More than a decade after Disney placed it on a shelf, the lost animated series Star Wars: Detours will finally be screened for the public.
According to Entertainment Weekly, a curated selection of episodes will be shown at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The museum, founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas, is scheduled to open on September 22.
Seth Green Confirms Star Wars: Detours Screenings
Seth Green announced the long-awaited screenings Thursday during the “Inside the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art” panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
Han Solo in Star Wars: Detours – Star Wars HoloNet, YouTube
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“We made a show with George, an animated series,” Green said. “He wanted to make Simpsons in the Star Wars universe. It’s called Detours, and there’s… going to be a curation of episodes from that show on display for the public.”
Although the announcement stops short of a full television or streaming release, it will give fans their first official opportunity to watch completed episodes of the series.
George Lucas Wanted a Star Wars Comedy
Lucasfilm announced Star Wars: Detours at Star Wars Celebration in 2012, shortly before Disney purchased the company for approximately $4 billion.
Impressed by Seth Green’s three Star Wars parody episodes of Robot Chicken, George Lucas approached Green and his creative partner, Matthew Senreich, in 2010 about creating an official animated comedy series.
Lucas wanted the show to explore the everyday lives of characters inhabiting the Star Wars universe. Its exaggerated animation and irreverent humor distinguished it from more serious shows such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Lucas served as an executive producer and remained closely involved throughout the show’s development.
Storm Troopers in Star Wars: Detours – Star Wars HoloNet, YouTube
“It was the greatest,” Green said during the Comic-Con panel. “It was literally one of the greatest experiences I think I’ve ever had.”
The series featured an expansive voice cast that included Green, Felicia Day, Donald Faison, Seth MacFarlane, Andy Richter, Jennifer Hale, Zachary Levi, Anthony Daniels, Ahmed Best, Billy Dee Williams, Joel McHale, and “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Kathleen Kennedy Shelved Star Wars: Detours
Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm dramatically changed the franchise’s direction. According to Green, it was Kathleen Kennedy’s decision to shelve Detours.
During an interview with ComicBook early last year, Green said Kennedy told him, “It’s more valuable for us to point everything towards the movies.”
Although disappointed, Green recognized the validity of Kennedy’s concerns.
“You’re gonna alter the way that you meet these icons, which I agreed, at least for the purpose of pointing everything towards these movies, is valid.”
Lucasfilm indefinitely postponed Detours in 2013, leaving its completed episodes unreleased.
Scene from Star Wars: Detours – Star Wars HoloNet, YouTube
Green later revealed that the production team had finished 39 episodes, with scripts prepared for another 62. One episode briefly leaked online in 2020, but Lucasfilm never authorized an official public release.
The sequel trilogy overseen by Kennedy proved extremely divisive among Star Wars fans and delivered diminishing returns at the box office. Yet Detours, one of the final projects produced by Lucas before selling the company, has remained a source of considerable interest.
Will Star Wars: Detours Receive a Wider Release?
The Lucas Museum screenings will finally rescue at least part of Star Wars: Detours from Lucasfilm’s vault. However, Green did not say how many episodes will be included in the museum’s curated selection or whether they will be shown anywhere else.
There is also no indication that Disney plans to release the entire series on Disney+, television, or physical media.
For fans who have spent more than a decade wondering what became of Star Wars: Detours, the screenings represent a significant step forward. Whether they eventually lead to a wider release remains to be seen.
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