We finally have some more Star Wars goodness to help get us by until Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrives this December. Announced during Star Wars Celebration in April, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, a series of animated shorts focusing on the female heroes of a galaxy far, far away, finally has a premiere date. Disney and Lucasfilm have confirmed the release for July 3 over on the Disney YouTube channel, with the first short set to air a few days later on July 9 over on the Disney Channel.
The news comes courtesy of the official Star Wars Twitter account and, to go along with the premiere date announcement, they also revealed a brand new promo for Star Wars: Forces of Destiny. The promo is loaded down with familiar heroines from the Star Wars universe, such as Rey, Sabine Wren, Jyn Erso, Princess Leia and Ahsoka Tano, who may or may not be dead. We aren’t likely to get a definitive answer to her fate in Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, but she has become a true fan-favorite, so getting to see her in action is a good thing. Plus, she is definitely going to be interacting with Yoda, as seen in the promo. Is it too much to hope that Frank Oz came in to do the voice?
“Find your hope. Find your courage. Find your destiny. Star Wars Forces Of Destiny premieres July 3 on Disney YouTube, and July 9 on Disney Channel.”
Aside from learning the premiere date, the promo gives us a great look at what to expect from Star Wars: Forces of Destiny. There are some really cool shots, including speeder bikes, ala Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. We also get Ahsoka wrecking shop and, possibly the number one reason to watch Forces of Destiny, some very good-looking Princess Leia bits.
Unfortunately, Carrie Fisher passed before the vocal work for the series was done, but Shelby Young has stepped in to voice Leia for the shorts. Catherine Taber has also stepped in to voice Padme Amidala. Natalie Portman apparently couldn’t be bothered to do it, or maybe Lucasfilm didn’t bother reaching out. But, save for those two, all of the heroines are being voiced by the actresses that played them, including Daisy Ridley as Rey and Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso. We even get to hear Lupita Nyong’o say the name of the show in this promo as Maz Kanata.
The Star Wars: Forces of Destiny shorts will be 2-3 minutes in length, so they won’t be terribly long, but could wind up being a very nice addition to the new Star Wars canon. It will be interesting to see if Lucasfilm decides to pack any actual reveals in these shorts, or if they are just going to be enjoyed for the concise stories they tell. We’ll know soon enough. Be sure to check out the new promo for Star Wars: Forces of Destiny for yourself below.
Find your hope. Find your courage. Find your destiny. #ForcesOfDestiny premieres July 3 on @Disney YouTube & July 9 on @DisneyChannel. pic.twitter.com/8tffrcEKAP
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 27, 2017