Star Wars: Rebels

 

Rebels sits in between the Clone Wars (prequels) and the original trilogy.  Admittedly, following Anakin & Ahsoka would be a difficult task for any master-padawan combo.  After the first few episodes, I almost gave up on this series.  I just wasn't into the Kanan-Ezra duo.  Especially Ezra, who, when compared to Ahsoka, seemed like a complete amateur.  But obviously a lot happened between the ending of the Clone Wars and the beginning of A New Hope.  I knew Ahsoka and Darth Maul made appearances in Rebels.  And Because of both The Mandalorian and the Clone Wars, I knew Dave Filoni could tell a great story, so I decided to stick with the series.  I am glad that I did.  While it wasn't as good as the Clone Wars, and left a lot of questions unanswered, the series improved as it progressed, and the odd collection of characters grew on me as I got to know them better.

At this point in the Star Wars timeline, the Empire is in complete control of the galaxy.  Rebels focuses on a group of people called the Ghost Crew who are trying to challenge the Empire's authority and protect their home planet of Lothal.  We are introduced to some great Empire antagonists, including Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Inquisitors. Additionally, Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul, who are two of my favorite Star Wars characters, make appearances as well.  Beyond small appearances from Obi Wan and Leia, the storyline of Rebels primarily focuses on the Ghost Crew and their adventures protecting Lothal from the Empire.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of additional tie-ins to the original trilogy of movies, which is fine.  

The best part of the show is watching Ezra progress from a clueless street thief to a worthy padawan.  Specifically, watching his connection with the force grow is what I found most interesting.  I always thought of the force as a way to move objects without touching them.  I've learned that it is much more than that.  As an example, Ezra connects to the force through his interaction with animals, a theme that is explored countless times.  While exploring a Jedi temple on Lothal, Ezra is able to use the force for time travel and communication with other force users.

As the show progresses, clearly there is an enlarging movement of people who are fed up with the Empire.  The Ghost Crew goes from working in isolation to being joined by other groups of rebels, and familiar faces do appear from time to time.  But this show is all about the Ghost Crew and their protection of Lothal.  During the show's epilogue, it is explained that Captain Rex and Hera Syndulla both fought in the battle of Endor, so their characters continue to live in the Star Wars cannon.  Additionally, Mandalorian Sabine Wren and Ahsoka are shown leaving together in search of Ezra.  It is rumored that both Sabine and Ahsoka will be featured in the Mandalorian series this season.  More to come on that story.

Overall the show was good and worthwhile to watch. It didn't have quite the star power or importance to the Star Wars universe that the Clone Wars had, but it introduced us to a unique group of characters that are likely to appear in other Star Wars stories.