(Un)official Star Wars Rebels Thread

[smstachwick]

Idiot’s Array



In this episode, the Spectres get more than they bargained for when Zeb loses at cards to none other than the slimy (but stylish!) Lando Calrissian. Here are some things I love about it.

• It’s no secret to anyone looking through the D+ menus or the previews that Lando has a guest appearance in this episode, but even so, I decided to play this one close to the chest when I showed it to Mindy for the first time. They don’t take long to introduce Calrissian but the way they build a bit of anticipation and wait to fully reveal him is masterful.
• Lando’s design is surprisingly workable, considering that Rebels didn’t have the budget for any swishy capes that he’s famous for wearing.
• Billy Dee Williams sounds as great as ever. You would never guess that he’s aged 30 years since his appearance in Return of the Jedi.
• The way that Kanan recoils when Hera shouts in his face. She’s kind of scary when she’s pissed.
• Ezra’s 180 when Lando starts giving Sabine creepy compliments and insulting him.
• Azmorigan is based on early concept art for Jabba the Hutt, so he’s just as disgusting as you’d expect. James Hong also delivers a delightfully repulsive voiceover performance that makes my skin crawl.
• Hera batting away Lando’s hand when he tries to invade her boundaries, and punching him in the groin when she gets back on the Ghost. Also the venom in her voice and the fire of hatred in her eyes. Great work all around by Vanessa Marshall and the animation team.
• Lando has spent the majority of the episode dividing the crew, but Zeb and Ezra accomplish this in a very literal sense by inflating the puffer pig in the hall. This scene also forcefully illustrates Lando’s intended alliance structure: the girls (and Chopper) one his side, with Kanan, Ezra, and Zeb isolated from them. His great blunder was that he overestimated his ability to charm Hera and underestimated the force of her personality, and she’s not shy about putting her foot down.
• The stun blaster built into Ezra’s lightsaber is a genius way of keeping the stakes low and making it more plausible to not (yet) draw the attention of the most powerful figures in the Empire.

At first glance this episode appears to be filler, an excuse to bring in an original trilogy star, whatever. On a deeper level, we meet characters that will continue to play minor roles in each of the next two seasons. I also think it’s the funniest episode of the season, with plenty of one-liners, ridiculous drama, and slapstick. I found it supremely entertaining.

 

[smstachwick]

Vision of Hope


In this episode, the Spectres attempt to connect with a potential ally but are outsmarted by Kallus and the Empire. Here are some things I love about it.

• This is not the first time we’ve heard from Imperial “Senator-in-exile” Gall Trayvis. He passed along the rumor of Luminara’s survival and interrupted the Empire Day Holonet broadcast. Now that seed is in full bloom.
• The first 5 minutes or so start to spin the threads, and we get an inkling of how complex it gets. Hera mentions Fulcrum (who has gotten occasional mentions) and Zare Leonis, Ezra’s squadmate from his undercover mission in “Breaking Ranks”, and Ezra designated the meeting place at his parents’ place that appeared in “Empire Day”. It’s not super complicated to follow though, as each of these connections are given the briefest of explanations to keep the viewer’s memory fresh.
• It would have been easy to cheat and have Kallus know who Hera is, but they’ve never come face-to-face since Hera is usually flying the Ghost or Phantom whenever he’s causing trouble. I just thought it was neat that they paid this kind of attention to series continuity.
• Trayvis is not a particularly threatening figure, but him figuring out Ezra’s identify somehow gave me chills. I don’t know if it’s something in his voice or Ezra’s reaction or both.
• I just looked it up and it turns out that Trayvis is voiced by Brent Spiner, most famous as Data in Star Trek! Very cool to have him in this project.
• Kanan’s sarcastic way of telling Ezra that he’s proud. It warms my heart.

“Vision of Hope” ties off a couple of threads, continues a few more and plants others still. This, I feel like this is where we really start to get into the meat of the Rebels story. The crew, Kanan especially, will urge Ezra to be more careful about interpreting future visions. This episode does mark the last time that we see both Gall Trayvis and Zare Leonis.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

I’m enjoying these recaps! You really put a lot of thought into each one.

 

[mjennings]

Ahh I missed that Spiner voices Trayvis. This is why I pause on the voice actor credit screen now.

 

[smstachwick]

Ahh I missed that Spiner voices Trayvis. This is why I pause on the voice actor credit screen now.

It irritates me that D+ apps on my TV automatically move the display to a PIP window and move the cursor to a button that starts the next episode. It makes checking the credits a pain, most of the time I Google Search if I’m curious.

 

[smstachwick]

I’m enjoying these recaps! You really put a lot of thought into each one.

