[7.6/10] I really enjoyed this, and it’s easily the best outing Lego Star Wars have had in this era of holiday-themed specials. *Summer Vacation* brings back that “PG *Robot Chicken*-style Star Wars variety show” energy that the *Yoda Chronicles* show did. At the same time, it features the welcome return of a couple of *Freemaker Adventures* characters, mixed with familiar faces from across the Star Wars galaxy. And there’s even a touch of heart amid all the fun, with nothing particularly deep, but some age-appropriate uplift and life lessons buried within the buffoonery.

I’ll confess, I have a mild beef with the frame story being set on the fictional equivalent of Disney’s price new Star Wars hotel experience, but wincing at the corporate synergy has long been a fool’s errand with Star Wars. At the same time, these shorts rest a lot on caring about the main characters’ adventures after the Sequel Trilogy, but that’s somewhat tainted by how *The Rise of Skywalker* did most of them dirty in one way or another. But if you can ignore those things, which were probably outside of the writers’ control, this is a lot of fun.

(As an aside, while these specials are obviously non-canon, it’s interesting to see what they suggest about the later adventures of the ST characters. The specials continue to double down on the idea of Finn as a Jedi, and hint at Rey seeking out Jedi temples in the unknown regions among other tidbits. The canon writers obviously aren’t bound by any of this, but they’re still curious signposts to where Lucasfilm’s head might be at in terms of what comes next for the characters.)

My favorite of the shorts was the one featuring a team-up with Obi-Wan and Lt. Valeria. I wouldn’t necessarily have thrown them together, but they make for a surprisingly good team. I love the idea of Obi-Wan only being able to have fun when he has to pretend to be a husband on vacation and create diversions and distractions for the mission. Their misadventures at Jabba’s birthday bash are a hoot, and their flight to escape Boba Fett (replete with *Book of Boba Fett* music) was genuinely exciting. The lesson to “have fun in the moment” is as trite as the rest of the messages in the special, but the adventure is fun.

The middle short is probably my least favorite. Palpatine and Vader as a sort of bickering couple has been done to death at this point, and there’s not much juice left in that orange. There’s some fun to be had from the pair using the Force to win beach games, and no one can deny the glory of Weird Al joining the Star Wars universe. Plus, Anakin Skywalker telling a beach story and making a sand joke will never not tickle my funny bone. But the lesson about Palpatine not being able to let go and try new things doesn’t have much juice to it, and the short just sort of ends. It’s all cute enough, but the weakest of the three.

The third short is an amusing little ride. For *Freemaker* fans, it’s fun seeing Wick Cooper (by way of Thomas Lennon) back in the mix, and him trying to start a resort on the Forest Moon of Endor and run afoul of Ewoks is a cute way to go. Ben Solo having the typical summer experience of a summer crush and a beachside jerk gets some extra juice from taking place in the confines of Star Wars. (Plus Admiral Snackbar! Obvious but hilarious!) The thrust of this one, Han needing to let go, with Leia’s urging, and trust Ben to be ready for the moment, is a solid throughline, even if it’s a little questionable given that the kid eventually murders his father. But hey, we can gently ignore that and have a force ghost mom and son reunion to paper over it.

The wrap-up back in the present is pleasant. Finn and the gang confessing that they’re sad to go their separate ways, and this whole vacation was just a way to spend a little more time together before they had to is nice. Again, it’s undercut a bit by how *TRoS* undermined these relationships, but the heart is still in the right place. And Finn getting advice from various force ghosts and getting frustrated at a giant holo of Lando helps situate this story within the broader scope of Star Wars stories in a way that’s extra entertaining given that *Summer Vacation* can operate without the confines of canon.

Overall, there’s nothing especially deep here despite the life lessons, but while the humor is family friendly, there’s a ton of shout outs older fans will enjoy and enough light escapades and cute moments to keep viewers young and old smiling the whole way through.