Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures is coming back with brand-new episodes very soon. Smaller viewers can expect new episodes of the preschool-age series on February 14. All of the fresh adventures can be seen on Disney+ and Disney Junior. (Along with other household favorites like Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Disney Junior’s Ariel later this year.) Now, fans should know that these new episodes serve as a continuation from the first season of the Emmy-winning animated series. For newcomers, you should probably be aware that our heroes Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay, and Nubs are training to be Jedi in The High Republic period of this series’ timelines. So, all the adventures are pretty lighthearted and in no way scary.
Check out the new trailer right here! “Young Jedi Adventures has invited the youngest audiences to take their first step into the Star Wars galaxy through the eyes of younglings Kai, Lys, Nubs, and their friend Nash,” executive producer and Lucasfilm’s VP of animation development Josh Rimes told StarWars.com. “The entire creative team is thrilled that audiences, critics, and awards groups have warmly embraced these stories and their core values of teamwork, friendship, and understanding.”
Bringing Star Wars To A Younger Generation
(Photo: Disney Junior)
A lot of Star Wars fans were surprised when this show got announced. Young Jedi Adventures executive producer James Waugh spoke to Space.com about their process. It turns out getting this series out into the world was a ton of hard work. However, the young viewership has been delighted to have a set of characters and adventures all their own. Lucasfilm knew that it could be tough to toss smaller fans into the deep end with more mature series and this show strikes a nice balance.
“We knew that we wanted to push into this space and knew that we thought there was an opportunity to create an incredible onramp to bring younger demos into ‘Star Wars’ and share the galaxy and introduce those storytelling values to kids earlier,” Waugh told them. “But we wanted to do it right and we knew we had to make sure that it still kept the soul and quality and expectations of what a good ‘Star Wars’ story could be, while translating to something that appeals to a demo that reacts to brighter things and different run times.”
Appealing To Fans Young and Old
(Photo: Lucasfilm)
Young Jedi Adventures writer Micheal Olson also discussed the necessity of appealing to fans young and old. Most entries in tis franchised have to navigate that dance as well. The adult fanbase is alive and often very vocal about their feelings about one project or another. But, in order for there to be those mature Star Wars viewers, they had to become invested in the first place. Over the course of decades, these galaxies are bigger than ever, and that might be an advantage in this case.
“It was my goal to make sure that this show felt elevated and was something that felt aspirational for kids, while still feeling like it belonged in the same ‘Star Wars’ galaxy as ‘The Clone Wars’ or ‘The Bad Batch,'” Olson mused with Space.com. “It was a challenge but a wonderful opportunity, too. The thing I love most about this audience is that you know if it’s working with them. They’re a very engaged and passionate audience, and getting an opportunity to create characters that are swashbuckling, fun, and enthusiastic is a gift. Then getting to marry that with all the trappings of ‘Star Wars’ like the music, starships, lightsabers, and Jedi lore is all mind-blowing and fun.”
Are you excited for more Young Jedi Adventures? Let us know down in the comments!
