- "In the pursuit of sweets and plunder, the bandits ride for feast and wonder."
- ―Charuk and Rani cite their motto
"The Bandits of Golak" is the seventh episode of the Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 that premiered on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. It is made by the Indian animation studio 88 Pictures and directed by Hyeong Geun Park.[1] The short was inspired by the Partition of India in 1947, a legacy of British imperialism that caused mass displacement and religious divides in the modern-day states of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.[4]
Official description[]
Fleeing from their village by train and pursued by ferocious Imperial forces, a boy and his force-sensitive younger sister seek refuge in a vibrant and dangerous dhaba.[5]
Plot summary[]
Two passengers[]
The episode opens with two astronomical objects hanging over a desert landscape on Golak. A hovertrain speeds through the desert. Civilians of various species sit in the crowded passenger compartment. An older human child named Charuk asks his younger sister Rani if she wants some water. Rani asks if their father will be alright. Charuk reassures Rani that their father is looking after the village. Rani says that they should not have fought back because the Galactic Empire burned everything. She asks Charuk what the Empire wants.
As the train enters a canyon, the engines sharly accelerate, causing one of the drivers to lose balance and fall to the floor. The older conductor explains that they are traveling through insurgent territory. Back in the passenger compartment, Rani wants to play their father's flute but Charuk tells her that now is not the right time. An elephantine Aki-Aki hawker walks through the passenger compartment selling le'bi sweets. Rani wants one and Charuk entertains his sister with a word game they know about bandits. He tells Rani to remain seated while he goes to get some le'bi. While Charuk is away, Rani, who is Force-sensitive, uses her Force powers to snatch a flute from Rani's trousers, and some passengers notice her.
While Charuk is lining up outside the Aki-Aki vendor's store, he realizes their father's flute is missing, before he hears Rani playing it. Charuk catches sight of another passenger alerting a stormtrooper to the presence of a Force-sensitive girl. Charuk distracts the stormtroopers by stealing le'bi sweets from another passenger and fleeing out the crowded carriage through a connecting door.
The Jangori Bandits[]
As alarms begin ringing, the conductor tells his inexperienced helper that alarms are ringing because they are passing through Jangori settlements. When the junior driver expresses concern, he reassures him that they backup, which takes the form of a squad of stormtroopers riding 614-AvA speeder bikes. Charuk climbs onto the roof of the carriage but attracts the attention of the stormtroopers. Two humanoid scavengers confront Rani, telling her that the Empire pays a heavy reward for Force-sensitive children. Peering down through the canopy, Charuk manages to distract the passengers by shouting from above.
Shortly thereafter, several Jangori riding Tungar beasts encircle the train on both sides, engaging with the Imperial speeder bikes. The speeder bike squad is wiped out, but not before the Imperials manage to inflict casualties on the Jangori as well. Rani takes advantage of the commotion to flee through the train, while other Jangori snipers stationed on cliffs open fire on the train.
The lead driver tells his colleague to speed up the train. A Jangori tries to board the train through a door but a stormtrooper shoots him. As the train enters a tunnel, Rani uses the Force to unlock a hatch, allowing Charuk to renter the train, then the two siblings hug and comfort each other.
Reaching the temple[]
After arriving at their next train stop, Charuk gives Rani a piggyback right. He reassures her that they are almost there. When Rani asks if they can go him yet, Charuk takes her to a high balcony and points to a remote building which matches what's displayed on his map puck. This turns out to be the Golak Mahal, an he believes that the people at the motel can help them according to his father.
Later that night, the two siblings reach Mahal, a motel that doubles as a restaurant, where various people are playing music and socializing in a bonfire-lit courtyard area. A Keredian manhandles a smaller Ugnaught, but the two are told off by an elderly human woman named Rugal. After sorting the two out, Rugal offers food to Charuk and Rani but warns them to eat fast because a sandstorm is approaching. While the two settle down to eat their le'bi, Charuk notices other patrons around them eyeing them curiously.
Rani tells her brother to eat and relax. She teases him by levitating their platter of food. However, Rani loses control and drops the contents of the platter over the burly Keredian, who attacks his smaller alien companion. Two other individuals, Dhoona and Maghadi, approach the siblings, asking them to demonstrate their trick again, then someone shouts that the girl levitated the platter of food, attracting the attention of the crowd
The Inquisitor and Jedi[]
Suddenly, a green-skinned Inquisitor and two Purge Troopers carrying vibro-axes approach Charuk and Rani. He takes an interest in Rani's Force powers. Charuk tries to change the topic, but the Inquisitor recalls that two scavengers reported the presence of a Force-sensitive girl on the train. He uses the Force to drag their table forward and attempts to intimidate the children by claiming that he burnt down several of the farm villages, leaving no survivors.
While the Inquisitor is speaking, several platters begin levitating. Charuk tells Rani to stop but Rani points out she is not causing them to levitate. The Inquisitor identifies Rani as the Force-sensitive girl he was looking for. Just then, the platters crash to the ground, splattering several onlookers, causing a massive brawl.
The Inquisitor uses his Force powers to levitate Charuk and throw him aside. Rani attempts to hurl an object at the Inquisitor but he deflects it with the Force as well. As a sudden and violent sandstorm descends on the Golak Mahal, everyone is caught up and scattered. Rani runs to her brother, who asks why she did this, but Rani replies that she did not cause the storm. The Inquisitor draws his red double-bladed spinning lightsaber and attempts to apprehend the siblings.
However, he is interrupted by Rugal, who reveals herself as the source of the levitations and as a Jedi Purge survivor. She separates her cane into two blue lightsabers. The two engage in a lightsaber duel amidst the sandstorm. Rugal gains the upper hand and kicks the Inquisitor to the ground. He retrieves his lightsaber and the two engage in a second round of lightsaber combat. Rugal manages to slash the Inquisitor in the neck, fatally wounding him. The Inquisitor once again remarks about how there is a Jedi on Golak before falling to the ground.
The Jedi path[]
After defeating the Inquisitor, Rugal leads the children toward a hexagonal pool and uses the Force to clear a path in the water, revealing a secret tunnel. Rugal tells the siblings that she will be leading Rani only down the tunnel. She commends Charuk for showing great courage in bringing his sister to the temple, telling him that he knows this is the only way to keep his sister safe. Rani is distraught but Charuk reminds his sister that their father told her she is destined for greater things. He tells her it is time to take that path.
Rani asks why Charuk can't come. Rugal explains that the Jedi path is only for her and reassures her that there are others like her below. Before leaving, the two siblings complete a riddle about bandits and hug each other. Rani quips that they will plunder all the sweets in the galaxy. Rugal leads Rani into the tunnel which closes. The waters submerge over the tunnel's cover. As Charuk watches sadly, his sister's flute rises to the surface. Charuk smiles and wishes that the Force will be with his sister. As he walks away, he plays his sister's flute while stars dot the night sky.
Credits[]
| Cast | Uncredited cast | Crew | Uncredited crew | Special thanks |
Cast
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Crew
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Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
|
Organisms
Droid models
Events
|
Locations
|
Organizations and titles
|
Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
|
Sources[]
Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Release Date, Studios Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)- SWCE 2023: Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Trailer, Key Art, and Cast Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 218
- With Star Wars: Visions Volume 2, Creators from Around the World Visit the Galaxy Far, Far Away on StarWars.com (backup link)
- This Week! in Star Wars Star Wars Day is Here, Visions Volume 2, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Visions Revisited: 5 Highlights from "The Bandits of Golak" on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Explore Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 with New Episode Guides on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "The Bandits of Golak" Episode Guide | Visions Volume 2 on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Meet the Visionaries: Ishan Shukla and Milind D. Shinde on Strength and Sacrifice in "The Bandits of Golak" on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Children of the Galaxy" — Star Wars Insider 225
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Release Date, Studios Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Star Wars: Visions — "The Bandits of Golak"
- ↑ "The Bandits of Golak" takes place during the Great Jedi Purge, ended with the Mission to Malachor according to The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem. As Star Wars: Timelines dates the mission to 3 BBY, this is when the Jedi Purge ended, and the latest that "The Bandits of Golak" can take place. The short also features stormtroopers dawned in stormtrooper armor, Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide states that the TK stormtrooper armor served as a transition between the clone trooper armor and regulation stormtrooper armor. TK armor is still used by stormtroopers in 18 BBY per Dawn of Rebellion, being the earliest the short can take place.
- ↑
How The First Indian Entry To The Star Wars Franchise Was Made by Aniruddho Chakraborty on Film Companion (May 4, 2023) (backup link archived on July 13, 2024)
- ↑ SWCE 2023: Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 Trailer, Key Art, and Cast Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
External links[]
- "The Bandits of Golak" on the Aurebesh Wiki
