‘Star Wars Resistance’ to soar on TV’s Disney Channel this fall

Toss your lightsabers and grab an Xwing flight stick: Star Wars is putting a spotlight on its space aces.

Disney and Lucasfilm announced Thursday they’ve started production on the new animated series Star Wars Resistance, slated to premiere this fall on Disney Channel.

Unlike the recently wrapped Star Wars Rebels, which was set just before George Lucas’ original movie trilogy, Resistance takes place prior to The Force Awakens. The show, which will feature a style reminiscent of Japanese anime, centers on Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission: to spy on the increasingly threatening First Order.

Resistance will feature fan-favorite droid BB-8, as well as hotshot flyboy Poe Dameron and First Order villainess Captain Phasma, voiced by film stars Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, respectively. The cast includes former Scrubs actor Donald Faison; Saturday Night Live alum Bobby Moynihan; ex-Community member Jim Rash; Silicon Valley’s Josh Brener; Suzie McGrath of Britain’s East Enders; and Scott Lawrence, who has voiced Darth Vader in several Star Wars video games.