The Star Wars universe may not be any closer to getting a live-action series, but it is getting another animated series—and a LEGO one at that. According to Variety, Lucasfilm has just announced that LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures will debut on Disney XD this summer.
The adventure comedy will take place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and follow a family that makes its living building and selling ships from the wreckage of the many space battles that accompany the ongoing galactic civil war. Their scavenger business is upset when their youngest child happens upon an ancient artifact called the Kyber Saber (a nod to the “Kyber Crystal” that factored into early drafts of George Lucas’ 1977 original), which summons his innate sensitivity to the Force and pits them against Darth Vader and other the agents of the Empire.
“With The Freemaker Adventures we are thrilled to bring all new stories to life that could only be realized in the LEGO Star Wars universe,” Carrie Beck, Lucasfilm’s VP of animation development, said in a statement. “We are embarking on an unprecedented collaboration that will allow us to extend the narrative experience of the Star Wars saga with the same playful spirit that’s always made LEGO Star Wars so much fun to watch.”
All of the various LEGO Star Wars projects to date—including two previous series, The Yoda Chronicles and Droid Tales—are considered non-canonical. Assuming this precedent holds, while this will likely be a whimsical diversion for many Star Wars fans, obsessive completists should not feel morally obligated to tune in.
If that’s not enough animation/LEGO for you, Star Wars Rebels, Lucasfilms’ other currently running animated series, is now in its second season on Disney XD, and the LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game is set to be released on June 28.
[via Variety]