A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… those immortal words are often found at the beginning of some of the most well-known Star Wars stories. But the latest Star Wars project completely flips those iconic Star Wars stories on their head. Rebuild the Galaxy, now streaming on Disney+, is the latest animated LEGO® Star Wars venture, following in the footsteps of several specials and series including The Holiday Special, Terrifying Tales and The Freemaker Adventures. LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, comes in the same year the LEGO theme celebrates its 25th Anniversary and the four-part series is the ultimate celebration of the LEGO fandom.
If you haven’t watched it yet, be warned this review features spoilers from the show. The show is filled with fun references, many of which will delight the average LEGO fan and not just those interested in Star Wars. Several characters’ names are inspired by words from the LEGO lexicon. Nerf Handler Sig and his brother have the surname, Greebling, a reference to the technique of adding detail to a surface. Sig’s friend, Yesi, also has a LEGO-inspired surname of Scala, a long-retired LEGO theme. One of the nerfs they look after is called Lug, an acronym for fan-filled LEGO User Groups.
The use of terms associated with the LEGO community is even used for a character formed by fans. Jedi Bob was merely an unnamed Jedi found in the Republic Dropship released in 2002. He soon became known by fans, as Jedi Bob. Well, it turns out he has a real name, Bobarian Afol. A final nod to LEGO fans can be found with the Imperial Navy’s most fearsome starship, The Separator, a massive ship shaped exactly like a Brick Separator.
But Rebuild the Galaxy is far from a series of fan-pleasing references. It’s a genuinely interesting story and one which can only be told through a LEGO lens. The basis of the story is that the LEGO Star Wars galaxy is held together by a cornerstone, a 1×1 plate which is located in a long-forgotten Jedi Temple. Once the brick is removed the galaxy as we know it gets rebuilt. This has allowed the creators behind the series to get really creative and offer something entirely unique for LEGO Star Wars. Only in this rebuilt LEGO galaxy can characters from several eras exist together. Where else can Jar Jar Binks become an evil Sith Lord alongside evil versions of Rey, Rose and once cute Pooba padawan Nubs?
The rebuilt galaxy has a lot to offer, beyond the three sets released inspired by the show, there are plenty of other moments from the show which would make great future sets. I’ll certainly love to see some of the ‘rebuilt’ characters and ships like ‘The Landolorian’, Jedi Palpatine or the Ewok Bounty Hunter Y-Wings, become physical minifigures and sets. On the subject of the future, the way the four-part story ends does leave the door wide open for more episodes and hopefully, that’s something Disney will consider. I also like that the animation style is similar to The LEGO Movie, so characters move similarly, plus environments and effects are completely made from LEGO elements.
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is available to stream now, exclusively on Disney+. Sets inspired by the series are also available now from LEGO.com, LEGO stores and LEGO retailers across the galaxy.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks