Meet the Young Jedi" | March 27, 2023 | |
Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay and Nubs work together to battle a training droid at the Jedi Temple on Tenoo. After discovering that the droid is too powerful for younglings like them, the trio attempt to deactivate the droid but it proves too strong despite their combined efforts. Kai contacts their friend Nash Durango and her droid RJ-83, who successfully deactivate the training droid. Solay's pet lizard topples several bricks. Yoda saves the younglings and commends them for learning about teamwork. He allows the three Jedi to depart on a mission with Durango. | |||
2 | "Lys' Creature Caper" | March 27, 2023 | |
While transporting a tooka kitten to a nature reserve on Tenoon, Nash visits Lys at the Tenoo Jedi Temple. However, the tooka escapes its carrier while chasing a blue insect. After interrupting Kai's lightsaber exercise, the tooka runs amok through the Jedi Temple. Lys manages to corner the kitten inside a bedroom and returns the animal to Durango. | |||
3 | "Kai's Daring Droid Rescue" | March 27, 2023 | |
While Nash and RJ-83 are repairing her sailing ship, RJ-83 is swept away by a river current. Meanwhile, Kai struggles during a levitation lesson with Yoda. He receives Nash's distress call and heads to the river to help her. The two race after RJ-83 on speeder bikes, with the river leading down a waterfall. Putting his trust in the Force, Kai forms a Force barrier at the waterfall. This allows Nash to pluck RJ-83 to safety before he falls over the edge. With his confidence restored, Kai is able to lift rocks back at the Temple. | |||
4 | "Nubs and the Flower Fiasco" | April 3, 2023 | |
Nubs, Kai and Lys visit a nearby forest to gather a Zeilla flower for the Jedi Temple. Nubs finds the flower perched on a high branch but encounters a large green and red bird, which catapults him into the sky. Nubs uses his Force powers to land safely on the bird's back. After the bird throws him off, Nubs makes a second attempt but encounters the bird again. Realizing the bird is fascinated with the lightsaber, he uses it to convince the creature to give him a ride so that he can pluck the Zeilla flower from a tree. | |||
5 | "Nash's Firehawk Frenzy" | April 17, 2023 | |
While returning from a mission to bring back a holocron to the Tenoo Jedi Temple, Nash's starship Crimson Hawk is pursued by the young pirate Taborr Val Dorn's starship. In an attempt to lose Taborr, Nash and her Jedi friends fly their ship through an asteroid field. Working together, the younglings avoid getting crushed by asteroids and escape Taborr and a space slug. Despite escaping Taborr's ship, the Crimson Firehawk is struck by an asteroid as it descends into Tenoo's atmosphere. Nash crashlands the ship at the Tenoo Jedi Temple. | |||
6 | "Taborr's Pirate Showdown" | April 24, 2023 | |
When Taborr and his band of pirates pillage the Kublop Springs marketplace, Kai, Lys and Nubs spring into action to stop them. Following a verbal confrontation, the Jedi attempt to retrieve the pirates' cart containing the loot with their Force powers. However, Taborr's Gamorrean associate Pord harries the Jedi. Kai engages in a duel with Taborr but loses. Despite their initially setback, Kai convinces his friends not to give up and they pursue the pirates to the spaceport. Following a tug of war, the Jedi succeed in retrieving the pirate's cart using their Force powers. Taborr and his associates leave empty-handed. |
Season 1 (2023)
No. | Title [6] | Directed by | Written by | Disney+ release date [6] | Disney Junior air date [6] | ||||||
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1 | "The Young Jedi" | Anthony Bell | Michael Olson | May 4, 2023 | May 4, 2023 | ||||||
"Yoda's Mission" | Casey Lowe | Michael Olson & Lamont Magee | |||||||||
Master Yoda sends several younglings led by Master Zia to continue their training at an outpost Jedi temple on Tenoo. Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay and Nubs catch a ride with Nash Durango and her droid RJ-83. Upon arriving on Tenoo, they stop Taborr Val Dorn and his pirate gang associates Pord and EB-3 from robbing a local cafe. After settling into their new home, Yoda sends Kai and his friends on a mission to retrieve seeds for the Kublop Spring festival. Taborr and his gang steal the seeds but the Jedi retrieve them. During the retrieval mission, Kai chooses to lose his lightsaber in order to save his friend Nubs. Following the festival, Yoda gifts Kai his green training lightsaber. | |||||||||||
2 | "Nash's Race Day" | Anthony Bell | Julius Harper | May 4, 2023 | May 4, 2023 | ||||||
"The Lost Jedi Ship" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Katie Kaniewski | |||||||||
