Star Wars Resistance

**Star Wars Resistance** is an American television series created by Dave Filoni.

It focuses on Kazuda Xiono, a New Republic pilot who is recruited by the Resistance to spy on the growing threat of the First Order shortly before and during the events of the sequel trilogy.

The series premiered on Disney Channel and Disney XD on October 7, 2018 and aired for two seasons until January 26, 2020.

## Cast and Characters

### Main

* Christopher Sean as Kazuda "Kaz" Xiono
* Josh Brener as Neeku Vozo
* Scott Lawrence as Jarek Yeager
* Suzie McGrath as Tamara "Tam" Ryvora
* Justin Ridge as R1-J5

### Recurring

* Donald Faison as Hype Fazon
* Myrna Velasco as Torra Doza
* Jason Hightower as Captain Imanuel Doza
* Nazneen Contractor as Synara San
* Liam McIntyre as Commander Pyre
* Sumalee Montano as Agent Tierny
* Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
* Bobby Moynihan and Jim Rash as Orka and Flix
* Tovah Feldshuh as Aunt Z
* Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Freya Fenris
* Stephen Stanton and Dave Filoni as Griff Halloran and Bo Keevil
* Elijah Wood as Jace Rucklin
* Gary Anthony Williams as Captain Kragan Gorr
* David Shaughnessy as Drell
* Lex Lang and Christine Dunford as Major Elrik Vonreg and Lt. Galek
* Antony Del Rio and Nikki SooHoo as Kel and Eila
* Tasia Valenza as Venisa Doza

## Episodes

See Also: List of Star Wars Resistance Episodes

 2 | 19

## Production

### Development

On February 22, 2018, /Film reported that Lucasfilm had trademarked the name Star Wars Resistance for a wide range of merchandise and a potential animated series. On April 26, the series was officially announced and scheduled for a Fall 2018 debut. The show was created by Dave Filoni, who previously directed the 2008 film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, developed the subsequent television series, created, developed and executive produced Star Wars Rebels, and in 2017 became the head of Lucasfilm Animation. Filoni said the show was influenced by anime and by his grandfather's experiences in World War II. By August 1, 2018, Polygon Pictures was selected as the animation production company.

On August 12, 2018, Filoni stated that he would not work as directly on Resistance in a day-to-day capacity as he had on previous projects due to his work on The Clone Wars revival. However, he provided direction and notes to the story team, a role he compared to George Lucas' input on The Clone Wars.

### Casting

Along with the official series announcement, it was announced that Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie would reprise their roles as Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, respectively. They are joined by Christopher Sean, Bobby Moynihan, Suzie McGrath, Scott Lawrence, Myrna Velasco, Josh Brener, Donald Faison and Jim Rash. General Leia Organa, Kylo Ren and BB-8 have appeared in the series.

## Release

The series debuted in the United States on the Disney Channel on October 7, 2018, with Disney XD airing the series later in the United States and worldwide, with the exception of Southeast Asia, where all live-action shows are sold by Disney's Southeast Asian channel. The series was renewed for a second season, which aired in October 2019. Its first episode, which picks up directly after the end of the first season, was screened at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago.

Season two premiered on Sunday, October 6, (10 p.m. EDT/PDT) on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW, with subsequent airings on Disney XD. Season two was the final season of the show and consisted of 19 episodes.

### Marketing

A trailer was released on August 17, 2018, showcasing the new animation style and characters. It received a negative reaction from fans, including criticism for its apparent targeting of younger viewers and both praise and criticism for the anime-style CGI. Blair Marnell of Nerdist compared the initial reaction to the early stigma The Clone Wars and Rebels suffered for similarly targeting younger demographics during release, only for both to become more positively received with subsequent seasons.

### Home Media

As announced on July 23, 2019, Lucasfilm released the first season on DVD on August 20. It includes all 21 episodes of season one, as well as an exclusive sneak-peek at the making of the show with cast and crew, 4 audio commentaries with Sean, Lawrence, Brener and Velasco, the 12 shorts and Resistance Rewind.

The first season of Star Wars Resistance became available for streaming on November 12, 2019, the launch date for Disney+. The second season became available on February 25, 2020.

## Reception

### Critical Response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 has an approval rating of 92% based reviews from 13 critics, with an average rating of 5.60 out of 10. The site's critics consensus states that "Star Wars: Resistance's streamlined story sets the stage for exciting adventures, and seems poised to explore a canvas stocked with immediately relatable characters and plenty of potential."

William Hughes of The A.V. Club praised the first episode saying "At the end of its first hour, Resistance feels pleasantly primed with potential." He gave it a grade B. Brian Lowry of CNN gave it a mixed review, he notes that previous Star Wars shows offered plenty for older fans but that this show was more clearly made for a younger audience, and "Star Wars Resistance paints with a much brighter, more colourful palette, but at least initially settles for more pallid characters and situations, the kind that don't immediately suggest this is the animated show you're looking for." Syfy Wire notes that "Resistance's cel-shading animation style stands out amongst the franchise's traditional CG-animated fare." Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media called the series "light-hearted" and downplaying cartoon violence. She also argued that the series has a lot of humor, has characters demonstrate traits of determination and courage, saying that the series had vivid animation and "high-flying action" which dominates the series plot.

## Awards and Nominations

 Best Animated Series
 2020