May 3rd, 2023 
Jackson Murphy 
Looking for the perfect introduction for your kids or grandkids into the Star Wars universe? LucasFilm has you covered with the brand new family friendly animated series Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures. It premieres tomorrow, May the 4th, at 9am on Disney Junior, with episodes also available to stream on Disney+. Joining me for this Animation Scoop Q&A are show masters James Waugh (executive producer) and Michael Olson (EP and showrunner). This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Jackson Murphy: James, in getting inside the heads of children who are going to get into Star Wars, did it bring you back to when you were a kid and when you got into the world of Star Wars?
James Waugh: I was pleasantly surprised with how much it did. Some of the magic of Star Wars, for me, are those early memories — of seeing it in theaters for the first time and being blown away by the sounds and flashes of lightsabers. And being able to go home and play with toys and bring that world to life myself and continue the adventures. It was special. And part of that wonder is… look, Star Wars is for everybody but there’s a certain wonder when you’re a kid and you’re diving into the imaginative space that is the galaxy.
JM: And I think kids are going to get that wonder out of this new show. And the look of these CG characters makes for perfect toys and action figures, right?
JW: There will be pretty cool action figures and playsets. It will be fun.
JM: Michael, you worked on Puppy Dog Pals, which was a huge hit for Disney. What fascinated you about getting into the Star Wars world, and did it also take you back to your childhood?
Michael Olson: Look, I grew-up with Star Wars. It’s been a part of my life since the very beginning, basically. So the opportunity to get to create a Star Wars show and write characters that are a part of the Star Wars legacy is a true gift for me. It’s been a wonderful ride. In terms of getting to kind of relive my childhood: absolutely. I grew-up playing the Star Wars role-playing game with my buddies up in Portland, Oregon. This is very much like me hanging out with my friends. I have a wonderful team of filmmakers, writers and artists, and we all get to have a lot of fun together creating this fun, colorful show.
JM: That’s great. I was a little young when the ’99, ’02 and ’05 Star Wars movies came out. So with the 2015 “The Force Awakens”, it was this kind of awe-inspiring experience of seeing classic characters on the big screen but also new characters for a new generation. When it comes to Young Jedi Adventures, that’s what kids are gonna see on their TV screens: Kai, Lys, Nash and Nubs. After watching the first couple episodes, I see that they have so much curiosity and optimism. James, how did you want to present these characters to this generation of kids?
JW: They do, and I think that’s one of the special things about the show in general. And in all honesty that’s a credit to Michael, who really writes kids content so well because he has such a good heart and such an optimistic perspective of the galaxy and their world. And that’s what we were looking for. You can’t make a good show without the right talent. This was a big step for us. We weren’t necessarily sure that we were initially going to go this young. And we needed the right creator. In partnering with Michael, it became clear that what we wanted to do was really create a show that would give kids a sense of hope and optimism and aspiration to give them great lessons for life — for all the adventures they’re going to have ahead.
JM: These kids are learning to be Jedi Masters, and they have so many great lessons along the way, including how to be good to people… to others. Michael, what were your goals in spotlighting that specifically?
MO: It’s really important to me, as a part of the Star Wars legacy… Star Wars is all about the themes and people coming together and helping one another. That was very important to all of us at LucasFilm… to make sure we highlighted those elements. But also, on top of those themes and the lessons that the Jedi learn in the episodes, it was also important to me that kids are modeling that behavior throughout the entirety of the episodes so we get to see what that actually looks like in action. As a parent, I have three kids, and I know firsthand that kids will pay much more attention to what I do than what I say. It was very important that our characters modeled good, positive behavior.
JW: And I think that fits perfectly with the Jedi training. The Jedi are learning how to control their emotions and be noble leaders. That really translates to a kids show really well.
JM: The best kids shows have important lessons and the kids really look up to these characters and want to model themselves after them. Michael, how do your kids feel about you being in the Star Wars universe and these characters? And have they seen episodes yet?
MO: (laughs) Yes, they have. My two youngest were born during the process of developing this show and making it. They don’t know anything different. But my daughter, who’s in grade school, she’s very excited. I created the character of Lys based off of her. She’s a big fan already. It’s been fun to watch my youngest boys really gravitate towards this show. I had my middle child running around the house the other day waving one of our lightsabers calling himself Kai Brightstar. That made my heart so happy. It’s great.
Jackson Murphy (left), James Waugh (right) and Michael Olson (bottom center)
JM: That’s perfect. And your daughter is going to have that character inspiration forever — that’s amazing. Of course, Yoda is on the show. James, when you approach putting Yoda into this series… his wisdom, his dialogue, his material… how important is that, and how meticulous do you have to be about making sure you put out the right dialogue and material for Yoda?
