The latest LEGO Star Wars special premiered today on Disney+ with the four-episode release of Rebuild the Galaxy.
The story follows Sig Greebling, a young nerf-herder who loves telling the stories of the Skywalker saga to his friends. He and his brother, Dev, stumble upon an ancient Jedi Temple and find a shiny brick. As Sig pulls the brick out, the entire galaxy becomes re-made, with the brick being the cornerstone that holds the galaxy together. What follows is an entertaining, hilarious, and heartwarming adventure that takes the characters we know and love from the Star Wars franchise in drastically different directions, as Sig teams up with Jedi Bob to set things right.
The series stars Gaten Matarazzo as Sig, joined by a truly impressive voice cast including Tony Revolori (Dev), Bobby Moynihan (Jedi Bob), and plenty of returning cast members: Ahmed Best as Darth Jar-Jar, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Kelly Marie Tran as Darth Rose, Naomi Ackie as Jannah, Billy Dee Williams as Lando, Matthew Wood as Grievous, and most notably of all, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Hamill also serves as a consulting producer on the series, with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit as showrunners and writers.
Rebuild the Galaxy follows recent LEGO specials The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, Terrifying Tales, and Summer Vacation, but this one is broken down into four episodes telling one overall story – which, I suspect, is to create easier potential for more episodes later on. While the other tales were more ‘traditional’ LEGO Star Wars stories, I actually felt like this one was the best of all of them so far, largely due to the fact that this was able to branch off in focusing on new characters and stories all while utilizing the classic characters in a way true to form for the LEGO specials. There’s plenty of humor, done in a way that only LEGO can: by poking fun at the franchise, all from a place of love. They’re able to elicit laughs about some of the absurdities of the galaxy, but never in a way that makes you feel like you’ve dived in to a Star Wars discussion board online. No, the way that LEGO does it leaves you knowing that they really do love Star Wars, and it’s funnier for it.
But LEGO also manages to tell heartwarming stories with good life lessons to be learned, and this one is no different. The heart of the story deals with Sig and Dev, the brothers who, in this ‘new galaxy’, are mortal enemies. Jedi Bob serves as a mentor for Sig, but he also has a pretty emotional backstory too. He lost his own galaxy through the removal of the cornerstone, and now he tries to protect the new galaxy from it. Through the adventures, Sig learns that he doesn’t need to be afraid of who he is, Dev comes to realize that he doesn’t have to be all alone, and Bob is reminded that there’s always time to be better. Past mistakes don’t have to define us, but it’s how we respond to them and how we keep going, trying to make a difference.
It is also a lesson for fans, though, presented through the main theme. The Jedi in this new universe are Force builders, while the Sith are Force destroyers. Meaning that the Jedi can manipulate the LEGO bricks to build things, while the Sith use the Force to break them apart. In this way, the theme feels like a LEGOfied twist on a very true Star Wars theme, that the Jedi build up while the Sith destroy. It’s a lesson for all of us, that we can choose to use the power we have either to build up or to tear down. With the words we say and actions we take, we can encourage others and make positive contributions, or we can criticize, attack, and tear down. If that’s a needed lesson in the big picture of life, it’s also a needed lesson in the Star Wars fandom, especially in recent days. There are those who use their voice to be a Force for good in the Star Wars community, and others who use their voice to tear others down and attack what they don’t like. This special reminds us that the Jedi use their power to build up, while the Sith use it to tear down. It’s a poignant way for LEGO to drive home an important lesson.
This story aside, it’s also just a really fun ride, filled with tons of twists and turns that will delight Star Wars fans. The lineup of Sith (including Jar-Jar, of course) and Jedi (including Palpatine and Vader, of all people) makes for plenty of twists all by itself, but add in Ewok bounty hunters and it’s all the crazier. Think of it like a Star Wars “what if” series, but with a coherent story and without having to try to explain away the continuity. This is the perfect format for this to happen, and I hope it continues. Based on how the four-episode show ends, it certainly seems like there are ideas (if not plans) for more on this story, and that would be great. Sig and Bob make a great team, and having these characters be the focus of more LEGO stories makes a lot of sense. Plus, given the fact that they’re in a “new” galaxy now, it’s all the easier to tell creative – and very different – Star Wars stories.
Rebuild the Galaxy was a really entertaining and fun ride, filled with everything we’ve come to expect and enjoy from LEGO Star Wars. I hope we get more episodes to continue this story down the road.
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