Lucasfilm makes it official: "The Ninth Jedi" becomes an anime series

Luca Fontana

27/11/2025

Translation: machine translated

Seven minutes wasn't enough: the fan favourite "The Ninth Jedi" is being turned into a fully-fledged anime series in 2026. Kara, a persecuted lightsaber smith, once again finds herself caught between the last Jedi and the dark remnants of the Sith.

«Star Wars» is going on an anime journey again - but this time not just for a short style excursion, but for an entire series. Lucasfilm is currently producing «Star Wars Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi», the direct sequel to two popular short films from «Star Wars: Visions». This was confirmed by Josh Rimes, Vice President of Animation at Lucasfilm, in an interview with the US site Polygon.

From the short film idea to the series format

If you remember «The Ninth Jedi» from the first Visions volume, you'll know that this adventure felt like the intro to a much bigger saga even back then.

A thousand years after Episode IX - in a future rarely visited by «Star Wars» - the lightsaber smith Lah Zhima tries to revive the almost extinct Jedi order. His daughter Kara is to bring nine freshly forged lightsabers to a secret Jedi gathering. It's just a shame that most of the people there are Sith in disguise. The short film ends with Kara's escape and a search for her kidnapped father.

The second short film «The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope» picks up less than a year later: Kara is attacked by Jedi hunters, almost loses her ship and finally lands on an abandoned space station - rescued by the service droid Teto, whose design, incidentally, director Naoyoshi Shiotani stole from the «Star Tours»-ride at Tokyo Disneyland.

The episode serves as a bridge to the upcoming series and already shows early antagonists and dark influences, some of which are inspired by Lovecraft.

Why a series now?

According to producer Rimes, the potential of the original short film was immediately obvious. The world seemed too big, the quest too epic and Kara too promising to leave it at two short films. «It's the first full-fledged anime Star Wars project ever - we're following Production I.G. from the pitch phase to the final frame», Rimes tells Polygon.

The series will continue Kara's journey, show her inner turmoil and answer questions that have been lingering since 2021: What happened to her father? How do you rebuild a Jedi order when the galaxy isn't necessarily calling for it? And what role do the Sith remnants that are still active in this future play?

Release 2026 on Disney+

There is no exact date yet, but Lucasfilm is targeting 2026 for the release on Disney+. If you haven't seen the two short films yet, you can find them at «Star Wars: Visions» Vol. 1, Episode 5, and Vol. 3, Episode 3.

The fact that Production I.G. is behind the new anime - the studio responsible for «Ghost in the Shell», «Haikyuu!!» and various works on «Attack on Titan», among others - makes the project even more exciting. As a «Star Wars» fan, I'm easily reminded of Palpatine's famous line to Anakin: «We will watch your career with great interest.»

This is exactly how the fan community is now looking at «The Ninth Jedi».

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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