Western Animation / LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures

Their mission didn't come with instructions.

LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is a LEGO Star Wars animated series on Disney XD, set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, focusing on a brand new cast of characters.

While the war between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire rages, a trio of siblings try to scrape out a living salvaging the wreckage, building ships from said wreckage, and hopefully selling them for profit. But everything changes after a chance encounter with a mysterious Force-wielder and a piece of an ancient weapon.

Unlike most LEGO Star Wars works, the series has been described as "canon paraphrase" rather than outright non-canon — essentially, the concepts, characters, and general flow of events are canon, but the details are not; the showrunners liken it to a child re-enacting the story with their toys.

Its second and final season was announced for summer of 2017. The show was followed up by LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars in 2018.

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LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures contains examples of:

• Adaptational Comic Relief: Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader are nowhere near as serious as they are in the movies, with the Emperor in particular coming off as very energetic and goofy.
• A.I. Is a Crapshoot: N3-RO convinces the droids to stand up against the Maker's visitors, out of fear that he will leave them on Zoh and once again purposeless.
• Ambiguously Brown: The minifig color is "nougat", but otherwise this trope was invoked by the creators in order to allow more people to identify with the Freemakers.
• Art Evolution: Vader's helmet was redesigned for Season 2, to match the updated look for his Minifigure (more vertical height, emphasis placed on the neckpiece).
• Badass Adorable: Rowan grows into this by the end of the Kyber Saber arc.
• Badly Battered Babysitter: Roger is shaping up to be this to Rowan.
• Bait-and-Switch: The penultimate episode of the second season makes it seem that M-0C is going to pull a Heel–Face Turn. However, he instead realises the Fatal Flaw in the Death Star’s reactor being exposed, and goes to rectify this problem.
• Bait the Dog: Naare appears as a benevolent Jedi who wants to train Rowan, even mind-controlling the Freemakers' landlord so they don't get evicted. Then she reveals that she's using Rowan to find the crystals for the Emperor, making him an Unwitting Pawn.
• The Big Damn Kiss: Zander and Becky make out once she is done professing her love for him.
• Big Eater: Kordi can swallow an entire platter of food in one bite.
• Big Sister Instinct: Both the older Freemakers can be protective of Rowan, Kordi especially.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Graballa and Naare work together starting in episode 9 all the way through the end of the season.
• Bittersweet Ending: At the end of the Kyber Saber arc, Rowan manages to defeat Naare and take the Kyber Saber, only to realize that the Saber's power corrupts. He and his family flee from the Emperor to become fugitives again, and Rowan decides to destroy the Kyber Saber by tossing it in a lava pit. The Freemakers then get a call from the rebellion, while Rowan is offered a job.
• Blessed with Suck:
  • Roger curses that he was programmed to be loyal, which leads to Badly Battered Babysitter situations.
  • Rowan's ability to sense Kyber Saber fragments makes him a figure of interest to the Emperor, to Graballa the Hutt, and to Naare. It also means that he ends up in precarious positions when compelled to walk to fetch the crystals, though slowly he learns to control it.
• Brain Bleach: Roger gets a full view of Graballa the Hutt's rear end and immediately expresses desire for a memory wipe.
• Break the Cutie: Rowan is close to tears as he recounts how Naare told him he was going to be a Jedi and she was only using him and inflating his self-esteem.
• Call-Back:
  • The Freemakers discover that Qalydon is populated by Lurmen, who Roger describes as being pacifists (which made them easy to attack), having isolated themselves from the Galaxy to stay out of its affairs. Though the Lurmen encountered on Qalydon have apparently been there for generations and don't have as many qualms about defending themselves, unlike the ones on Meridun.
• The Cameo:
  • Major Derlin has one in Season 2, with his actor reprising his role.
  • Wedge talks to the older Freemaker siblings at the party on Endor at the end of Season 2.
• Cerebus Syndrome: Once it comes down to the final Kyber Saber crystal, 80% of the humor goes away and characters start taking levels in badass. Gets back to normal in Season 2.
• Character Development: The Freemakers go from a barely-surviving, pragmatic family of mechanics to true heroes, as shown when Kordi tells Rowan that surrendering the last crystal to Naare might mean they have a chance of going home, but with the Kyber Saber Crystal assembled no one's home will be safe from the Empire.
