I finished the first show on my Star Wars timeline marathon! Young Jedi Adventures is a show for toddlers and families that released May 4 2023. Before watching this I didn’t realize this show is only a year old. The last episode released this year in February. I think that means there’s a possibility for season 2?
The show features the main 3 Jedi in the first Episode: Kai Brightstar the human, Lys the purple haired alien, and Nubs the blue teddy bear alien. In the first episode they leave the temple on Coruscant to visit the outer parts of the galaxy. They leave with a young pilot named Nash to live and train on their new temple located on Nash’s home planet: Tenoo.
The Jedi land and immediately have to save a diner from some pirates harassing and stealing supplies. This is Taborr and his crew of a robot and young alien pig. More on them later.
The Young Jedi go on many Adventures during all 25 episodes. They face many different trials and villains: Taborr and pirates, wild animals, eco-terrorists, other pirates, and some self-made conflicts.
My favorite recurring villain has to be the chicken-man alien, Raxlo (Haley Joel Osment). He appears in only three episodes, but his villainy is a joy to watch.
Raxlo first appears in episode six: “Forest Defenders”. He is seen cutting down an entire forest with a machine, becoming the opposite of the Lorax. He wanted to cut down the wood and sell it for money. The Jedi stop his machine, and Raxlo escapes to figure out a new business plan.
He then appears in episode 13: “Tree Troubles” where he blocks off water that is supporting the ecosystem of a tree, to be able to mine the hardened sap that formed underneath the tree. He was again defeated by the three Jedi.
The third and final appearance Raxlo has in the show is in episode 19 “Raxlo Strikes Back”. In this episode, he is now visiting a snow planet the Jedi frequent, to melt the snow to mine the rare gems underneath. The problem with melting the snow is that there are some space walruses who lay their eggs in the snow, and if it gets too warm the eggs will never hatch.
I really enjoy Raxlo because in this final episode he gets redeemed. He’s trying to make a profit to sell the gems in this episode, and his machine is stopped and the snow comes back, but the nice thing is that the people on the planet help him find a new place to dig for the gems. A place without space walrus eggs. After this episode I don’t think he’ll come back as a villain again.
There are redeemable villains in the show, and some who probably will be bad forever.
My least favorite episode has to be episode 11: “The Ganguls”. Nash the pilot has her new speeder stolen by a kid working for a gang of pirates. The pirates operate in a nearby town, and it is revealed that they have taken over the town and scared the residents into submission.
My problem is that the gang consists of three pirates total. I have no idea why the town of 15 or 20 shown people are afraid of three loud pirates, and that they even threw the mayor out of town.
The Jedi kids show up to town and convince the townsfolk to stand up to the pirates. I know this is a show for toddlers and creates life lessons for them, but come on..
There were some really nice episodes that I enjoyed in the series. One of them involved a recurring pirate villain Taborr. Taborr is a kid pirate who often tries to steal things from people to make a name for himself and get respect from the other pirates.
In episode 12: “Off the Rails”, Taborr and his small group of pirates try to rob a train taking logs of wood to a nearby village to build homes for them. Kai and Taborr fight and the train car they’re on disconnects from the rest, and they need to work together to not be stranded on the tracks.
I enjoyed this episode because when Taborr learned that the logs were going to help peoples’ homes, he had a change of heart and decided not to steal from the Jedi. Taborr was the first villain the young Jedi fought in the show, but in this episode it seems like there was more to him than just being a bad guy, and the Jedi learned that not everything had to be solved with fighting.
I think my absolute favorite episode of the show has to be episode 23: “The Caves of Batuu”. Kai had doubts about himself and wanting to be a perfect Jedi after failing to complete a trick with his lightsaber, and the Jedi Master he was training under took him to some nearby caves to clear his head.
This episode was done really well because there were no villains in it, just self-doubt. The Force took Kai through multiple visions in the cave to learn who he is and who he wants to be. For an episode that only runs for 11 minutes, I think this was the best was to show the mystical side of Star Wars for kids.
The show ends with episode 25 “The Prince and the Pirate”. Taborr is focused more on in this episode than the Jedi, and this episode runs the entire 30 minutes. A new space station called Starlight Beacon is officially opening the day they visit, and Taborr wants to steal the dedication plaque to make a name for himself and get respect. The young Jedi confront him, and I won’t spoil how it happens, but in the end it seems like Taborr does have a change of heart and seems to change his ways.
Starlight Beacon does open and the dedication plaque gets placed where it belongs. The group of friends watch the ceremony and are excited for what is to come in the future.
According to the Wookiepedia info on Starlight Beacon, two years after the grand opening of the station, Starlight Beacon is attacked and blown up by some terrorists to the Republic, and the space station is destroyed. Many people die, including some Jedi who help evacuate the station. I don’t actually know if there is a season 2 or 3 planned for this show, but hopefully the kids never come back to this station.
Overall, I thought the show was a good introduction for kids to get into Star Wars and learn some good life lessons along the way. If you have a kid or enjoy watching shows for toddlers, I think this would be a good selection.
I will be continuing my Star Wars timeline marathon, so be sure to check back on the main page for any updated when I finish something and write about it!
Kristopher K. Online 