5 Most Memorable Moments From ‘Star Wars Rebels’

‘Star Wars Rebels’ is a worthy addition to the Star Wars Universe [Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney]

It wasn’t love at first sight. When Star Wars Rebels premiered in 2014, it took a while to warm up to the animated series and its motley crew of characters which includes a rogue Jedi who did not quite complete his training and a Force-sensitive kid who was not very endearing from the word go. Plus the fact that you just cannot but compare it to the just-ended and much superior Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2014; Season 7 will debut in 2019).

Thankfully, Star Wars Rebels slowly grew from strength to strength. Not only did its core characters became more compelling, the series also produced numerous intriguing story arcs (all canon) that, most often than not, are linked to beloved characters and fan favorites from the original trilogy, the prequels, Rogue One, and, yes, The Clone Wars.

With the recent release of Star Wars Rebels Season 4 on Blu-ray and DVD, here’s a look-back at five of the most memorable moments from all four seasons.

5. Darth Vader Cometh

Darth Vader in the ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Season 2 premiere [Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney]

The Dark Lord’s appearance in the Season 2 premiere, “The Siege of Lothal”, shows just how scary and ruthless this iconic villain is, even in cartoon form. That we were absolutely terrified for Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger’s lives when they take on Darth Vader two-to-one – to be fair, they didn’t know who or what he was then – is an understatement. Equally memorable was the look of horror on Ahsoka Tano’s face when she, using her Force sensitivity on board the Ghost, discovers that the dude terrorizing her associates is none other than her former Master, Anakin Skywalker, who also senses her presence as he coldly murmurs, “The apprentice lives…” Shudder.

4. Sabine’s Darksaber Training

Sabine trains with Kanan in ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Season 3 [Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney]

Kanan training Sabine Wren on how to use the Darksaber in Season 3 Episode 15, “Trials of the Darksaber”, is one of the most well-written sequences in Star Wars Rebels. Not only do we get to see how the now-blind Kanan has grown to be a more confident and matured teacher/mentor, it also reveals Sabine’s heartache of being long shunned by her own family and Mandalorian people for designing the very weapons that the Empire used against their home planet. Their fierce sparring is also one of the coolest lightsaber duels ever seen on screen.

Read also:
* How ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Expanded George Lucas’s Lightsaber Mythology for the Darksaber

3. A Whole New World

Ezra rescues Ahsoka from the past in ‘A World Between Worlds’ in ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Season 4 [Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney]

Time travel (a first in Star Wars), a whole new world and Ahsoka lives! In Season 4 Episode 13, “A World Between Worlds”, Ezra finds a cosmic space behind an ancient painting in the Lothal Jedi Temple where he can hear voices including that of Yoda, Obi-wan Kenobi and Princess Leia, as well as many portals to the past. After rescuing Ahsoka from being finished off by Darth Vader in their duel (depicted in Season 2’s finale), the young Jedi wanted to rescue Kanan from dying (three episodes earlier, see #1 below), only to be reminded by Ahsoka that saving Kanan means the rest of the Ghost crew dies. Which leaves us to cry along with Ezra as we watch his Master’s demise yet again in the flashback…

2. Duel Of The Fates Part 2

Long before Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Rebels fans knew former Sith Lord (Darth) Maul was alive and well. Well, up until he met up with his old adversary Obi-wan in Season 3 Episode 20, “Twin Suns.” Swearing vengeance on the Jedi Master since The Clone Wars, the much anticipated duel between the two end literally in a blink of an eye. If that wasn’t artful enough, Obi-wan holding Maul in his arms compassionately as the latter lays dying – inquiring with his last breath if the one who the old Jedi is protecting is “the chosen one” – was another memorable moment.

