Considering how much Disney spent for Lucasfilm, it would have been a shock if the company had not approved a second season for the Disney XD animated series. But Disney made it official today, a day before the show makes its debut: Star Wars Rebels will be back next year. “The global expectations for this series could not have been any higher. And I am proud to say that the team at Lucasfilm has delivered something that has surpassed even that incredibly high bar — artistically and thematically,” says Disney Channels Worldwide president Gary Marsh.

The series’ stories take place in the years between the Star Wars movies’ prequel trilogy and the original trilogy.

Disney whet the appetite of Star Wars fans with a debut screening of the animated series in July at the San Diego Comic-Con. It also has had previews this week on WATCH Disney XD and other digital platforms. Tomorrow night the Disney Channel will broadcast a movie, Star Wars Rebels: Spark Of Rebellion, ahead of the series that will begin October 13 on Disney XD. It also will run in 34 languages across 163 countries in over 400 million households.

Related: Comic-Con: ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ Won’t Be There, Only ‘Rebels’ Will Be