''Star Wars Resistance'' is an American
3D animated
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refer ...
comic
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
science fiction television series produced by
Lucasfilm Animation. It follows
Kazuda Xiono
This incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt Dis ...
, a
New Republic New Republic may refer to:
Places
* New Republic, California, former name of Santa Rita, Monterey County, California
* New Republic (Santarem), district in the city of Santarém, Pará
Countries
* New Republic (Brazil), the restored civilian gove ...
pilot who is recruited by the
Resistance
Resistance may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm:
** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title
** ''T ...
to spy on the growing threat of the
First Order
In mathematics and other formal sciences, first-order or first order most often means either:
* "linear" (a polynomial of degree at most one), as in first-order approximation and other calculus uses, where it is contrasted with "polynomials of high ...
shortly before and during the events of the
sequel trilogy.
The series premiered on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
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. The series 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
The Saturn Award for Best Animated Series on Television (formerly Saturn Award for Best Animated Series or Film on Television) is one of the annual awards given by the American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The Saturn Awards ...
in 2019 for its debut season.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Christopher Sean as Kazuda 'Kaz' Xiono,
a young pilot for the New Republic who becomes a resistance spy onboard the Colossus
*
Scott Lawrence as Jarek Yeager,
the owner of Yeager's Repairs onboard the Colossus
*
Josh Brener as Neeku Vozo,
a talented Nikto technician
* Suzie McGrath
as Tamara 'Tam' Ryvora,
a mechanic and aspiring pilot
*
Donald Faison as Hype Fazon,
leader of the Ace Squadron who protect the Colossus
* Myrna Velasco
as Torra Doza,
one of the Ace Squadron pilots and the daughter of Captain Doza
* Jason Hightower
as Captain Imanuel Doza,
the captain of the Colossus
*
Nazneen Contractor
Nazneen Contractor (born August 26, 1982) is a Canadian actress known for her role as Layla Hourani on CBC's '' The Border'', and as Kayla Hassan on '' 24'' in 2010. She also guest-starred in the ''Letterkenny'' International Women’s Day ...
as Synara San, a member of the space pirate gang known as the Warbirds
*
Liam McIntyre as Commander Pyre, a high-ranking officer in the First Order
*
Sumalee Montano
Sumalee Montano (born August 3, 1972) is an American actress who worked as an investment bank analyst in New York City and Hong Kong before starting her acting career.
For TV and film, Sumalee has appeared on '' Close to Home'', '' Days of Ou ...
as Agent Tierny,
an agent in the First Order Security Bureau
Recurring
*
Oscar Isaac as
Poe Dameron,
a commander in the resistance
*
Bobby Moynihan and
Jim Rash as Orka and Flix, the Chadra-Fan and Gozzo who run the Office of Acquisitions onboard the Colossus
*
Tovah Feldshuh as Aunt Z, the Gilliand proprietor of Aunt Z's Tavern
* Justin Ridge as R1-J5, and old astromech droid better known as "Bucket"
*
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Freya Fenris, one of the pilots of the Ace Squadron,
and 4D-M1N, the command bridge droid who assists Captain Doza
*
Stephen Stanton and
Dave Filoni as Griff Halloran and Bo Keevil,
the other two members of the Ace Squadron
*
Elijah Wood as Jace Rucklin, a resident of the Colossus
*
Gary Anthony Williams as Captain Kragan Gorr, the Quarren captain of the Warbird pirate gang
*
David Shaughnessy as Drell, a Weequay member of the Warbirds
*
Lex Lang
Lex Lang (born November 12, 1965) is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the ''Crash Bandicoo ...
and
Christine Dunford
Christine Dunford is an American actress from the Bronx, New York.
Life and career
Christine Dunford was born in the Bronx. She graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1979, the year that she played a featured role in the school's ...
as Major Elrik Vonreg and Lt. Galek, officers in the First Order
* Antony Del Rio and
Nikki SooHoo
Nikki SooHoo (Chinese: 司徒少英; born August 20, 1988) is a Chinese American actress.
Personal life and career
SooHoo attended Orange County High School of the Arts and completed a degree in world arts and cultures at University of Californi ...
as Kel and Eila, a brother and sister who are stowaways on the Colussus
*
Tasia Valenza as Venisa Doza, a resistance pilot and the wife of Captain Doza
The other residents of the Colossus are voiced by a group of recurring voice actors.
Greg Proops, who had also voiced the race commentator Fode in ''
Episode I – The Phantom Menace
An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption.
The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...
'', voices race commentator Jak Sivrak as well as Garma, an elderly Arcona.
Fred Tatasciore voices the Klatooinian gorg seller Bolza Grool and
Dee Bradley Baker voices both Grevel, an irascible Aleena, and Glem, a Rodian dockworker. Jooks, a Thelin who lives on the Colossus is also voiced by
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.
The
droid
Droid or DROID may refer to:
* A robot, or specifically android (robot)
Entertainment
* Droid (band), an American metal band
* ''Droid'' (film), a 1988 science fiction film
* Droid (''Star Wars''), science fictional machines from the ''Star ...
BB-8 appears for most of the first season.
