«Lop & Ochō» (Japanese: のらうさロップと緋桜お蝶) is an animated short film and episode of the web television series Star Wars: Visions. Produced by Geno Studio, the short premiered on Disney+ on September 22, 2021.
The episode opens with an Imperial Star Destroyer approaching the planet Tao. A narrator explains that despite their rich natural resources, the world of Tao struggles to modernize. As the Star Destroyer descends into the planet’s oceans, the narrator explains that Tao has welcome the Galactic Empire in exchange for industrial advancement. In return, the Empire plans to capitalize on everything the planet has to offer. However, Imperial industry has proven to be detrimental to Tao’s natural environment. This is interspersed with shots of cities coexisting with the planet’s forests and oceans. Richly steeped in nature and tradition, the people of Tao grow increasingly frustrated by the Imperial oppression.
Lop and Ocho is a story about two opposing forces: tradition and progress. Nature and industry. Can the two coexist? Here are my thoughts on this Star Wars: Visions short.