Our team of Force Users passes judgment on Disney’s new Star Wars animated series

With the trailer for Disney XD’s all-new animated series Star Wars: Resistance dividing opinions amongst the loyal fanbase, our dedicated writers at Future of the Force have come together to share our reactions to Disney’s new style of animation and pass judgment on both the trailer and the theme of the show itself.

Despite the initial tidal wave of excitement and euphoria when the project was announced, both the tone of the series and the animation style has divided the fans with many citing the shows’ light-hearted tone and overuse of slapstick comedy is a detraction from the essence of Star Wars mythology. Other fans have accepted the fact the show has been designed with younger viewers in mind and is not aimed at the wider adult audience, a demographic that will undoubtedly tune in regardless of when the series launches this October.

With these talking points saturating the many internet chat rooms and social media channels, our Force Users at Future of the Force are sharing our reactions. Can Star Wars: Resistance truly hit the glittering heights of its predecessors Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels? Or is the series doomed to fade into the netherworld of the Force?

Team Reactions:

“Impressive, Most Unimpressive” | By Thomas Storai

Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with the first trailer for Star Wars Resistance, the characters and story didn’t pique my interest. When watching this first look at the series, I wasn’t excited as I was for the first look at The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. I can’t say that I’m interested in starfighter races. However, having Poe in it was great, I always need more Poe Dameron, plus it’s Oscar Isaac voicing him. And as for the visual style of the series, I really like it and I love how each series has a very different style, its own identity. And the designs of the ships are cool and remind me of Star Wars: The Old Republic!

“Childish and Unnecessary” | By the Mini-Mandalorian

I think the new Star Wars: Resistance trailer doesn’t say much about the series, but in my opinion, I’m not very excited about it because the animation looks like the figures from the Disney Infinity game. Also, I think our new character Kazuda Xiono comes across as a little childish and unnecessary. I’d rather see the series focus on established characters like Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma instead of introducing another new token character.

This is not like Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, nor his latest efforts on Star Wars Rebels.

I hope Star Wars: Resistance is a lot better than it looks in the trailer.

“Big Dreams and Something to Prove” | by Katelyn Mathis

With everyone now focused on the last season of The Clone Wars, it’s difficult to remember that we also have a brand-new series coming out. When I first heard the name, I was confused. Didn’t we just finish that series? After all, Rebels was about the resistance. Luckily, we’re dealing with a whole different timeline. I’m not usually an anime fan so this will be a new frontier for me.

With it only being 6 months before The Force Awakens, I’m sure we’ll see plenty of overlapping characters. I believe the struggle will be with our new characters. I want to see new personalities, not copies. I realize we have the typical new guy with big dreams and something to prove, but that doesn’t mean he has to be Ezra.

I do think it’s interesting that Kazuda wants to be an ace pilot. During the days of the Republic, aces were Jedi Guardians that specialized in space battles. Through the Force, and specialized fighters, aces could perform impossible maneuvers that made them deadly and difficult to catch. After the Jedi purge, this term must have been reused. We can also see that the insignia on the fighter helmets is the same as those from the original trilogy.

Are we still using leftovers? I look forward to finding out!

“All Shook Up by The Animation” | by Darth Elvis

The first trailer is out and from the first shots of the ships I was excited, but something about the character animation isn’t grabbing me just yet. The animation reminds me of something else, that I’ve not quite managed to put my finger on but doesn’t sit well. BB-8 looks incredible and I’m excited to see where the story takes us in this period, but I wasn’t blown away from this first glimpse. My faith is strong in Filoni, so I’m sure once I have seen the finished article, I’ll be aching for more!

“I Won’t Hold My Breath” | by Carl Roberts

I hate to admit, even though the premise sounds good and it will be interesting to watch, I find myself strangely unmoved by the first trailer for Star Wars: Resistance. The animation leaves a lot to be desired after The Clone Wars and Rebels and seems to me to be more of a childlike kind of animation. I guess time will tell if it succeeds like Dave Filoni’s trailblazers.

I won’t hold my breath.

