By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Another amazing blind spot in Star Wars is that we never had anything on screen that was designed from the ground up as a joke. Of course, every movie and game (even Andor) occasionally suppresses comedies, but they are designed, first and foremost, as dramas. Have you ever wondered why the galaxy far, far away hasn't gone all in on being funny? As it turns out, Star Wars spawned an animated comic show many years ago: Star Wars Detours. It is designed as Robot Chicken-style takes on our favorite characters, who can deliver one unbiblical moment after another.
The series was created by Star Wars creator George Lucas and Robot Chicken creator Seth Green. They went all out, hiring writers from fan-favorite series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galacticaagain Family Guy. Unfortunately, Star Wars Detours died quietly after Disney acquired the franchise; despite having produced 39 episodes (!), the show was canceled and never saw the light of day except for one clip leaked on Reddit. However, Green revealed something shocking at this year's San Diego Comic-Con: a selection Deviation The episodes will be made available to the public through the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Star Wars Gets The Robot Chicken Treatment
Original view behind Star Wars Detours it was simple: the official premise is that this will be “an animated comedy that explores what everyday life is like in a galaxy far, far away. There are no retreating or invading empires here. Instead, Star Wars Detours it focuses on ordinary people of the universe and their everyday problems.” While the official source notes that the show will still feature “epic hunters, crazy Ewoks, and the Dark Lord of the Sith,” this was a show designed to focus on funny, slice-of-life events rather than mythology involving Jedi or giant weapons. Just a chilling, funny Star Wars show; what could go wrong?
In short, Disney. Star Wars Detours began development in 2010, and Lucas and Green were able to produce two season episodes. But then Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise in 2012. Originally, Green had hoped that his new show would eventually come out after the completion of the Sequel Trilogy. In 2018, Disney introduced a new Lucasfilm logo, but the show was never released, and we stopped receiving official updates. In the 2019 discussion no ColliderGreen said he feels that Disney is not interested in “this kind of self-destructive humor that sits with these honest descriptions of the characters.”
Somehow, Detours Are Back
In the 2020 discussion no Entertainment WeeklyGreen echoed these thoughts and admitted that he never thought the series would be released. One reason for this is that even though the episodes have been completed, he felt that they would all need to be adjusted to be suitable for Disney + (perhaps because of certain children, Robot Chicken-like jokes). At the time, it seemed to be the end of the story. After all, where else Star Wars Detours Premiere if not Disney+? Now, we have an answer. Green revealed at San Diego Comic-Con this year that a “collection of episodes” will be on display at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. “I'm glad people will see it,” he said.
But will fans be happy to see it? That is the real question. While Star Wars Detours is an interesting part of the history of the franchise (39 finished episodes, hidden from us for almost a decade and a half!), the leaked episode “Dog Day Afternoon” is almost painfully not funny. Maybe Disney made the right decision by burying this series. Either way, fans will soon find out when they view selected episodes at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Here's hoping they include one of the many, many episodes voice actor Weird Al Yankovic records original songs!
