– Spoiler Review –
Studio TRIGGER is back in Star Wars: Visions Vol. 3 with “The Smuggler,” a much different and more grounded short for the team and director Masahiko Ōtsuka, which wears its A New Hope inspiration on its sleeves in plenty of fun ways.
While “The Smuggler” might feel familiar to any casual Star Wars fan in its tone, characters, and setting, it’s interesting to see TRIGGER’s breadth of focus, ideas, and styles, as there’s plenty of variety and differences between “The Twins,” “The Elder,” and now “The Smuggler.” Of the three, it’s the most traditional of their stories, as “The Twins” went big and over-the-top anime about two siblings and “The Elder” was moody and smaller in scope focusing on the battle between Jedi and Sith, and now “The Smuggler” is about a down-on-her-luck smuggler on the run from the Empire who’s given a job which might just change everything for her. Look, I know the shorthand for causal and always online fans to diss on The Force Awakens is ‘it’s basically A New Hope rehashed,’ and while the similarities are there on purpose and hard to miss, it undervalues the original film, the intent of mirroring it, and how TFA was clearly still its own film in the end. So I don’t use “The Smuggler” wearing A New Hope inspiration on its very open sleeves to diss the short, but rather highlight how it takes a familiar formula and both makes it its own and shows why it works so well in the first place. We have Chita, the titular smuggler, for a stand-in for the roguish Han Solo-type, then there’s Gleenu, the wise old person with a hidden Jedi past aka Obi-Wan Kenobi, and lastly there’s Arluu, a more-than-capable on their own prince on the run from the Empire after it killed his family, and all you need to do is substitute the word princess and you have this short’s Leia. These easy substitutions give us investment in these characters, hence why archetypes are so prevalent for eons, and allow us to settle in and enjoy the ride, as it goes in slightly different directions than what’s come before even if the outcome is basically the same, as the rogue finds purpose joining with the royalty whom fights for the people, with a touch of potential romantic interest thrown in. And the ride is rather fun, from Arluu making himself known to the people by protecting them, the wild speeder chase and ariel dogfight, and Glennu’s sick surprise of a lightsaber hiding spot, all while the interplay between the three main characters is often smart and at times funny, making them all enjoyable ones to follow.
While “The Smuggler” might remind us of a familiar movie, it’s prescient in a way it couldn’t have intended, but given the fight against authoritarianism and fascism is ever present, it’s a theme which always has something to say. Having the Empire round up anyone who looked the same age as the exiled prince hit like a ton of bricks in the current times of our world, especially here in the United States, where Kavanaugh Stops are caught on video day in and day out, as the US Supreme Court decided racism was a justifiable reason for fascist agents of ICE to assault and arrest anyone. The Empire has always been a clear and distinct reference to Nazis and other fascist horrors out there, because Star Wars is political no matter how hard some fans or Disney (not Lucasfilm) tries to suffocate it, and it continues to be a useful tool to show the terrors others can perpetrate upon one another, no matter what country you live in. In an interview with the directors for Vol. 3’s non-sequel shorts, TRIGGER’s Masahiko Ōtsuka expressed how he doesn’t believe they brought this aspect to the forefront, of which I totally agree it’s not a big focus, but given he finds the franchise’s ability to comment on these things appealing, it only clarifies the strength of his understanding of Star Wars, of which both his first SW directed work, “The Elder,” and now “The Smuggler” are shining examples.
When it comes to the animation, it’s a close enough simile to traditional SW designs that anything that stood out as more anime or unique felt like it fit right into the Galaxy Far, Far Away. The bounty hunter himself wasn’t too far off from some of the uniquely armored hunters we’ve seen in the past, but his ship really felt like the farthest stretch, mainly due to its large and excessive missile launching bays, while Glennu’s hidden lightsaber spot feels like it opens a world of possibilities to be seen again in canon somewhere. On the score front, it reminded me a bit of the Kiner family’s work on various animation projects over the years, a little brighter and peppy than a traditional SW film score, but the right tone and vibe overall. As for the cast, Ami Maeshima and Emma Myers voice Chita for the Japanese cast and English Dub, respectively, and overall I enjoyed the way Maeshima brings a lot of incredulous reactions into her performance, though Myers does at moments too. Yuuki Shin is actually back for his second short, having first voiced a character in Vol. 1’s “The Village Bride,” and he takes the leading role with aplomb, capturing a quiet yet wise mood for Arluu, something Tanner Buchanan of the English Dub manages more often than not as well. Judith Light made Glennu sound a little scarier than expected in the English Dub, yet heroic when it’s necessary, but Yasuko Hatori balances a reserved yet menacing tone that seems to fit a little better.
Here are a few other things:
- Over ten years ago, I wondered about a far distant future, the year 2100, and if Star Wars would be truly evergreen to survive and grow even 123 years after it first released. In the article I thought about how it’s very likely, whomever oversees the franchise at such a time and if they still are trying to make stories, would have rebooting the original trilogy on the table, mixing and matching things to make it fresh and different yet feel the same. In a way, I felt like “The Smuggler” shows a very simple and less mixed-up way of how something like that could work.
- As always, check out the Episode Guide for a close look at a bunch of concept art from the short, while also watch the Filmmaker Focus to learn more about who from TRIGGER worked on the project and how they created the dogfighting scene. And don’t forget, the soundtracks for every short are on Spotify.
Studio TRIGGER’s return in Star Wars: Visions Vol. 3 with “The Smuggler” is another unique entry from the team, showing their range and increasing my hopes they’ll not only get to make future Visions, but maybe something official down the line.
+ Showing what makes A New Hope so special by capturing it in a new light
+ Touching on themes of oppression
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on on Bluesky and Instagram @mynockmanor.
STAR WARS VISIONS REVIEWS
Vol. 3: “The Duel: Payback” | “The Song of Four Wings” | “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope” | “The Bounty Hunters” | “Yuko’s Treasure” | “The Lost Ones” | “The Bird of Paradise” | “BLACK”
Vol. 2: “Sith” | “Screecher’s Reach” | “In the Stars” | “I Am Your Mother” | “Journey to the Dark Head” | “The Spy Dancer” | “The Bandits of Golak” | “The Pit” | “Aau’s Song”
Vol. 1: “The Duel” | “Tatooine Rhapsody” | “The Twins” | “The Village Bride” | “The Ninth Jedi” | “TO-B1” | “The Elder” | “Lop & Ochō” | “Akakiri”
Related Material: Takashi Okazaki (one-shot) | Peach Momoko (one-shot) | Art of Star Wars: Visions Vol. 1 (book) | Star Wars: Visions #1 (comic) | Ronin: A Visions Novel (novel)