Well, I’ve seen this series at least three times now and until very recently I was very plugged into a fan community on what-used-to-be-Twitter-but-now-we-can’t-call-it-that-anymore, so I’ve accumulated some observations that I can’t unsee and things I can’t not look for. Plus a few novel interpretations I’ll share when the time comes.

 

[smstachwick]

Call to Action


In this episode, the Spectres decide to send a message to the people of Lothal and the neighboring systems. Here are some things I love about it.

• This opening with Tarkin’s shuttle approaching Imperial Headquarters that almost precisely mirrors iconic shots in Star Wars and Return of the Jedi
• Tarkin looks great. His exaggerated features and cadaver-like textures are a fitting approximation of Peter Cushing’s features in Star Wars. Stephen Stanton’s performance is spot on too. Character design, animation, and acting come together to bring the Grand Moff himself to life, with his authoritarian ruthlessness and bloodthirst on full display.
• Surprisingly, Kallus acquits himself the best of the Imperials that greet Tarkin’s shuttle. Tua is rendered speechless and TGI can only fume.
• We know Aresko and Grint well enough to know how well the speeder bike chase will go for them; all troopers dismounted or incapacitated and the Spectres away scot-free.
• OK so I was wrong, Trayvis makes a brief appearance on the Holonet broadcast.
• While we’ve met and seen some of the Spectres’ intelligence contacts and suppliers, Tarkin’s “disciplinary meeting” is the first confirmation we get that other rebels cells exist. It also foreshadows the overall direction and future subject matter of the show: the formation of the Rebel Alliance from these cells.
• The wonderful bit of facial animation as Kallus blinks himself back to attention following the execution of Aresko and Grint.
• I think Ezra setting the Loth-cat on the probe is the first instance of him consciously using Force connections to solve problems. I’m not counting the massive creature in the asteroid since that was not likely fully intentional.
• The discussion between Kallus and Tarkin regarding the surveillance footage reveals the difference between the two. Kallus thinks of defense, protection, and duty, a very static approach to war. Tarkin is more dynamic, deceitful, aggressive, and overall just plain dirty. Indeed, Kallus seems genuinely confused at Tarkin’s plan.
• The tenderness in the score as Ezra elucidates his fear of loss and Kanan explains the need to be brave in the face of it.
• TGI being completely unfazed by the neighboring gunship being hit by antiaircraft fire. He knows that cool guys never look at explosions.
• Kanan making it very clear by his tone of voice that he has no intention of meeting the others at the top, plus Ezra’s nod of acknowledgement, which are great on their own. Around this time, however, Marvel put out a comic series exploring Kanan’s backstory. His last words to Ezra (“I’ll be right behind you”) are ripped directly from his master’s words to him when their troopers turned on them at the end of the Clone War.
• Tarkin in battle gear.
• Ezra’s message is articulate and powerful. He could have had a career in radio if things had turned out differently. Quite separately, Taylor Gray’s gig voicing advertisements for Buffalo Wild Wings gave rise to one of the greatest edits I have ever seen.

This episode might be the most dramatic to this point. The Spectres are a man down and Kanan’s fate in Imperial custody is far from certain. We also get a greater focus on Imperial operations planning simply because in this episode, they come out on top. The bad guys win this round.

 

[smstachwick]

Rebel Resolve



In this episode, the Spectres search for Kanan and find him in basically the worst possible place. Here are some things I love about it.

• The music in the opening scene with the walker raid being lifted directly from the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back
• The way Hera just collapses into her seat when Fulcrum hangs up. Her decision to abandon the search clearly is weighing on her like a ton of bricks.
• The electricity bolts illuminating Tarkin’s face. It really drives home what kind of evil we’re dealing with here.
• This ordeal where Ezra disobeys Hera, bargains with Vizago, and pitches his plan, demonstrates how much he’s grown in terms of leadership, and how much the crew has come to trust his judgement.
• We get a little look at what makes Chopper tick. He refused to unplug from the walker, perked up when Ezra offered him a role in his plan to sneak away from Hera, and dropped the belligerent attitude immediately when Ezra reminds him that this crazy dangerous mission is, in his words, “for Kanan.” When the chips are down, Chopper cares deeply.
• The way Sabine (and sometimes Zeb) is so gentle with the absolutely terrified Imperial courier droid. Chopper…less so, but it’s still hilarious and shocking to see him boot the droid out of the Ghost’s cargo hatch.
• It’s fitting that Mustafar is “where Jedi go to die.” Vader really made the “death” of Anakin Skywalker the prototype for the entire Imperial-era Jedi purge.

 

[smstachwick]

Fire Across the Galaxy


In this episode, the Spectres stage a daring rescue. Here are some things I love about it.

