On the eve of its broadcast premiere, Disney XD has renewed the CG-animated Star Wars Rebels for a second season.

Set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Star Wars Rebels follows a ragtag bunch of rebels who band together aboard the freighter ship Ghost even as the Empire strengthens its grip on the galaxy and hunts down the last remaining Jedi Knights.

The series officially launches Friday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel with the television movie Spark of Rebellion before moving Oct. 13 into its regular Monday slot on Disney XD. Previews have been streamed all week across Disney's digital platforms.

"The global expectations for this series could not have been any higher," Gary Marsh, Disney Channels Wordwide president and CEO, said in a statement. "And I am proud to say that the team at Lucasfilm has delivered something that has surpassed even that incredibly high bar – artistically and thematically.”

Created by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg and Carrie Beck, the series stars Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall as Hera, Steve Blum as Zeb, Tiya Sircar as Sabine, Taylor Gray as Ezra, David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus, and Jason Isaacs as the Inquisitor.