Kai, Lys and Nubs join Nash in a skiff race in the rivers of Kublop Spring. Master Zia allows the younglings to participate on the condition that they do not use their Force powers to cheat. Nash aspires to beat her wealthy rival Raena Zess, who has won the previous races for years. During the race, Raena cheats and gains the lead. Working together, Nash's Team Crimson Bolt are able to catch up with her, coming second place. After their ships get stuck in muddy banks during the race, the two teams are forced to put aside their differences to free their skiffs. Team Crimson Bolt ultimately wins the race. Raena accepts defeat and promises not to cheat again. While visiting the Tenoo Jedi Temple's library, Kai and his friends discover a starship tracker linked to a lost Old Republic starship called the Star Seeker. With Master Zia's permission, the younglings enlist Nash and RJ-83 on a quest to find the lost ship. After navigating an asteroid field, they land on an uncharted planet and find the lost ship and its pilot OG-LC. Despite his track record as a brave explorer, OG-LC has developed a fear of asteroids. With the encouragement of the Jedi younglings and Nash, OG-LC manages to fly his ship out of the asteroid field and continue his mission to Tenoo. His confidence restored, OG-LC continues his mission to explore worlds. | |||||||||||
3 | "Get Well Nubs" | Casey Lowe | Brian Hall | May 4, 2023 | May 12, 2023 | ||||||
"The Junk Giant" | Anthony Bell | Mia Resella | |||||||||
After Nubs falls sick prior to an upcoming school trip to the Kublop Geyser, Kai and Lys embark on a mission to acquire Yara tree leaves, which have healing properties. During the quest, the two navigate a nearby river which leads to a giant Tenoo tree, where the Yara tree grows at its top. Working together, the two younglings climb the giant tree and confront a territorial gangul beast. Following their successful mission, the younglings join their classmates and Master Yia in watching the Kublop Geyser erupt. Kai, Lys, Nubs, Nashand RJ-83 help the Chadra-Fan junk dealer Marlaa Jinara investigate a series of thefts at her junk yard. The five discover that Taborr, EB-3 and Podd have stolen parts to build a Junk Giant to impress the other pirates. The pirates use the Junk Giant in an attempt to steal a statue of Kublop Springs' founder, Kaliah Kublop. After the Junk Giant damages his left hand, the pirates abandon him but the Jedi and Durango are able to convince him of his inherent value as a droid. The Junk Giant is adopted by Marlaa, who names him JG-1 and finds him work at her junkyard. | |||||||||||
4 | "Lys and the Snowy Mountain Rescue" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Katie Kaniewski | May 4, 2023 | May 19, 2023 | ||||||
"Attack of the Training Droids" | Casey Lowe | Brian Hall | |||||||||
At Varna's invitation, Master Zia sends Kai, Lys and Nubs to help Gumar and Jam herd wellagrins on the snowy planet of Andraven. The children accompany seal-like Wellagrins on their migration through the mountains. During the mission, the group are scattered by an avalanche but work together to find the herd and Jam. After being caught in a second avalanche, they ride their Wellagrin steeds to safety. They reunite with Nash and their host Varna at a village on the other side of the mountains. Kai, Lys and Nubs fail to retrieve a beacon from a training droid. To spend more time training, Kai reprograms the three training droids to stack objects in the training field. However, the droids begin stacking other objects at the Tenoo Jedi Temple including trays, clothes, and books. With the help of Nashand RJ-83, the younglings are able to power down the droids. The children apologize to Masters Yoda and Zia and clean up the mess. Having learnt about the folly of using shortcuts, Yoda invites Kai and his friends to train with him. They succeed in retrieving a beacon. | |||||||||||
5 | "The Jellyfruit Pursuit" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Julius Harper | May 4, 2023 | May 26, 2023 | ||||||
"Creature Safari" | Casey Lowe | Mia Resella | |||||||||
