LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy review

Last year, Star Wars fans were given the opportunity to experience a number of intriguing “what if” scenarios in LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy. The four-part Disney+ miniseries perfectly captured the thrill of playing with LEGO Star Wars as a kid and creating all sorts of crazy mash-ups and crossovers, while also introducing an exciting new character, Sig Griebling, while paying tribute and poking fun at the Star Wars franchise. Now in the sequel miniseries, LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past, the story of Sig Gribling and his Jedi Master Bob continues in another fun, light-hearted, action-packed, reality-bending adventure.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past picks up where the previous film left off. Sig Griebling (voiced by Stranger Things' Gaten Matarazzo) enjoys life in the remade galaxy he accidentally created last time and continues his training with Jedi Bob (voiced by Bobby Moynihan). Meanwhile, recovering from defeat, Sig's brother Darth Dev (voiced by Tony Revolori) tries to regain his power by any means necessary. This quest inadvertently leads to the emergence of Solitus (voiced by Dan Stevens), a dark side Force user determined to destroy the known galaxy and remake it as he sees fit.

Pieces of the Past fully lives up to the expectations that its original idea raises. If you're like us, you probably grew up building LEGO Star Wars sets and having fun creating all sorts of crazy mash-ups that would never appear in a real Star Wars movie. The new miniseries perfectly captures the spirit of that creativity with episodes filled to the brim with remixes, mash-ups, crossovers and more. "Pieces of the Past" goes even bigger than the previous season with "What If" scenarios and mixes, many of which were not included in the promotional materials. This time, fans will see all the favorite mixes from last season (welcome back, Darth Jar Jar!), plus much more, including Brickheadz Ahsoka Tano, the evil K-2SO, and the Porgills.This is probably the closest we'll ever get to Star Wars entering the world of what-if scenarios on television, something executive producers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit took full advantage of. 

The new four-part miniseries continues to build on last year's show, introducing viewers to beloved characters for the first time. Darth Revan from Knights of the Old Republic and Jackson and Cal Kestis from the Star Wars Jedi games make their TV debuts in Pieces of the Past. While unfortunately none of these characters take up too much screen time or play a major role in the plot, seeing them in action and exchanging dialogue (with the exception of Revan, of course) is still breathtaking. 

The inclusion of Darth Revan and Jaxon demonstrates Pieces of the Past's commitment to delving into obscure and profound Star Wars references and Easter eggs. Clever writing ensures that the inside jokes never alienate viewers less familiar with the world of Star Wars, while still giving hardcore fans plenty of hints and references to enjoy. Both iconic and lesser-known lines from Star Wars stories over the past decades are mixed in in witty and creative ways, as are easily recognizable and less popular musical motifs from various Star Wars projects and even camera movements (such as quick zooms that mirror J. J. Abrams' work in The Force Awakens). Regardless of the plot or characters, the four 20+ minute episodes are worth watching by avid fans if only for these Easter eggs and references.

Like its predecessor, Pieces of the Past strikes the perfect balance between respecting and mocking Star Wars. Every minute there's some joke about a Star Wars line, plot point, or character, but the miniseries never jokes about Star Wars in a mean way.Instead, he uses a more self-deprecating humor that manages to both celebrate Star Wars and playfully poke fun at some of its elements. A great example of this is Snoke's brilliant line in episode three, which will please both fans and critics of the sequel trilogy.

Despite all these reality twists, the story remains focused on Sig, Dev and Jedi Bob. The plot parallels that of Deadpool and Wolverine and Loki, focusing on the Hod Force, a realm that houses all the discarded parts from various galaxies, much like the Void at the end of time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Solitus, a raspy-voiced, surprisingly sinister-looking villain played by Dan Stevens, finds his way out of Force Hold after years of exile, setting off the chain of events that make up the plot of the miniseries. In keeping with Pieces of the Past being a love letter to Star Wars, it features all sorts of thematic parallels to previous Star Wars stories, namely redemption, attachment, family conflict, and the power of visions. All sorts of concepts from the sequel trilogy, Ahsoka, and other works are also fascinatingly woven into the plot. When it comes down to it, Pieces of the Past certainly doesn't have the most original plot, but ultimately the characters and variety of what-if scenarios prove entertaining enough to keep the viewer engaged.

While Pieces of the Past isn't LEGO's first animated film or series, the new miniseries marks yet another improvement in animation quality. Every time Sig uses the Force to build something from hundreds of mismatched LEGO pieces, it's a satisfying experience for the viewer. The animation team makes the most of the rigid facial expressions of LEGO characters and makes each character expressive and complete in their own way.Perhaps the best testament to the power of Pieces of the Past's animation (and filmmaking) is the action sequence aboard the Death Star, which is arguably one of the most innovative and unique action sequences we've ever seen in any Star Wars story. To delve into this would be to spoil the surprise, but those who have seen the recent news about the upcoming release of the LEGO Death Star set will be especially pleased with this scene.

VERDICT: 7.5/10

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past gives Star Wars fans another exciting opportunity to experience all sorts of crazy mix-ups, crossovers and what-if scenarios. The new four-part miniseries, made even bigger with its reality-altering antics, also features the inclusion of various fan-favorite characters who make their television debut and, despite somewhat disappointing small roles, still leave fans holding their breath. Striking the perfect balance between homage and mockery of Star Wars, Pieces of the Past serves as a wonderful love letter to Star Wars, with many iconic and profound lines, characters, musical motifs, moments, plot elements, and even camera movements from the franchise creatively referenced and re-created. Unlike many ingenious mash-ups, the story, which parallels key elements from Deadpool and Wolverine and Loki, lacks novelty and creativity. However, Dan Stevens' surprisingly sinister villain Solitus, strong thematic parallels to other Star Wars stories, and innovative integration of various plot elements from a galaxy far, far away prove compelling enough to keep viewers engaged. It all comes to life with stunning animation that continues to improve with each new LEGO Star Wars special edition.In particular, the action sequence aboard the Death Star is arguably one of the most unique action sequences we've ever seen in a Star Wars movie or TV series. LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past delivers exactly the kind of reality-bending, universe-changing, what-if antics that Star Wars fans have been craving, and best of all, perfectly recreates what it was like to play with Star Wars LEGO as a kid and create all sorts of mash-ups and crossovers.