“A Show I Could Take or Leave” | By Megan Rickards

Before I get into my review itself, let me begin with a fun bit of trivia about my review. It’s going to be a bit different than my FOTF colleagues’ in that due to a pre-planned family vacation out of state, I did not see or hear much about this trailer until I watched it. Yes, this is even though it has been out for over 72 hours as of the writing of this review.

My initial reaction to the thumbnail on Disney’s official YouTube channel is that it looks interesting and the art style not too anime for my taste. From the thumbnail alone, it should be enjoyable to watch, and not too much of a change from the typically animated style that I am used to. Also, that has to be Poe solely based on the jacket in the thumbnail.

Now, enough about that. Time to dive into the trailer itself. Post-trailer reaction? Like I thought, it looks interesting and enjoyable at any rate. Like it should be filled with action and adventure at any rate, as any good Star Wars show should. In other words, being as it didn’t really draw me in, this looks to be a show I could take or leave, not one I’ll have to watch every week when the newest episode arrives.

“New Animation Style, Same Old Fun” | By Lauren Romo

We finally have our first look at Star War: Resistance with the teaser trailer that dropped recently. The first eye-catching titbit for me was the animation style. It was aesthetically pleasing and refreshing! The brighter color palette that was on display is a change of pace from the darker tones of Rebels and Clone Wars. The anime style is not one I am accustomed to, but I am intrigued by what was revealed in the quick one-minute trailer. The sleek-looking ship designs were impressive for me as well. We see new faces, and familiar ones (BB-8, Poe). My initial reaction is that the show, and its style, is geared toward the younger crowd of the Star Wars fandom. One could argue that the entire franchise is meant for 8-12-year old’s, but I digress. According to some various reports, the series itself is supposedly taking place roughly 6 months before the events of The Force Awakens. I expect some familiar characters to make cameos throughout the series, like what previous shows have done.

The trailer overall did not push me in one direction or another as far as anticipation. The animation style has piqued my interest level without a doubt. I’m optimistic about the potential of the show and what it can bring to the Star Wars universe. I’ll be tuning in come October 7th!

“Star Wars Finally Succumbs to The Disney Effect” | By Phil Roberts

Despite my initial excitement for Star Wars: Resistance, the later release of the trailer has left a lot to be desired. The trailer has revealed the anime-inspired style of the series which is far too reminiscent of the Disney Infinity characters and a million miles away from the traditional style utilized to great extent in The Clone Wars and Rebels. Being a child of the eighties, I grew up watching Ewoks and Droids, two Star Wars-themed animated series’ which were as cringe-worthy as they were fun and light-hearted and played loosely with Star Wars mythology. The deviation from the faithful path of the Force proved to be too much for both to overcome, and despite boasting some great episodes they faded into the netherworld of the Force, confined to the occasional reminiscence therapy.

Sadly, I foresee Star Wars: Resistance re-treading the same path. The provocative cartoon style will undoubtedly alienate a great number of adult fans and the slapstick comedy aspect, a trend that proved to be extremely divisive for Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi will again prove to be a deciding factor in its success. Despite the prospect of incorporating saga stalwarts like Leia Organa, Poe Dameron, and Captain Phasma, plus the rumored cameo appearance for Han Solo and Chewbacca, I cannot see a bright future for the series. I hope I’m wrong, but for me, Star Wars: Resistance is the first casualty of Star Wars succumbing to the Disney effect.

Have Your Say:

Star Wars: Resistance has certainly split opinions amongst the fanbase, and there have been some candid opinions from our team of Force Users. Whether you are a casual fan, or an unrivaled Star Wars aficionado, we should all tune in to watch the debut episode of Star Wars: Resistance this October.

What did you think of the new trailer for Resistance? Drop us a line and share your thoughts with us here or at @futureotforce on twitter.

Star Wars: Resistance will debut on Disney XD in the United States on Sunday, October 7 (10 p.m. EDT/PDT) on Disney Channel, Disney NOW, and Disney Channel VOD, with subsequent airings on Disney XD. UK release date to be confirmed.

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