Taborr's gang steal jellyfruits from the Rodian farmer Weebo and her grandson, disrupting Kublop Springs' upcoming Jellfruit Festival. Nash, Kai, Lys and Nubs infiltrate Yarrum Tower disguised as pirates, befriending the friendly Abednedo pirate Chigg. They catch up with Taborr's gang, who attempt to flee with the stolen jellyfruit. In the process, their hover-sled spirals out of control, falling over the edge of Yarrum Tower. The Jedi younglings use their Force powers to levitate the jellyfruit crate to safety. Taborr and his gang are humiliated by the other pirates for their failure. As consolation, Nash offers Taborr a fruit and invites several pirates to attend the Jellyfruit Festival. Kai, Lys and Nubs accompany Aree and CAM of the Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts on a wildlife safari on the planet Yamradi. While researching a species of critters known as Chylarro, CAM is kidnapped by an undiscovered bird species known as the burrowberry bird. The Jedi younglings help a distraught Aree to rescue his droid friend, whom he believes is being eaten by the bird. During an unsuccessful rescue attempt in the burrowberry bird's burrow, Aree is captured. Lys discovers that the burrowberry bird mistook the droids for shiny berries. The Jedi attempt a second rescue mission and discover Aree and CAM have befriended the bird and its chicks. To honor Lys for her role in rescuing him and CAM, Aree allows Lys to christen the new bird species. | |||||||||||
6 | "Squadron" | Anthony Bell | Katie Kaniewski | May 4, 2023 | June 2, 2023 | ||||||
"Forest Defenders" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Brian Hall | |||||||||
Kai learns to fly the Crimson Firehawk under the guidance of Nash. Due to his inexperience, he causes some damage to the starship. Back at the Tenoo Jedi Temple, Master Zia sends Kai, Lys and Nubs to collect Jedi Vector trainers from the Mon Calamari Zepher on Tenoo's largest moon. Durango flies her friends there and takes them on a test flight. During the test flight, Kai awakens a space slug while attempting a "throttle buster" manuever. After the slug swallows his friends, Kai under Nash's guidance leads the space slug on a chase and frees his friends. Master Zia decides the younglings are ready to start flight lessons. While visiting the Federian forests the younglings and RJ-83 discover that the Gozzo logger Raxlo has been cutting down vast tracts of forests, displacing the native squirrel-like skriffle creatures. After befriending several skriffles, the younglings attempt to reason with Raxlo but the greedy logger wants to chop down all of the planet's forests to export as building material. The younglings and RJ-83 join forces to stop Raxlo from chopping down the largest Federian tree. Defeated, Raxlo retreats and vows never to return. The younglings update Master Zia while reflecting on how the forest is home to various animals. | |||||||||||
7 | "The Jedi and the Thief" | Anthony Bell | Julius Harper | May 4, 2023 | June 9, 2023 | ||||||
"The Missing Kibbin" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Mia Resella | |||||||||
Kai and his friends dress a training droid as their enemy Taborr, much to the dismay of Master Zia. Zia invites Kai on a trip to a desert world to purchase a new cooling unit for the Tenoo Jedi Temple. During the trip, their Jedi shuttle is stolen by Ace Kallisto, an old acquaintance of Zia who has become a career thief. After Kai accidentally crashes the shuttle, Zia convinces him to put aside his distrust of Ace and work together to summon help. Ace saves Brightstar from being mauled by two large stalaat predators. Reflecting on their adventures, Kai learns that not all thieves are bad and comes to believe that Taborr is capable of changing. Kai, Lys and Nubs team up with the Dowutin bounty hunter Ansen Strung to recapture Raena's runaway pet kibbin Figgles. While Strung is not used to teamwork, he reluctantly accepts the Jedi younglings' help. Following a series of clues, they track Figgles to Marlaa's junkyard. However, the kibbin escapes after Strung attempts to capture the creature on his own. Unwilling to give up, the Jedi younglings and Strung use channelfish dumplings to lure and trap Figgles. The four then return Figgles to Raena. Having learned the importance of teamwork, Strung decides to treat the Jedi younglings to a meal. | |||||||||||
8 | "The Girl and Her Gargantua" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Julius Harper | August 2, 2023 | August 2, 2023 | ||||||
"The Show Must Go On" | Casey Lowe | Mia Resella | |||||||||
Kai, Lys and Nubs accompany Aree on a mission to deliver several anunals including a gargantua to Sil Gohtta's Nature Preserve. Solay befriends the gargantua during the voyage, whom she names "Garganchie." During a fuel stop on a desert world with red sand, two Besalisk siblings named Slaygh and Braygh stow aboard the ship and accidentally release Garganchie. After rampaging through the town, Garganchie flees to a cave. The Jedi younglings manage to find him but the Besalisk siblings frighten him again, causing him to go on a second rampage in the town. Lys convinces the locals to stay calm and Garganchie manages to save the Besalisks from falling down a tower. The Besalisks apologize for freeing Garganchie and the group bring the gargantua to its new home. Nash organizes a concert featuring her favourite band, the Ku-Bops. However, the rumble bass player Bruff has gone missing, much to the dismay of Nash and the band singer Metz. While Kai and Nubs help the droids to set up the band's musical equipment, Lys joins Nash and Metz in the search for Bruff. They eventually find an upset Bruff by Kublop Spring's dock. Bruff is unhappy that Metz does not allow him to sing. While the two argue, they fall into a boat which almost falls over the edge of the nearby waterfall. After Nash and the others rescue them, the two musicians reconcile with Metz allowing Bruff to sing at their concert. | |||||||||||
