Star Wars Resistance


Star Wars Resistance is an American 3D animated Sci-Fi television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation. The series uses a cel-shaded look. It follows Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot who is recruited by the Resistance to spy on the growing threat of the First Order shortly before and during the events of the sequel trilogy.
The series premiered on Disney Channel on October 7, 2018, and the next day it debuted on Disney XD in the United States and worldwide. Twelve shorts debuted on the Disney Channel YouTube channel in December 2018.
The second and final season premiered on October 6, 2019 on Disney Channel, Disney XD, and DisneyNow. The series ended on January 26, 2020 after forty episodes.
Resistance received generally positive reviews from critics, but mixed reactions from fans. Its voice acting, diverse cast of characters, and writing have received praise, while its animation, tone, and short episode count have been criticized. Resistance was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for both of its seasons. It won the Saturn Award for Best Animated Series on Television in 2019 for its debut season.

Cast and characters

Main

The droid BB-8 appears for most of the first season.

Guest

Season 1 (2018–19)

The series follows Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot who is recruited by the Resistance to spy on the growing threat of the First Order. The first season begins six months before and crosses over with it at the end.

Season 2 (2019–20)

The second and final season picks up immediately afterwards, crossing over with ' and leading up to '.

Shorts

  1. "The Search for Kaz"
  2. "Dart and Cover"
  3. "Neeku's Reward"
  4. "When Thieves Drop By"
  5. "Treasure Chest"
  6. "G-LN"
  7. "Bucket's Quest"
  8. "Unmotivated"
  9. "The Need for Speed"
  10. "Sixty Seconds to Destruction"
  11. "Buggles' Day Out"
  12. "The Rematch"

    Production

Development

On February 22, 2018, /Film reported that Lucasfilm had trademarked the name Star Wars Resistance for a wide range of merchandise and a potential animated series.
On April 26, the series was officially announced and scheduled for a Fall 2018 debut. The show was created by Dave Filoni, who previously directed the 2008 film , developed, created, developed, and executive produced Star Wars Rebels, and in 2017 became the head of Lucasfilm Animation. Filoni said the show was influenced by anime and by his grandfather's experiences in World War II. By August 1, 2018, Polygon Pictures was selected as the animation production company.
On August 12, 2018, Filoni stated that he would not work as directly on Resistance in a day-to-day capacity as he had on previous projects due to his work on The Clone Wars revival. However, he provided direction and notes to the story team, a role he compared to George Lucas' input on The Clone Wars.

Casting

Along with the official series announcement, it was announced that Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie would reprise their roles as Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, respectively. They are joined by Christopher Sean, Bobby Moynihan, Suzie McGrath, Scott Lawrence, Myrna Velasco, Josh Brener, Donald Faison, and Jim Rash. General Leia Organa, Kylo Ren and have appeared in the series.

Release

Marketing

A trailer was released on August 17, 2018, showcasing the new animation style and characters. It received a negative reaction from fans, including criticism for its apparent targeting of younger viewers and both praise and criticism for the anime-style CGI. Blair Marnell of Nerdist compared the initial reaction to the early stigma The Clone Wars and Rebels suffered for similarly targeting younger demographics during release, only for both to become more positively received with subsequent seasons.

Broadcast

The series debuted in the United States on the Disney Channel on October 7, 2018, with Disney XD airing the series later in the United States and worldwide, with the exception of Southeast Asia, where all live-action shows are sold by Disney's Southeast Asian channel. The series was renewed for a second season, which aired in October 2019. Its first episode, which picks up directly after the end of the first season, was screened at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago.
Season two premiered on Sunday, October 6, on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW, with subsequent airings on Disney XD. Season two was the final season of the show and consisted of 19 episodes.

Home media

As announced on July 23, 2019, Lucasfilm released the first season on DVD on August 20. It includes all 21 episodes of Season One, as well as an exclusive sneak-peek at the making of the show with cast and crew, 4 audio commentaries with Sean, Lawrence, Brener and Velasco, the 12 shorts and Resistance Rewind.
The first season of Star Wars Resistance is also available on the Disney+ streaming service, which launched on November 12, 2019. The second season was added on February 25, 2020.

Reception

According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of critics have given season one a positive review based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 6.72/10. The site's critics consensus states that "Star Wars: Resistance streamlined story sets the stage for exciting adventures—and seems poised to explore a canvas stocked with immediately relatable characters and plenty of potential."

Awards