JW: I think it’s incredibly important. Yoda is the character that comes with so much heritage, legacy and expectation. There’s a certain amount of gravity and weight that comes with that character. We all want to do everything we can to preserve the legacy that George [Lucas] has built and honor a character that is so cherished. We take it very seriously. It felt like we would be doing this show a disservice if we didn’t bring Yoda into the story. If Yoda wasn’t there to be this sage guide that can take the younglings on their first steps of adventure, and come in from time to time and really teach them the critical lessons… there’s nothing that you want more than for Yoda to be there and give you the pearls of wisdom that really inspire kids and still inspire me to this day.
JM: He’s perfect — the guide for all of them. And Michael, what goes into putting a perfect lightsaber sequence together?
MO: So much of Star Wars is the starships and space travel and lightsabers and The Force. As a show for little kids, we had to be very mindful about how we portrayed these epic battles. I definitely wanted to make sure we had them because it felt like it would be a disservice if we didn’t. It gave us a great opportunity to talk about what it means to stand up for other people — to stand up against someone or something that’s not necessarily good. In terms of the values of our kids and how they engage in their battles, it’s been really interesting to make sure that they’re approaching the way they conduct themselves as Jedi in the most honorable way. But also in a fun, fan service point of view… look, we get to write, “Kai Brightstar ignites his lightsaber and engages in a battle…” and that’s always a blast. And my favorite part is handing it off to our storyboard artists and our directors who have a field day coming up with the most spectacular sequences. I’m so delighted with how they’re turning out.
JM: James, there’s this sequence that’s a vehicle race over water, which is so cool. The waterfall part in it — fantastic, with such great music enhancement.
JW: That sequence is fantastic. We all feel that episode has all the DNA of Star Wars that you want. Racing was such a part of George Lucas’ vernacular. You can feel that in all the Star Wars movies. But also the cars and their unique designs. That episode feels like it reflects something unique and in-line with the Star Wars DNA. When it comes to music, music is critical to Star Wars, to evoke the sense of adventure and swashbuckling fun. We had to find the right tone. Matthew Margeson, who does the score for this, is really brilliant. We love the theme song and work he turns on. We’re always pleasantly delighted listening to what he creates per episode. He takes the influences of John Williams and also the new composers that have come into Star Wars, while also giving it its own unique signature.
JM: I interviewed him [in 2017] for one of the Kingsman movies. The details and care he puts into the music are really good. Michael, I’m curious if you needed the strength of The Force at all in pulling off a specific moment or episode?
MO: (laughs) What I’ll say is: in the process of developing this show, because you never know if it’s going to work… I actually had a specific moment. I was meeting with one of my friends while working on the Pilot and I was going, “Man, this is a challenge. We’re trying to make a show that is Star Wars and big but it’s also an entrypoint for kids.” I’m not gonna consider myself a Jedi, but like every aspiring Jedi, I had a moment of doubt, and my friend just looked at me across the table and said, “Michael, use The Force.” And you know what? As cheesy as it is, it’s exactly what I needed to hear. He encouraged me to trust my own instinct when approaching the story, and I’m so delighted that he gave me that bit of audience.
JM: What we’ve seen in the Star Wars movies over the years is generations of characters — they get older, they get younger, the prequels, the newer installments. How do you potentially want to see the next generations of these characters that we get on Young Jedi Adventures?
JW: Who knows is the honest answer. I have all sorts of ideas.
MO: So… we’re seeing these younglings and we know they’re going to eventually go through their initiate trials and get their lightsabers. I hope we get to see what their adventures are when they’re Padawans. They definitely have a very exciting future ahead of them.
JW: The unique key vantage point I have is I get to touch so many stories in different types of mediums. I think the fun thing about Star Wars is once you create something, it ends-up having a life of its own across multiple media. And there’s an opportunity to see that whole life cycle. We’re telling stories at all different points of the High Republic. We have a long road ahead with this show, but I sure would love to see Kai Brightstar as a heroic Jedi Knight and hear about all the adventures he had, or see Nubs grow. So you never know.
JM: What does ‘May the 4th’ mean to you?
JW: You know what’s really impressive about ‘May the 4th’? It’s sort of taken on its own cultural identity. It’s not a completely artificial holiday. People have embraced it because I think there is a truth about Star Wars being so cross-generational and being for everyone. Everybody has their own reference point of what Star Wars means to them. It’s a day that you can really sit down and share something that’s going to speak to everybody in one form or another in your family.
MO: This 4th is a big culmination for me and the entire team at LucasFilm. As I think about The Force, it’s an energy field created by all living things. This show is created by so many people — such an incredible team. It’s an opportunity to feel grateful for all of the hard work and passion that’s been put into this show.
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