Star Wars Visions: The Elder (2021) Review

 

Star Wars Visions: The Elder (2021)

The Elder follows Jedi Master Tajin and his padawan Dan, as they track a dark and powerful presence to a nearby planet. 

Done by the great Studio Trigger, who did the third episode, The Twins, earlier in the season, The Elder is undoubtedly another super cool hit for them (also making them one of only two studios to actually get more than one episode). This time, we finally take a jump back to the prequel era, which, when done right, has always been one of the more fascinating time periods, if not to just see the Jedi at their second height. And that’s what this short gives us, a simple master-padawan duo that stumble upon a pretty damning revelation, a surviving but disillusioned Sith, who only seeks the challenge of force users now. And boy is it cool seeing a crazy, old sith, not too far removed from Palpatines alter-ego, that is both powerful and a kooky challenge. His presence, and fate, also provides us with a perfect metaphor of Anakin-centric prequels, that no matter how much power one possesses, they will still fall to the passage of time. 

Once again too, Studio Trigger delivers on some fucking brilliant animation that yet, feels entirely different from what we got in their first short. This is much more grounded to the Republic era and that is felt with simpler shots, muted colors, and duels that emphasize a more civilized style of fighting, that really mirrors the duel between Darth Vader and old Ben Kenobi in A New Hope. The few vivid colors (all revolving around the elder Sith coincidentally) pierce through the dull landscapes to really let the art shine, especially in it’s rainy finale. 

The Elder, created by Studio Trigger, is another solid short by Trigger that gives us a deep and genuine short story that ends in more mystery than hope, something really admirable in a show that has thus far focused on life post-rise of the Empire. 

8.9/10