LucasfilmOne of the best parts of Star Wars: Visions is seeing the Star Wars universe through the lens of different animation styles. From Aardman’s classic British stop-motion animation to the surreal, jazz-fueled abstract stylings of David Production, any part of animation from anywhere in the world can be applied to a galaxy far, far away.But in Visions Season 3, one short takes this a step further with a fun standalone short that pushes droid technology to its limits and exemplifies how one of the most beloved anime tropes can slide seamlessly into the Star Wars realm. Warning! Spoilers for Star Wars: Visions Season 3 Episode 2, “The Song of Four Wings,” ahead!Crane’s astromech droid is dismissed as a “relic” but hides a big secret. | LucasfilmStar Wars: Visions Season 3 Episode 2, “The Song of Four Wings,” is the first standalone short of the season. In fact, it’s sandwiched between two different sequel shorts. But it makes a big impact despite its unfamiliarity. The short follows a young princess-turned-rebel named Crave as she goes on a mission for her commander, Admiral Kiucee, who is definitely not Admiral Ackbar despite looking identical. As she rides her hoverbike over the snowy planet of Joetz, she encounters a young Gigoran named Woopas and defends herself from the Empire and AT-AT walkers. Her secret weapon in this battle is R9-TR2, or “Tor-Tu.” Kiucee calls it a “royal relic,” but Crane says it’s a one-of-a-kind droid, the only one that can play her electro-pop music we hear throughout the 15-minute short. But when she faces off against the Empire, Tor-Tu helps out in an even bigger way: it activates “Armor Mode,” completely disassembling and reassembling as a mech suit in mid-air. And it’s not just any mech suit. It’s a mech suit version of an X-Wing fighter, the titular “four wings.” Crane and Woopas are rescued by Tor-Tu’s “armor mode.” | LucasfilmThis sequence is a classic transformation scene, an anime hallmark that dates back to one of the first popular anime series ever, Astro Boy, all the way back in 1966. Since then, it has become a pillar of multiple anime subgenres, from mech-based transformations in Voltron to “magical girl” suit-up scenes that picked up traction with shows like Sailor Moon. Now, moments like this are almost synonymous with anime, so it’s surprising Visions has gone this long without a transformation sequence. It just proves why Visions is so important: even if this short isn’t strictly canon, it shows why there are endless possibilities in the franchise. The Star Wars universe is endless, and there is room for all tropes within it, even those that exist in different media or cultures. Star Wars: Visions Season 3 is now streaming on Disney+.