Star Wars: Visions is a new anime anthology on Disney Plus that takes the Star Wars universe and tells nine different stories. Some of the best and brightest studios of the anime industry gave viewers new stories that expand upon the lore of Star Wars, and needless to say, it is a hit. One of the stories in Star Wars: Visions, The Ninth Jedi, was produced by Production I.G and directed by Kenji Kamiyama. Kamiyama, being a long-time Star Wars fan, has stated in an interview with the site Oricon that there is potential for the continuation of The Ninth Jedi's story.
"Although it is as short as about 20 minutes, the content is so rich that I was drawn into the world of the work and wanted to see the continuation," Kamiyama stated. Later on in the interview, he went on to express wanting to delve deeper into the lore of The Ninth Jedi and that "when you hear the story now, you will want to expect more and more sequels and live-action films." But what would such a continuation of his work be? Might there be a feature-length film, or even a series, in the works? The interview makes it seem that way.
The Ninth Jedi is set many generations after the Jedi Order has fallen and faces near extinction. Margrave Juro, the Jedi master who rules the planet of Hy Izlan, invites seven masterless Jedi to his aerial temple to receive lightsabers--a weapon that has been lost to time. Ethan, a young Jedi, was the first one to receive his lightsaber from Juro's droid companion, but the other Jedi had to wait until the six other lightsabers were completed. Meanwhile, a saber smith named Lah Zhima is captured by hunters hired by the Sith on the planet's surface.
Lah Zhima's force-sensitive daughter, Kara, escapes with the completed lightsabers--with one also made for her--and gives them to the Jedi at the aerial temple. However, the six Jedi with Ethan are revealed to be Sith in hiding who killed the real Jedi invited by Juro and posed as them. Juro, hiding in his companion droid all along, joins Ethan and Kara in the battle against the six Sith and defeats all except one--Homen. Homen is a Jedi corrupted by the dark side who then returns to the light. The four join forces to restore the Jedi order and rescue Lah Zhima, now a prisoner on a Sith-ruled planet.
If a series were made that picked up where the end of The Ninth Jedi left off, the possibilities would be staggering. Since Kara is force sensitive, no doubt, she would be trained by Juro as his Padawan, which would be a natural choice since, as in the short film she has known him since she was little. Another plot point that would add to the richness of each character's development would be of Homen. Homen was swayed, if only briefly, by the dark side, and even though he returned to the light side, it would make for an intriguing story to have episodes where he deals with his dark side tendencies. Being a young Jedi without a master, Ethan could be portrayed through the series as a mentor for Kara since he understands her need for someone closer to her age to show her the ropes.
The Ninth Jedi is visually gorgeous, so to see a series of intense battles play out with such fluid and impressive animation as that of a high-caliber studio like Production I.G at the helm would be a treat to both anime and Star Wars fans alike. Also, having a series, or even a feature-length film, would boost Disney's popularity with anime fans, and the company more than likely would see an increase in Disney Plus subscribers.