5 Years Later, Star Wars Is Finally Relaunching Its Best Idea In Years
Imagine a new galaxy far, far away.
Since Star Wars made its big comeback in 2015 with The Force Awakens, fan discourse and debate have often centered around how much nostalgia is too much nostalgia, and at what point can Star Wars let this past go. In theory, the sequel trilogy was an accidental and perhaps muddled conversation about that idea, with Kylo Ren trying to reject his heritage and the various writers behind the scenes uncertain if Rey should or shouldn’t be connected to an existing legacy. But is the legacy of Star Wars about characters? Or is it about aesthetics? A new TV series, refreshingly, suggests the answer is the latter.
Based on shorts from the animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions, the new limited anime show, The Ninth Jedi, is coming very soon, and it’s poised to give you everything you love about Star Wars, minus any of the confusing or burdensome canon. And that’s because in this new vision of the Star Wars galaxy, the only thing you have to really worry about understanding is lightsabers and the Force.
The Ninth Jedi trailer teases a new Star Wars galaxy
On Thursday, July 2, 2026, Lucasfilm finally released the full trailer for The Ninth Jedi series. In it, we once again see young Lah Kara, who, after joining the fledgling Jedi led by Master Margrave Juro, is still hoping to find her father, the sabersmith Lah Zhima, who was taken captive by the forces of darkness.
But who are the baddies in the world of The Ninth Jedi? The new trailer gives us the imposing figure of Nawaam, who, like Kylo Ren, seems to be trying to evoke the visage of Sith leaders of a day long past. That said, unlike The Force Awakens or even The Acolyte, Star Wars fans should not expect The Ninth Jedi to namecheck any specific characters from the past, nor is the world of The Ninth Jedi explicitly tied to any timeline that we’re aware of at the moment. Like with the two shorts, released in 2021 and 2025, respectively, all the locations, characters, and galactic intrigue are unique to this series. The Ninth Jedi is not a “glup shitto” Star Wars show, insofar as these characters exist in this world only.
The trailer teases this idea, revealing new Jedi who seem to be joining the cause with Master Juro, as well as giving us a twist on the new villain. In The Ninth Jedi, the color of a lightsaber blade can change depending on what is reflected in the heart of the wielder. Instead of the permanent bleeding of lightsabers that exists in the mainline Star Wars canon, The Ninth Jedi presents a more poetic and fluid idea: The color of a lightsaber blade can give us a clue to what is going on inside a person’s soul. And the primary mystery that the trailer drops is: Why does Nawaam have a blue blade if he’s intent on destroying the galaxy?
Again, the great thing about this series is that it won’t answer that question with a bunch of callbacks to other Star Wars media or complex canon tap-dancing but instead builds the story on its own terms.
The Ninth Jedi Release Date and Episode Count
The Jedi assemble.
There will be eight episodes in all for The Ninth Jedi. The entire series will be streaming on Disney+ on August 5. Right now, The Ninth Jedi is billed as a “limited series,” which suggests there’s not going to be a second season. But, perhaps, if the reception for The Ninth Jedi is positive enough, that could change.
