REVIEW: Star Wars: Forces of Destiny Season 2
Cheer up Star Wars fans, Rebels might be over, but at least we still have Forces of Destiny...right? All kidding aside, the 2D microseries recently had a season season of eight episodes, and, if I'm being honest, they are good for what they are. Like I've said before, this series isn't made for everyone. It's primarily set for little kids in mind, specifically girls. However, some of the episodes do things I like, expand on the in-between aspects of the general story. Some episodes are very simple, while others surprisingly answers questions fans have been wondering about.
First, I'll talk about each episode and what I thought of them. "Hasty Departure," shows Hera, Sabine, and Chopper (set before season 3 of Rebels) trying to steal an Imperial shuttle full of medical supplies. It's nothing special and you know how the plot was solve itself. However, Chopper did have some funny moments in the episode. The second episode, "Unexpected Company," shows Anakin and Padme try to "go on a mission, WINK WINK, before Ahsoka comes along spoiling Anakin's "mood." Again, the story is nothing special. However, at the end, it is heavily implied that Ahsoka knows about Anakin and Padme's relationship, which adds a whole new dynamic to her character and her relationship with her master.
Next, "Shuttle Shock," takes place in the Last Jedi when Finn and Rose are headed to Canto Bight. Finn basically has to pilot a shuttle through a horde of jellyfish to go to the city. I'm not kidding. I guess it's cool to see behind the scenes stuff from the newest film, but, first space whales, not space jellyfish, is the Star Wars galaxy just one giant aquarium? "Jy's trade," involved Jyn fom Rogue One trying to catch a kid who stole her necklace. That's all. Similarly, "Run Rey Run" shows her, before the Force Awakens on Jakku, saving Teedo from a collapsing star destroyer. Again, nothing too special.
"Bounty Hunted," was really interesting. It takes place before Return of the Jedi, and it sees Leia and Chewie meeting Maz Kanata, and showing how Leia got her bounty hunter disguise for the film. That, I thought we're great ideas and connections. Also, in "The Path Ahead," we get to see a young Luke on Dagobah, and seeing a training lesson from Yoda. Again, it's an extension on what we have both seen and haven't seen, which is awesome. Finally, "Porg Problems" sees Rey in the Last Jedi on Ach-to training while getting interrupted by Porgs. The end shows Rey learn to grab a porg with the force and lift rocks, which shows where she learned those powers at in the film.
So, for most of the stories, they're simple because the episodes are so short. However, like I mentioned, some of these stories do help flesh out some details of characters are story arcs we've seen or haven't seen before. As always, the voice cast is great, with Mark Hamill reprising his role, though, every time I heard him talk I could only hear the Joker.
Plus, while the animation/art style is the same, I noticed it runs smoother and isn't as choppy to me as the last season. Overall, it was made on a budget, but at least it doesn't completely look like it's made on a budget.
Overall, like I've said before, I don't mind the series. I don't think it's amazing, but again, it's not hurting anyone. You can choose to ignore it if you were so to choose. The shorts can be watched in about 20 minutes, so it's not like a major investment of time or energy. In short, the series does what it needs to do, whether you like that or not, is up to you.
