REBUILD THE GALAXY is a hilarious miniseries. It features top notch animation, fun characters and clever inversions of established STAR WARS characters. REBUILD THE GALAXY has a strong moral, redemptive worldview. It shines a spotlight on redeeming one’s brother from evil, helping others and forging one’s own destiny. The only drawback is that the miniseries bears an uncanny similarity to the theatrical movie THE LEGO MOVIE. Also, REBUILD THE GALAXY features over-the-top LEGO combat and slapstick. In addition, some characters perform occult space magic. Because of that, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.
CONTENT:
A strong moral worldview with Christian/redemptive and pagan elements, the central artifact is a magical LEGO brick that can rewrite the fabric of reality, the main hero takes every chance to redeem his Sith Lord brother from evil, the main characters value teamwork and helping other people, the characters meet intergalactic warriors who wield laser swords and occult space magic, the hero’s mentor admits his grave mistakes to his student, the various existing STAR WARS heroes and villains have switched roles in the “reformed” universe, and the heroes rescue Jedi Masters from a prison camp;
No foul language;
Moderate and light action, cartoon violence throughout, the world and characters are built entirely out of LEGO pieces, the characters use laser blasters and laser swords in combat, characters engage in slapstick comedy, the Force-sensitive characters build LEGO contraptions to deflect or attack their enemies, spaceship combat is present, and entire planets (made out of LEGO bricks) are destroyed and reformed in quick fashion;
No sexual content, but there’s a brief love triangle between the main hero, his brother and the local village girl;
No nudity;
No alcohol use;
No smoking or drugs; and,
The Jedi mentor lies about the possibility of reverting the galaxy to its original state (it is impossible), the same man admits he caused a cosmic chain event before the heroes were born, the alternate versions of Luke and Han Solo are shown to be dishonest scoundrels, and the Sith Lord variant of Jar Jar Binks is treated as a non-threat.
MORE DETAIL:
LEGO STAR WARS: REBUILD THE GALAXY is a four part miniseries on Disney+. Sig Greebling, a farm rancher with Force sensitivity, stumbles across a hidden Jedi artifact. By accident, he loses the artifact and creates a new alternate reality version of the STAR WARS universe. The heroes have turned into Sith Lords and vice versa. With his Sith-turned brother on his tail, Sig must figure out how to rebuild the galaxy before it’s too late. REBUILD THE GALAXY is a non-canonical spin-off set after the events in THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.
Sig Greebling (Gaten Matarazzo) is a young farm herder on an alien planet. Sig knows all the Jedi legends by heart but lacks the conviction to lead his own life. His extroverted older brother, Dev Greebling, tells him there’s more to life than being stuck on a backwater planet. During a thunderstorm, the brothers fall off a cliff and stumble upon a hidden Jedi artifact, the “Cornerstone.” The Cornerstone is a magical LEGO brick of immense power. Dev challenges the timid Sig into grabbing the glowing artifact against his will.
The next minute, the Cornerstone rewrites the fabric of reality across the entire galaxy. The heroes, villains and aliens of the past movies are resurrected as alternate reality versions. Darth Vader and Darth Sidious (aka Emperor Palpatine) are now Jedi Masters, while Rey Skywalker and Jar Jar Binks are Sith Lords. Upon entering this new reality, Sig befriends Jedi Bob (Bobby Moynihan) and Yesi Scala (Marsai Martin). Jedi Bob is the cranky protector of the Cornerstone, while Yesi is a spunky pilot girl from Sig’s previous reality.
Together, Sig and his allies search for the Cornerstone, which moved to a new Jedi Temple after Sig’s accident. However, he discovers that Dev, his older brother, is now a Sith Lord. Dev is also the supreme leader of the resurrected Empire. If Darth Devastator gets his hand on the Cornerstone, he can rewrite the universe as he pleases. Can Sig redeem his brother and rebuild the galaxy in time?
REBUILD THE GALAXY is an action-packed time for both fans of STAR WARS and LEGO. The series features clever dialogue, likable characters and reverence for the larger STAR WARS franchise. The script uses the familiar “Hero’s Journey,” but spices it up with alternate universe variants of existing characters. The show is also consistently hilarious for both children and adults.
In terms of production design, the animation in REBUILD THE GALAXY knocks it out of the park. Similar to THE LEGO MOVIE, every character and environment is made out of LEGO bricks and minifigures. On top of being visually appealing, the script uses the construction aspect of LEGO. The Jedi and Sith constantly build and rebuild spaceships and other weapons for battle. During the last episode, Sig and Dev create crude platforms and shields using the bricks from the environment. It allows for more creative setpieces.
In terms of worldview, REBUILD THE GALAXY is a mixture of Christian and pagan ideals. Sig meets the Jedi and the Sith, intergalactic warriors who use laser swords and space magic. Sig and his allies value teamwork, helping people and stopping the evil Empire. A major plotline is Sig trying to lure his brother away from the Dark Side. Darth Devastator does not relinquish his position but concedes that Sig is the only person who cares about him. In the end, Sig learns what it means to be brave and to forge his own path.
The only downside to this series is its uncanny similarity to THE LEGO MOVIE. In that movie and REBUILD THE GALAXY, a mentor figure has made a major mistake in the past, the main hero is an average underdog, and the main villain wants to rebuild the universe in his own image. On top of that, both titles use a similar type of “meta” humor in regards to the LEGO construction aspect. REBUILD THE GALAXY is different with its “alternate universe” twist, but it will bring major feelings of “deja vu” for fans of THE LEGO MOVIE.
That said, LEGO STAR WARS: REBUILD THE GALAXY is a hilarious miniseries for all ages. The program features top notch animation, fun characters and clever inversions of established STAR WARS characters. Also, the miniseries has a strong moral, redemptive worldview. It shines a spotlight on redeeming one’s brother from evil, helping others and forging one’s own destiny. However, REBUILD THE GALAXY features over-the-top LEGO combat and slapstick comedy. Also, the heroes meet intergalactic warriors who wield laser swords and perform occult space magic. Because of this, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.