Star Wars: Visions Revives the Expanded Universe

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For years, especially since Disney acquired it, Star Wars has primarily concentrated on official movies and TV series. However, Star Wars: Visions has effectively revived the spirit of the old Expanded Universe. The decision to separate Star Wars stories into official ‘canon’ and the now-labeled ‘Legends’ was quite controversial with fans.

It was difficult for many fans to accept that certain characters and storylines – particularly those that happened after Return of the Jedi – were no longer considered official parts of the Star Wars universe. This included beloved characters like Mara Jade, who was completely removed from the official story, and the impressive Jedi Temple Luke Skywalker built in that era.

To add to the disappointment, the newer Star Wars films largely ignored the stories and characters established in the older Expanded Universe – and many fans consider those sequels to be the weakest in the series. Fortunately, the Visions animated anthology has offered a way to revisit and reimagine elements of that lost content, and it’s been a success so far.

The Ninth Jedi Show Means Visions Has Become Its Own Expanded Universe

The third season of Visions—also known as Volume 3—recently came out, and like the first two seasons, it features standalone episodes that don’t contribute to an overarching storyline.

Visions stands out because of its unique art style, anime format, and the fact that it’s not part of the official Star Wars storyline – a rare combination for the franchise. But the show doesn’t stop there in its originality. Now, a spin-off called The Ninth Jedi is on the way, marking another significant development.

The new story, ‘The Ninth Jedi,’ proves that Visions is more than just a standalone series. It’s officially creating its own separate corner of the Star Wars universe. This marks a fresh start for non-canon storytelling, especially now that official Star Wars stories are the main focus.

Disney’s Star Wars Has Been All About Canon—Except For Visions

Since Disney bought Star Wars, it’s been a bit unexpected how much they’ve focused on officially recognized stories – what fans call ‘canon.’ This applies not only to the films, which are all considered canon, but also to the television series.

Whether it’s animated series like Star Wars: The Bad Batch or live-action shows such as The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew, recent Star Wars productions have almost entirely concentrated on stories that fit directly into the established canon. This is especially true for the live-action TV series, which have explored a large portion of the Star Wars universe’s history.

Several of these shows, particularly The Acolyte, have faced considerable criticism and negative reactions. However, Star Wars has officially established that most of these series are part of the official storyline—with Visions and its upcoming spin-off, The Ninth Jedi, being the only exceptions.

Recent Star Wars shows have offered some compelling stories, and despite claims that The Rise of Skywalker concluded the Skywalker family saga, it’s clear the family’s legacy will continue to play a significant role in the Star Wars universe for the foreseeable future.

The recent Star Wars series have prominently featured Luke, Leia, and Anakin Skywalker. Hayden Christensen reprised his role as Anakin in Ahsoka season 1, and his return is already planned for season 2. This shows a focus on established storylines and a renewed emphasis on the characters at the heart of those stories.

Star Wars: Visions’ Reception Is A Reminder That Not Everything Has To Be Canon

Even though traditional Star Wars shows remain popular, the strong performance of Visions proves that a series doesn’t have to be part of the official storyline to be a hit. Currently, Visions has an incredible 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.

What’s really remarkable is that Visions Volume 3 has a perfect 100% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. However, viewer scores are much lower, both for this season and the series overall. This difference likely stems from the ongoing negativity within the Star Wars fan community, rather than any real issues with the show itself.

Despite this, the fantastic reviews for Visions demonstrate that Star Wars can thrive with stories outside of the main timeline. This could become even more apparent with the new spin-off series. It’s also possible that future Star Wars films will draw inspiration from the old Expanded Universe stories.

Star Wars’ New Movies Are Also Continuing An EU Trend

Even though the future Star Wars films are currently considered official, they’re taking a cue from older Star Wars stories by jumping around in time. The next two movies, The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter, will be set relatively close to each other in the timeline.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is set in the time between the original Star Wars trilogy and the sequel trilogy. The new movie, Starfighter, will take place a few years after The Rise of Skywalker. However, if all the currently planned Star Wars films actually come out, they’ll cover a very large period of time.

For instance, James Mangold’s upcoming Star Wars film, potentially titled Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, plans to show the very first Jedi, long before any of the existing Star Wars stories. In a way, even the official Star Wars movies and shows are taking ideas from older, non-canon stories, but Star Wars: Visions is the project that has really reintroduced those concepts.

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2025-11-30 05:39