money All Nine "Star Wars: Visions" Episodes, Ranked
Star Wars: Visions is here on Disney+!
Spoiler warning: If you haven't watched all of the episodes, come back and read this later!
I watched all of the episodes back-to-back and graded them with a gut reaction once each credits rolled.
Note: The animation was stellar across the board, so the rankings reflect the story more than the animation created by the studios.
Episodes listed below are formatted with the "episode title" and then graded on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest).
Here is my ranking:
9."Akakiri" (5.5)
"A Jedi returns to his forbidden love to help her defend her kingdom from a Sith-like Shogun."
The vision twist at the end was a nice touch and maybe my favorite thing about it. That being said, Star Wars is all about hope, even in tragedy, and I felt like that was lacking in this one compared to the others.
8."T0-B1" (6)
"A cybernetic-boy, who dreams of being a Jedi, discovers a dangerous truth about his creator."
My expectations were low right out of the gate for this episode. But as goofy-looking as it is, it had a lot of heart and a nice twist that caught me off-guard. A lot of fun, I liked Toby, and if I were grading heavily on animation originality, this one took some chances that I really admired.
Did the father not look like Santa from Frosty the Snowman? No, just me?
7." Lop and Ocho" (7)
Disney+
"A family is torn about what to do when the Empire encroaches on their planet."
Another one, where I saw an anime bunny and prepared for the worst, but like all of these, my low expectations were thwarted. It was a tragic but wholesomely hopeful tale about family. This one will be really underrated as far as feeling like it belongs in the universe, but I loved the world-building and setting.
Wasn't in love with the lore they created, but that was the beauty of these shorts, it gave creators full control.
6."Tatooine Rhapsody" (7.5)
"A band with big dreams must save one of their own from Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett."
They really went for it on this one. The campiest of them all, and I respect that decision by the studio. Music has always been apart of the Star Wars universe, so why not rock? My only knock against it was using characters we as an audience already know. I want more stories from a galaxy far, far away to be totally fresh.
To defend this one even more, I must say, this was the most Star Wars-like story without actually looking like the standard "they fight" formula. This one had a lot of heart without being action-packed.
5."The Elder" (7.5)
Disney+
"A Jedi and his Padawan pursue a dark and powerful presence."
My least favorite as far as not having a true ending. More mystery can sometimes lead to a lack of satisfaction, and this one had the makings of being a classic, but I wanted more payoff.
All that said: the relationship between Jedi and Padawan was my favorite since Kanan and Ezra from Rebels.
4.The Village Bride (8)
Disney+
"A Jedi on the run takes in unique customs of a remote village under threat of a warlord."
Felt very different from the rest, but that was a good thing. I wish it was a little less predictable, but who knows, I'm an adult, maybe it played out differently for younglings.
I really liked the connection to nature...which I think Star Wars is continuing to expand upon through books and TV.
3."The Twins" (8.5)
Disney+
"Two twins born into the dark side clash aboard a massive star destroyer."
Loved the simplicity of this one. It definitely felt like anime to someone who doesn't really watch it, and the story was pretty gripping. The way the unfolding of this story happened I thought was a stroke of genius and a great way to introduce two mysterious characters like this.
Plus, that light speed scene, am I right?
2."The Duel" (9.5)
Disney+
"A wandering stranger with a mysterious past defends a village from powerful bandits."
Maybe the best single character that can be made into a live-adaption right now. I loved Ronin and the idea of his character needs a story ASAP. Besides him, the villain was fantastic (her design one of the best in the show), along with Ronin's droid.
Everything about this story made this an instant Star Wars classic.
1."The Ninth Jedi" (10)
"The daughter of a lightsaber-smith is pursued by dark forces while on a dangerous mission."
"The Duel" was a close second, but man, did it feel like "The Ninth Jedi" took the football, ran with it, and scored a touchdown.
The suspense, the actions, the comedy...this was honestly had my favorite world-building of the bunch and felt the most like a pilot of a TV series. I feel like it took the most risks and created lore of its own within the universe that really wowed me.
I don't know how others will feel about it, but I adored the twist, and it felt very in the spirit of Lucasfilm. Plus, the only episode with a "to be continued"-like ending that I loved. Seriously, as a fan of Rebels, I think this would make a great non-canon story to go forward with as more Disney Plus content.
I can see it now...Star Wars Legends: The Ninth Jedi.
