This article is about the animated series. For the fictional Star Wars organization, see Resistance (Star Wars).
Star Wars Resistance
Genre
CreatorDave Filoni
Developer
  • Dave Filoni
  • Kiri Hart
  • Carrie Beck
Voices
Composer
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Num seasons2
Num episodes40
Executive producer
  • Dave Filoni
  • Athena Portillo
  • Justin Ridge
  • Brandon Auman
Runtime22 minutes
Company
Network
First airedOctober 7, 2018
Last airedJanuary 26, 2020

Star Wars Resistance is an American 3D animated comic science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation. It follows Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot who is recruited by the Resistance to spy on the growing threat of the First Order[2] shortly before and during the events of the sequel trilogy.

The series premiered on Disney Channel 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.[3] The second and final season premiered on October 6, 2019 on Disney Channel, Disney XD and DisneyNow.[4][5] The series ended on January 26, 2020 after forty episodes.[6]

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 in 2019 for its debut season.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Christopher Sean[7] as Kazuda "Kaz" Xiono,[8] a young pilot for the New Republic who becomes a resistance spy onboard the Colossus.
  • Josh Brener[7] as Neeku Vozo,[8] a talented Nikto technician.
  • Scott Lawrence[7] as Jarek Yeager,[8] the owner of Yeager's Repairs onboard the Colossus
  • Suzie McGrath[7] as Tamara "Tam" Ryvora,[8] a mechanic and aspiring pilot.
  • Justin Ridge as R1-J5, an old astromech droid better known as "Bucket".

Recurring

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, 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 Theelin who lives on the Colossus is also voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.

The droid BB-8 appears for most of the first season.[7]

Guest

Episodes

Season 1 (2018–19)

The series follows Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot who is recruited by the Resistance to spy on the growing threat of the First Order.[2] The first season begins six months before The Force Awakens and crosses over with it at the end of the 17th episode.[18]

Shorts (2018)

A series of shorts, depicting the lives of the Resistance cast, were released during a midseason break for the first season in 2018.[3]

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.[4]

Production

Development

On February 22, 2018, /Film reported that Lucasfilm had trademarked the name Star Wars Resistance for a wide range of merchandise and a potential animated series.[19] 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.[1]

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' input on The Clone Wars.[20][21]

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.[22] General Leia Organa, Kylo Ren and BB-8 have appeared in the series.[7][8]

Release

Marketing

A trailer was released on August 17, 2018, showcasing the new animation style and characters.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25]

Broadcast

The series debuted in the United States on the Disney Channel 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.[26] The series was renewed for a second season, which aired in October 2019.[27] Its first episode, which picks up directly after the end of the first season, was screened at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago.[28]

Season two premiered on Sunday, October 6, (10 p.m. EDT/PDT) on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW, with subsequent airings on Disney XD. Season two was the final season of the show[4] 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.[29]

The first season of Star Wars Resistance became available for streaming on November 12, 2019, the launch date for Disney+.[30] The second season became available on February 25, 2020.[31]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 has an approval rating of 93% based reviews from 14 critics, with an average rating of 6.70/10. The site's critics consensus states, "Star Wars: Resistance's streamlined story sets the stage for exciting adventures—and seems poised to explore a canvas stocked with immediately relatable characters and plenty of potential."[32]

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.[33] 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."[34] Syfy Wire notes that "Resistance's cel-shading animation style stands out amongst the franchise's traditional CG-animated fare."[35] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media called the series "lighthearted" and downplaying cartoon violence. 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.[36]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2019Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Children's ProgramStar Wars Resistance[37]
Saturn AwardsBest Animated Series[38]
2020
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Children's Program[39]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Archived voice from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[40]