9 | "The Princess and the Jedi" | Casey Lowe | Brian Hall | August 2, 2023 | August 11, 2023 | ||||||
"Kai's Bad Day" | Anthony Bell | Christian Streaty | |||||||||
After Princess Inaya's transport breaks down, she hires the services of Nash's shuttle Crimson Firehawk. Kai, Lys, and Nubs come along to help Durango host the princess. The group are pursued by Taborr's gang, whose starship Iron Talon damages the Firehawk's power couplings, causing it to crash in a forest meadow on Tenoo. Taborr's gang steals a present that Inaya had obtained for her father but she manages recover it with the help of the Jedi younglings. Inaya also demonstrates her knowledge of starships which she uses to help repair the Firehawk and disable Taborr's ship. The group return Inaya to her homeworld. After missing a field trip to the lava fields of Tiss'ell, Kai believes he is having a bad day. To cheer him up, Master Zia sends him to accompany Nash and RJ-83 on a mission to Tatooine to deliver a hyperspace capacitor to hyperspace prospector Mycho Zala. On Tatooine, Nash's ship Firehawk is caught in a sandstorm and Kaiaccidentally releases the capacitor. While trying to recover the package form Jawas, they accidentally barter RJ-83. Kai and Nash infiltrate the Jawas' sandcrawler to rescue RJ but encounter Jawas. The Jawas take them to Mycho who gratefully receives the capacitor and gives the Jawas a tool to secure RJ-83's freedom. | |||||||||||
10 | "Visitor's Day" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Katie Kaniewski | August 2, 2023 | August 18, 2023 | ||||||
"The Growing Green Danger" | Casey Lowe | Julius Harper | |||||||||
Marlaa plans to unveil a new sculpture on Visitor's Day. Posing as an art dealer, the art thief Draiven Bosh and his droids K-2PI and R4-13 steal the Visitor's Day Sculpture. Lys, Kai and Nubs give chase but end up trapped aboard Draiven. Kai contacts Master Zia for help, who tells them to distract Draiven till she arrives. Working together, the younglings distract Draiven until Zia arrives. Following a confrontation, they manage to recover the Visitor's Day Sculpture and other stolen artifacts but Draiven manages to escape. Zia reassures Lys that she can always ask her for help. The Jedi younglings attend Ms. Varish's botany class on the garden world of Langsha-Raang. To reward Nubs for his diligence, Varish gifts him several seeds to take home to Tenoo. However, he accidentally brings home an aggressive grumble vine, which attacks the younglings and causes damage to the temple. Nubs, Kai, and Lys fight back but are grabbed by the grumble vine's vines. Recalling Varish's lesson, Nubs manages to subdue the rogue plant by covering its center, causing it to retreat. After Master Zia returns, the temple is repaired and the grumble vine is transported back to Langsha-Raang for safekeeping. | |||||||||||
11 | "The Ganguls" | Anthony Bell | Brian Hall | August 2, 2023 | August 25, 2023 | ||||||
"Bad Eggs" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Charley Feldman | |||||||||
Nash's new speeder is stolen by a young boy named Ori, who has been coerced by a biker gang known as the Ganguls. The Ganguls, led by Sellaccc Orryak, control the nearby town of Aklyrr Bend, where they pillage and terrorize the citizens. Nash and her Jedi friends find Ori, who tells them about the situation. The four are captured by the Ganguls but convince Ori and the townsfolk to stand up to the gang. The gang flee and abandon their loot including Nash's speeder following a chase. Nash and the Jedi celebrate with Ori and the townspeople. While preparing a stew for his friend Geeli, Hap along with Kai, Lys and Nubs have to deal with several rodent-like Tikotiko, who hatch from their eggs. The hungry creatures create chaos in Hap's Sap Tap cafe and the nearby marketplace. After struggling to recapture them, Hap discovers that they are attracted to a new stew he makes. The satisfied Tikotiko fall asleep while Hap and his Jedi friends enjoy a meal with Geeli. | |||||||||||
12 | "Off the Rails" | Casey Lowe | Katie Kaniewski | August 2, 2023 | September 1, 2023 | ||||||
"The Thieves of Tharnaka" | Anthony Bell | Julius Harper | |||||||||
