With “Rebels” ending earlier this year, Disney has already come up with a new series to fill the Star Wars animated void. “Star Wars Resistance” is an action-adventure series set an undetermined amount of years prior to “The Force Awakens.” According to Deadline, it stars “Kazuda “Kaz” Xiono (Christopher Sean) a young pilot recruited by the Resistance for a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order.” The series guest stars returning film characters such as Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron and Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma.

The series seems aimed at a younger audience as was “Rebels,” with a heavy amount of slapstick and comedy being emphasized in the trailer. The series is set to premiere on October 7 on Disney Channel.

A successor to ‘Rebels’

Made by much of the same team as “Rebels,” “Resistance” also shares the same creator, Dave Filoni, as the last two animated Star Wars series. They were “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Rebels.” This means there will likely be countless Easter eggs alluding to the prior series, as well as potential crossover characters. Since Ezra’s storyline left on a bit of cliffhanger in “Star Wars Rebels,” we may even find out his and Grand Admiral Thrawn’s fates. That might be a bit of a long shot, but it’s surely a possibility.

With Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie reprising their roles, there’s also the potential of other Star Wars veterans making appearances. With Billy Dee Williams having already reprised his role as Lando Calrissian on “Rebels,” “Resistance” could serve as the reintroduction of the character before he makes his first film reappearance in “Episode IX” since “Return of the Jedi.”

'Resistance' will take a different direction

While "Resistance" will likely share some similarities with its two prior sister shows, “Resistance” will be forging its own unique path with a completely different art style and a heavier focus on flight.

The animation looks to be a blend of both CG and traditional animation, similar to that of Netflix’s new series “The Dragon Prince.” Besides an emphasis on ships in the trailer, according to Entertainment Weekly, Dave Filoni has been stated saying “The idea for 'Star Wars: Resistance' came out of my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots.” Finding inspiration from his grandfather, who used to restore and fly planes, Filoni looks to emulate the feeling of excitement that has been found in the “long history of high-speed racing in Star Wars.” While both prior animated series did feature piloting action, neither really held it in the forefront, with the majority of episodes taking place on the ground.

All in all, it’s exciting to see Disney attempt to bring some variety to their series and I’m interested to see how else the series will attempt to stand out from its predecessors. With “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” returning, after just recently being announced at San Diego Comic-Con, and Jon Favreau’s live-action series supposedly still in the works, the television landscape has never looked better for Star Wars. While Disney may be slowing down the production of future Star Wars films, the various TV series don’t seem to have been affected.
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