Everyone’s favorite toy/film brand crossover, Lego Star Wars, has returned for another special at Disney+. In a subversion of the currently popular multiverse narrative, Rebuild the Galaxy instead subjects its Lego-rendered Star Wars universe to an apocalyptic crisis, one in which the very building blocks of reality are dramatically reshaped. Not merely set dressing this time around, the idea of a galaxy made of rearrangeable Lego blocks becomes integral to the narrative in a way the film franchise only alluded.
The four-part miniseries concerns Sig and Dev Greebling, a pair of nerf-herding brothers with varying opinions of their rural home world, Finesa (pronounced like the name “Vanessa,” but with a “F”). The Force-sensitive Sig (Gaten Matarazzo) seems content with his humble existence, while the contemptuous Dev (Tony Revolori) longs to leave the planet behind. Complicating matters, they’re both in love with the same young woman, a “cool” farmhand named Yesi Scala. Further complicating matters, the two brothers and their Gonk droid, Servo (Smiling Friends‘ Michael Cusack, following a vocal upgrade in episode two), discover a mysterious Jedi temple housing a transparent, single-stud Lego brick called “The Cornerstone” with the ability to reshape the universe brick-by-brick. Entranced, the brothers remove the piece, much to the chagrin of Bob (Bobby Moynihan), a Jedi temple guard from a previous incarnation of the Star Wars universe who’s taken it upon himself to ensure no one else repeats the same mistake he did years before.
Dev and Sig’s transgression causes the whole of the Lego Star Wars universe to reshape itself, resulting in changes both major and minor: the salty surface of Crait is now made of pepper, while the desert planet of Tatooine becomes a beach and popular vacation spot (this new universe reinterprets Luke Skywalker as a surfer bro who spends his days racing Max Rebo on alien ski-doos.) Though the idea isn’t strictly adhered to, formerly good characters are now presented as being evil, and vice versa. Admiral Ackbar has become the template for the Empire’s Clone Troopers, while Salacious B. Crumb holds Yoda’s seat on the Jedi High Council. The rebel resistance is comprised of “good” versions of Sheev Palpatine, Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt, Count Dooku and IG-88- but also Jannah (once again played by Naomi Ackie) and Lobot. There’s even a joke about Greedo “shooting first” that fundamentally alters the character’s relationship with Han Solo.
While Darth Jar Jar is heavily featured in the miniseries’ promotional materials, the best remixed characters have to be Darth Rey (Helen Sadler) and Darth Tico (Kelly Marie Tran), cementing either character’s teased-but-vetoed heel turns in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker as missed storytelling opportunities, indeed. Anthony Daniels’ return as a psychopathic version of C-3PO additionally confirms the comic book-exclusive 0-0-0 can’t make his leap to live-action soon enough.
Still, for all the fun the series has exploring these alternate takes on beloved characters, Rebuild the Galaxy also ponders the karmic ramifications of playing god in a universe comprised of sentient Lego minifigures. Yesi’s father no longer exists in this new universe, for one, and though its been rearranged with a handwave, the dramatic thrust comes from preventing either Sig or Dev from using the Cornerstone to put it back to how it once was. It ponders the same “what’s done is done” thought experiment presented in Star Trek: Voyager‘s divisive “Tuvix episode,” and even becomes something akin to a children’s television version of Dark City at one point. However, as Surfer Luke opines, this new universe is “in some ways worse,” than the one preceding it, “but in some ways better,” also, and “maybe that’s worth fighting for.”
In the specials’ final moments, our new cast of characters set out to explore this brave new world they created together, teeing up a potential sequel series. A pre-credits teaser also reveals the Empire has hired a new bounty hunter, once again remixing two familiar characters into a new (pun-based) one I wouldn’t mind seeing more of. Much like Rebuild the Galaxy‘s overarching theme of questioning how responsible it is to make something new from pre-existing materials, though, the answer to whether any of this was worth it will depend entirely on personal taste, but for the most part, Rebuild the Galaxy has a lot of fun asking some unexpected questions of itself.
Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is now streaming on Disney+.
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