Star Wars: Visions has fallen into the category of one of the quieter Star Wars series. While Star Wars fans and the general audience loudly express their opinions on the theatrically released movies and the live action shows on Disney+, some other Star Wars content goes unnoticed. Chief among those is Star Wars: Visions. An animated anthology series that, while very much taking place in the Star Wars Universe (or an off-shoot of it), doesn’t include any of the franchise’s iconic characters nor does it have any impact on the greater canon. But after debuting season one in the fall of 2021, it still pops up for a new season every now and then. Like most anthology shows, some episodes are stronger and easier to get into than others, but as a whole, it’s one of the best Star Wars things Disney+ has rolled out.
The thrust of Star Wars: Visions is that a different animation studio can get as experimental as they want to tell a compelling and visually stunning narrative with all the trappings of Star Wars. There’s Jedis, droids, bounty hunters, the far reach of the Empire in distant planets, and even sound effects that are unmistakably Star Wars. At the same time, episodes are exciting, unpredictable, and each one offers something very different. Season two had the best variety in terms of studios from across the world. Like season one, all nine episodes of season three were produced by Japanese studios. A couple that return from season one for sequel episodes. That’s not to say this season isn’t unique, it just doesn’t feel quite as expansive as last season did. Here’s a breakdown of the episodes.
The Duel: Payback is a sequel to The Duel, the first episode of the first season. Again animated by Kamikaze Douga and directed by Takanobu Mizuno, the story of the Ronin continues. I like how this feels as though it’s on the fringes of the typical Jedi/Sith conflict in Star Wars since the Ronin has left behind his Sith ways but still finds himself targeted by someone who wants him dead. And then things get worse for him. The action sequences are brilliant, and it’s mostly in black and white. It has a strong manga feel to it.
The Song of Four Wings was directed by Hiroyasu Kobayashi of Project Studio Q. The first of a few episodes that involve survivors of a civilization destroyed by the Empire, this one has a princess and her droid rescue a Force-sensitive child. It’s sort of like The Mandalorian with giant robot battles. I wouldn’t count this episode as one of my favorites, but I did like the snowy atmosphere and the many recognizable Star Wars alien races and technology.
The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope sees Production I.G. continue from a season one episode 
with Naoyoshi Shiotani directing. The overarching story of these “Ninth Jedi” episodes is a girl named Kara who wants to rescue her kidnapped father, but she ends up on these side quests along the way. There’s enough material here to create an entire “Ninth Jedi” spin-off series, which is exactly what’s going to happen. This episode in particular has Kara meet a droid who is taking care of its master in suspended animation but needs her help to revive him. I like the bond that forms between Kara and the droid, and I can easily see these episodes having more weight to them as a continuing narrative.
The Bounty Hunters was animated by Wit Studio and directed by Junichi Yamamoto and sets the story in the seedy underbelly that’s always been a part of Star Wars. A bounty hunter is hired by an industrialist, but her sympathies for those she’s hunting get in the way of the job. This is another episode whose strength lies in how droids can enhancea story while making the designs and machinery really stand out. I also appreciate that the villain does some pretty heinous things in it.
Yuko’s Treasure by Masaki Tachibana of Kinema Citrus once again has a young protagonist being chased down and exploited by someone bigger and more powerful, but the character designs are much softer and even cuter than other Visions episodes. The droid that takes care of Yuko looks like a giant teddy bear. Star Wars familiarity helps with this episode because, rather than come up with an entirely new civilization, this one takes place on Tatooine and has some pretty iconic settings. This one really tugs at the heartstrings because it’s not so much about Yuko trying to find the treasure his deceased parents were keeping as it is about him connecting with his parents on some level. The ending felt a little drawn out, but that’s just a minor nitpick.
The Lost Ones, another one from Kinema Citrus, was directed by Hitoshi Haga. It follows 
the Jedi F from the season one episode “The Village Bride” on a mission to help miners off a planet damaged by the carbonite gas the Empire was harvesting. She ends up confronting her former Master. I really loved the action in this one. Having a somewhat inexperienced Jedi go up against a more powerful Sith ended up giving us a top notch lightsaber duel. The subplot with the carbonite really used Star Wars lore to its advantage.
The Smuggler from Masahiko Otsuka and Studio Trigger centers on a deposed and disguised royal who tries to do his best to live an unnoticed life. Pilots and smugglers are also a part of Star Wars, but this episode doesn’t just focus on that. The Rebellion plays a factor, as does a Jedi who escaped Order 66. This story feels like it could be a side story that take sometime between Episodes III and IV. While I didn’t love the character designs (I guess it makes somewhat sense to have a character undercover look nondescript), the action more than made up for it.
The Bird of Paradise was produced by Polygon Pictures and directed by Tadahiro Yoshihira was my favorite episode of the season. A Jedi padawan named Nakime loses a fight with a Sith. Blinded and lost in a forest, she fights her own dark side over several days. The concept of the Force was influenced by Eastern ideas of balance, and Nakime’s spiritual journey reflects that. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, and each day has its own philosophical chapter subheading. I almost feel like this could be an animated Star Wars feature.
BLACK, the final episode of the bunch, was by Shinya Ohira and produced by David Production. BLACK isn’t so much an episode as it is a musical experience. The plot, from what I can gather, is that we’re in the POV of a Stormtrooper (or Stormtroopers) who are defeated by rebel forces and have these trippy visions in the heat of their panic. But it’s not about plot. It’s about art and music coming together in a living jam session. It’s only 14 minutes long, but it’s not something you can turn away from even for a second.
So overall, a fairly strong outing for Star Wars: Visions. It’s interesting to note that there’s a mix of male and female protagonists, maybe slightly favoring the women. Also, these episodes are longer than in previous seasons, with The Song of Four Wings and BLACK being the only ones under 20 minutes. I did find myself wanting one comedic or screwball episode to shift tone a little bit. Star Wars fans tend to like a variety of things about the franchise, so I can’t say there’s one clear favorite episode out of this batch. But I will say there’s something for everyone.
