Disney Channel’s animated Star Wars Resistance will overlap with the events of 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens more than originally expected.
The successor to the beloved Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance follows new characters Kazuda Xiono, an eager young pilot recruited by Poe Dameron to identify those on the fueling platform Colossus who may be sympathetic to the First Order. Despite being set six months before the events of The Force Awakens, Resistance will be more of a crossover than a prequel series.
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Speaking with SYFY Wire, head writer Brandon Auman explained why Resistance takes place in such close proximity to the current live-action trilogy, saying, “It’s a little hard for the younger fans to wrap their heads around it if it was, say 15 years before The Force Awakens.”
“Then it’s a very nebulous timeline. You’re kind of not sure,” he continued. “The fact that we’ve got Poe Dameron and BB-8 from the very beginning — kids and any fan of any age automatically just know, ‘This is the new movies, this is where it’s gonna take place,’ so it’s just easier. And it was just fun to kind of roll in and back up a little bit instead of just trying to follow exactly where the movies are at.”
While the Star Wars universe branches out from live-action, animated series like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels have filled in the gaps between films. Resistance is the first series that attempts to tackle the period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
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Although audiences know what happens in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, producer Justin Ridge promised there will still be a few surprises along the way: “It’s a cool hybrid of old and new. Even though it has more the lighthearted tone to it, there are still stakes.”
Airing Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel, Star Wars Resistance stars Christopher Sean as Kazuda Xiono, Suzie McGrath as Tam Ryvora, Scott Lawrence as Jarek Yeager, Myrna Velasco as Torra Doza, Josh Brener as Neeku Vozo, Donald Faison as Hype Fazon, Jim Rash as Flix, Bobby Moynihan as Orka, and Rachel Butera as General Leia Organa, with Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma and Elijah Wood as Jace Rucklin.