For three years running, Disney+ has released one Lego Star Wars Special a year.
In 2020, it was the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special. In 2021, it was Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales. In 2022, the release is Lego Star Wars: Summer Vacation.
As with its predecessors, Summer Vacation takes place after the events of 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. This special focuses on Finn (voiced by Omar Benson Miller) surprising his friends with a vacation aboard the galactic starcruiser, The Halcyon. Finn is joined by his friends Rey (Helen Sadler), Poe (Jake Green), Rose (Kelly Marie Tran, reprising her role from the films), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels, reprising his role from the films), BB-8 and R2-D2.
Unfortunately for Finn, his plans for a vacation with his friends fall apart when he is separated from the others. Finn ends up alone in a bar onboard the ship.
In a true A Christmas Carol fashion, Finn encounters three Force Spirits–Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor, reprising his role from The Clone Wars and other media), Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter, reprising his role from The Clone Wars). and General Leia Organa (Shelby Young). Each of the three spirits relay tales of their own vacations to show Finn that the vacation built up in his mind doesn’t need to be the vacation that actually happens.
Obi-Wan remembers teaming up with a Rebel spy named Colvett Valeria (Yvette Nicole Brown) on Tatooine and helping her retrieve coaxium from Jabba’s Palace, while posing as a vacationer. Anakin tells Finn of a time where even evil took a vacation, as Emperor Palpatine (Trevor Devall) and Darth Vader (Matt Sloan) traveled to Scarif for rest and relaxation. Leia remembers a trip she took with her husband Han (Ross Marquand), son Ben (Matthew Wood), Chewbacca and the droids on the Lakes of Endor, shortly before Ben was sent off to train with his uncle Luke.
Along the way, Finn learns there are many different meanings of vacation. He also accepts why he wanted to take the vacation in the first place: this was going to be the last time all of his friends were together before they spread out throughout the galaxy for their own adventures.
Like the other two Lego specials, Summer Vacation is a love letter to the whole Star Wars franchise. There are references to the films and even to the newer television series (including both Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett) that will bring a smile to your face. Yes, Force spirit Obi-Wan even says “Hello there” at one point. The special also contains small references to Star Wars memes that have come and gone over the years, including a tongue-in-cheek reference to “It’s a trap!” in Leia’s flashback.
With the three Lego specials, there is one for three of the seasons of the year (summer, fall and winter). Perhaps 2023 will feature one more special to celebrate spring.
Up next in the Star Wars universe is the television series, Andor. That series will follow the titular character Cassian Andor (Diego Luna reprising his role from Rogue One) in his early days serving the Rebellion and will likely serve as a set-up to Rogue One. Andor premieres exclusively on Disney+ on Sept. 21 with the first three episodes of the first season.
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