• This opening that ties this episode into the prelude shorts. Remember those?
• The Rebel starbird that’s generated by the freighter’s vortex wake
• Zeb’s expression of shock when he realizes Ezra is about to reveal that they kept the TIE they stole in “Fighter Flight”.
• I don’t believe they cheated with Sabine having access to the fighter. In “Path of the Jedi”, Ezra was late to his training session with Kanan because he was with Sabine, probably showing her where the TIE was.
• Mustafar looks as bloody and foreboding as ever.
• Kanan is the one struggling with PTSD this week, and The Grand Inquisitor opens and exploits that wound expertly.
• Borrowing an editing technique from The Empire Strikes Back as Ezra senses Kanan’s presence.
• The decision to tilt the shot completely sideways as the stolen freighter docks on the very edge of Tarkin’s Star Destroyer.
• Kanan using the stun blaster in conjunction with the lightsaber blade. Clever! You can even see in the way that they’re animated that it keeps TGI on the defensive in such a way that it’s difficult for him to turn the tables on Kanan.
• The moment where Kanan finds his strength and declares that he has nothing left to fear. Fear is often the first crack in a person’s emotional well-being, and Kanan steeling himself against it makes him basically unbeatable.
• The scars on Ezra’s face from being struck with the lightsaber. It’s a good way to illustrate that he’s not really a kid anymore, not in any meaningful sense. He’s been in a war, now.
• The music stops as TGI makes his final declaration that there are some things more frightening than death. The dramatic timing is absolutely perfect.
• That one shot of several dozen TIEs pursuing the Spectres in the Inquisitor’s TIE and Sabine’s Masterpiece. I don’t know if they’re simulated or hand-animated but a crowd shot like this, on this kind of budget, is impressive either way. Also the Death Star attack music playing as they’re running for their lives from the swarm.
• The reveal of Ahsoka Tano as Fulcrum. Fans of The Clone Wars know exactly who she is. New viewers will be caught up soon, as she will play an important role in the story of the upcoming seasons.
• You’ll notice that they didn’t cheat with Ahsoka’s identity either. Sabine assumed Fulcrum was a male, but Hera never made any indications of this, always using the codename (or dodging Sabine’s questions) instead of using a gendered pronoun. On subsequent viewings I also noticed that I could pick out characteristic bits of Ashley Eckstein’s voice through the scrambler.
• Contrasting the successful rescue of Kanan with the entrance of Darth Vader, signifying very clearly that this is not over, not by a long shot.

Well, there it is! Season One! It works well as a self-contained package but it leaves plenty of threads left to be followed up on later. There is no real filler in this series.

 

[smstachwick]

The Siege of Lothal, Part 1



Alrighty, Season 2! Here it comes!

[TIE fighter attack music playing]

In this two-part premiere, the Spectres’ attempt to extract an Imperial defector goes awry as the Empire springs, you guessed it, a cunning and ruthless trap!



Here are some things I love about it.

• This initial battle with the A-wings establishes that the Spectres are fully integrated into Phoenix’s squadron’s highly successful operations and gives us a sense that the story has been going on without us in the season break, but strangely I don’t feel like I’ve been missing out on much. Basically we catch up with them on a particularly good day at the office.
• The level of mutual support that allows the Phantom to separate from the Ghost and perform its own task in battle. Teamwork is always a win!
• Darth Vader’s design is perfect. A slight stretching of the mask and exaggeration of its features makes it blend in with the show’s McQuarrie-inspired look and they somehow managed to make a cape work. Animating and simulating fabric on a TV budget was still a challenge at this point and they nailed it.
• Minister Tua offers to spill the secret as to why the Empire came to Lothal in the first place, a fact that won’t be followed up on for another…let me check my notes here…55 episodes, wow! Yeah, good luck keeping that in the back of your head, first time viewer! I do find it pretty impressive in terms of show planning though.
• The mere mention of the Emperor sparking immediate terror in everyone present.
• Kanan and Hera have a beautiful relationship even when it’s not going well on the face of things. The communication is strong and they’re not afraid to be emotionally vulnerable with one another. Kanan’s traumatic experience from the Clone War is front-and-center as the Spectres dive headfirst into organized military operations against the Empire.
• Ezra’s is showing his ability to connect by suddenly sensing the cold in Vader’s heart.
• The Star Destroyers projecting harsh searchlights into the hangar bays from the destroyers, giving the sense that the Spectres are being hunted.
• David Oyelowo’s performance and the work of the animation team convey that Kallus can barely contain his excitement for Tia’s murder. He’s learned from his experience working with Tarkin and Vader how to be absolutely ruthless, and he loves it.
• I can’t tell if the Force sound effect when Kanan does the mind trick is louder or if Freddie Prinze Jr. just comes across as more confident when he does it. Either way it establishes that there’s a bit of technique to it.
• Ending on the shot of Vader’s mask and then the To Be Continued card. Perfect tease!