Kai, Lys, and Nubs travel on a train carrying logs to be used by villagers as building material. On the way to the village, their train is boarded by Taborr and his gang. During the ensuing heist and skirmish, the two train carriages are separated after Taborr accidentally loses the coupling. Kai and Taborr are separated from the others. The two enemies are forced to work together to power up their carriage. Kai learns that Taborr is not as selfish as he thinks while Taborr questions his life choices. After the two groups work together to reconnect their carriages, Taborr's gang briefly turns on Kai but ultimately decide to let the Jedi transport the logs to the villages. Following their adventure, Kai and his friends reappraise their conflict with Taborr. Kai, Lys and Nubs accompany the Jedi explorer droid OG-LC on a mission to recover an ancient artifact known as the Story Stone of Tharnaka, which belongs to Tharnakan species who are presumed to be extinct. The Jedi and OG-LC encounter three thieves led by Ace Kallisto, who steal the Story Stone. Later, Ace reveals that she is working with the Tharnakan Ishbul Ekwesh and the Gungan Tooba Jinx to recover the Story Stone for Ishbul's people. However, Tooba steals the Story Stone, intending to sell it for money. Following a pursuit, OG-LC and the Jedi younglings are able to help the adults capture Tooba and recover the stone. OG-LC and the younglings gain the respect of Ishbul, who promises to tell of their deeds to the Tharnakan people. | |||||||||||
13 | "Tree Troubles" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Brian Hall | August 2, 2023 | September 8, 2023 | ||||||
"Big Brother's Bounty" | Casey Lowe | Julius Harper | |||||||||
Nubs discovers that his favorite Tenoo tree is unwell and that the ground is shaking. Together with Kai, Lys and Nash, he discovers that the Gozzo businessman Raxlo has been harvesting the giant tree's sap for profit. The harvester's powerful drill has been causing earthquakes and Raxlo has plugged the underground water with a boulder, causing an imbalance that threatens the tree. Following a rockfall, the younglings are able to convince Raxlo of the errors of his way. Working together, they join forces to unplug the boulder, allowing the water to flow freely again. During their escape attempt, Raxlo is forced to abandon his sap cargo so they can escape to the surface. Raxlo and the Jedi younglings depart on good terms but he keeps some sap for himself. While socialising at Hap's Sap Tap, the Jedi younglings encounter Senna Strang, the sister of their bounty hunter friend Ansen Strang. Senna is worried about the safety of her big brother, who has failed to answer her calls. She also struggles with self-doubt about being a bounty hunter. Together with the younglings, Senna learns that Weebo had hired Ansen to rescue a lost Burogwa, a burrowing animal used to aid with planting Weebo's crops. Kai, Lys and Nubs help Senna find Ansen. Working together, the Jedi and the bounty hunters successfully recapture the Burogwa. After returning the Burogwa to Weebo, Ansen thanks them for helping her to learn from her mistakes and capture her first successful bounty. | |||||||||||
14 | "Charhound Chase" | Anthony Bell | Cavan Scott | November 8, 2023 | November 8, 2023 | ||||||
"Creature Comforts" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Christian Streaty | |||||||||
Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm and Padawan Bell Zettifar visit the Tenoo Jedi Temple. While Master Zia takes Master Greatstorm, Lys and Nubs on a tour, Kai befriends Zettifar and the two spend time together practising with Force techniques including hurling. After Bell's pet charhound Ember gets lost in the forest, the two boys search for the dog together while honing their Force techniques.They find Ember but stumble onto the habitat of a Gangul. Working together, the two Jedi use the Force to levitate a large log in order to draw the Gangul away from Ember. The two then return for a lesson by Master Greatstorm. Lys Solay accompanies the safari droid Aree and CAM on a safari tour on a forested world. They encounter an uncatalogued reptilian hatchling, whom Lys christens Diggles. Unable to find Diggles' home and family, Lys proposes taking Diggles back to the Tenoo Jedi Temple. Aree disagrees, saying they should not take Diggles from his natural habitat. The droids and Lys are pursue by a large reptilian beast and flee with Diggs above Aree's starship. After realizing that the large reptile is Diggles' mother, they return Diggles to her and his siblings. Aree adds Diggles' species to the Galactic Creature Guide, giving them the name Mardosh. | |||||||||||
15 | "An Adventure with Yoda" | Anthony Bell | Brian Hall | November 8, 2023 | November 9, 2023 | ||||||
