Review: Star Wars Visions: The Ninth Jedi Episode 1

Disney Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Visions project, The Ninth Jedi, released on August 5, 2026, bringing with it some interesting ideas and beautiful visuals. Do all of those ideas work? Well, yes and no. If you’re a hardcore fan, this one may not fully resonate with you. This review series will break down what works and what doesn’t in each episode of The Ninth Jedi, starting with Episode 1, “A New Threat.” There will be mild spoilers, though I’ll do my best to avoid anything major. Oh, and I highly recommend watching Episode 5 of 2021’s Star Wars: Visions, also titled “The Ninth Jedi.” It provides a lot of context and world-building for this alternate corner of the galaxy far, far away. The episode opens with narration establishing the state of the galaxy. The Republic is gone, and its Jedi guardians were either hunted down or scattered across the galaxy after a brutal war with the Sith. The only law is that of the strong, as warlords and bandits plague the stars. One warlord, the black-armored Nawaam, is asserting his dominance and striving to bring everyone under his banner by force. But a handful of Jedi, led by Margrave Juro, travel the galaxy in search of allies against Nawaam’s ...