Star Wars Speculation: Reflecting on Rebels

Star Wars Rebels is an animated Star Wars series I've quite enjoyed watching these last four years, and I'm happy to see it received a fitting series finale unlike the abrupt, unfortunate cancellation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. With Rebels' recent wrap-up, I knew I had to dedicate a post to the show because it deserves to be discussed like any other form of Star Wars storytelling. I settled on the idea of sharing my quick, spoiler-free thoughts on the series as a whole as well as a couple of my favorite episodes from each season. It's almost unfair for the series, as a whole, for me to selectively cherrypick my favorite episodes from each season... because honestly there's A LOT of incredible episodes to choose from, so naturally, some of them got the short end of the stick and won't be featured below.

Spoiler-Free Series Review- I can recall when Rebels first started, I didn't think it would ever compare to The Clone Wars. At first, I wasn't a huge fan of the Ralph McQuarrie animation style and wasn't fond of the idea of introducing force wielders in that time period between Revenge Of The Sith and A New Hope. However, once the show found its groove, it really won me over thanks to charming characters and spectacular storytelling. I'll admit that it takes a good portion of Season One for the show to truly become great, and there were occasional episodes that could be considered filler, but the quality of the series was pretty consistent once it reached that point. I realize there's also an existing stigma that animation is just for kids, but in this case, it couldn't be further from the truth. Sometimes the humor can be a little juvenile and clearly aimed at children, but Star Wars has always been family friendly and meant to be enjoyed by all. To me, that's simply in keeping with the franchise... With that being said though, there are so many episodes that really hit the ball out of the park. I'm not trying to hype the series up for you as some masterpiece that demands to be seen by all Star Wars because I do honestly feel there are some mediocre episodes, but it's really worth watching if you like the idea of expanding the Star Wars universe and following new characters. You'll more likely to enjoy the series if you're a Star Wars fan, but I think anybody can pick up on it and eventually get invested regardless of age or fandom, and you'll get much more out of it if you've already invested yourself in The Clone Wars because Rebels brings back certain characters and resolves dangling story threads in unique, satisfying ways.

**Spoiler Warning for Star Wars Rebels**

Favorite Episodes from Each Season (Chronological Order):

Season One:

"Path of the Jedi"- I've always been a fan of any Star Wars story material which is able to explore the Force while providing necessary character development. This episode was a turning point for both Kanan and Ezra as they're each guided towards a new sense of purpose as master and apprentice. Also, it entails Ezra undergoing trials to retrieve the necessary kyber crystal for building a lightsaber. I really liked the nature of the trial because it reminded me of a Clone Wars episode where younglings must confront their inner conflict to prove themselves worthy to obtain their crystal.

"Fire Across the Galaxy"- This was Rebels' first season finale and took place right around when the show found its legs. It features a fun rescue operation, an epic lightsaber duel between Kanan, Ezra, and the Grand Inquisitor, and the reveal that Ahsoka is alive and also "Fulcrum." In the wake of Rogue One, it's also cool to know that Kanan was being brought to Vader's castle on Mustafar. Then, the cherry on top is that Vader's brought into the series because of this. 

Season Two:

"Shroud of Darkness"- Similarly to "Path of the Jedi," Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra go to the Jedi Temple on Lothal in search of knowledge and answers. Each individual must confront their fears and doubts, and I think their respective takeaways are very interesting. Ahsoka confirms her suspicion that her former master Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader, Kanan is knighted and learns the Grand Inquisitor was once a Jedi Temple Guard, and Ezra learns they must go to Malachor to find a way to defeat the Sith. Overall, it's brilliant build-up for the second season finale.

"Twilight of the Apprentice"- If you ask anyone whose watched both Rebels and The Clone Wars for a list of their favorite episodes, "Twilight of the Apprentice" is sure to fall somewhere on that list. I think it can easily be considered a fan favorite episode because it featured the return of Maul, an interesting exploration of a Sith Temple, and tons of exciting lightsaber duels. The duel between Ahsoka and Vader was simultaneously epic and emotional. It seriously gave me goosebumps, and this is largely due to their shared backstory as witnessing Vader mercilessly attack his former Padawan was tragic and horrifying to say the least. It really reminds you just how far gone to the Dark Side he was, and really strengthens the significance of his redemption in Return Of The Jedi. As terrible as I'm sure this will sound, I also think it's cool how Kanan was blinded as it enabled him to strengthen his connection to the Force and I appreciate what it did for the character in terms of character development. Truly a terrific episode.

Season Three:

"The Last Battle"- I love this episode because it brought a sense of closure to The Clone Wars. It was very cool to see the Ghost crew fight against and alongside Battle Droids, and I liked the idea that the Tactical Droid and Rex perceived the ordeal as a means to officially end the conflict. Also, it was awesome to see the animators redesign the logo in the style of The Clone Wars for the closing credits which was accompanied by The Clone Wars theme.

