Now That’s Some Obscure Star Wars! The Weirdest Tales From a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Some of the galaxy far far away’s shows and movies seem to have faded into obscurity. And that’s a shame, so let’s dredge them back up.
There is a lot of Star Wars by now. Between books, video games, and comics, there’s just too much to be up on all of it. And that’s without breaking down the canon v. the Legends books. But surely, many of us have at least seen all of the TV shows and movies….. Or at least all of the movies. Right? Guess again. There are some weird, wild, and truly obscure Star Wars bits out there.
Droids (1985)
This animated series follows R2-D2 and C-3PO in a time leading up to A New Hope and it asks the question that nobody was asking, “What if Leia (and then Luke) was something like the fifteenth person to own these droids that year?” Boba Fett and IG-88 make appearances in this series, because why not? And the opening song is by Steward Copeland of The Police. Because again, why the heck not? But perhaps most wild to me is that Anthony Daniels and Ben Burtt were on board to voice / sound mix these characters for thirteen glorious animated episodes. By this point, Droids is very much not-canonical. But it looks like it may have influenced things that showed up later and have remained canonical to this day.
Ewoks (1985 – 1986)
Another animated series with art that just so delightfully 80’s, Ewoks aired back to back with Droids as a 19855 galactic power hour. The show centers on Wicket and his friends on Endor. It’s the Care Bears of the Star Wars universe. That is if the Care Bears were just a little more likely to kill a man. These shows feel really cheesy, but the focus on Ewoks makes a lot of sense when you remember that Star Wars was pushing to appeal to (and sell toys to) kids. Do kids like Ewoks? I’m not sure, but this wasn’t even their first attempt…
Caravan of Courage (1984) & The Battle of Endor (1985)
Hey Star Wars, this is terrifying. And I would just like to say, from the bottom of my heart, great job. No notes.
Ewoks is actually a spinoff of these two movies where Ewoks help a pair of human siblings find their parents. And it’s one of those classic 80’s and 90’s style kids’ movies that are unintentionally terrifying and make you wonder if you would have been normal if you just hadn’t been subjected to it so young. Y’know, like Secret of NIMH… which I absolutely did watch at least a dozen times as a kid. Still, these are weirdly charming movies that some of us have really positive memories associated with. Would it hold up to a rewatch though? Who knows!
And in case you were curious, or wanted something to binge-watch this weekend, all of these shows/movies are available to watch on Disney+ right now. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to find…
Jedi Temple Challenge (2020)
You may remember Jedi Master Kelleran Beq from when he saved Grogu in that flashback on The Mandalorian. And if not, you’re probably familiar with the actor who played him, Ahmed Best. And if not, you’re definitely familiar with Best’s other well-known Star Wars character, Jar Jar Binks. Well in 2020 he was back as Master Beq for Jedi Temple Challenge, a galactic-themed game show for kids. There was a quiz portion and then an obstacle course, and if you’re thinking that this sound a lot like Legends of the Hidden Temple in space, you’re not too far off. This show ran for ten episodes and then faded into obscurity. Like the Life Day Special, you can pretty much only find it on YouTube and if anybody recorded it. But unlike the Life Day Special, why would they have?
How many of these obscure Star Wars shows or movies have you seen? Will you be (re?)watching them on Disney+ now? Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventurers!
