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tarisilmarwen · 9 months

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Rebels Rewatch: "Jedi Night"

Right, just going to go ahead and pass around the boxes of tissues.

Live reaction version.

And here we are at last. The entire latter half of the season had already began shifting at "Rebel Assault", but here the shift becomes permanent.

From the promos and synopsis put out before this episode, the genre-savvy among us could kind of already tell what was coming. But it was still devastating.

All right, enough stalling, let's get into it.

Aww man, this is the same spot Ezra sits in the finale isn't it?

Dammit we're barely ten seconds in and I'm already sad.

The Loth-wolf theme is heavy over this scene as Kanan is bombarded with an audio portent and foreshadowing of things to come in the WBW.

"You want a ride?" "The Jedi Temple is in danger." "Kanan, you haven't gotten me a present since we met." "You can learn what it truly means to be a Jedi." "You didn't prepare me for this, Kanan." "There's something I need to tell you." "I know I can always count on you."

Kanan hears mostly himself, and the two most important people in his life--Hera and Ezra. He hears Ezra's despair at losing him, and his resolve in entrusting his life and mission to Sabine. He knows the Jedi Temple is in danger. He's connected deeply with the wolves at this point, and either knows or at least suspects what he and Ezra will be asked to do.

This is probably where those extra episodes explaining Kanan's backstory and connection to Lothal would have come in handy. As it is we get the mysterious voiceover dump and have to piece things together after the fact.

What I think makes the most sense is that the Loth-wolves stopped Kanan from going to rescue Hera last episode precisely because--connected deeply as they are in the Force, associated with the WBW--they could see ahead to the potential futures of that course of action and knew that if he went after her, he would die. No matter what he did, no matter which way he moved, one way or another, it would happen. So they warned him. They showed him why lay ahead.

If you do this, we cannot save you, they told him.

And that's why he spends so much of this episode trying to mentally prepare the others, especially Ezra, for his absence.

Because the wolves still a Jedi to save the Temple from Palpatine's evil intentions.

Kanan is resolved in his purpose: He's going to save Hera. He's resigned to his fate: He will trade his life for the chance. And he's determined in his resilience: "Then I will make it count." He won't just make his death a meaningless sacrifice. He will ensure the completion of her mission, honor her by fulfilling the end goal of her failed attack. He will save Lothal by destroying the fuel pods and bringing the factories to a halt. He will give his life for Hera's dream.

Kanan proves in the end that he understands how to love without attachment. (Also why he makes Ezra formulate the plan, because he knows his feelings are compromised when it comes to Hera.) He will not cling selfishly to her. He will free her and then let her go and then let his own life pass away. He will take his place in Hades, and then teach Ezra how to grieve. Because Ezra won't be able to save him.

Because you can't go back down into Hades to retrieve the ones you lose.

“In mythology, if you go to Hades to get them back you’re not doing it for them, you’re doing it for yourself. You’re doing it because you don’t want to give them up. You’re afraid to be without them. The key to the dark side is fear. You must be clean of fear, and fear of loss is the greatest fear. If you’re set up for fear of loss, you will do anything to keep that loss from happening, and you’re going to end up in the dark side. That’s the basic premise of Star Wars and the Jedi, and how it works."

George Lucas, Mellody Hobson George Lucas - Virtual Speaker Interview, 2021

I love this shot, Ezra entering lightsaber-first, a visual emphasis on the fact that they are Jedi, and the Force requires much of them. Much sacrifice, much compassion, much selflessness. To whom much is given, much is required. With great power comes great responsibility.

All that jazz.

Kanan is preparing Ezra for the greatest responsibility he's going to have, to be asked to do what is right regardless of what it will personally cost him. And he's about to become a very painful object lesson.

He also talks like he's been given multiple visions of the future and is arranging things specifically so that they'll fall out in a specific way. It mirrors how Ezra speaks in the finale--If Thrawn shows up too soon, then this path, if he doesn't, then this one.

Some very painful paralleling that you don't realize the first time through.

Ezra's a bit uncertain at first, but honors Kanan's request, and gets started formulating a plan to get them into the Capital.

OH HEY WOULD YOU LIKE TO DESPISE PRYCE A BIT MORE?

Conducting the interrogation personally in her own office is quite the flex.

Once again paralleling to the Season One finale, another character comes in to start the questioning, and gets awfully personal with the digs, bringing up the interrogated party's painful past and history. In this case, Thrawn has brought Hera's kalikori down from its pedastel in his office on the Chimaera--that "place of honor" he promised her--in order to rub it in how he's deciphered the cultural meaning behind it.

Really leaning in hard on those icky cultural appropriation vibes aren't we, writers? Let's be clear, it's not that Thrawn was curious about Twi'lek culture and researched what meant what on a kalikori that's so gross, it's that he did so in order to learn more about Hera specifically so that he could hurt her more personally, namely by taunting her about her dead brother. It's the context, not the curiosity.

Thrawn is an Imperial warlord and only comes into contact with these cultural relics because he's a member of the tyrannical force currently oppressing those cultures. If he really respected or cared about them as items important to the people the Empire was conquering, he should leave them in their damn place. OR, if destruction of the relics at the hand of the Empire was inevitable, he should save them from that destruction and then be finding a way to give them back to the people they belong to or the closest equivalent. Instead he hoards them in his own art gallery to dissect and study to glean more insight into the cultures, so that the Empire might better defeat them.