"The Talon Takeover" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Maralisa Ortiz | |||||||||
Following a Jedi lesson with Master Yoda, the Jedi younglings join Nash and RJ-83 in coming to the aid of Zepher, who is being robbed by the Nihil pirates Jaay and Fleever. against Yoda's orders, Nash interferes in the confrontation with the pirates, who escape on two stolen Jedi Vector starfighters with Zepher. With the guidance of Yoda and her friends, Nash pursues the Nihil through an asteroid field. Yoda uses the Force to open the pirate ship's rear hatch and recover the Vectors and Zepher. The Jedi and Nash help clean Zepher's store. Taborr and his gang are ambushed by the rival Ganguls, who steal their ship Iron Talon and kidnap Taborr. Despite Taborr's abusive treatment, EB-3 and Pord resolve to rescue their leader and seek the help of Kai, Lys, Nubs, and Nash. After tracking the Ganguls down to an abandoned outpost on Dedoon, EB-3 comes up with a plan that involves the Jedi younglings distracting the Ganguls while he and Pord rescue Taborr. The plan almost goes awry when they encounter the Ganguls' leader Sellaccc Orryak aboard the Talon. Working together, EB-3 and Pord free Taborrr and defeat Orryak. Taborr gains a better appreciation of his friends but tells the Jedi not to expect reciprocity. | |||||||||||
16 | "Mystery of the Opal Cave" | Casey Lowe | Christian Streaty | November 8, 2023 | November 10, 2023 | ||||||
"Clash" | Anthony Bell | Katie Kaniewsky | |||||||||
The Jedi younglings go on a tour of Ootoo Prime's gem mines with miner Ayva Ackler. While investigating recent hauntings by a purported Shadow Beast in the Opal Cave, they discover that Taborr and his gang have staged the hauntings in order to steal Ootooan opal gems. While Kai and Lys confront Taborr, Nubs alerts Ayva and the other miners. The miners scare Taborr's gang away and reclaim the stolen gems. The younglings receive their own gems as a reward. During a lightsaber sparring class, Kai is paired with an ambitious Jedi intitiate named Djovi Resmia, whom beats him in a sparring exercise. Kai is upset about losing the match. Concerned about potential rivalry between the two younglings, Master Zia tasks Kai and Djovi with retrieving a damaged beacon stone from the rope path bridge on a nearby Tenoo tree. Despite their initial hostility, the two younglings talk through their differences. Djovi beats Kai to obtaining the beacon stone but loses it when Kai pursues them. After the beacon stone falls into a chasm, the two younglings work together to retrieve it. Djovi confides that they struggle with insecurity about Kai's abilities while Kai reassures them that learning control is better than greatness. | |||||||||||
17 | "Stuck in the Muck" | Casey Lowe | Katie Kaniewsky | November 8, 2023 | November 17, 2023 | ||||||
"Junkyard Sleepover" | Anthony Bell | Brian Hall | |||||||||
The Jedi younglings and Nash travel to Starlight Beacon for a guided tour. On the way, the group responds to a distress call by a group of reformed pirates led by Chigg. Following a misunderstanding, the group learn that the pirates have gotten their ship stuck in the mud while harvesting rare fruits on the planet Galjaero. During a rushed rescue, Brightstar and his friends cause the ship to slide down into the den of a tentacled creature. They make a second attempt and manage to use Nash's ship Crimsom Firehawk to retrieve the pirate ship with a tow cable. The younglings and reformed pirates then undergo a tour of Starlight Beacon with Jedi Master Esatala Maru. Marlaa is being haunted by a mysterious entity which she believes to be a Gloomling. The Jedi younglings and Nash have a sleepover with Marlaa and her droid JG-1 in order to catch the Gloomling. Following a series of scares, they come up with a plan to use bright lights to lure the Gloomling into a trap. They discover that the purported Gloomling is a damaged tracked droid, who was abandoned by its former owner. Marlaa adopts and repairs the droid, whom she names PT-3. | |||||||||||
18 | "The Great Leaf Glide" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Julius Harper | November 8, 2023 | November 24, 2023 | ||||||
"The Harvest Feast" | Casey Lowe | Rick Williams | |||||||||