Guest
*
Gwendoline Christie (season 1) and
Ellen Dubin (season 2) as
Captain Phasma,
a high-ranking officer in the First Order
*
Domhnall Gleeson (season 1) and Ben Prendergast (season 2) as
General Hux, one of the highest-ranking officers in the First Order
*
Anthony Daniels as
C-3PO, a protocol droid working for the resistance. C-3PO's voice can be briefly heard over the intercom in the pilot episode
*
Carolyn Hennesy as Princess
Leia Organa, the leading general of the resistance
*
Tzi Ma as Senator Hamato Xiono, Kazuda's father
*
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
as the Chelidae, the shellfolk who are the engineers onboard the Colossus
*
Matthew Wood as Ello Asty, a resistance pilot, and
Kylo Ren, the Supreme Leader of the First Order
*
Joe Manganiello as Ax Tagrin,
an Iktotchi bounty hunter
*
Lucy Lawless as the Queen of the Aeosians
*
John DiMaggio as Vranki the Blue, a Hutt operating a casino
*
Sam Witwer and
Cherami Leigh as Hugh Sion and Mia Gabon, pilots for the New Republic and friends of Kazuda's
*
Rachael MacFarlane as Lin Gaava, a friend of Jace Rucklin's
*
Tudi Roche
Tudi Joanne Roche (born July 19, 1955)Lipton, Michael A."No Mere Putterer"''People'', June 12, 1995 is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her recurring role as Carrie on the sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1995–1998).
Persona ...
as Mika Grey, a Sith relic hunter
*
Daveed Diggs as Norath Kev, a resistance pilot
*
Steve Blum as Leoz, a Nikto pirate
Episodes
Season 1 (2018–19)
The series follows
Kazuda Xiono
This incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt Dis ...
, a
New Republic New Republic may refer to:
Places
* New Republic, California, former name of Santa Rita, Monterey County, California
* New Republic (Santarem), district in the city of Santarém, Pará
Countries
* New Republic (Brazil), the restored civilian gove ...
pilot who is recruited by the
Resistance
Resistance may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm:
** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title
** ''T ...
to spy on the growing threat of the
First Order
In mathematics and other formal sciences, first-order or first order most often means either:
* "linear" (a polynomial of degree at most one), as in first-order approximation and other calculus uses, where it is contrasted with "polynomials of high ...
.
[ The first season begins six months before '' The Force Awakens'' and crosses over with it at the end of the 17th episode.]
Season 2 (2019–20)
The second and final season picks up immediately afterwards, crossing over with '' The Last Jedi'' and leading up to '' The Rise of Skywalker''.
Shorts
A series of shorts, depicting the lives of the ''Resistance'' cast, were released during a midseason break for the first season in 2018.
# "The Search for Kaz" (December 10, 2018)
# "Dart and Cover" (December 10, 2018)
# "Neeku's Reward" (December 10, 2018)
# "When Thieves Drop By" (December 17, 2018)
# "Treasure Chest" (December 17, 2018)
# "G-LN" (December 17, 2018)
# "Bucket's Quest" (December 23, 2018)
# "Unmotivated" (December 24, 2018)
# "The Need for Speed" (December 24, 2018)
# "Sixty Seconds to Destruction" (December 31, 2018)
# "Buggles' Day Out" (December 31, 2018)
# "The Rematch" (December 31, 2018)
Production
Development
On February 22, 2018, /Film
''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005.
Podcasts
Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, De ...
reported that Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
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 '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', developed the subsequent television series, 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
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
' 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
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
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, (10 p.m. EDT/PDT) on Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
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'' became available for streaming on November 12, 2019, the launch date for Disney+. The second season became available on February 25, 2020.
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 has an approval rating of 92% based reviews from 13 critics, with an average rating of 6.70/10. 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."
William Hughes of The A.V. Club praised the first episode saying "At the end of its first hour, Resistance feels pleasantly primed with potential." He gave it a grade B.
Brian Lowry of CNN gave it a mixed review, he notes that previous ''Star Wars'' shows offered plenty for older fans but that this show was more clearly made for a younger audience, and "Star Wars Resistance paints with a much brighter, more colorful palette, but at least initially settles for more pallid characters and situations—the kind that don't immediately suggest this is the animated show you're looking for." Syfy Wire notes that "''Resistance''s cel-shading animation style stands out amongst the franchise's traditional CG-animated fare." Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media called the series "lighthearted" and downplaying cartoon violence
Cartoon violence is the representation of violent actions involving animated characters and situations. This may include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted. Animated violence is sometimes partitioned into c ...
. She also argued that the series has a lot of humor, has characters demonstrate traits of determination and courage, saying that the series had vivid animation and "high-flying action" which dominates the series plot.
Awards
References
Footnotes
Citations
External links
*
''Star Wars Resistance''
at Disney+
*
*
{{Saturn Award for Best Animated Series or Film on Television
Star Wars Resistance
2018 American television series debuts
2020 American television series endings
2010s American animated television series
2020s American animated television series
2010s American comic science fiction television series
2020s American comic science fiction television series
American children's animated action television series
American children's animated space adventure television series
American children's animated comic science fiction television series
American computer-animated television series
Animated television series about extraterrestrial life
Anime-influenced Western animated television series
Disney Channel original programming
Disney XD original programming
Interquel television series
Television series by Lucasfilm
Resistance
Resistance may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm:
** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title
** ''T ...
Animated television shows based on films