TV Review: LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy

Last night, Candace and I had the opportunity to attend a screening of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, the new Disney+ event series set in the world of, well, LEGO Star Wars. The series follows Sig Greebling, a literal nerfherder living on a remote, peaceful planet sometime in the years following the fall of Palpatine (the second time). While he’s happy to just live vicariously through the stories of the galaxy’s heroes, his older brother Dev wants more for himself, and when the two of them find an artifact known as the Cornerstone, it accidentally triggers massive changes across the galaxy.

Rebuilding it, you might say.

With everything shifted into a new context, Sig teams up with Jedi Bob - the only other person who remembers the galaxy as it was - and Yesi Scala, a friend from back home who has no memory of their friendship, and who in this new world is embedded in the still-existing rebellion. The trio encounter Dev, now called Darth Dev — who, if you ask me, is just Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in a different font — who wants the Cornerstone for himself.

I admit, I was hesitant at the idea of a Star Wars “What If” series, which is where I thought Rebuild the Galaxy was going. And there certainly is that speculative element to it, with things like Beach Bum Luke, Leia and Greedo ending up together, or Darth Rey and Darth Rose Tico — and props to this special for giving these two some screentime together, I hope we get to see much more of them one day. But the central idea is less focused on just the fact that everything is different, and more on the idea of how a few key differences in the galaxy resulted in a massive snowball effect. There’s plenty of comedy to be found in the differences between Sig’s original galaxy — the one from the saga we all know — and the one he is currently living in, and don’t get me wrong, the series really leans into that comedy, but it’s worth noting that the comedy doesn’t come at the expense of the heart. And there really is so much heart to be found.

If there’s one thing I love above all else when it comes to LEGO Star Wars specials, it’s the way they embrace meta humor, and on-the-nose jokes, and still manage to retain all the heart of the very best Star Wars stories. This was true of the three holiday specials that came out over the last few years, and it remains true for Rebuild the Galaxy. Star Wars is, above all else, a story of hope, of love, and of the belief in the inherent goodness of those at risk of falling to the dark. Sig navigates this idea throughout the series as he fights to bring Dev back to the light, and refuses to give up on his brother. We all know I love a redemption story, and LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is, at its heart, a redemption story. It is this core theme that runs through all four episodes of Rebuild the Galaxy, as seriously and as thoughtfully as any Star Wars project…even if this one involved facing down Darth Jar Jar to get there.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is streaming on Disney+ now.