Tag: Rebels Revisited

Ben: Star Wars Rebels‘ cast is full of larger than life, colorful characters that all fit broad stereotypes: Zeb’s the bruiser, Hera’s the team mom, Ezra’s the snotty kid, etc. There is, however, a layer of nuance that makes them special and standout characters in their own right. Zeb has a great tactical mind, Hera longs and loves to fly, and Ezra is steadily growing into a worthy Jedi apprentice. But there is one character for whom the nuance is even more obscured than the others. I’m talking, of course, about our favorite young Mandalorian, Sabine Wren.

Sabine has been largely an enigma since her first appearance, with only bits and hints as to her past and her own reasons for fighting against the Empire. “Blood Sisters” opened that door up just a bit wider, but not a whole lot. We got some more information, like that Sabine was once a bounty hunter but didn’t stay one for very long, and that her friend Ketsu helped her break out of the Imperial Academy on Mandalore, but we really didn’t learn much more about the girl herself.

And here’s the rub: that’s not a bad thing.

Sabine is a character with a lot of potential. She’s a Mandalorian, a former Imperial cadet, an artist, an explosives and weapons expert, and an ex-bounty hunter. There are all sorts of fascinating stories that can be told about her, around her and with her, from her past and into her future. The fact that we, until now, haven’t gotten any stories that revolve around her is a bit vexing for those (like me) who want to see some of that potential get realized. There’s nothing more frustrating that seeing a character with wasted potential. But, as backwards as it may seem, in a lot of ways it’s actually better for the character to tease things out. Read More

One thing that we’ve known about Hera right from the get-go is that she is a fantastic pilot. She’s taken the Ghost to some places that should be utterly impossible to go, and saved the lives of her crew a dozen times. We’ve also seen that she’s a compassionate leader, a true team mother, wholly devoted to the welfare of those with her and around her. She can wrangle even the most extreme of loners and rally them to a cause: the cause of freedom and justice.

As captain of the Ghost, she’s served in both capacities for the first season and now into the second. But as Rebels has evolved and the scope of the story expanded, the status quo has been shaken numerous times and in several ways. But the most realistic thing is how actions and choices made have had consequences that are both good and bad. The Grand Inquisitor was killed, but that caused two new Inquisitors to take a great interest in hunting down those responsible. The Spectres were chased off of Lothal by Darth Vader, but they joined up with a larger, more formal rebel task force shortly thereafter. What “Wings of the Master” did was present an opportunity for the status quo of the show’s most steady character to be shaken up in a way that may not necessarily be either one. Read More

The underworld of Star Wars is a lively place, full of colorful characters and the sort of imaginative creatures that fully exemplify what a galaxy far far away might look like. From the moment we step into the cantina in Mos Eisley and see creatures talking, laughing, drinking and playing music, it’s been a part of the franchise’s DNA. What sort of characters exist beyond the edge of the galactic spotlight, where the shadows are thickest and the promise of adventure, debauchery and profit are strongest?

In Rebels, the underworld has hitherto been represented by Vizago and Azmorigan, two crime lords with differing methods but similar goals. Vizago is subtle, willing to play any and every side in order to gain himself the largest profits. Azmorigan is more bombastic and demanding, but no less unscrupulous, demanding what he sees as his and willing to kill to get it (and to avoid having to pay for it). Of course, we could bring up Lando, but he is more of a business person who happens to deal with unsavory sorts.

Added to the list this season is Hondo Ohnaka. Enthusiastic about everything and frightened of nothing, Hondo fit right into the underworld of the Clone Wars era he was introduced in, taunting Sith Lords and making “friends” with Jedi Masters. Hondo is a sort of idealized underworlder, not truly amoral, just selfish and out for profits. He has a sense of honor and a healthy respect for the Jedi, and his antics are far more fun and entertaining than menacing or sleazy. For all of the hard times that Hondo has fallen on without a ship or crew of his own, he still represents an interesting counterpoint to Vizago and Azmorigan, and delivers an intriguing offer to Ezra. Read More

The theory behind any social Darwinist system is that not only do the fittest survive, but society is purportedly better off when competition encourages innovation and achievement. “Always Two There Are” demonstrates how rivalry and competition not only serve as the basis for advancement within the Inquisitorius, but as the fundamental organizing principle of the Galactic Empire. Already in this episode, the audience sees that this competition might sow the seeds for future conflict within the Imperial ranks: conflict that might not actually bring about the results that ambition demands.

In this episode, we learn that the Seventh Sister and the Fifth Brother are Inquisitors seeking the same quarry. They’re competing for the same prize in a few ways, as Dave Filoni explained in Rebels Recon: the Inquisitors are not only chasing after Ahsoka and her Jedi entourage but they’re also all competing for the now-vacant position of Grand Inquisitor. Pablo Hidalgo added another detail: even the very numbers in their names might signify some sort of status, or at least another basis of competition. Even without these behind-the-scenes details, we see that the Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister are surprised to see each other and that they’re refusing to share credit or information with each other. I don’t blame the Seventh Sister, as she’s much cooler than the Fifth Brother so far (SMG’s voice acting and the character animation and design knocked it out of the park — she’s described as a thinking man’s villain, and I’m looking forward to seeing what that entails) but she’s clearly willing to pretend she has knowledge that she doesn’t, just to make a play at withholding information from the Fifth Brother. That’s not very productive. Read More

How often does a franchise allow its characters to grow old, to mature, or even to have their characters legitimately become damaged, irreparably changed? Character development isn’t always a positive thing, necessarily. Sometimes, something develops that isn’t positive at all, and that takes a certain level of determination and daring to do. The characters that the audience loves might suddenly become the ones that they hate, or pity.

When Star Wars Rebels started ramping up promotions for the beginning of the second season, they let us know that there would be returning characters from The Clone Wars appearing, namely, three of the clones themselves. Before any footage came out, it was easy to assume that the years had been relatively kind to the trio. Wolffe, Gregor and Rex looked older, grayer, a bit heftier, but not too much worse for wear for coming through as much conflict as they did.

Of course, once footage came out and once the episodes themselves had aired, appearances turned out to be deceiving.

Gregor, who suffered from amnesia in his initial appearance, had apparently suffered some degree of brain damage either in the explosion that had seemingly killed him, or some time thereafter. He still has his inbred ability and the skills driven into him by his training, but his rational mind is a babbling, bubbly mess. The implication that such a mentally disturbed man had, at some point, returned to service under the Empire is almost as disturbing as the idea that he is conscious of his condition and doesn’t really care. Read More