Yeah no, the staging parallels to the Grand Inquisitor are super 100% on purpose and deliberate.

Also! Because I like ruining people's days, would you like some more Fridge Horror that you may or may not already have seen if you've been following me?

IT-O droids monitor prisoner vitals. Heartrate, blood pressure, adrenaline, other hormones and physiological markers. Hera's already pregnant at this point. Possibly far enough along that the IT-O was able to detect it.

Thrawn and Pryce might knowingly have tortured a pregnant woman.

~You're weeeeeeeeeelcooooooooome.~

Love Sabine whacking Zeb and shushing him to not interrupt Ezra as he's meditating and sensing out.

Also this look. <3

And also the soft conspiratorial smiles between Ezra and Sabine as they vibe on the same wavelength in regards to this plan.

The Kiners go all out on the music this next scene, as we montage building the gliders and Kanan preparing to shave and cut his hair, fully reclaiming his identity as Caleb Dume, The Last Padawan, again.

Kanan's theme plays, in bright flute, with bouncy string accompaniment. It's ritualistic how he moves. Like a samurai slicing off his topknot. Luke's Theme crossfades in through his to mark the heroism of the moment, as the preparations are finished.

And thus begins a long series of hidden goodbyes.

"This is one of those times I'm glad the Force is with you." Zeb says, about how crazy the plan is, and Kanan just silently puts a hand on his shoulder, the last time the two men would ever speak.

(The animators also go all hell out, making this episode one of the most gorgeous yet put to print.)

Cut to our favorite blue asshole. And he's been summoned to Coruscant for a meeting of heads of state to quibble about budgetary proportions lol. Of all things to yank Thrawn away from Lothal, it's politics and bureaucracy, par the course. Thrawn seems offended and claims Palpatine assured him he supports the Defenders.

And while I'm sure Palpatine has paid a bit of lip service to Thrawn's face... yeah no sorry honey, Palpatine was always going to go with the Death Star thing, it's been in the works since before the Clone War broke out. The only issue is that it's sucking all the funding and resources of everything else dry because of the constant delays and problems (Krennic is apparently mismanaging to hell) so now they are considering ganking money from other various projects to feed it.

And that's just... SO like the government lol.

So exit Thrawn, straight into the Thrawn: Treason novel. And I am still SORELY disappointed that Zahn did not take full advantage of the fact that Treason was basically a Rebels tie-in in order to have Thrawn sloooooooowly losing his mind and patience over things dissolving on Lothal while he's not there so that by the time we get him back in the finale, his irritation and annoyance is peak comedy and perfect characterization follow-through.

"I was gone for ONE HOUR and you blew up my project???!??"

The gliders are telegraphed to us with a very slight sound effect, and the rigid wings. So it's amazingly effective at fooling the Troopers lol. Rukh on the other hand has probably picked up a whiff of Zeb lingering on the others so he's alert.

Aaaaaand hidden goodbye number two, frick my heart this one hurts. There's so much Kanan can't tell Ezra, lest the fear of loss cripple him and make him unable to act, drive him towards the Dark Side. Kanan needs Ezra to be able to function for this mission, so he just praises Ezra for being a good listener--a veiled admonition for him to continue listening to the will of the Force, to his instincts, to the wisdom of others, to the wolves--and tells him and Sabine, "May the Force be with you."

He entrusts their safety to the Force, and tells them to trust in it in turn.

"Ezra and Sabine have each other, they'll find their way home."

Oh boy, on this edition of "Terrible Rebels takes that make zero sense except to the perpetually offended", there were actually multiple people who complained about Hera's confession coming about as a result of the truth serum, and they were mad that her loopy state because of the truth serum was played for laughs.

To which all I will say is, shut up, Hera drunk on truth serum is hilarious. Maybe quit having such a stick up your butt about bad things happening to female characters and let them get in on the jokes and slapstick occasionally.

Heroic Main Theme here as Kanan makes his entrance.

About 90% certain the thing Hera wanted to tell Kanan here was that she was pregnant. I refuse to accept that time on the fuel pod as the first time she told Kanan she loved him. Does not make sense, rejected.

Not gonna comment much on the Kanan/Hera scenes, they're adorable and sweet and heartwarming and heartbreaking in hindsight but I will say this soft romantic cue that accompanies them is very lovely.

Pryce sounds more than a bit pissy that Hera got rescued right from under her nose. This leads directly into her recklessness later with the fuel pods.

Love Ezra and Sabine casually commandeering a gunship. "I'm the backup pilot, so I'm in the back." And the Troopers just accept that logic lol.

And the "something" Kanan needs to tell Hera is either that he knows she's pregnant (but maybe doesn't know she knows?) OR about his upcoming expiration. Too bad Rukh interferes.

Oh hey, another sad parallel, neither Jedi have their lightsaber for their moment of ultimate sacrifice.

Hgngnh watching all the pieces move into place for what I already know is coming is awful.

Still cannot get over just how polluted the streets are, look at that rust colored smog.

Lol Ezra's little fist pump, completely forgetting where he is a moment. He's so cute I love him.

Their teamwork in taking out the other Imperials is great too.

*watches the kiss, sighs with sadness*

You did not have to dig so hard into the mood whiplash guys. You really didn't.

All right, let's just... pull off the bandaid.

The animation, the music full of mournful male chorus and high siren wail, the muted soundtrack, the emphasis on Hera and Ezra, that Kanan is so deeply utterly in tune with the Force that his blindness doesn't even matter (which is what his eyes clearing up was, clumsily, attempting to convey) he can see them...

And then he's gone.

And how awful it was for Ezra, who literally just felt his bond with Kanan snap inside his head, to have to be the competent leader and shout at Sabine to, "Go! Go!". For him to have to be the one thinking clearly, because Hera is completely numb and in shock.

Sabine wiping her eyes as she flies them out of there, somehow still able to see through her tears.

And then a stark white and gray titlecard as ashen dust flickers down around the text.

:((((((((

Frick man it still hits hard. Looking back though, it was inevitable. The death flags were all there, the pieces all set up and in place. This wasn't done on a whim, this was meticulously thought out, to devastating effect.

I was never quite as emotionally attached to Kanan as a lot of other people in the fandom, and I'm also a grown adult, so Kanan's death, while incredibly saddening, was not nearly as emotionally devastating to me as it was to quite a few younger viewers. For a lot of fandom this was their first time experiencing a fictitious loss like that, of having a character, a person they had as a staple in their lives, suddenly leaving it. Leaving behind an empty hole.

And that's one of the reasons I have to respect the writers for doing it. They had a story they needed to tell--about loss, about dealing with grief, about how to pick yourself back up and continue doing the right thing, as a Jedi specifically for Ezra, and as a person for everyone else--and they knew they needed to give it the weight and gravitas it merited.

You can't cling to things forever. It's one of the core staple lessons of Star Wars, the "point of the prequels" to borrow a common if oft-misused phrase.

Loss will happen. Death will happen. Do not give into fear about it. Do not let your fear of loss drive you into darkness.

Give yourself time to process the loss. Let yourself grieve.

And then let go.

So I appreciate that the next few episodes are spent almost as if in a funk, the cloud of grief hanging over us as we process through our loss with the characters and then pick ourselves back up and return to the mission. Because the war isn't won yet, and there are still things left to do.

It is darkest before the dawn.

#star wars #star wars rebels #rebels rewatch #kanan x hera #space dad and his precious pumpkin child #and his rainbow colored cupcake #sabezra #liveblog #spoilers #this is a pro jedi blog #meta rambling #Rebels Rambles #warning: hella sad #i'm not even kidding #grand admiral thrawn #dunking on the blue bastard #ezra bridger

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thevibraniumveterans · 7 months

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REBELS REWATCH

S1E2 — SPARK OF THE REBELLION; PART 2

Hera continues to explain to Ezra why he needs to rescue the crew. He tells her, “No, it’s too late for them, Hera. We should run now, while—” Here’s the thing though, he starts to sound unsure of himself, because he does not sound cocky anymore. He may say one thing, but his expressions betray him. Hera interrupts him. “You don’t mean that.” Ezra says, “I do! I swear, I do.” He doesn’t believe he does, though, because he struggles to even get that answer out. “Which is why I can’t believe I’m doing this!” It might not be a sudden change of heart, but it’s more of a moral struggle for him. Hera had explained kindness to him, likely something he’s had to let go of years ago. Here, Ezra’s repayment of a good deed is his first step into a larger world.

Ezra reaches Zeb and Karan just in time, saying that Hera sent him, and to run when the the troopers open the doorway. Interestingly enough, while Kanan and Zeb charge forward, Ezra provides cover fire via his energy slingshots. Used to fending for himself, this is the first time he’s helped to stall the enemy, protecting the same people who inadvertently took him in.

While running, Ezra tells his two companions that they should “warn Sabine and Chopper”. Interestingly enough, he could have chosen to name Chopper first and Sabine second, but he doesn’t.

Sabine and Chopper are concentrating on getting the job done. They do not know what’s coming.

The gravity gets disabled, and Ezra and Zeb tussle again amidst blaster fire. Ezra gets captured by the Imperials, and inadvertently gets left behind as his adoptive crew jump to hyperspace. Zeb is regretful.

Ezra sits in a cell and is visited by Agent Kallus. Not one to avoid a conversation, he insults Kallus, even when threatened with the Empire’s visit to his homeworld of Lothal. He says, “They're not gonna come for me. People don’t do that.” It’s evident he’s only ever stuck his neck out for himself because no one else ever did.

Ezra gets his stuff taken away by the troopers, but manages to hold on to the Holocron. Even though it’s the only thing he has to keep him company, he takes a deep breath and tries to quiet his mind. Perhaps he is imagining himself opening the cube since he is shown to previously have failed to do so. Unbeknownst to him, he actually opens the cube, until the message within starts playing. Perhaps Ezra is unconsciously making use of abilities dormant within him. The message ends with, “Trust in the Force,” a phrase also said by Ahsoka to Sabine decades later before she opens herself up to the Force. Back in the cell, however, Ezra may or may not have used the Force to open the cube. It’s not hard to put two and two together.

Back on Hera’s ship, she discusses going back to save Ezra. Zeb disagrees, and Sabine concurs, logically inferring that since they just left, their return would mean the Imperials would “be waiting for us. We can’t save him.” She looks a bit regretful.

In the cell, Ezra convincingly baits the guard troopers to open the cell door for him. They do, and he throws a salute and runs. He ends up in an armory, grabs his bag, and steals a cadet helmet. This is something he would continue to do in the following seasons of Rebels, as well as the last episode of Ahsoka S1. It becomes a habit.

Understanding the danger he’d be in, Ezra exits the armory through a chute in the ceiling. Though this is certainly not the first time he would do this, Ezra mimics a trooper and diverts part of Kallus’ attention elsewhere away from his rescuers. In fact, Ezra would pull the very same stunt decades later minutes after getting on the Chimera.

Hera’s crew touch down, and she orders her team to “find Ezra”. Which is what she would end up having faith in Sabine and Ahsoka to do many years later.

Sabine chides Zeb, saying, “And this time, try not to leave until everyone’s back aboard.” Zeb argues, “That was not my fault!” Right on cue, Ezra drops down from the ceiling directly overhead. How did he find out exactly how to get to the hangar, while in the vents?

Zeb sucker punches Ezra, who argues at Zeb. “First you ditch me, then you hit me?” Zeb replies that the helmet threw him off. Which is absolutely hilarious.

Ezra approaches the pilot’s hold, and thanks Hera twice in succession. Evidently not used to people coming back for him, he subconsciously rubs the back of his head. He tells Hera, “I really didn’t think you’d come back for me.” In slightly different words in Ahsoka S1E8, Sabine admits, “I never thought I’d see him again”. In both instances, they admit to not believing in the possibility of what seems impossible.

Hera says that she can get Ezra home, but he admits to not having parents. Hindsight tells us the Imperials captured and killed them, but at this point, to Ezra, they were as good as gone without an explanation. He shakes this off by telling Hera, “And you’ve got somewhere else to be.”

The rest of the crew walks into the pilot’s hold, but as soon as Sabine walks past, Ezra self-consciously turns away. He tells the crew where the Wookies are being sent, and suggests the crew set course for Kessel. Amazingly, Hera agrees, not leaving any room for further argument. This is interesting because Ezra isn’t quite used to having people agree with him.

The crew lands in the mines, and Kanan signals for Ezra to sneak off undetected. He does so with remarkable ease, and frees the adult Wookies. But there is a young Wookie left. Ezra sees the youngster running from a trooper, and reflects on the fact that that could have been him. He rejoins the crew, and after Kanan reveals himself to be a Jedi, Ezra makes a run for it, going after the child Wookie. He chases the trooper and the child onto a walkway, and makes a Force leap (of, hilariously, 18-20 feet into the air), putting himself between the child and the trooper. It’s only funny here because at this point in time, Ezra doesn’t know he has the Force, but that he is able to perform inhuman feats. Ezra lets loose a barrage of energy bolts, but is unaware that Agent Kallus is behind him.

Note that this is more or less the very first time that Ezra ever rescues a child in need. Perhaps he is doing this because he knows he has been shown kindness, and so, decides to pass it on, knowing that it would only reap benefits.

So Kallus corners Ezra, who retorts with, “I don’t know where you get your delusions, buckethead.” Which is an exact line (barring only the finishing insult) that Leia would use years later down the line on Han Solo in ESB.

Kanan comes to the rescue, and tells Ezra and the child to jump. They do.

In the hold of the Ghost, the Wookies reunite, and Kanan is proud of Ezra. The teenager tells the youngster to “try to stay out of trouble.” Zeb, amused, remarks, “Ha. Look who’s talking.”

Ezra feels a little dejected, and asks Kanan, “So I guess you drop me off next?” Even Zeb doesn’t quite believe himself when he says that would be the case. Something’s changed.

Some time passes, and the Ghost touches down on Lothal. Ezra makes his way down a ladder, beneath (and adjacent to) which Sabine is helping to clean Chopper. Ezra steps off the ladder, looks at Sabine and Chopper once, and gives a small smile. He walks past and away from them, and Sabine watches Ezra retreat. Her unreadable expression gives nothing away.

Ezra birds farewell to Zeb, who jokingly retorts with, “Not if we see you first.” Zeb lightheartedly punches Ezra, who says, “Don’t worry, you won’t.” Ezra doesn’t look too happy to leave, yet Zeb wonders what went wrong.

Down the ramp, Kanan and Hera are waiting for him. Ezra returns the opened Holocron to Kanan, and tells them, “Good luck saving the galaxy” before running off, never once looking behind him.

Ezra returns to his home in the lookout communications tower. Thinking himself alone, he wonders aloud, “What’s the Force?” A faint whistling sound — from this point on often associated with Ezra’s connection to said Force — can be heard. Kanan, who had followed the teenager home, explains what it is. The age old, “It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Which is the exact wording Ben Kenobi will tell Luke a few years from now. It could be that this statement is a piece of knowledge drilled into younglings at the Order.

Kanan tells Ezra that the Force is strong with him. How’d he open the Holocron otherwise? Ezra wonders what Kanan wants with him, and receives the following response: “To offer you a choice. You can keep the lightsaber you stole, let it become just another dusty souvenir. Or you can give it back and come with us, come with me, and be trained in the ways of the Force. You can learn what it truly means to be a Jedi.” Ezra isn’t typically one that obeys orders, so it makes sense that he is given a choice, one that he can freely choose.

Ezra says, “I thought the Empire wiped out all the Jedi.” Which is kind of true. Kanan states the obvious, “Not all of us.” Ezra looks down at Kanan’s lightsaber, but when he looks back up, Kanan is gone. Which is really odd.

Kanan opens the Holocron again, and Kenobi’s message plays. It gets to a part where he states, “the future is uncertain”, and the shot cuts to Sabine sitting alone in the common hold, contemplatively staring at her helmet.

The message ends, and Ezra arrives at Kanan’s doorway, and hands over the saber. He knows he made the right choice.

#star wars #star wars rebels #rebels rewatch #ezra bridger #sabine wren #hera syndulla #garazeb orrelios #kanan jarrus #star wars chopper #ahsoka series #my notes #star wars meta #sabezra #ezrabine

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gelsom · 7 months

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I want to watch again star wars rebels, I miss them so much. Everyone expect Thrawn :,D

#star wars #star wars rebels #ezra bridger #ahsoka tano #hera syndulla #zeb orrelios #kanan jarrus #sabine wren #chopper #rebels rewatch #sw rebels #i love that serie with my whole soul and heart and i want to cry all my tears out

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oliviartist · 2 months

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ok so me and my dad are watching Star Wars rebels together he’s never watched the full series only bits and pieces from when I’ve watched it over time

we just finished the season 2 episode legacy my dad was not expecting it to be as emotional as it was all I could say was “ yes but don’t worry it gets better “ all the while it does in fact not get better it gets worse so much worse

also his favorite is kanan so I’m waiting for his reaction to Jedi night

#star wars rebels #star wars #kanan jarrus #rebels rewatch

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stopthatmyhandsaredirty · 9 months

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Star Wars Rebels Bechdel Test Rewatch- Season 2 Recap

I’m all done with Season 2! I’m flying through this rewatch. This show is great in a binge watch. In terms of the Bechdel Test, Season 2 was a marked improvement. Let’s see how it did overall.

15 out of 22 episodes in Season 2 pass the Bechdel Test. This is up from 8 out of 15 episodes in Season 1. This is also more passing episodes than any single season of The Clone Wars which peaked at 11 passing episodes in Seasons 3 and 5.

The passing Season 2 episodes are: “The Siege of Lothal (Parts 1 and 2),’ ‘Always Two There Are,’ ‘Wings of the Master,’ ‘Blood Sisters,’ ‘The Future of the Force,’ ‘Legacy,’ ‘A Princess on Lothal,’ ‘The Protector of Concord Dawn,’ ‘Legends of Lasat,’ ‘The Call,’ ‘Homecoming,’ ‘Shroud of Darkness,’ ‘The Forgotten Droid,’ and ‘The Mystery of Chopper Base.’

The strongest episodes in terms of representation with 4 female named female characters with speaking roles each are ‘The Siege of Lothal (Part 1)’, ‘The Future of the Force,’ ‘Shroud of Darkness,’ and ‘The Mystery of Chopper Base.’ I terms of actual dialogue exchanged between women, I’d say ‘The Future of the Force’ was the strongest overall

There are 13 named female characters with speaking roles in Season 2, up quite a bit from the measly 4 we got in Season 1. By comparison, there are 29 named male characters with a speaking role in Season 2, which is only slightly up from 26 in Season 1. Of the 13 characters, 9 were new to the series. It’s also worth noting that 3 out of the 13 are killed before the end of the Season (Minister Tua, Deiser, and the Seventh Sister). Ahsoka also disappears at the end of the Season.

The characters who recurred the most frequently are:

Hera Syndulla- (20 Episodes)

Sabine Wren- (20 Episodes)

Ahsoka Tano (9 Episodes)

Seventh Sister (6 Episodes)

Ketsu Onyo (2 episodes)

Every episode in Season 2 featured at least 2 female characters with speaking roles. This is a big improvement from The Clone Wars. The only characters to appear in every episode were Ezra, Kanan, and Chopper.

Season 3 let’s goooooooo!

#star wars rebels #sw rebels #swrebels #rebels rewatch #women in star wars #hera syndulla #sabine wren #ahsoka tano #seventh sister #ezra bridger #kanan jarrus #alexsandr kallus #garazeb orrelios #zeb orrelios #chopper #rex #captain rex

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ladyanidala · 8 months

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MATE!! YOU'VE INSPIRED ME TO DO A REBELS REWATCH!! instead of ahsoka, i'm in a rebels sithspit.

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Bro, keep me updated on how far you are, I freaking LOVE Rebels XD

#star wars #sw rebels #rebels rewatch #star wars rebels #ghost crew #swr #ladyanidala asks #seriously #please keep me updated

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jedi-nurse · 1 year

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I absolutely love that the Ghost crew gave Ezra parts for his first lightsaber

#star wars rebels #star wars #ezra bridger #sabine wren #hera syndulla #kanan jarrus #ghost crew #zeb orrelios #c1 10p #rebels rewatch

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reader6898 · 2 months

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Doing my rewatch of rebels and I love it when Hera calls Kanan 'love'

They are one of my favorite power couples ❤️

#star wars #rebels #rebels rewatch #rebels kanan jarrus #rebels hera

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inquisitor-apologist · 1 month

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Oh hey it’s the gay people episode

#blood sisters come the fuck on #star wars #rebels #star wars rebels #sw rebels #is this the original post tag #rebels rewatch

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moon-chaser19 · 8 months

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okay y'all are gonna probably feel very bad for me after this (bc something probably is gonna happen) but I've never seen rebels before and I'm just now watching it for the first time.... and im calling it now!

if anything bad happens to any of the ghost crew or to rex, wolffe, and gregor... im actually gonna lose my mind I don't think ill be able to take it 😭😭

please don't let anything happen istg- 😭

#star wars #star wars rebels #sw rebels #rebels rewatch #ezra bridger #hera syndulla #swr #rebels #please no spoilers #I really hope they're gonna be okay #I'm so scared for ahsoka ngl

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tarisilmarwen · 10 months

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Rebels Rewatch: "Legends of the Lasat"

Kevin Kiner please take all my money forever.

Right, attempt two at this. Seriously Tumblr what is the point of having an auto-save feature for posts if it doesn't actually save a decent previous version of the post?

Also WHY THE HELL DID CNTRL+Z DELETE BASICALLY THE WHOLE DAMN POST?!

Anyway.

I'm glad we got to visit this moon space base location again, I think it's such an interesting design.

Another tightly-written opening dialogue exposition scene here, in a few short sentences we learn what they Spectres are here for and why, and that the mission is urgent.

Lol Ezra being evasive about Hondo being his contact. I do wonder how exactly Hondo got that transmitter to Ezra. Did they reconnect sometime offscreen? Did Ezra swipe it during "Brothers of the Broken Horn"? Did Hondo surreptitiously leave it in Ezra's pocket?

However it happened, it's adorable that this once-ruthless bloodthirsty greedy pirate basically decided, "I MUST BEFRIEND THE BABY JEDI, HE'S MY FRIEND NOW I CLAIM HIM."

The camerawork in this scene is phenomenal. This first shot that tracks the Spectres and then dollies just around the corner, as if we are also peeking around it with the characters? This fast almost 270 rotating pan across the Spectres as they make short work of the troopers? Stellar.

(You can also tell they had budget to spare for this episode because the Imperial officer has a face. Lol.)

Love it when they let Ezra be casually awesome.

Hera sounds so aggrieved that Hondo is Ezra's contact lol.

And here we get the reveal, Zeb was captain of the High Honor Guard of Lasan. A bit later in the episode we learn this consists of being a bodyguard protector of the royal family specifically and all citizens of Lasan in general. Sooooo yeah, quite a bit of heavy personal guilt for Zeb here, feeling like he, specifically, personally, failed his entire world. Ouch.

"Hondo could use a little help." <3

Zeb's expressions this scene are painful. :(

Hondo being so dang fond of Ezra aww.

Though not so fond that he doesn't immediately screw everyone over, greedy bastard.

I saw Zeb rolling his eyes there, animators.

So Zeb's interactions with Chava and Grond are very much a Spiritualist vs Skeptic plot, with the expected tragic personal reason for the skeptic's doubt and disbelief. It's also heavily implied that the loss of Lasan, that trauma, made Zeb regress in maturity, made him snippier and more petulant and churlish. As Ezra says later Zeb does act "like a child", so perhaps his being cast as the Child archetype in the Prophecy of the Three was not so off base lol.

Ezra has such cute smiles this episode. <3

LOL Hondo's chipper little "Hello!" at the Stormtroopers.

"Well. This must look... incriminating." This man is a delight in every scene.

I mentioned the camerawork right? This is another nice shot here, this pan down from the cockpit to the nose gun turret to meet Zeb.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The smoke coming from the chimney top of the station.

...Is this Stormtrooper also voiced by David Oyelowo?

Ezra immediately noticing Zeb's scoffing like the empath he is. <3

Love love love seeing the unique cultural way that Lasat interact with the Force, the "Ashla" as they call it, mixed ritual and magitek, prophecies that revolve around certain narrative archetypes and symbolic figures. It's just so cool.

I haven't been talking much about the music yet (oh but believe me we will have much to say on that) but this cue here starts easing just slightly into the mysticism of the Lasat ritual. It's almost Stravinsky-esque in nature, carefully stepping flutes and clarinets, discordant strings. We incorporate just a very soft snippet of the Force theme.

Zeb auto-assuming Ezra is the child.

Lol Hondo putting his arm around that one Stormtrooper's shoulder.

He's so cute asjkhfkajsh. Look at him. He's all like, "Please Dad, can I chant with the weird purple people too?"

HE LOOKS SO FOND AND PROUD AWW.

The score takes a bit of an exotic turn, a mellow arabic flute and possibly a sitar adding to the texture of the melody.

The lighting in this scene egads.

I love this scene I love it so much. Ezra acting as counselor, with his mere presence and curiosity getting Zeb to open up about his past and fears and insecurities. There's so much hurt in Zeb's slumped posture, guilt and grief compete for space in his voice, and I don't think we see him this distraught again until after Kanan's death.

But with Ezra's encouragement, he pulls himself together.

Once again showing off the cool magitek with Chava's staff and Zeb's bo-rifle here and I just love the concept, I love the whole aesthetic of hearing whispers of destiny through the Ashla and then channeling the energy of the universe through arcane, almost magical technology to navigate the stars, like some kind of arcane mariners. And we all thought the bo-rifle was just some kind of standard ordinary weapon, SURPRISE, it's also an ancient Force-magic navicomputer.

And oh wow the parallels with the purrgil next episode and the Chiss sky-walkers in the Thrawn novels.

This is soooooo pretty. The animation here is gorgeous.

After the commercial cut we're in hyperspace and the Ghost is making an almost blind jump out into Wild Space. Hera doesn't seem terribly worried. (Behind the scenes material says she apparently does this all the time.) But the ship's safety protocols flip out when they sense the imploded star cluster and Hera quickly drops them into realspace and one of the most gorgeous moments of the series.

HNNNNNNGHGHHHHH.

This whole sequence is stunning. Some of the best animation of the show, accompanied by one of the best tracks in the score, the star cluster looking like a watercolor spectacle.

And the Stravinsky influenced instrumentation brings the strings front and center; a haunting choir whispers in the background.

Kanan putting one hand on the back of Hera's chair and the other on her shoulder, aww.

Just tell me you wouldn't want this as a wall painting. <3

Chava gives some inspiring words about not pidegonholing oneself into a single role in their prophecy and this motivates Zeb to find a well of inner courage and open himself up to the will of the Ashla.

What I wouldn't give for more on ancient Lasan tech, how their ships must have been designed to integrate with the bo-rifle staffs. It functions as pilot and navigator and also apparently encases the Ghost with a protective shield that keeps it from being crushed by the gravity.

Let that sink in a moment, the staff, when channeling the Force, can literally bend gravity around the ship.

AND AS "JOURNEY INTO THE STAR CLUSTER" WRAPS US IN A VIOLIN SOLO THAT EVOKES MYSTERY AND MYSTICISM KANAN AND EZRA SENSE THEIR HELP IS NEEDED AND CALMLY PLACE HANDS ON ZEB, LIKE THE LAYING OF HANDS DURING CORPORATE PRAYER, AND CHANNEL THE FORCE THROUGH THEM INTO ZEB, WHO LETS IT FLOW THROUGH HIM THROUGH THE RIFLE TO GIVE HIM THE CLARITY OF VISION TO SEE THE WAY THROUGH.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The sparks that pop from a wall panel on the cruiser as Kallus attempts to have it follow the Ghost.

THE CHOIR COMES IN FULL BLAST.

AND ZEB CLOSES HIS EYES IN FAITH AS THE LIGHT TURNS BLINDING.

Whew! And what a rush! The absolute quiet in the score right afterwards gives us a moment to inhale and catch our breath.

Chopper of course chooses to be a pest, releasing the tension.

Lira San being the ancient lost homeworld of the Lasat fits right in with the whole arcane vibe of their culture, like they were connected to a place and people that time forgot.

And tada, we leave with a character arc complete, a new hyperspace route plotted and everything bathed in an aura of serenity.

This episode is one of the best of Season Two, if not the whole series. Everything comes together beautifully in the third act and the story has a feel of both spiritual transformation and wonder. I've already gushed about how interesting and unique the Lasat culture is, how it's presented as a mix of mysticism and technology, with prophecies and wise women, royal families and warriors, and navigators that explored the stars, guided by the Ashla.

Zeb gets more character growth in one episode than some characters get in a season, and he's largely "finished" after this, his issues with his past resolved. (Which isn't to say I wouldn't have loved more character focus on him, just that this is so phenomenal.) His heart-to-heart with Ezra is touching and illustrates just how close they've grown.

And did I mention this episode was pretty? This episode is super pretty and the music is straight fire.

10/10 no complaints. Would give Kiner my money again.

#star wars #star wars rebels #rebels rewatch #liveblog #i was exhausted all day and did not have the spoons to complete this one until later sorry #music #soundtracks #meta rambling

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thevibraniumveterans · 7 months

Text

REBELS REWATCH

S1E1 — SPARK OF THE REBELLION; PART 1

We first meet 14-year-old Ezra in his watchtower, which is old and rusted, looking like it’s seen better days. He looks bored, until a Star Destroyer looms large overhead. He takes his speeder into town.

Ezra steals a comlink from an Imperial not even 3 minutes into the episode; which in hindsight is like poetry since in the last episode of Ahsoka that is exactly what he does.

He steals some fruit from a vendor and escapes up a building with relative ease. This is before he discovers he even has abilities.

He smirks at his mischief, having caused confusion for the Imperials. At this point in time, he’s still a little snarky, looking out for himself, since he’s all he’s got.

Ezra hears a faint humming and thinks it’s weird. That’s never happened before. He’s alerted to a single unmoving figure standing at a street junction. The figure, Kanan Jarrus, feels something shift in the Force, and surreptitiously calls for backup — we meet Zeb and Sabine for the first time.

From above, Ezra watches the scene unfold. “Interesting,” he says. The lone figure has friends after all. The first thing Sabine does is casually walk towards an Imperial speeder bike and toss a detonator charge, which explodes, causing the intended ensuing chaos.

Not one to shirk the rush of adrenaline (“I like the sound of that”, he says), Ezra jumps into action and chases down the crates the Imperials are after, fully aware that the trio he had just been watching are doing the same thing. He jumps off a building and onto a bike with crates, and steals it from right under Zeb and Kanan’s noses. They give chase. Giving a cocky salute, Ezra speeds away. He doesn’t think of the immediate consequences of his actions. If it looks fun and he thinks he has a chance to get something out of it, he heads right to it.

Sabine has made her way to the rooftop, and scopes out the kid coming down the alleyway she’s overlooking. She dives down onto the transport, and is partially impressed (but clearly not pleased) that he’s momentarily bested the trio. Ezra looks backward at to see who landed on his transport, but continues to speed away. For some reason, Sabine shoots a link between two crates, enabling Ezra to escape. She offers a heads-up: “If the big guy catches you, he’ll end you! Good luck!”

Ezra continues on his way, wondering who these people are. They clearly seem to dislike Imperials, like he does. Kanan also wonders who the kid is. They reach the highway out of town, and Kanan matches Ezra’s speed. “Today is not your day,” Kanan tells the teenager, and gets “Day’s not over” in return. Ezra collects the crates, and rides off. Kanan is slightly impressed by Ezra’s thievery skills and ease in getting away, and after a few minutes, offers Ezra an escape ride.

Ezra presses a button on the crate, and sends it into the air toward the transport ship waiting for him. From Kanan’s point of view, it looks like Ezra has made an impossible jump only done by individuals with a specific skill set.

First thing Ezra does after seeing what’s inside the crate is gawk and starts a rivalry between him and Zeb. Not off to a great start, but a start nonetheless.

Zeb and Ezra continue to tussle in the main hold, and Zeb tosses him into a room. Ezra, being a smartass, finds a vent and goes into it… and falls out of it into one of the ship’s gunner’s chairs.

Not even a few moments later, Sabine yanks him out of the seat, displeased by this turn of events. What is this kid doing here, when we’ve got Imperials to shake off? He’d better not get in my way. She takes off her helmet, and Ezra gets his first look at the person under the helmet. He seems to like what he’s looking at, but she has no time for this. There’s bad guys to blast. Despite this, Ezra’s very first flirting attempt goes sideways immediately. “My name’s Ezra. What’s yours?” Unfortunately for him, Zeb comes into the room and introduces himself.

The crew makes the jump to hyperspace, and for what is likely the very first time in his life, Ezra is further away from home than he’s ever been. After some time, the ship drops out of hyperspace, and Ezra is brought to Hera, the ship’s pilot. He says he wants to go home, but Kanan comes back to the cockpit and says that’s not an option.

They land on a planet somewhere, and unload. Ezra is told to do his share of the work he’s found himself in, so he does. He, Sabine, and Zeb head into the village, and gets told that the villagers are effectively refugees of sorts, living in a town named after the man who gave them the boot from their own land.

It’s daybreak, and while Ezra join Zeb and Sabine in the village square, they help to distribute food, but he observes the situation around him. The crew who took him in are doing this for reasons far beyond themselves. He gets thanked by a villager, but mutters, “I didn’t do anything.” Shame creeps in, and with it, a bit of humility.

He walks off, and makes it back to the ship. He sits just outside its entrance, looking over the village. He hears the weird humming noise again, and explores the ship, hoping to find whatever it is that is making the noise. The caption states, “HUMMING INTENSIFIES” as he walks through the hallway.

He stops at a door, and stretches out his hand, almost as if this room is calling to him. He uses one of his tools to open the locked doors, and walks in, closing the doors behind him. The humming continues. He uneasily sits on an empty bunk bed, opens a drawer, and takes out what we know to be a holocron. Ezra has no idea what this is yet. He stashes it away in his bag, thinking nothing of it, but then discovers a lightsaber. In awe, he ignites it.

Kanan comes into the room, and chastises him for snooping. Dejected, Ezra walks away, and makes his way to the main area of the ship.

He makes no notice of Sabine until she asks, “Not too good at following directions, are you?” He awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “Not so much. You?” She replies that she’s a bit of a rebel herself too. Hoping to make up for earlier, Ezra wonders who this crew is, what they are doing in a very broad manner. Sabine tells him they’re “a crew. A team. In some ways, a family.” At that last word, Ezra looks away. He wonders about his own family, and asks Sabine what happened to hers. Begrudgingly, she says, “The Empire.” It explains a lot, and also parallels how in the Ahsoka series, he also asks about her family. The same response also applies, but the answer comes from a different character.

Though he didn’t ask, Sabine offers him a proper introduction and tells Ezra her name. He grins and reaches out, but Chopper stops him. Hilariously, the caption states, “BEEPING DISAPPROVINGLY”.

Hera takes him to the pilot’s hold. Ezra admits, “You know, this whole “mission” thing is nuts. I’m not against sticking it to the Empire, but there’s no way I’d stick my neck out this far. Who does that?” Hera replies, saying, “We do.” It’s only fitting since that is EXACTLY what Ezra does at the end of Season 4, bringing this full circle.

Hera’s ship gets boarded, and Ezra states ominously, “Something’s coming.” Right on cue, an Imperial Star Destroyer drops out of hyperspace. Hera tells Ezra, “You need to board the transport and warn” the rest of her crew. Ezra asks her why doesn’t she do it instead, so she tells him that she’s needs to be able escape at moment’s notice. However, Ezra flat out refuses. Whether it’s out of fear or something else, we don’t yet know. He states, “Why would I risk my life for a bunch of strangers?” Hera puts him in his place and says, “Because Kanan risked his life for you.” (Which is what he will end up doing 2-3 seasons from now.) “If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing. They need you, Ezra. They need you right now.”

#star wars #star wars rebels #ezra bridger #sabine wren #hera syndulla #kanan jarrus #c1 10p #garazeb orrelios #sabezra #ezrabine #rebels rewatch #ahsoka series #my notes

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