REVIEW: Star Wars Visions Episode 5 – “The Ninth Jedi”

Produced by Production I.G, Star Wars: Visions Episode 5, “The Ninth Jedi” is a fantastic look at perseverance and strength. The short directed and written by Kenji Kamiyama and features a rousing score from Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi. In this short, we see a group of masterless Jedi, including a young man named Ethan (Masi Oka), who were called by a mysterious transmission. Spread across the galaxy and with the lightsabers long since extinct, the Jedi have assembled for the chance to receive a gift from an unknown saber-smith and come together as a group.

To start, the short introduces the audience to the setting and circumstance with narration by Neil Kaplan that is given with the same cadence and language as the opening crawls we all know and love. Star Wars: Visions Episode stars Masi Oka, Kimiko Glenn, Simu Liu, Andrew Kishino, Greg Chun, and more. As such, this short features one of the most expansive voice cast in the series and each and every voice performance holds weight. For starters, the group of masterless Jedi are some of the most diverse when it comes to aliens than we’ve seen during other Star Wars: Visions episodes. And while it looks clear that Ethan and the other Jedi are the focus of the story, we see the sabersmith and his daughter Kara (Kimiko Glenn).

With the “Ninth Jedi,” we don’t only see a story of Jedi coming together, but also a story of a young girl who is strong in the Force who pushes herself past expectations. Kara is one of the best introductions to the Star Wars universe in a long time. She’s rambunctious, she’s fearless, and the whimsical music that accompanies her entrance to the short offers up a moment as magical as the first time other Star Wars protagonists like Luke and Rey stepped on screen.

In addition to wonderful storytelling by Kamiyama, Production I.G’s animation is a sight to behold, especially in action sequences. Everything about “The Ninth Jedi” works. The twist in the third act, the voice acting, and the endearing characters all make for a short I wish wasn’t so, well, short. But at a 22-minute runtime, Star Wars: Visions Episode 5 is able to become a standout of the series. It’s one of the longer ones and ultimately this lets the short utilize its voice cast and setting to the max.

Star Wars: Visions Episode 5, overall, is something I’m thankful for. It’s a short I want to see turn into a series or at the very least a few books or manga about Kara’s journey after the episode’s close.

Star Wars: Visions is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.