• Chekhov's Gun: Roger's history as a droid fighting the Jedi helps Rowan learn different defensive Jedi techniques to use against Naare.
• Chekhov's Skill: Rowan's learned ability to assemble and disassemble various ships comes in handy when he dismantles the Kyber Saber when Naare is distracted and reassembles it in his hands. He also uses it to disguise the Freemakers ship while Zander distracts the Empire's forces.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Naare reveals to Graballa the Hutt that Sith Lords have this problem before ending their deal after acquiring Roger. This ends up biting her in the butt when she turns on the Emperor.
• Cool Starship: The Freemakers' salvage vessel, the Star Scavenger.
  • Also Naare's Eclipse Fighter.
  • Dengar's ship from the Legends continuity, the Punishing One, makes its first appearance since the continuity reboot.
  • In-universe, the N-1 Naboo Starfighter, such that Zander (and Darth Vader) literally cannot resist the urge to take a joyride.
  • The Arrowhead from season 2 definitely qualifies.
• Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: Kordi quickly covers Rowan's eyes when Becky and Zander make out while an intigued Rowan tries to move her hand away.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Roger, who weaponizes the working blasters at the Palpatine Museum when the Freemakers need his help.
• Did Not Think This Through:
  • Seriously, Zander, what exactly was the rest of your plan after you disabled Cloud City's repulsorlifts, sending the city plunging into Bespin?
  • The Emperor realizes he may have made a mistake in having Naare collect the Kyber Saber fragments after she gets Drunk with Power.
• Disaster Dominoes: Rowan inadvertently sets off an AT-ST's cannons in this manner, vaporizing the ship Zander and Kordi had just constructed and were planning to sell to make rent.
• Dismantled MacGuffin: The Kyber Saber is broken into seven different pieces.
• The Dog Bites Back: After the endless nagging and verbal abuse, it's hardly surprising that Naare turns against the Emperor the second she obtains the completed Kyber Saber.
• Dramatic Irony: The Emperor spends season 2 looking for the Kyber Saber and Rowanm unaware that it was thrown into lava.
• Drunk on the Dark Side: Naare and then briefly Rowan when they wield the restored Kyber Saber.
• Dumbass Has a Point: When Roger asks if Naare is shooting at them, and is asked who else it could be, he lists all the people they've ticked off during the crystal hunt, saying that they aren't popular. Kordi admits he has a point.
• Dumb Muscle: Baash and Raam, two of Graballa's minions. In Naare's words, minds do not come any weaker than theirs. But that's what happens when your hobby is headbutting each other.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: The Emperor is flabbergasted that Rowan would destroy the Kyber Saber.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: When Naare is surprised about how well Rowan is training. Roger boasts it's because as a former war droid he saw all the Jedi fight, including Mace Windu, and he remembers their techniques and could show them to Rowan. Naare then asks is that means he knows where the last Kyber Saber Crystal is. Rowan shouts at Roger to run for it.
• Faux Affably Evil:
  • Downplayed with Furlac, the Freemakers' Aqualish landlord, who speaks in a folksy drawl but has no qualms about throwing the Freemakers out of their rented hangar if they can't make rent.
  • Naare presents herself as a benevolent Jedi, and even after the Freemakers discover her true intentions she does admit that Rowan is learning to use the Force well with the beginner's tutelage she gave him.
• Failed Attempt at Drama: Graballa keeps trying to do epic reveals but his crew just can't seem to get the timing right.
• False Reassurance: Quarrie assures Admiral Ackbar that the Arrowhead is ready for deployment… as soon as they’re done cleaning out the sand and repairing it.
  ’’’Admiral’’’: That wasn’t very reassuring.
• First-Episode Twist: Naare is evil.
• Guile Hero: All of the Freemakers qualify, using their brains to get them out of sticky situations.
• Hard Work Hardly Works: Discussed. Rowan acknowledges that it would take years for him to learn how to match up to a trained Jedi's level, but he's still going to try. He manages to overcome Naare on Coruscant using a combination of improved training thanks to Roger and Freemaker improvisation.
• Have You Told Anyone Else?: Refreshingly averted. When Rowan finds out that Naare is a Sith Lord working for Palpatine, he hides the fact until he has the opportunity to tell his siblings out of Naare's earshot and pickpockets her red lightsaber so that he has a weapon.
• Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Lampshaded more than once by the Trope Namers themselves. One of them is proud to have almost hit something during a previous training session.
• Infinity +1 Sword: The main crux of the plot involves gathering the pieces to one; a lightsaber powerful enough to cleave a moon.
• Janitor Impersonation Infiltration: One of the Freemaker's favorite tricks. Whenever they're in a tight spot they usually fake being a repair crew which isn't entirely a lie since that's actually what they are.
• Jedi Mind Trick: Naare is very fond of using this trick.
• Iron Butt Monkey: Roger remembers every time a Jedi slashed him in half. He also survives Naare beheading him and regains his body by the end of the Kyber Saber arc.
• It's Personal: For manipulating her brother, chasing her family from home and turning them into fugitives, Kordi takes great pleasure in shooting Naare down on Hoth using a walker blaster.
• The Knights Who Say "Squee!":
  • Averted when Princess Leia comes to the Freemakers asking for repairs, with the Empire on their tail. Kordi prepares to kick the princess out, until Leia offers to pay five times the repair cost.
  • Rowan is thrilled when he encounters Luke Skywalker.
• Kissing Discretion Shot:
  • When Becky kisses Zander, the scene cuts to Kordi and Rowan with the first covering the latter's eyes and the end when Becky and Zander reunite some characters walk in front of them, blocking them from view right before they kiss.
  • Pace and Lena at the end of "Dealing With Lando".
• Laser-Guided Karma: For double-crossing Graballa, and Emperor Palpatine, Naare gets frozen by Graballa in carbonite. It's probably more merciful than what the Emperor planned.
• Lightbulb Joke: Wick Cooper asks how many people from Alderaan are needed to change a light bulb. The answer is "none" because they've been wiped out. It earns him a very brutal Dude, Not Funny! from Princess Leia.
• Lighter and Softer: Compared to the main Star Wars universe, the violence is bloodless and cartoony and the heroes usually win. Granted, it's Lego Star Wars, but it should be noted it's also nowhere near the Denser and Wackier approach of similar entries in the franchise.
• Living Macguffin: Rowan for Graballa the Hutt, and later on for Emperor Palpatine.
• Locked Out of the Loop: When Rowan decides to go into hiding with the last Kyber Saber Crystal so that his family can go home, Kordi and Zander are worried sick about him when they can't communicate or even know if he's okay.
• Logic Bomb: Roger suffers from one after learning that the droids were the bad guys in the Clone Wars.
• Loose Canon:
  • The series has been described as "canon paraphrase." Think a kid reenacting things through their toys. Exactly which parts of the story, if any, are canon within the Disney Star Wars universe, is unclear to say the least.
  • The appearance of Jek-14 adds a whole new layer of ambiguity to the matter.
• Luke Nounverber: In the grand Star Wars tradition.
• MacGuffin Delivery Service: Naare appears to be using the Freemakers in this way, on behalf of Vader and the Emperor.
  • In "The Kyber Saber Crystal Chase", she manages to snag three of the seven saber fragments over the course of the episode.
• Mundane Solution: Kordi points out that all the heroes need to do is keep just one fragment of the Kyber Saber out of the villains' hands. Without all the pieces, the saber is useless.
• My God, What Have I Done?: After the apparent death of Jek, BL-OX puts a restraining bolt on N3-RO, saying that he never should have listened to him, because the Maker was the only one who genuinely cared about them.
• My Significance Sense Is Tingling: Rowan has the power to sense the location of the Kyber Saber's crystals.
• Mythology Gag: By the Emperor's black bones, where to even begin?! The series has a surprising amount of references and similarities to previous works in the Legends continuity.
  • This isn't the first Star Wars work to focus on a trio of siblings and their quirky droid, operating a business out of a space station, and getting caught up in the galactic conflict between Episodes V and VI. For bonus points, both families end up working for the Rebellion.
  • Kordi refers to the family's kitbashed ships as "uglies", though Zander takes umbrage at the name.
  • The Freemakers operate their salvage business out of the Wheel, which itself was a recurring location in Legends comics.
  • The basic plot of a Force-sensitive youth being enlisted by a mysterious woman to find a Force artifact dates all the way back to Splinter of the Mind's Eye.