1. Kanan’s Last Hurrah

Kanan’s a hero till the end in ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Season 4 [Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney]

As it was long informed by series creator Dave Filoni that Star Wars Rebels’ final season will lead up to events depicted in Rogue One (2016), we kinda know Kanan, being a Jedi, won’t make it out of the series alive. Still, it was heartwrenching to see him sacrificing himself, even if he did go out in a blaze of glory, saving the people he loves in Season 4 Episode 10, “Jedi Night.”  Kanan Force-pushing Hera away to prevent her from stopping him – with his eyes seemingly becoming clear – was equally heartbreaking as the two have just openly declared their love for each other. Haiz.

Which is your favorite moment in Star Wars Rebels? Let me know in the comments below!

Read also:
* Hope, There Is: 5 Highlights From ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Series Finale
* Rebel Heart: Mon Mothma Finally Rallies the Troops on ‘Star Wars Rebels’
* 4 ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Easter Eggs in ‘Rogue One’
* The 15 Coolest Easter Eggs in ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

Star Wars Rebels 2 – The Dark Side Cometh

Star Wars Rebels Season 2 returns in October and I’m seriously looking forward to it. Must confess that it took me a long while to warm up to the motley crew of the starship Ghost. Granted there was a lot of backgrounding stories that need to be told, yet still there’s something about everyone – bar Hera, the matured, wise-cracking pilot – that irks me and it was very hard-pressed to have warm feelings for any of the key characters.

“BACK THEN, THERE WERE 10,000 JEDI KNIGHTS…
NOW, THERE’S JUST YOU AND ME…”

The animated series, which runs on Disney X D, however eventually got better and much more engaging towards the end of the debut season, especially from the episodes where renegade Jedi Kanan Jarrus finally acceded that he – the last of the Jedis – simply have to teach wayward teen Ezra the ways of the Force properly ‘cos, well, since the Force is indeed “strong” with the lad. The storyline by then was also strengthened by the appearing of Star Wars characters who have more, for want of a better word, “backbone”. First it was Master Yoda, or rather, his voice of reason, when he gently lectured Kanan at the Jedi Temple on Lothal in the episode, “Path of the Jedi”. The other is one of the cool characters from the previous and really good Star Wars animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – fan favourite Ahsoka Tato, the former Jedi Padawan of one Anakin Skywalker…

                                                                                  ***possible spoilers ahead***

“HUNT THE REBELS DOWN…”

Ahsoka, who appeared in the last episode of season 1 (“Fire Across The Galaxy”), kinda gave a new hope (pardon the pun) that Star Wars Rebels Season 2 is not only going to bring the excitement up a few notches, it will also tie the series closer to classic Star Wars roots. And my oh my, judging by the 1-hr premiere  episode, Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal (which was first telecast in the US in June, premiering in Asia in October) with the mind-blowing appearance of the Father of all Space Villains himself, SWR2 is already off to a great start! I mean, let’s face it, even in animated form, Darth Vader is seriously one intimidating dude. In TSOL, after The Inquisitor’s mission failure, the Sith Lord is assigned by Grand Moff Tarkin, Commander of the Outer Rim Territories, to hunt the rebels down and needless to say, Vader’s not the kind to take any prisoner alive…

“THE FEAR, THE ANGER, THE HATE…”
If Kanan and Ezra thought the Inquisitor was a handful, they ain’t seen nothing yet. One of the most hair-raising sequences in TSOL is when the not fully-trained Jedi and his not-quite-there-either apprentice come face-to-face with the Sith Lord himself on Lothal, after the duo and their team tried to rescue Minister Maketh Tua (of the Imperial Security Bureau) who had sought the rebels’ help to deflect from the Empire. Cue the Lightsabers!

“THE APPRENTICE LIVES…”

Also in this episode, the Force seems to be strong in a good many people. But for the ones that matter, namely Kanan and Ezra, they just want to know who the scary dude in black is. This is where Ahsoka comes in… On board the Ghost ship with Hera as they fight alongside the Phoenix Squadron against the Empire, Ahsoka tries to use the Force to identify the Sith Lord who had terrified the lads, only to get chills down her spine when an all-too-familiar voice (albeit with a much deeper tone) senses her presence just as easily…

If you haven’t watched Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal, the hour-long movie will premiere on Disney X D on Sat October 3 at 8am (Singapore time). If you have, it’s worth a second viewing I’m sure you will agree. The rest of Season 2 should follow suit every Saturday thereafter. (And look out for the Star Wars Lego short films, Star Wars Chronicles: Droid Tales on weekends as well – they are brilliant and downright hilarious!)