Kai, Lys and Nubs accompany their fellow Jedi initiates to the planet Kondoraan for sky skimming lessons with the Nautolan Rix Tegano. During their lesson, Kai and his friends forget Rix's lessons about flying with the wind and attempt to follow a flock of flying fish known as chiffons. Flying against the wind, their sky skimming boards' wings are damaged. The trio travel through a desert back to Rix's platform but find their path blocked by a crater. After unsuccessfully trying to ride some chiffons, they use their cloaks to mend their boards' damaged wings. The younglings return in time for dinner. On the planet Omaka, the three Jedi younglings help the farmer Tey and his daughter Fiorna harvest some giant gomgourds for the Dunkutu Day festival. They encounter three of Grandpa Roog's malfunctioning droids, who accidentally drop two gomgouds. The Jedi manage to retrieve a gomgourd and learn about the falling out between Tey and Roog over the latter's use of droids for harvesting gomgourds. While returning the stray gomgourd, they hear Roog's side of the story. After rescuing one of Roog's droids, they join forces with Roog and Tey in deactivating the two other droids, who have gone rogue in the town. Tey and Roog reconcile with the former accepting that the droids do not violate Omakan tradition. They celebrate Dunkutu Day at Roog's farm. | |||||||||||
19 | "Life Day" | Anthony Bell | Katie Kaniewsky | November 8, 2023 | December 1, 2023 | ||||||
"Raxlo Strikes Back" | Shellie Kvilvang-O'Brien | Brian Hall | |||||||||
Kai, Lys and Nubs accompany Master Zia and Yoda to attend a Life Day celebration on Kashyyyk. Lys befriends a local Wookiee named Johgeshakka ("Jo"), who is old enough to hang a Life Day Orb on the village's Life Tree. Lys accidentally causes Jo to drop her orb, which falls down the tree into the village market. Working together, Lys and her friends search for Jo's orb but it gets scratched in the process. Lys is guilt-ridden by her role in the accident but Jo is grateful to her friend. Though the Wookiee Chief Whitaggikk is unable to repair Jo's orb, they learn that the orbs remind everyone of the love they have for each other. The Jedi younglings travel to snow Andraven where they meet up with Gumar and Jam for the Wellagrin hatching season. While visiting the Wellagrin hatching grounds, they discover that Raxlo has been using his harvester to melt the snow in order to mine Tenga rocks, which prevents the Wellagrin eggs from hatching. Unwilling to listen to them, Raxlo unleashes his droids on the Jedi and Gumar. After subduing the droids, the younglings confront Raxlo, causing an avalanche to sweep away Raxlo's harvester. Following the confrontation, the younglings and Raxlo reach a compromise where Gumar shows Raxlo land where he can mine Tenga rocks without enroaching on the Wellagrins' habitat. |
Production
Development
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, the first full-length animated Star Wars series targeted at young audiences and their families, was announced at Star Wars Celebration in May 2022. It is set during the High Republic era, centuries before the events of the main Star Wars films, which was already being explored through a series of books and comics at the time. The series was announced by executive producer James Waugh, executive producer and showrunner Michael Olson, supervising director Elliot Bour, and consulting producer Lamont Magee.[1][7] Lucasfilm's Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes are also executive producers.[2] Waugh said the creative team were aware that the series could be the first introduction to Star Wars for some children. Though they wanted the "characters, tone, and the life lessons" in each episode to be aimed at the younger audience, they also wanted to stay true to the expectations of people familiar with Star Wars.[3]
Casting
At the D23 Expo in September 2022, Jamaal Avery Jr. and Emma Berman were announced as cast in the series' lead roles of Kai Brightstar and Nash Durango, respectively.[2] In February 2023, it was announced that Juliet Donenfeld was cast as Lys Solay, Dee Bradley Baker as Nubs, Jonathan Lipow as RJ-83, and Piotr Michael as Yoda.[3]
Music
Matthew Margeson was hired to compose the score for the series by late July 2022.[8]
Release
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures premiered on the streaming service Disney+ and the television network Disney Junior on May 4, 2023, Star Wars Day.[3] The first two episodes premiered at Star Wars Celebration Europe on April 8, 2023.[9] Three animated shorts introducing the characters of the series premiered on the Disney Junior YouTube channel on March 27, 2023,[10] with an additional three releasing by April 24,[11] before all six were released on Disney+ on April 26.[10]
Six more episodes were released on Disney+ and Disney Junior on August 2, 2023.[12] Further episodes were released on November 8, 2023.[13] The first season is set to consist of 25 episodes.[12] The last six episodes of the season are expected to be released on February 14, 2024.[5]
Reception
Critical response
