Get ready to head back to a galaxy far, far away with Disney’s new animated series Star Wars Resistance. The latest cartoon installment in the epic sci-fi saga will take the franchise in a new direction, exploring parts of the Star Wars lore that haven’t been featured yet on the big or small screens. Here’s everything we know about Star Wars Resistance.
What is Star Wars Resistance about?
After the success of animated series like Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars—the later will soon return for new episodes after coming to an end in 2013—the powers that be have decided to create another cartoon for the Star Wars universe.
Star Wars Resistance is the brainchild of Dave Filoni, who served as the showrunner for Rebels supervising director for Clone Wars. He revealed over the spring that the new, anime-inspired series will take place between the events of the original live-action trilogy and the start of the latest round of films, so fans will get to see what happened between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
“The idea for Star Wars Resistance came out of my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots,” Filoni told StarWars.com. “My grandfather was a pilot and my uncle flew and restored planes, so that’s been a big influence on me. There’s a long history of high-speed racing in Star Wars, and I think we’ve captured that sense of excitement in an anime-inspired style, which is something the entire team has been wanting to do for a long time.”
Unfortunately, it sounds like the fan-favorite Filoni won’t be as involved in the new show as he has been for past series.
“Resistance is a bit different, in that I’m not on that day-to-day,” he told IGN. “I created and set it in motion, but I’ve given that to other people to raise up, people that I’ve worked with a long time, who I think deserve the opportunity to tell stories and I think it’s exciting, and I give them my thoughts and notes – I was just doing that this morning, like George would give me. So that’s fun.”
That said, fans should expect more exciting, interstellar action from the new series. According to the official synopsis, Star Wars Resistance will feature a new character named Kaz, who’s been tasked with a secret mission.
The high-flying adventure series follows Kazuda Xiono (“Kaz”), a young pilot recruited by the Resistance for a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order. Following its U.S. debut, Star Wars Resistance will rollout globally on Disney Channels Worldwide.
In the one-hour premiere titled The Recruit, Poe and BB-8 assign newly-appointed spy Kaz to the Colossus, a massive aircraft re-fueling platform on an outer rim water planet, home to colorful new aliens, droids and creatures. While undercover, Kaz works as a mechanic and lives with Poe’s old friend Yeager, a veteran pilot who operates a starship repair shop run by his crew: Tam, Neeku and their old battered astromech droid, Bucket. Kaz soon finds himself in over his head with his new friend BB-8 as he’ll have to compete in dangerous sky races, keep his mission a secret from his newfound family, and avoid the danger of the First Order.
Star Wars Resistance cast
While the series will introduce new characters to the Star Wars mythology, many familiar names will lend their voices to the show as well. Fans of the new live-action trilogy will get to see the likes of Poe Dameron, Captain Phasma and BB-8 in anmiated form for Resistance, with both Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie returning to voice their characters in guest roles.
In additon to the return of the Force Awakens/Last Jedi stars, the main cast will also feature some notable names. Star Wars Resistance will star Days of Our Lives alum Christopher Sean, former Saturday Night Live cast member Bobby Moynihan, Scrubs actor Donald Faison plus Suzie McGrath, Scott Lawrence, Myrna Velasco, Josh Brener, Jim Rash and Rachel Butera.
Star Wars Resistance release date
Star Wars Resistance premieres Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. on the Disney Channel. The series will then air on Disney XD.