"Trials of the Darksaber"- I consider "Trials of the Darksaber" to be one of the best episodes of Star Wars Rebels in terms of writing and voice acting. It's epic, emotional, and entirely focused on character. We'd previously been given a vague notion of Sabine's backstory, but this episode lays it out much more clearly and it's heartbreaking to hear the reason she's taken up arms against the Empire. Aside from that, it makes great use of Kanan as a tough teacher.

"Twin Suns"- The build-up to this episode was insurmountable. There had been a few prior episodes which suggested Maul still sought revenge against Kenobi and implied we might eventually see Obi Wan in the series, but I was skeptical about having these characters interact with Kenobi during his exile. Thankfully, it was just Ezra, Chopper, and Maul though. Anyways, the obvious reason I'm drawn to this episode is that it finally resolved the ongoing conflict between Maul and Obi Wan that had persisted during The Clone Wars. We saw a final duel between the two that evoked the style of samurai and brought an end to the character of Darth Maul once and for all. I felt it was the perfect way for the character to go out, and for me, it only accentuated the case for a Kenobi spin-off film as there's clearly room for plenty of stories to be told detailing his protection of Luke on Tatooine.

"Zero Hour"- This episode saw Thrawn strike back against the Rebels with full force, as it outlined the brilliance of his strategic mind and ability to see the bigger picture in an epic space battle and ground assault. As a fan of Thrawn, I loved watching his plan finally unravel in an action-packed episode with an interesting outcome.  

Season Four:

"Jedi Night"- This episode easily stands as one of the most emotional because it was the first to kill off a major character in the series. The character of Kanan grew a lot over the course of the show, and even more if you dive further into his canon history in comics and novels. No matter what though, Kanan always seemed to be the backbone of the Ghost crew and his sacrifice was soul crushing because you really felt his absence once he was gone. This death hit home, and seeing the team cope with it was heartbreaking to say the least. The one thing that escalated my tears into waterworks was when Chopper rolled up next to Hera and grabbed her hand... I think my favorite little detail though was when Kanan's sight is restored as he's about to die so he can look at Hera one last time...

"A World Between Worlds"- My mind was blown by this episode. It not only introduced this insane world between worlds which exists outside of time and space, but the world was used to save Ahsoka right before Vader was going to strike her down in the Season Two finale I mentioned earlier. I was so glad to see the show tie up that loose end because it was going to drive me insane if the series ended and the Season Two ending remained as ambiguous as it did. Anyways, the very idea that Star Wars introduced a means to possibly alter space and time is fascinating in-of-itself. I hope this is used sparingly and I'd like it to remain a mysterious extension of the Force if possible. Ian McDiarmid returning to voice Palpatine and the incorporation of the Mortis Gods was just icing on the cake.

"Family Reunion- and Farewell"- The series finale tied up everything with a nice, neat bow, and I was satisfied with the respective character resolutions. The episode included everything I could have possibly desired from the season finale as it was an emotional, action-packed conclusion. In regards to the last few minutes, I thought it was great that Zeb took Kallus to Lira San where he was accepted to live alongside the Lasat. It was confirmed that Rex fought at the Battle of Endor, which is something fans (including myself) had been DYING to see incorporated as a fun retcon. Hera also fought at Endor, and it was revealed that she conceived a child with Kanan named Jacen Syndulla (likely inspired by Jacen Solo from Legends). Meanwhile, Sabine's been on Lothal to protect the people in the event the Empire ever returned, but they never came back because they were occupied with the Rebellion. To address everything else, I'm immensely interesting in learning what happened to Thrawn and Ezra after they jumped into hyperspace to who knows where... On that note, I'd like to present my theory on what I believe to be Dave Filoni's next project.

Looking Forward

The end of the episode saw an older white-cloaked Ahsoka and Sabine setting off to try and find Ezra. I believe this will be the basis of the next animated series that will fill in more of the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. I suspect it will be lead by the two characters and will reveal what happened to Ezra and Thrawn along with more backstory of what Ahsoka's been up to since leaving the world between worlds, but I have no idea what to expect beyond that. If this isn't the direction taken, then I suppose it will probably be addressed in a novel or comic series. Before I conclude, I'd like to point out a couple interesting things I noticed. One, Ahsoka's ship is a T-6 shuttle used by the Jedi in The Clone Wars. Two, Ahsoka's new white cloak and staff reminds me of Gandalf the White and I find it interesting how both characters changed their attire after near death experiences. Other than that, I guess that's all I have to say about Rebels for now... I hope those who followed the series enjoy this post, and as always...

-May the Force be with you!