I’ll admit. The idea of Star Wars Rebels was a tough one to accept when it was initially announced. With all of the hubbub surrounding the Extended Universe being scrapped canon wise, it was hard to imagine how a kid focused prequel linking the two trilogies would do anything but complicate the continuity. Bringing in new Jedi, Sith, and obviously, Rebels, that we never hear about during any of the major events of the films sounded like a recipe for disaster on paper. Then… Season 1 happened, and quickly changed the minds of many of its skeptics. By creating its own identity while tying loosely into the abruptly cancelled Clone Wars animated series, Rebels teased the potential to create a proper bridge between episodes three and four. In this way, the show doubles down throughout its second season, creating constantly compelling storylines that work surprisingly well both as standalone episodes, and serve as glimpses into what the future may hold for The Force and its users. That is… When the show isn’t spinning its wheels with inconsequential content.
The crew is back for season 2!
Following the defeat of the Sith Inquisitor at the end of the first season, Kanan Jarrus, the Jedi Knight who avoided Order 66, and his newly discovered apprentice, Ezra Bridger, continue to travel the galaxy as part of the Lothal Rebels, who are working towards the destruction of the Empire long before Luke took up a lightsaber. Leading the group alongside Kanan is Hera, an ace pilot who’s exposure to battle dates back to the Clone Wars. Rounding out their crew is Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian soldier with a past as a bounty hunter, (and a penchant for graffiti), Zeb Orrelios, a Lasat warrior who is out for revenge after The Empire attacked his homeworld, and their droid, Chopper. With the idea of rebellion still in its infancy, the crew constantly finds itself hiding from their enemies as they fight for territory and resources, narrowly escaping danger at every turn. But with The Empire’s strongest enforcer, Darth Vader, now on the hunt, will the return of Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice, Ashoka Tano, be enough to protect the crew from the wrath of the Dark Side? And will its pull be too much for the crew itself to resist?
From the very first episode, Rebels raises the stakes with the crew’s first encounter with Vader. The setup puts many of the season’s themes and conflicts into place, including Kanan’s paranoia over not being strong enough to protect his apprentice and crew, Ezra’s growing frustration with his mentor’s lack of faith as the Dark Side begins to tempt him, and Ashoka’s inevitable reunion with her former master. As if to ensure that this wouldn’t be a one sided conflict from the get-go, Vader inexplicably disappears after the rebels narrowly escape, sending two new Inquisitors to complete the job that he was so close to finishing himself. Along the way, the crew meets Lando, Leia, and other key figures as they travel the galaxy in search of a way to defeat the Empire, all while avoiding detection themselves.
Seeing Rex again is one of the highlights of the season.
In the episodes in between the first two and last three, the season uses its 22 episode total to better acquaint us with the crew and their backgrounds as they work towards establishing their new base. Hera’s skill as a pilot and her history with her father, the Clone Wars hero, Cham Syndulla, is given its time in the spotlight, alongside Sabine’s bounty hunter past, and Kanan’s distrust of Clones after Order 66 when Captain Rex resurfaces. Among the side stories however, none were more compelling than late in the season, when Zeb becomes stranded alongside Agent Kallus, the Empire commander who spends most of the season trying to weed out the heroes. Easily the most compelling episode that’s not focused on the Jedi and Sith, the two enemies are forced to work together to survive the native threats that surround them, all while finding a better understanding of each other. Through their interactions, we learn that not everyone in the Empire is evil. Many think they’re doing the right thing by bringing order to the galaxy, and see their enemies as those who misunderstand their good intentions. From Kallus’ point of view in his days as a low rank officer, his squad was meant to help Zeb’s home world, but distrust and unrest from the natives led to paranoia from the ground troops, which would eventually break into the battle that would nearly wipe out the Lasat. By the end, both characters develop mutual respect for each other as people despite being pit against each other in the larger conflict, bringing a sense of humanity to the evil Empire we’ve grown accustomed to for decades. That is, in between jokes about how Stormtroopers are terrible shots, which is on full display here. In fact, outside of the Sith and Kallus, it’s hard to take any of them as a serious threat when they come off as so incompetent every time one of the team’s unlikely plans to escape their predicaments goes off without a hitch. You’ll start to wonder how they held a grip on the galaxy for as long as they did.
