Star Wars: Visions Volume 3

Episode 2

The Song of Four Wings wears its Star Wars inspirations on its sleeve. We have a princess, an ice planet, a rebel base, an evacuation, and a squad of AT-AT walkers. Heck, we even have something reminiscent of the Death Star trench run. On one hand, this is a clear homage to the original trilogy. On the other hand, it serves as a reminder that the destruction of Alderaan and the battle for Hoth were far from rare occurrences. You don't need a Death Star to commit genocide, and the Rebels were always running from one barely habitable world to the next to hide from the Empire.

While using familiar concepts, the episode does a good job on twisting them ever so slightly—with the fact that the empire hadn't discovered the Rebels and was actually just on the planet to loot its recently discovered resources being the best of them. Then there's the Japanese influence. We have a literal woman named Princess Crane, and a little alien who folds paper cranes as a hobby. (And, to foreshadow the climax, these paper Cranes come with two sets of wings instead of one.)

As for Crane, she is headstrong yet empathetic. She may have been born a princess, but, being a sole survivor herself, she sees her tragedy reflected in Woopas' own. Thematically, she is a woman trying to break with her past and focus on the present. She is not a princess but a soldier. Yet, through her short adventure with Woopas, she sees that the princess and the soldier are one and the same—that her past is what pushes her forward and should not be forgotten. Rather, it should be treasured.

All this brings us to the elephant in the room. Unlike with the first episode of the season, this one seems to be based in the main Star Wars universe—at least using its setting and rules if nothing else. From droids and speeder bikes, to snow troopers and a YT-2400 light freighter, this episode pulls hard from across the Star Wars canon. ...And then we get Crane's magical girl/sentai hero transformation sequence.

At first, this seems absurd—something that simply doesn't fit in “serious” Star Wars. However, when you think about it, it's not really all that out there. On the most basic level, Tor-Tu is simply becoming a jet pack. Those are hardly rare in Star Wars—and we've seen many astromechs that can fly with jet boosters throughout the franchise. All the necessary parts are there. In fact, Tor-Tu's jet pack form is arguably more realistic than those we see most often—the droid has wings for better flight stabilization, and it acts as an AI to help with piloting. Ultimately, how does this differ from the more modular forms of jetpacks and armor seen throughout the franchise?

Honestly, I have fewer issues with the droid-transforming power armor than I do with Crane wearing short sleeves in the snow. And also, she really needs to remember to pull her goggles down in combat—especially with blaster bolts and seismic charges exploding in the snow all around her.

In the end, while this may not be the most memorable iteration of Star Wars: Visions, with its creative visuals and quirky cast of characters, it is a fun little episode—and one that's not quite as out of the ordinary as it first appears.

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Star Wars: Visions Volume 3 is currently streaming on Disney+.