The Star Wars Character You Didn't Realize Wicked's Cynthia Erivo Played
When "Wicked" released in 2024, Cynthia Erivo became a household name for her portrayal of Elphaba Thropp, the witch with green skin who would be dubbed the Wicked Witch of the West, the most wanted person in all of Oz. However, before she took to the skies to defy gravity, Erivo was in another iconic franchise: "Star Wars." She voiced Kratu, a humanoid Jedi in Season 2 of the animated series "Star Wars: Visions," appearing in the final episode of the season.
Kratu wants to purify kyber crystals on Korba, a mountainous planet filled with them. Kyber crystals are famously used for lightsabers, and in their efforts to eliminate the Jedi, the Sith damaged the crystals. By purifying them, they could be used for lightsabers again. Interestingly enough, singing is the way to fix them, but it isn't Erivo's character that sings — it's a young Korban child named Aau (Dineo Du Toit) who uses her voice to save the kyber crystals.
Star Wars: Visions is an amazing series
While there have been quite a few "Star Wars" shows released after the success of "The Mandalorian," "Star Wars: Visions" often goes under the radar, despite being one of the best entries in the franchise. The series is effectively an anthology, with each episode featuring a different animated short that fits into the "Star Wars" universe. Similar to Netflix's "Love, Death & Robots," multiple animation studios help to produce the shorts.
"Visions" boasts a 98% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the highest rated "Star Wars" projects, thanks to those varied animation styles. "There is no shortage to the beauty that exists within 'Visions,'" The AV Club's Juan Barquin writes in a review for the first season. Barquin also calls the series "one of the best episodic anthologies around," which is high praise.
With three seasons available so far, and reportedly a fourth on the way, now is the perfect time to start "Star Wars: Visions," not only to hear Cynthia Erivo as Kratu, but to witness its beautiful animation for yourself.