  • After escaping Naare, the Freemakers crash by Maz Kanata's tavern, where they meet Hondo.
  • This also isn't the first Star Wars work to have a scene where a character crash lands their ship into a port while panicking and shouting, "Brakes! Where are the brakes?!"
  • M.O.C.'s ship, the Tracker I, looks an awful lot like the TIE Phantom.
  • Likewise, the StarScavenger bears a slight resemblance to the Defender-class corvette, one of which later appears in season two.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
  • The Emperor leaving a voicemail for Naare, right when Rowan's trapped in her ship and after he's found her red lightsaber, makes Rowan realize that Naare is actually a Sith Lord.
  • Also, the Emperor telling Rowan to kill Naare with the Kyber Saber, hand the lightsaber to him and become his new protege makes Rowan undergo a Heel Realization, spare Naare, and go on the run with his family.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Naare delivers one to Rowan when he tries to fight her for the Kyber Saber Crystal; he then returns the favor when he manages to take the Saber away, reassemble it, and wield it against her.
• No OSHA Compliance: In a fight in the Emperor Palpatine Museum on Naboo, Roger grabs a fully operational weapon from a display, while the Freemakers lampshade it:
  Kordi: Seriously? They have working blasters on display?
  Zander: They've got a lot of confidence in that velvet rope.
• Not Hyperbole: When Zander tells Kordi a rich customer wants to hire them to replace his pod racing team, Kordi is reluctant until Zander tells her of the offered money and says she can't say "no" to this. She does try only to find out it's physically impossible.
• Obliviously Evil: Roger thought the battle droids were the good guys in the Clone Wars, and when told the truth, suffers from a Logic Bomb.
• Official Kiss:
  • Zander and Becky share their first official kiss during the celebration on Endor at the end of "Return of the Return of the Jedi" (the first ones were instigated by Becky).
  • Pace and Lena when they agree to start their own bussiness together and more or less admit their feelings for each other.
• Off with His Head!: Naare beheads Roger, whose head is still conscious, to take him away and forcibly interrogate him.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: The Emperor is still giving Vader crap for letting the Death Star be destroyed.
• Overly Long Gag: In "Flight of the Arrowhead", the Arrowhead takes around 20 seconds to cut through a Star Destroyer. Most of this is spent with Rowan and Zander commenting on how big Star Destroyers are.
• Overly Narrow Superlative: There are cups describing Palpatine as the best Emperor in the galaxy. Upon receiving one from Darth Vader, Palpatine points out he's the only Emperor in the galaxy.
• Perpetual Poverty: The Freemakers often have trouble making rent, Naare having to Jedi Mind Trick their landlord to make sure they can stay.
• Plot Coupon: The seven pieces of the Kyber Saber.
• Pointy-Haired Boss: Palpatine's impatience for acquiring the Kyber Saber is such that he contacts Naare roughly every five minutes to check on her progress. At one point he even summons her to Coruscant for a "performance review," which consists solely of mocking her continued lack of progress.
  • It's one of said messages (left as voicemail) that gives away Naare's true allegiance to Rowan.
• Power Tattoo: Naare's tattoos can change color and shape to from blue to red, revealing her dark side alignment.
• Retcon: As the season finale of Season 2 is the Freemakers' perspective of Return of the Jedi, which has already been explored in the Lego Star Wars animated universe, the Freemakers and other characters like Hera, Valeria, Quarrie, and others are retconned into having been at the party on Endor.
• Sealed with a Kiss:
  • Becky and Zander kiss at the end of "Return of the Return of the Jedi".
  • Pace and Lena at the end of "Dealing with Lando".
• Sibling Team: The Freemakers.
• Stylistic Self-Parody: There are at least two instances where someone lampshades how the characters, being minifigs, don't have distinct fingers.
  • The first one comes from Rowan's attempt at a Has Two Thumbs and...
  "Who's got two thumbs...uh...two hands...and has the Force flowing through him? This guy!"
  • The second comes from when two Rebel mechanics discuss not having a vital part
  Mechanic 1: I can't snap my fingers and make one magically appear!
  Mechanic 2: 'Cause you don't have fingers.
  Mechanic 1: Shh!
• Super Gullible: M-OC is tricked by a bald-faced lie from Vader at one point.
