Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures

• 1. Introduction

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  Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures premiered on the 4th of May, 2023. Executive producer James Waugh acknowledged that for some children watching, this would be their very first encounter with the Star Wars universe. That awareness shaped the creative direction from the start. Showrunner Michael Olson and supervising director Elliot Bour led the production at Lucasfilm Animation and Wild Canary Animation. Together they built the first full-length animated Star Wars series designed specifically for young audiences and their families. They wanted each episode's characters, tone, and life lessons to resonate with young viewers. At the same time, they aimed to stay true to what longtime Star Wars fans expect. The setting chosen was the High Republic era, a period of Jedi history stretching centuries before the main films. The team, including Lucasfilm executive producers Jacqui Lopez and Josh Rimes, announced the series at Star Wars Celebration in May 2022.

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• 2. Lessons on Tenoo

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  On the planet Tenoo, a Jedi Master named Zia Zanna oversees the training of a group of younglings. Nasim Pedrad voices Zia Zanna, whose role is to guide her students in the patience, compassion, and self-discipline the Jedi path demands. One of those students is Kai Brightstar, a youngling whose driving ambition is to follow in the footsteps of Jedi Master Yoda. Jamaal Avery Jr. voices Kai during the first two seasons. Piotr Michael voices Yoda, a Jedi Master encountered here at an earlier point in his storied history.

  Kai's closest companions are Lys Solay, voiced by Juliet Donenfeld, and Nubs, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. Lys is a Pantoran Jedi youngling and Kai's best friend. Nubs is a Pooba Jedi youngling. Nash Durango, voiced by Emma Berman, is a pilot rather than a Jedi, and teams up with the group on their adventures. Jonathan Lipow voices RJ-83, a droid who rounds out their circle.

  Taborr Val Dorn, a pirate who holds the title of prince of Vuundalla, serves as the primary antagonist. Trey Diaz Murphy voices the character, who also goes by the name Cyrus Vuundir. The broader cast includes Lina Soh, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, voiced by Justine Lee. Liam O'Brien voices Jedi Master Estala Maru. Marcus Scribner voices Bell Zettifar, one of several new cast members added in January 2024.

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• 3. Nubs Without Words

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  Nubs communicates without any recognizable English, and the showrunners ruled out subtitles because of the series' preschooler audience. Young viewers would need to understand Nubs the same way his friends do, through context and response rather than text on screen. That creative constraint shaped how the role was performed from the very first episode.

  Dee Bradley Baker described the dynamic among Nubs, Kai, and Lys as comparable to Han Solo and Chewbacca's relationship in the main Star Wars films. Kai and Lys reinforce what Nubs is communicating, making his meaning clear through their responses. Baker recorded multiple options for Nubs' vocalizations in each scene, leaving the showrunners to select what worked best in context. All voice performances in the series were recorded remotely, with the production team assembling the results at the studio. The music framing those performances was composed by Matthew Margeson, who joined the project by late July 2022.

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• 4. Season by Season

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  Three animated shorts introducing the series debuted on the Disney Jr. YouTube channel on the 27th of March, 2023. Three more followed, with the last arriving on the 24th of April. All six then became available on Disney+ on the 26th of April.

  Two of the series' first episodes screened at Star Wars Celebration Europe on the 8th of April, 2023, ahead of the public launch. The first season spread across multiple batches, with six episodes arriving on the 2nd of August, 2023. Further episodes followed on the 8th of November. The final six episodes of the first season landed on the 14th of February, 2024, completing a run of 25 episodes.

  Season two premiered on the 14th of August, 2024, accompanied by a new batch of Fun with Nubs digital shorts. On the 31st of January, 2025, Lucasfilm confirmed the season's second half would arrive on the 19th of March. At Star Wars Celebration Japan on the 18th of April, 2025, Lucasfilm announced a third and final season. The seven episodes of that final season were released in full on Disney+ and Disney Jr. on the 8th of December, 2025. In November 2025, Ja'Siah Young, Mason Wertheimer, and April Winchell were announced as additions to the cast for that third season.

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• 5. Demand and Recognition

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  Market research company Parrot Analytics ranked the show fifth among all Disney+ series in the week of January 16-22, 2023, before the premiere. During the week of April 29-the 5th of May 2023, it ranked second among the most in-demand breakout shows across platforms. It was achieving 23.1 times the average series demand that week, a 69% increase from an earlier period.

  Arezou Amin of Collider gave the series an 'A' rating, writing that it 'captured the Star Wars spirit for younglings of all ages.' Amin praised the show for centering new characters rather than depending on long-established figures to carry the story. Brett White at Decider described it as a 'fun show and a fine introduction to Star Wars' for the preschooler demographic. White noted that while the plots were low-stakes, the action sequences felt like Star Wars rather than a preschool approximation of the franchise.

  At the 2023 Children's and Family Emmy Awards, the series received five nominations. Those covered the series itself, Matthew Margeson's score, the main title and graphics, editing, and sound mixing and editing. The Television Critics Association recognized the show with its Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming award in 2023. Kidscreen named it Best New Series in the preschool programming category in 2024. The Golden Reel Awards in 2024 recognized the show's sound editing team.

  The series earned further Children's and Family Emmy nominations in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, Dee Bradley Baker received a nomination for Outstanding Voice Performer in a Preschool Program for his work as Nubs. Also in 2025, the episode 'The Battle of Tenoo' earned individual Emmy nominations for directing, editing, and sound. Jamaal Avery Jr., who voiced Kai Brightstar from the very first episode, returned to the role one final time in the series epilogue.

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