Yup, still imposing. And we love him for it.
Make no mistake about it though, because when the Dark Side is in full force, they’re still the group that we love to hate. With some gripping build up to the final conflict of the season, old friends such as Yoda re-surface to impart some lasting knowledge on our master-less Jedi and his Padawan. After the well constructed build up finally hits its crescendo, and we finally get the face off between Ashoka and Vader, there’s so many moving parts that all fit so well together that even this long awaited battle can’t overshadow what’s going on with Kanan and Ezra. I won’t spoil too much for those who haven’t seen it, but by brining back a ghost from the past, we suddenly have ties that go back to the earliest points in the film timeline, all the way to The Force Awakens. In typical Star Wars fashion, the second story ends with the heroes in a bad spot. By the time it was over, I definitely wanted more, and I can’t wait to find out what the fallout is going to be after the events of the finale. But most of all, I’m very anxious for how all of this is going to end.
With all the excitement out of the way however, I can’t talk about the season as a whole while ignoring some poorly placed episodes in the season that serve as nothing more than time fillers, making certain points throughout the run feel like they were stretching out material to meet the season total. I get that in a weekly cartoon, especially one marketed with children in mind, they’re not going to be the ones analyzing whether or not the episode had merit. They’ll largely care about seeing the characters do some cool stuff to hold them over until the following week. But even among the pointless episode here and there, the episode before the two part finale is the most unfortunate of all. After making an announcement that was teased to have everlasting effects on the crew, Kanan and Ezra find themselves playing Starship Troopers near their newly founded base with the rest of their team, in a complete throwaway that undercuts the gravity of the first and last two minutes of the episode. Thankfully, the following episodes were enough to pull me back in, but the change in tone was jarring to say the least.
Will Ezra be tempted by the Dark Side?
Now if you’ve watched the season as it aired and were looking to get your money’s worth with extra content, you’re going to find yourself disappointed on that front. Each disc in the 3-disc set has its own set of Rebels Recon shorts, where we learn about what went on to develop each episode. These mini documentaries however, have been on StarWars.com since each episode aired, so you can head over to the site and watch them there, rather than needing this set. The third disc houses two bonus shorts, one going over the history between Ashoka and Anakin, while the other talks about easter eggs that tie the season to the rest of the Star Wars continuity. While interesting, each one clocks in at less than five minutes, making the package feel bare bones outside of the actual episodes.
Lightsaber duels will never stop being great.
So if you’re someone who wants a satisfying continuation of the unfinished Clone Wars saga, who never watched Rebels and want some fantastic storytelling in that galaxy far, far away, or who can’t wait to re-live the events of the second season, do yourself a favor and pick up Season 2. The special features might be sparce, and the season could have been better without a few episodes, but overall, these episodes succeed in producing original stories that manage to be compelling all on their own, while enriching the established film universe. Most of all, I can’t wait for more! So in that sense, mission accomplished.
Key Episodes:
Episode 1: The Siege of Lothal Part 1
Episode 2: The Siege of Lothal Part 2
Episode 3: The Lost Commanders
Episode 4: Relics of the Old Republic
Episode 5: Always Two There Are
Episode 8: Blood Sisters
Episode 9: Stealth Strike
Episode 11: Legacy
Episode 12: A Princess on Lotahl
Episode 16: Homecoming
Episode 17: The Honorable Ones
Episode 18: Shroud of Darkness
Episode 21: Twilight of the Apprentice Part 1
Episode 22: Twilight of the Apprentice Part 2
Season Score: 4/5
Blu-Ray Score:3/5