• Super Prototype: The Kyber Saber, a lightsaber with a blade forged of pure kyber crystal, was apparently powerful enough for its creator to destroy a moon by accident. This sword is to a lightsaber what the Spartan Laser is to the Plasma Pistol. In this case the trope may actually be justified; a Jedi uses their power for knowledge and defense, rather than attack.
• Sword Beam The Kyber Saber can unleash these when swung, capable of splitting apart Mountains, Star Destroyers, or Moons.
• There Was a Door: M-OC seems inacable of not blowing a hole and exiting through it, even if there already is a door there.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: After getting chased away from their home, pursued by a crazed Dark Jedi, and getting strong-armed by Hondo and his crew, the Freemakers finally get some help from Maz Kanata, who gets Hondo off their back, gives them a required part to fix their ship, a Kyber Saber fragment, and some advice before sending them on their way.
  • Admiral Ackbar hires the family into the Rebellion at the end of the first season; looks like they may finally shake the Perpetual Poverty. The promotional shorts bridging seasons 1 and 2 generally end with the main characters coming out on top, unlike Season 1.
• Took a Level in Badass: All of the Freemakers, as shown when they make a Last Stand on Hoth: Rowan reassembles a walker using the Force, which wipes out all of the arriving enemy ships, including Naare's, and Kordi and Zander rebuild a fighter ship. Even Naare admits that she is impressed by Rowan's increasing strength.
• Unexpected Character:
  • Hondo is with Maz on Takodana when the Freemakers crash there.
  • Why, hello, Jek-14.
  • The Season 2 trailer gives a triple-whammy: Hera Syndulla, Chopper, and Quarrie.
• Villainous Breakdown: Naare suffers one when Rowan obtains the Kyber Saber from her.
• Villain Respect: In episode 11, Naare has a brief moment where she's impressed by Rowan's growing skills.
• Villain Team-Up: Graballa and Naare when the Freemakers discover her loyalties ally against the siblings.
• Was It All a Lie?: Rowan is hurt when he learns that Naare is a Sith Lord and was using him to obtain the Kyber Saber crystals for Emperor Palpatine. As he recounts it, she told him he was going to be a Jedi and made him feel special. Now that he knows the truth, he realizes she didn't mean a word of it.
• We Can Rule Together:
  • Naare once offered this to Rowan after he discovered she was a Sith, and the offer is still open whenever Rowan and his siblings are cornered.
  • The Emperor tries this on Rowan in the finale. It fails and in fact makes Rowan undergo a Heel Realization when he prepares to kill Naare.
• Wham Episode: In "The Maker of Zoh", we find out the identity of the Maker is Jek-14.
• Wham Shot: When Naare forces him into her ship for safety as she rescues his siblings, Rowan while digging around for a weapon finds Naare's red lightsaber. The Emperor then makes a phone call, alerting Rowan that Naare is a Sith Lord.
• Wronski Feint: Valeria and one other pilot do an "Evade and Trade" which causes the pursuing TIE Fighters to crash into each other
• Women Are Wiser: Kordi is more rational than either of her brothers.
• Worthy Opponent: Naare smiles when she sees that Rowan on Hoth has assembled a walker using the Force and remarks on his improvement.
• Would Hurt a Child:
  • Graballa the Hutt acts this way towards Rowan.
  • After Naare's outed, she nearly kills Rowan in several fights.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: After getting a Kyber Saber fragment from Maz Kanata at the end of "The Test," the Freemakers immediately lose it to the villains at the beginning of the next episode.
  • The Freemakers could be considered the living embodiment of this trope, whether trying to save the galaxy or just avoid abject poverty.
• You Can't Thwart Stage One: Despite multiple attempts by the Freemakers to snag just one crystal and hide it away, Naare succeeds in restoring the Kyber Saber and becomes powerful enough to threaten the galaxy.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
  • When Naare believes they have lost the Kyber Saber fragment forever in the asteroid belt, she attempts to eliminate the siblings. Fortunately for them, Rowan has a vision at the last second and finds the fragment. Unfortunately for them, they fail to see Naare's betrayal.
  • When the Freemakers have the last Kyber Saber crystal and are cornered in a cave, Naare explicitly says that if they surrender the fragment, they may live, making it clear that they truly have lost any use to her.