For decades, actor George Takei has been as synonymous with the Star Trek universe as William Shatner’s Captain James T. Kirk or Leonard Nimoy’s Spock — the Asian American actor first played USS Enterprise Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu from 1966-1969 in Star Trek: The Original Series. Takei then went on to reprise the role numerous times in projects like Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home (1986), and the famed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
Takei made an appearance in Season 1 of George Lucas and Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars as Separatist Neimoidian General Lok Durd.
The original Tweet about Visions reads:
Star Wars: Visions, an Original Series of animated short films, celebrates the @StarWars galaxy through the lens of the world’s best Japanese anime creators. Coming in 2021 to @DisneyPlus.
Star Wars: Visions, an Original Series of animated short films, celebrates the @StarWars galaxy through the lens of the world’s best Japanese anime creators. Coming in 2021 to @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/lmCZGSHEhY
Takei is set to voice a character named Senshuu in the new animated series, which is set to be the Star Wars franchise’s first foray into the anime genre.
Today, Disney and Lucasfilm debuted the first official trailer for the new series and, along with it, shared the voice cast that will bring the animated characters in the anthology series to life. Per StarWars.com:
“Lucasfilm is partnering with seven of the most talented anime studios in Japan to bring their signature style and unique vision of the Star Wars galaxy to this inspired new series,” says James Waugh, executive producer and Lucasfilm Vice President, Franchise Content & Strategy. “Their stories showcase the full spectrum of bold storytelling found across Japanese animation; each told with a freshness and voice that expands our understanding of what a Star Wars story can be, and celebrates a galaxy that has been such an inspiration to so many visionary storytellers.”
The announcement also confirmed both the English and Japanese voice casts for the show — and some of the names on the English list, including Takei’s, will be recognizable to Disney fans. Both Disney superfan Neil Patrick Harris and David Harbour (Marvel Studios’ Black Widow) are also set to appear:
The English dub cast includes the voice talents of returning Star Wars actors and talent new to the Star Wars galaxy, including Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett:
The Duel: Brian Tee (Ronin), Lucy Liu (Bandit Leader), Jaden Waldman (Village Chief)
Tatooine Rhapsody: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jay), Bobby Moynihan (Geezer), Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett), Shelby Young (K-344), Marc Thompson (Lan)
The Twins: Neil Patrick Harris (Karre), Alison Brie (Am), Jonathan Lipow (B-20N)
The Village Bride: Karen Fukuhara (F), Nichole Sakura (Haru), Christopher Sean (Asu), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Valco), Andrew Kishino (Izuma), Stephanie Sheh (Saku)
The Ninth Jedi: Kimiko Glenn (Kara), Andrew Kishino (Juro), Simu Liu (Zhima), Masi Oka (Ethan), Greg Chun (Roden), Neil Kaplan (Narrator), Michael Sinterniklaas (Hen Jin)
While it is unlikely that these actors’ Visions characters will return elsewhere in the Star Wars story, it will certainly be fun to see Takei return to Star Wars, and Harris and Harbour make their Star Wars universe debuts.
Credit: NBC