Arezou Amin of Collider gave the series an "A" rating, stating that it "captured the Star Wars spirit for younglings of all ages". She described the main cast members as being relatable to children and praised the series for relying on a character-focused approach, which explored new characters as opposed to depending on long-established characters to advance the story.[14] Brett White at Decider gave the series a positive review, describing it as a "fun show and a fine introduction to Star Wars" for the preschooler demographic. While noting its low stakes plots, White praised the series for emphasizing life lessons and described the action sequences as "feeling like Star Wars" rather than a "preschool approximation" of the franchise.[15]
Accolades
Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TCA Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming | Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures | Nominated | [16] |
Children's and Family Emmy Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Preschool Animated Series | Nominated | [17] | |
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for an Animated Program | Matthew Margeson | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Main Title and Graphics | Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Editing for a Preschool Animated Program | Danielle Alura, Zachary Bulman, Pamela Cabrera, Petrus Gammelgard, Luis Legge, Brian Dawley és Martin Wichmann Andersen | Won | |||
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Preschool Animated Program | Robbi Smith, Kevin Bolen, David Bonilla, Fil Brown, David W. Collins, Melissa Ellis, Ethan Grafton, Mark Stephan Kondracki, J. Lampinen, Heather Olsen, Gordon Suffield és Matthew Wood | Won |
References
- 1 2 Rosario, Alexandra Del (May 28, 2022). "Disney+ Bolsters 'Star Wars' Lineup With Younglings Series 'Young Jedi Adventures', Animated Anthology 'Tales Of The Jedi'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 Petski, Denise (September 10, 2022). "'Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures': Jamaal Avery Jr & Emma Berman Cast In Disney Preschool Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Leite, Marcelo (March 19, 2023). "Disney Bumps Up Star Wars Animated Series Release Date". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ↑ Spry, Jeff (May 4, 2023). "'Young Jedi Adventures' Delivers a Colorful 'Star Wars' Series for Preschoolers". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- 1 2 "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Returns with New Episodes". StarWars.com. January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- 1 2 3 "Shows A-Z - star wars: young jedi adventures on disney plus". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ↑ "SWCA 2022: Gather Your Younglings for the Young Jedi Adventures Series". StarWars.com. May 27, 2022. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
- ↑ "Matthew Margeson to Score Disney Junior's 'Young Jedi Adventures'". Film Music Reporter. July 20, 2022. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- ↑ "Plan Ahead with the Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 Panel Schedule". StarWars.com. March 7, 2023. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- 1 2 McCall, Kevin (March 27, 2023). "First Three 'Young Jedi Adventures' Shorts Arrive on YouTube". Collider. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ↑ Star Wars [@starwars] (April 24, 2023). "Incoming transmission! A new Young Jedi Adventures short is available now. Watch Taborr's Pirate Showdown and all six shorts on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Twitter.
- 1 2 StarWars.com Team (July 13, 2023). "Explore New Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Episodes This Summer". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm Ltd. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "New Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Episodes Coming Soon". StarWars.com. August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ↑ Amin, Arezou (May 4, 2023). "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures' Review: Slice-of-life stories for Younglings (and Younglings at Heart)". Collider. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ↑ White, Brett (May 4, 2023). "Stream It or Skip It: "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures" on Disney+ gives preschoolers their own Grogu in Nubs". Decider. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ↑ Cordero, Rosy; Pedersen, Erik (June 30, 2023). "TCA Awards Nominations: 'Succession', 'The Bear' & 'The Last Of Us' Lead; HBO/Max Laps Field With 20 Noms". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Honored with 5 Children's & Family Emmy Nominations". StarWars.com. November 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures at IMDb
- Young Jedi Adventures on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki