Star Wars Rebels

[X-SOLDIER]

I have to say that the Ralph McQuarrie-inspired twist on the Clone Wars style makes for a neat point of inspiration. Also, I think that they do well with the villain of the week and their recurring cast while still making them intimidating.

Spoiler

The bit about general Kallus giving the order to use Ion Disruptors on the Lasat was pretty brutal. As someone familiar with the EXU, Disruptors are terrifying weapons and the thought of what an Ion weapon designed to disable a ship would do to an organic… *shudders*

The deception with Luminara Unduli had one of the best reveals ever as soon as you see her in the sarcophagus. Then the Inquisitor entering and identifying Kanan's former master by his Form III-reliant fighting style was just terrifying. That's just the sort of thing I'd wanted to hear from someone who's been murdering Jedi for ~15 years. The fact that he works through psychological intimidation means that the heroes leave with mental scars after every encounter even though they walk away from it physically unscathed (same with Zeb, which is how they're making both of their recurring villains work right away).

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[Hisako]

Yeah one of the show's strengths is that the villain does feel powerful, not only as a Sith but in that he's actually planning on an intelligent, Palpatine-like level. That's something I can really get behind

 

[Tetsujin]

Watched a few eps.

Hmmm. There's a ton of recycled music cues from the movies, except rearranged with mediocre synths. Really bothers me.
Also, using themes where they don't belong. Like Leia's and Yoda's theme have made appearances despite both characters not even being part of the show.
In fact, I'm pretty sure I heard the warehouse theme from the end of frickin Raiders of the Lost Ark at one point as well!

The show doesn't look as nice as Clone Wars, but I guess it's understandable as George Lucas was throwing his money at it just because.
The character and face animation on the other hand seems more fluid and overall better.

The Inquisitor seems like a formidable opponent. Hope they keep his appearances few and have shit get real when he does show up. Certainly seems like they don't want to repeat the Grievous villain decay (RIP Competent!Grievous from the Tartakovsky series)

Being voiced by Jason Isaacs is also a plus.

Hera is Olga from MGS2

I had my doubts about Sabine being this hip cool kid Mandalorian with a graffiti spray can. Seemed like a stupid idea but she isn't actually obnoxious like I feared she would be.

I hope they're not gonna go overboard with cameos in the future. I'd like to see the characters actually not come into contact with the majority of the OT cast. Them throwing C3PO and R2D2 at us in the second episode already does not instill me with confidence though.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

EKG GJEHSOVNEHXOGEHUXJEGXIFKEBSDHRINNFF




DAT SEASON FINALE!!!





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[X-SOLDIER]

Soooo, now that I've had some time to recover & unwind, I need to rant about how amazing the finale was and how much everyone needs to be watching this.

Spoiler

Rebels did a few great things with the season finale:


1) It definitively made The Clone Wars part of the canon

With Ahsoka Tano being revealed as Fulcrum, i.e. the leader of the various Rebel cells, we officially get all of the backstory from The Clone Wars. The best part of that is that Darth Vader has taken the helm under Grand Moff Tarkin as the spearhead of the Empire against the rising Rebellion. This means that the growing conflict is the old master vs. apprentice -- neither of whom is aware that the other one is alive. That eventual conflict is bound to be soul crushing.


2) We've officially moved out from the prequels

Using the two of them as anchor points also means that Rebels is "a new beginning" for Anakin & Ahsoka's story and the prequels' content is officially all in the background and -- like with Marvel's ongoing (and fucking amazing) Star Wars comics -- they're solidly based within the framework of the original trilogy. As much as I loved Clone Wars (which I did, and everyone should watch - especially to appreciate this series in full), Rebels' format and moments feel like Star Wars again.


3) Made me REALLY curious about the Inquisitor

So... the Inquisitor finally throws down in a fantastic battle, and is bested (in a moment that's a bit analogous to Anakin besting Dooku), but the last thing he said sits incredibly uneasily with me. He looks up at Kanan and says, “You have no idea what you’ve unleashed here today. There are some things FAR more frightening than death.” and then FUCKING INTENTIONALLY DROPS OFF TO HIS DEATH IN THE EXPLODING REACTOR.

So... Obi-Wan Kenobi is the only person who's given a haunting line like that and then allowed his own death to occur in Episode IV, and he had a plan the whole time. The Inquisitor is INCREDIBLY cunning and there's no way he just gave up. I'm downright terrified of what his apparent suicide means -- especially because there are rumors about Episode VII being connected to the inquisitors. Plus, if Darth Maul is anything to go by -- NEVER trust that a double-bladed lightsaber wielding badass falling to his death in the finale of the first chapter means that he is gone for good.

But yeah. I unabashedly love the everliving fuck out of this series, and how it's built off of what The Clone Wars established, and like ALL of Marvel's current Star Wars canon content, it's just fucking spectacular.



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[Tetsujin]

I've only watched until the Winter break. Now I'm busy catching up with Clone Wars as I still have S5 and 6 to watch.

I heard Sarah Michelle Gellar is joining Rebels S2 though?

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Clone wars is soooooooooooo good in the last two seasons (I might merge the unused Clone Wars thread into this one).

Also, that is correct about Rebels S2.




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[Super Mario]

I'm glad

Spoiler

Ahsoka is still alive. I wonder how she will feel once she finds out Anakin has become Darth Vader. Do you think she knows?

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Spoiler

If she's working with Bail Organa, she might, but I don't think she'll believe it until they have a direct confrontation. I expect an Episode IV, "I was the apprentice, now I am the master" reference when that occurs.

Also, this article with her VA is great: http://www.nerdist.com/2015/03/ashl...ar-wars-rebels-and-the-return-of-ahsoka-tano/

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[Super Mario]

Spoiler

I'm glad she survived Order 66 and left before shit hit the fan (AKA Episode III). Now it's all about wondering if she can survive the time before Anakin's son can put him in his place and if she lives through the civil war eras

 

[X-SOLDIER]

I think that's it's interesting that

Spoiler

much like Luke, Qui-Gon, & Obi-Wan, she's a lightside force user who isn't really big on the (now ex) Jedi Council and their methodology.

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[Obsidian Fire]

^^You'd probably be interested in the current discussion going on in the When have you Rooted For The Empire? thread on TvTropes. What started as an "when do you root for the villians?" thread has devolved into a "why the Star Wars Empire isn't any better then the Republic/Rebels is/was" and is currently involved in a discussion about "how the Jedi Council methods were lacking". It mostly starts around page 22...

 

[X-SOLDIER]

That's been quite an interesting read so far.



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[Tetsujin]

Still going through Clone Wars S5.

I can't believe they wasted four episodes on that stupid frog-alien colonel and his squad of droids...

 

[Lex]

Since you all seem to be huge fans I felt like this was as good a place as any to make this post:

I've liked Star Wars for as long as I can remember, I grew up with the original movies then obviously went to the cinema to see the prequel movies when I was a teenager. I know they're horrific or something to megafans, but I enjoyed the majority of all of them. I used to have dreams about being a Jedi when I was really young and have loved the hell out of the concept ever since. I even enjoyed that (supposedly) terrible Phantom Menace game for the PS1 and I'm really looking forward to the new movie.

Basically, I find it really easy to get absorbed into the world, but I haven't sought out any of the related stuff ever and I'm wondering if you guys could give me a run down of what's good and what I should familiarise myself with? Is there a list somewhere?

Things I will not do: read comics (a synopsis is fine, I assume I can Wiki them if there's stuff I should know), play KOTOR. I like a working knowledge of most stuff before I jump into a fandom. Novels are fine, TV shows are fine, games are in general fine. If it's canon I want to know about it.

Pretty please?

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Well, I would recommend --

Things I will not do: read comics ...

Nevermind. =P

 

[Octo]

Pod Racer on the N64?

What?

 

[Tetsujin]

If it's canon I want to know about it.

The canon list at the moment is luckily a very short one.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Well, Lex - you're coming in at a really interesting time for Star Wars, since the previous Expanded Universe is now non-canon and is called Star Wars: Legends. What's canon right now are the films, The Clone Wars, & Rebels (though I also include Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars along with that).

That being said, Marvel is releasing a metric shitton of stuff this year before Episode VII hits. While you may be generally opposed to the idea of reading comics, the Star Wars / Leia / Vader comics literally JUST started and are under 3 issues a piece, and they're SO damn good. I've just gotta throw that out there because it's well worth your time if you change your mind on that.

Additionally, if you're already a fan of the prequels and haven't done so before, I basically have to insist on principle that you watch through the films in Machete Order (IV, V, II, III, VI) because it completely renewed how much I love Star Wars when I did.


If I were diving into things, I'd watch Genndy Tartakovky's 2D Clone Wars first. They're the genesis of animated Star Wars and establish the rough framework everything in the 3D The Clone Wars series, as well as serving as its stylistic inspiration. They've got lots of excellence, and inspired some of my connections to my favourite Jedi in the order (Shak-Ti 4 evah). (I like to watch them between Episodes II & III because of how well they connect to everything and give a bigger scope to the universe). This also establishes Grievous as the badass that he really is and deserved to be that will help you to forgive some of the early sadness in the 3D series.

Then you've got ta move on to The Clone Wars the 3D animated series. You'll have to bear with it finding its feet for the first season or so, as it learns how to NOT to the villain-of-the-week thing. Once it catches its groove, it's absolutely phenomenal and again - since you're already a fan of the prequels, it's a big service to making them and the universe they're composed of even better. It goes some of the most mythical places, and gets REALLY dark during the later seasons in some amazing ways. It ended a bit abruptly with Marvel's acquisition of Star Wars, but that's turned out to be ok, because...


They you have the current series - Rebels which is to Ralph McQuarrie's art what The Clone Wars is to Genndy Tartakovsky's artwork. They're stylistically similar, but there are subtle differences. Also, it's the first bit of canon that pulls away from the prequel trilogy and builds itself firmly inside the original trilogy, using the prequels as enhancing background detail. The way that it crafts a bigger picture pre-Episode IV works brilliantly, and then the finale really hooks on you being somewhat familiar with the content of The Clone Wars in a way that pulls the whole of the Star Wars continuity into something I think that you'll really enjoy.



tl;dr - Watch Clone Wars, The Clone Wars, and then Rebels, and also don't be a hater and try out the new ongoing Marvel Star Wars comics - because that's all of canon right now.*



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[Tetsujin]

What's canon right now are the films, The Clone Wars, & Rebels (though I also include Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars along with that).

Officially the Tartakovsky Clone Wars is not canon anymore though.

Spoiler

It will remain canon in my head. Not that it contradicts much if anything at all anyway.

Dat Anakin vs Ventress battle on Yavin IV hnng

Also, I watched over half of TCW S5 today.
The season finale was REALLY good. Shame certain things were spoiled for me a while ago though.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Officially the CN Clone Wars is not canon anymore though.

You say that but... Well, let's just say that I'd just focused on getting caught up before you find out other things you don't wanna spoil for yourself.




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[Tetsujin]

I say that because that's how it is, unfortunately (and confusing because...why).

Also edited post to clarify I mean the Tartakovsky series as I just realized both of them aired on CN.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Yeah, I tend to let Genndy's Clone Wars slide in along with The Clone Wars because:
1) They're stylistically the same, and were loosely connected.
2) They never contradict (since they were both canon at the time), but they cover similar content.
3) Rebels accepted The Clone Wars into canon, & I more or less see Genndy's Clone Wars as an extension of that series and content albeit in a different visual format.

I know that TECHNICALLY it isn't officially listed an canon content, but it's one of those things that sits in a grey area because of the aforementioned reasons, and is still really worth checking out to get into The Clone Wars.




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[Super Mario]

I think it slides well into the canon since Season two was only a few months away from the events of Revenge of the Sith without mentioning where Asohka went. I'm led to believe Anakin moved on after she left the Jedi Order upon season 2 of Genndy's Clone Wars.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Because of reasons, let's move the Clone Wars content over to that thread: http://thelifestream.net/forums/showthread.php?t=15283




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