Why ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Is The Best Thing To Come Out Of The Saga So Far
Fans of Star Wars will forever debate what is the best overall content in the saga? The trilogies, anthology films, and several shows all have their potential arguments but surprisingly enough, the underrated and often overlooked show Star Wars Rebels is by far, the best (completed) entry to date.
Star Wars Rebels arrived on the scene in October 2014 and gave us four seasons (75 episodes) of action, comedy, and heartbreak. Set five years before the events of A New Hope, Rebels shifted gears from its predecessor, The Clone Wars, and instead followed a single group as they went from Robin Hood criminals to brave heroes who were instrumental in the fight against the Empire. Created by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Carrie Beck, Rebels showed the state of the galaxy during the peak of the Empire’s reign. The series received mixed reviews from fans, initially, but is now considered one of the most important chapters in Star Wars lore.
The characters and overall narrative were what made the series so special. The show followed the Force-sensitive Ezra as he joins Kanan, Hera, Zeb, Sabine, and the droid Chopper in their adventures. Kanan was a Jedi who successfully escaped Order 66. He recognized Ezra’s talent and was pushed by his partner Hera to train him. Hera was a Twi’lek from Ryloth who had been fighting the Empire since she was a child and was one of the most impressive and skilled pilots in the galaxy. Sabine was a teenage Mandalorian with a complicated and mysterious past that included working with the Empire and, unfortunately, being hated by her own people. Garazeb (Zeb) Orrelios was a Lasat whose people were one of the initial victims of the Empire, and seemed to only seek revenge (at first). C1-10P (or Chopper) was an astromech droid whose mischief and unpredictability are a staple and metaphor for the group.
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Rebels did an incredible job of giving us the unofficial sequel to The Clone Wars, a prequel to The Mandalorian (and the upcoming Ahsoka), the reintroduction of the Legends character Thrawn, and also the return of Vader, Maul, Obi-Wan, Hondo, Yoda, and Ahsoka in the main narrative. The show did all this and still managed to give each original character a substantial and powerful arc. The show was not made great because of the legendary characters that return, but rather the ones that did were finally written to their full potential. Whether it be one episode (Yoda or Obi-Wan) or a few seasons (Ahsoka and Maul), each character’s story was unmatched.
That isn’t to say the show does not have its criticisms. Animation is a medium that is rarely accepted and often attacked, and fans who were accustomed to the style of The Clone Wars were appalled at the design choice for Rebels. Complaints of skinny blades, helicopter lightsabers, and “low quality” animation were rampant on the internet. Ironically enough the style choice was based on the designs of Ralph McQuarrie, who was the artist involved in the concept art for the original trilogy. The animation change was a suspected byproduct of the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney. Daniel Logan (voice actor of young Boba Fett) was quoted as saying that The Clone Wars was canceled because it was “getting really graphic.” A change in tone and animation was unavoidable under new management.
Rebels gave us incredible new characters like the Bendu, jaw-dropping episodes like “The Twilight of the Apprentice,” and showed us what a Jedi should be in the character of Kanan. It gave us the perfect end to the Maul/Kenobi arc and perfected the Firefly formula with the Ghost crew. The series felt nostalgic while still maintaining fresh energy, and did not relent in the pain that fans dreaded but expected from its predecessor. While it has amazing rewatch value, fans will be delighted to know that Thrawn and some of the Ghost crew will be returning in Ahsoka early next year.
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Source(s): Wookieepedia, Comicbook