1x09 Akakiri

8.5/10] I love this as a short-form remix of Anakin’s story from the Prequels done right. A Jedi finds himself bound by attachments. He sees debilitating visions of the future that focus his gaze on the present. He stands against the Sith but crosses the line to save someone lost. This is, in short, what Episode III should have been, what it was trying to be,and “Akakiri” pulls it off with characters we barely know.

Granted, that’s partly because they fit with familiar Star Wars archetypes set by films like Revenge of the Sith. The quiet but accomplished Jedi warrior aiding a runaway princess in exile is a familiar guise. The flashbacks we see to the two of them bonding in the past, their affectionate shorthand in the present, sell their connection without anyone having to explain it via exposition.

So then when the final battle happens, between the fate-fighting Jedi and the princess’s Sith aunt, there are stakes. The battle itself is thrilling, with fluid combat in a stirring setting. That’s in keeping with the rest of the strong visual acumen of the piece. We see beautiful rocky vistas, elegant structures, and neat elemental effects that make this one as much of a visual treat as it is a triumph of short-form storytelling.

But it’s the close that really puts this one over the top. The Jedi knows what his destiny is and tries to avoid it. His master tells him he’ll turn to the dark side, and the Jedi himself cannot shake the vision of striking down some mysterious adversary. The twist here is brilliant. That adversary is his beloved princess, disguised by her villainous aunt. It was a plot to make the Jedi see his loved one die at his own hand, creating leverage for her to offer to restore the princess’s life in exchange for his allegiance.

So the Jedi does what he has to. He falls into fate. He partners with the Sith to restore the woman he cares so deeply for, and in the process sells his soul. A fair trade, but a tragic one -- a fate realized, but in a fractured, poignant way, the way all prophecy stories should be.

This is a beautiful finale to Star Wars: Visions, a show that, freed from the constraints of canon, delved into the very soul of Star Wars and mined it for pure gold. This is the most ambitious and adventurous the franchise has been in years, and it’s great to see the powers that be expanding the galaxy and pushing its boundaries by welcoming these new voices and perspectives to this universe and letting them go wild.