“Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi” premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on August 5, continuing the fan-favorite anime story that began as a short film in the original “Star Wars: Visions” anthology. The eight-episode limited series expands that short into a full anime adventure, with Simu Liu joining the English dub cast as Lah Zhima.
What Is The Ninth Jedi About?
The series follows Lah Kara (voiced by Kimiko Glenn) as she continues her quest to find her missing father while evading Jedi Hunters, training in the ways of the Jedi alongside a small, ragtag crew. The synopsis describes Kara and her companions setting out to find worthy Jedi capable of standing against an increasingly powerful warlord, positioning the season as both a personal search and a larger fight to keep the Jedi order alive in a dangerous corner of the galaxy.
From Short Film to Full Series
“The Ninth Jedi” started as one of the standout shorts in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 1, then continued with “The Ninth Jedi — Child of Hope” in Volume 3. This new eight-episode series is the first full-length show under the “Star Wars: Visions Presents” banner, a new format designed to let Visions filmmakers tell longer stories instead of one-off shorts. Director Shunsuke Tada returns to helm the expanded story, written by Mitsuyasu Sakai, with Kenji Kamiyama serving as supervising director.
Simu Liu Joins the English Voice Cast
The English dub brings back Kimiko Glenn as Lah Kara, Andrew Kishino as Juro, Masi Oka as Ethan, Patrick Seitz as Homen, JP Karliak as Gramps, and Neil Kaplan as The Narrator, with Simu Liu stepping in to voice Lah Zhima. New additions to the English cast include Feodor Chin, Young Mazino, Chase Sui Wonders, and Keone Young. The Japanese original-language cast also returns largely intact, led by Chinatsu Akasaki as Lah Kara and Akio Otsuka as The Narrator.
Where to Watch
“Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi” is streaming now on both Disney+ and Hulu, with all eight episodes available as part of the show’s premiere. The official trailer above gives a clear look at the anime’s distinctive visual style, which carries over the hand-drawn, Japanese animation studio-driven look that made the original “Visions” shorts stand out from the rest of the “Star Wars” franchise.
Why This Matters for Star Wars Fans
“Star Wars: Visions” has built a dedicated following specifically because it lets outside animation studios reinterpret “Star Wars” through different visual and storytelling lenses rather than sticking to Lucasfilm’s usual house style. Turning one of the anthology’s most acclaimed shorts into a full series is a sign Disney sees real appetite for that approach beyond a one-off experiment, and it opens the door for other standout “Visions” shorts to get the same expanded treatment if “The Ninth Jedi” performs well.
How It Fits Into the Wider Star Wars Timeline
“Star Wars: Visions” projects, including “The Ninth Jedi,” largely exist outside the main Skywalker Saga timeline, giving filmmakers creative freedom to explore original characters and settings without being tied down by decades of established continuity. That freedom is part of what let the original short stand out in the first place — it introduced an entirely new corner of the galaxy, a new lead in Lah Kara, and a visual style closer to traditional Japanese animation than anything in the mainline “Star Wars” films or shows. The full series leans further into that identity rather than pulling back toward a more conventional “Star Wars” look.
What Critics and Early Viewers Are Saying
Early reaction to the final trailer has focused heavily on the animation quality and the emotional stakes of Kara’s search for her father, with fans of the original short expressing relief that the expanded format hasn’t diluted what made the character’s story compelling in just a few minutes of screen time. The addition of a recognizable name like Simu Liu to the English dub has also generated extra attention from mainstream audiences who may not have watched the original “Visions” shorts, giving the series a wider entry point than a typical anime spinoff might get.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did The Ninth Jedi premiere?
“Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi” premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on August 5, 2026, with all eight episodes released at once.
Is The Ninth Jedi related to the original Star Wars: Visions shorts?
Yes. It expands the “Ninth Jedi” short from “Visions” Volume 1 and its follow-up “Child of Hope” from Volume 3 into a full eight-episode series.
Who plays Lah Zhima in the English dub?
Simu Liu voices Lah Zhima in the English dub, joining returning cast members Kimiko Glenn and Andrew Kishino.
For more anime and animated franchise news, check out our coverage of Futurama Season 14’s return to Hulu. Source: StarWars.com, official trailer and series details.
{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[
{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”When did The Ninth Jedi premiere?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on August 5, 2026, with all eight episodes released at once.”}},
{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Is The Ninth Jedi related to the original Star Wars: Visions shorts?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Yes. It expands the Ninth Jedi short from Visions Volume 1 and its follow-up Child of Hope from Volume 3 into a full eight-episode series.”}},
{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Who plays Lah Zhima in the English dub?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Simu Liu voices Lah Zhima in the English dub, joining returning cast members Kimiko Glenn and Andrew Kishino.”}}
]}