 

[smstachwick]

The Siege of Lothal: Part 2


In this episode, the Spectres are forced to make a fighting retreat from Lothal with Darth Vader on their tail. Here are some things I love about it.

• The music ripped right from the Cloud City duel in Empire, indicating that the Spectres are completely outmatched in a direct confrontation with Vader
• Vader’s charicaturized design works really well here. It makes him look even meaner and more dangerous than usual, with the brow plate fixed in a constant scowl.
• Lando again! I believe this is his last appearance in the show but he’s mentioned every now and then.
• Ezra’s deciding vote to stay with Phoenix Squadron is fateful. He wants the Spectres to become stronger so that they can return to Lothal and change things in the future, which is precisely what ends up happening over the course of the rest of the show.
• I didn’t mention this in the first episode but I appreciate that they give this cell A-wing fighters. They got a bit of spotlight in Return of the Jedi but never became truly iconic.
• The connection between Ahsoka and Vader is perfectly written, animated, shot, and edited. Ezra voicing his realization over the intercom while the two cross-cut and the camera pushes in on both of them, it gives me goosebumps every time. There’s enough information for newcomers to piece together why Ahsoka fainted but it’s more likely to be the freaky, horrified kind of confusing, which must be exactly what was going on in Ahsoka’s head.
• Chopper is all kinds of expressive. When Hera gives him the order to angle the shields astern, I can almost hear his vocalizations as “WHY?”
• Hera’s little stunt with the hyperdrive. It’s always fun to watch her outsmart the Imperials.
• Ahsoka’s troubled look after denying knowing anything about Vader. It is very clear that she lied.
• Vader’s feelings emanate from him so strongly that everybody who comes close to him describes them in the same way. Fear, anger, hate. Always in that order.
• Sam Witwer is *amazing* as the Emperor, and that’s not even his only credit for the episode. He also voiced Lando’s droid, if you can believe that.

 

[Antares JS]

I appreciated the use of A-wings in Rebels. Underappreciated little ships.

 

[smstachwick]

I really need to get back on this thread, don’t I? October has been all kinds of nuts, with my anniversary, L1 prep, concerts and comedy shows, Halloween coming up…

 

[smstachwick]

The Lost Commanders

In this episode, the Spectres attempt to recruit an ally in an experienced military leader. Here are some things I love about it.

• The opening scene around the holotable sets up Phoenix Squadron’s continual struggle for the bulk of the season: finding a base. It mirrors a problem we’re all familiar with in this hobby: finding and keeping a place to fly, unmolested.
• Kanan and Hera have largely reconciled their differing wishes regarding the Spectres’ integration into Phoenix cell, but they still have different priorities. Hera has proven extremely adaptable to working with military command and thinking in terms of strategic advantage. Kanan, being a Jedi by training, still prioritizes humanitarian capabilities, and this difference comes across in the conference room.
• Ahsoka makes a smart decision in not telling Kanan who they’re looking for. She knows that he would cause big problems if he knew that he had to play nice with a clone.
• Chopper’s ineptitude in maintaining the Ghost effectively strands the Spectres on Seelos. It’s a clever device for isolating them from the fleet and forcing them to come up solutions on the fly.
• The droid chiming “7567” over and over again. Fans of The Clone Wars will immediately recognize the operating number of Clone Captain CT-7567 “Rex”, Anakin’s third-in-command voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. For newcomers in the dark, it’s likely to come across as somewhat ominous.
• The design of the clones’ AT-TE walker tank, very clearly being inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle.
• Wolffe and Gregor returning from The Clone Wars, also voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. In the show, Gregor got blown up by a massive and clearly fatal explosion, but him obviously having a screw loose may indicate a head injury, so he likely didn’t emerge from that completely unscathed.
• Ezra has a special talent to connect with the Force but I think his skill as a diplomat is underappreciated. He intervened in a rapidly escalating armed confrontation and talked Kanan into putting away his lightsaber. Rex managed to talk Wolffe down too, also impressive.
• Kanan has PTSD this week. His recounting of Order 66 is brief but effective, the performance of Freddie Prinze Jr. and the animation team really come together to bring his pain through. It’s obvious that it brings him as much suffering as a physical injury.
• The joopa fishing isn’t the most compelling battle we’ve seen in the series and Zeb’s fate is never really in doubt, but it forces the Spectres and the clones to work together and it works better than everyone just arguing back and forth for the bulk of a 22-minute episode.
• Rex complimenting Ezra’s leadership ability and Ezra complimenting Kanan’s teaching ability. There were times when both of those were in serious doubt, and the personal growth is evident.
• The TCW music playing when Rex questions the point of his entire war experience.
• Another episode with an ominous ending. The probe is destroyed but the Empire knows without any doubt where to find the Spectres and big questions still linger over whether they can learn to trust the clones.