Mitchell Stein: I couldn’t be more thrilled to see that Star Wars is back on television in animated series form once again, although not quite in any way we’ve ever experienced it before.
The series stars Ezra, a “street rat” who accidentally gets recruited along with a band of misfits who have the same mission as him as they rebel against the Imperial army and fight for justice. Although this series has no connection to any story arc in the ever expanding Star Wars universe, there hasn’t been one that felt so bound with the original trilogy in years. While The Clone Wars was great and fun, Star Wars Rebels takes the die-hard fans closer to the original trilogy and to many fans’ fondest films. It kind of bridges the arc between the two film trilogies, and along with The Clone Wars, really succeeds in it’s awesome story.
Even though the fact that Star Wars Rebels has no connection to any specific Star Wars films, I could not stop finding myself squealing with delight at the amount of nostalgia they threw at us in the first two episodes.
Speaking of nostalgia, in this one episode, we have cameos by R2-D2 and C3PO, Rex from Star Tours (!!) and Ball Organa of The Clone Wars fame, plus a cameo by Obi-Wan in the premiere episode.
In this second episode “Droid in Distress”, the show continues in its marvel as the Rebels intercept a large delivery of weapons to the Imperial army. While the other characters played key roles in the storytelling of this episode, this installment was truly centered around Zeb and Ezra. When Zeb discovers the weapons that are hidden inside the shipment to the Imperial army, he is horrified to find out it is the same as the weapons that destroyed his home-town, causing his species to become nearly extinct. These scenes really defined the character that we were all scratching our heads about in the premiere.
The relationship between Ezra and Zeb is a unique one, and one that will probably bring some really great story arcs in the episode to come. In the end, it’s the unlikely Ezra who comes to save the life of Zeb, making them the most unlikely of friends. The character development in this series is already well underway and superb, and we’ve only made it as far as two episodes. I’m really loving these characters and these wonderful story plots. Can’t wait to see where these characters will head next.
Mitchell Stein is a major Star Wars/Disney/Muppet/Marvel fan. He co-operates the website The Mickey Mindset (link: mickeymindset.com) where he celebrates all these and more, daily! Be sure to check it out and like them on Facebook! (facebook.com/TheMickeyMindset)