Citations

  1. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (August 1, 2018). "Polygon Pictures Producing New Star Wars Resistance Series". Animation Magazine. Archived August 3, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  2. ^ Liptak, Andrew (April 26, 2018). "Star Wars: Resistance will be the next animated Star Wars show". The Verge. Archived March 27, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Keane, Sean. "Star Wars Resistance shorts tide fans over during midseason break". CNET. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived December 18, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Star Wars Resistance Season Two Trailer Revealed". StarWars.com. August 14, 2019. Archived August 14, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  5. ^ Hibberd, James (August 14, 2019). "Star Wars Resistance to end with season 2; trailer revealed". Entertainment Weekly. Archived August 15, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  6. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (1 October 2019). "Why is Star Wars Resistance ending with Season 2? Cast and crew explain its farewell". Syfy Wire. Archived April 11, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  7. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (April 26, 2018). "Star Wars Resistance Animated Series Set at Disney Channel". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived May 20, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  8. ^ Breznican, Anthony (August 17, 2018). "Watch the soaring new trailer for the Star Wars: Resistance animated series". Entertainment Weekly. Archived August 17, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Day 418 – Nazneen Contractor". 365starwars.com. September 5, 2019. Archived October 18, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  10. ^ McIntyre, Liam (November 5, 2018). "Hope you don't mind sharing your universe with my Gold Commander Pyre Mr @HamillHimself". Twitter. No. 1059572883066896384. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  11. ^ "Meet the Aces in a New Star Wars Resistance Featurette | StarWars.com". StarWars.com. 2018-09-14. Archived December 26, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  12. ^ "Star Wars animation voice actors unite at Keystone Comic Con in Philadelphia". syfy.com/. August 23, 2019. Archived November 28, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  13. ^ "Fuel for the Fire". www.disneyabcpress.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  14. ^ "Day 419 – Nikki SooHoo". 365starwars.com. September 6, 2019. Archived December 3, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  15. ^ "Tasia Valenza Joins Cast of 'Star Wars: Resistance' as the Voice of 'Venisa Doza'". Newswire. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  16. ^ Anthony Daniels (2019). "Droidography". I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story. Hardback ed. London: DK. p. 269. ISBN 9780241357606.
  17. ^ Weiss, Josh (January 10, 2019). "Star Wars Resistance will race toward a second season on the Disney Channel". Syfy Wire. Archived March 1, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  18. ^ Young, Bryan (October 2, 2018). "Star Wars Resistance harbors crazy deep cuts and will cross over with The Force Awakens". Syfy. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  19. ^ Anderton, Ethan (February 22, 2018). "Star Wars: Resistance May Be Lucasfilm's Latest Star Wars TV Series". /Film. Archived June 20, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  20. ^ Anderton, Ethan (August 15, 2018). "Star Wars Resistance Animated Series Won't Have Dave Filoni Running the Ship". /Film. Archived August 20, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  21. ^ Huver, Scott (August 12, 2018). "Star Wars Rebels Creator Dave Filoni Reveals How Season 4 Almost Ended and His Clone Wars Revival Plans". IGN. Archived August 20, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  22. ^ Brockington, Ariana (April 26, 2018). "Disney Channel Orders Star Wars Resistance Animated Series". Variety. Archived July 14, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  23. ^ "Star Wars Resistance First Look". Disney. August 17, 2018. Archived August 19, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 19, 2018. – via YouTube
  24. ^ Flint, Hanna (August 20, 2018). "Disney's Star Wars Resistance animated series gets severe backlash online". Yahoo! Lifestyle. Hanna Flint. Yahoo!. Archived August 25, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 24, 2018. The video has received over 34,000 dislikes compared to around 8,300 likes with the comments section filled with passionately negative reactions.
  25. ^ Marnell, Blair (August 17, 2018). "Star Wars Fans Are Split Over Resistance". Nerdist. Archived August 18, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  26. ^ Prudom, Laura (April 26, 2018). "Star Wars Resistance: Disney Orders Anime-Inspired TV Show from Rebels Creator Dave Filoni". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  27. ^ "Star Wars Resistance Season Two Confirmed, Mid-Season One Trailer Debuts". StarWars.com. January 9, 2019. Archived May 7, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  28. ^ Keane, Sean (April 15, 2019). "Star Wars: Resistance fans treated to season 2's first episode at Celebration Chicago". CNET. Archived April 16, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  29. ^ "Star Wars Resistance Season One Coming to DVD on August 20 Season Two on DVD has not been released.". StarWars.com. Archived July 23, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  30. ^ G., Matt (16 November 2019). "Disney+ in NZ – Your Questions Answered". Star Wars New Zealand. Archived August 5, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  31. ^ Lawrence, Gregory (January 23, 2020). "Here's What's New on Disney+ in February 2020". collider.com. Archived January 25, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  32. ^ "Star Wars: Resistance: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived March 20, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  33. ^ "Resistance is a kid-friendly glimpse at the grimy underbelly of the Star Wars universe". The A.V. Club. October 8, 2018. Archived December 20, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  34. ^ Brian Lowry (October 5, 2018). "'Star Wars Resistance' looks great but lacks 'Rebels' spirit". CNN. Archived November 9, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  35. ^ Pirrello, Phil (2021-04-29). "Every Star Wars show and TV movie (from The Mandalorian to the Holiday Special) ranked". Syfy Wire. Archived April 30, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  36. ^ Ashby, Emily (March 23, 2020). "Star Wars Resistance Review". Common Sense Media. Archived December 22, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  37. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Archived March 2, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  38. ^ Davis, Grant (September 17, 2019). "'Star Wars Resistance' Wins Saturn Award For Best Animated Series". Star Wars News Net. Archived March 28, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  39. ^ Milligan, Mercees (July 28, 2020). "72nd Emmy Awards: The Primetime Animation Nominees Are…". Animation Magazine. Archived July 28, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  40. ^ "'No Escape Part I' hits us where it hurts on this week's Star Wars Resistance". Syfy Wire. March 8, 2019. Archived December 21, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 21, 2019.