You can also enact fun adventures with the Star Wars Rebels – and other Star Wars heroes – in the Disney console game, Disney Infinity 3.0 (see https://musingsonthem49.wordpress.com/2015/08/22/star-wars-hyperspeeds-into-disney-infinity-3-0-and-beyond/).

Meanwhile, here’s the trailer for SWR2:

May the Force be with You.

 

Star Wars Rebels – Coming to a TV near you…

I was mighty chuffed when Musings on the M49 was invited by The Walt Disney Company (SEA) to attend an exclusive premiere of the Star Wars Rebels special, the latest animated TV series by Lucasfilm and Lucasfilm Animation, which will kick off on the Disney Channel this Saturday on October 4. To add to the thrill was the fact that the premiere was held within the stunning Sandcrawler at Fusionpolis, which houses the Singapore offices of Lucasfilm and Disney! Schwing!

The event started not unlike a mini cosplay fest with members of the local chapter of the 501^st Legion and the FightSaber Academy dressed in their finest SW movie costumes to entertain the invited guests who had a field day going round taking selfies / group shots with them. (Yours truly included!)Stealing the show though was the duo dressed up as two of the main characters from the new series, teen hero Ezra (in orange outfit) and sassy warrior Sabine (looking not unlike a female Boba Fett). A newspaper scribe told me that they were specially flown in from Orlando for the launch. Naisee.

Before long, it was time to check out Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, the one-hour special that kicks off the series. Albeit the excitement wasn’t as great as when we awaited with bated breath back in 1999 for the start of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace – 16 years after 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, mind – there was the thrill of knowing that, woo-hoo, there’s another Star Wars cinematic adventure to embark on!

Star Wars Rebels is set between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). The Empire is throwing their weight around the galaxy, harassing civilians and hunting down Jedi Knights, whilst the stirrings of a rebellion against the Empire is slowly but surely building momentum.
The series focus on a motley crew of rebels – the renegade Jedi Kanan; street-smart teenager  Ezra (who may or may not have an Anakin-sque revelation); explosives expert Sabine; Zeb, the “muscle” man; and Hera, the wise-cracking Twi’lek who pilots the freighter starship, Ghost, on which they operate out of. Oh, and not forgetting Chopper, their cranky industrial droid.

And of cos, there has to be a major bad guy. That comes in the slick but slimy form of the Inquisitor (pictured below), who is tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down the remaining Jedi Knights. Reaching out to a new generation, Star Wars Rebels will feature mainly new characters but old favourites from the original trilogy such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, C-3PO and R2-D2 will also appear.

So, is it worth watching? If you are a Star Wars fan, needless to say, yes, as the spirit of the Star Wars Universe is intact. The new characters may take some time to get used to or to root for, but a few like Sabine, Hera and the Inquisitor will fascinate the die-hards. As it is the kick-off special, there is much background information in Spark of Rebellion to absorb but once the series is off and running, I’m sure the pace will pick up with enough action sequences – and references to the original Star Wars trilogy – to keep both fans and non-fans, adults and children alike, entertained. It’s hard not to compare Star War Rebels to Star Wars: The Clone Wars which I feel is hands-down one of the best animated action series to appear on TV for quite some time. But it’s still early days and I’m sure Star Wars Rebels will fly…

Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion will premiere in Singapore on Sat Oct 4, 2014 at 11am on Disney Channel and on Disney X D on Sun Oct 5 at 8am. The series will begin running on Sat Nov 29, 12pm on Disney Channel and Sun Nov 30, 8.30am on Disney X D.

May the Force be with you in the living room…
Star Wars Rebels Photos Credit: The Walt Disney Company
The rest: Marguerita Tan Photography. No text and images are to be used without permission.