REVIEW: Star Wars Rebels "Legends of the Lasat"
Well, here it is, a Zeb-centric episode. Finally, the character the needs the most development the most finally got some needed screen time and focus. What was the end result of the episode, for the most part? Pretty solid.
The episode starts out with the whole Ghost crew trying to find missing refugees before the Empire does. This was set up by Ezra's informant, who ends up being Hondo Onaka again. Oh, we'll talk about him later. Anyway, after rescuing the hostages by a squad of Imperial troops, it's revealed the two refugees are two surviving Lasat members from Lasan. Obviously, Zeb, or should I say, Captain Zeb, is not only taken back by finding out that two of his species is alive, but also that they want him to follow a prophecy that will lead them to their new homeworld.
Ok, I'll talk about Hondo now since I want to focus more on Zeb. He is the literal defintion of a double-agent. He only cares about what side benefits him for profit. I know that is his character and that he has been doing that since the Clone Wars show, but he really pushed the buttons of a flip-floppity character. It kind of got old, really fast. He ends up getting captured and leads the Empire to the Ghost, so who knows what is going to happen to him.
After the Rebels escape, the focus of the episode is on Zeb trying to overcome his past regrets and on the spirituality of the Lasat's culture. Both I thought were done really well. We find out more about Zeb's past as he was captain of the honor guard on Lasan and that he was knocked out of battle by an explosion and was basically a dead man until Kanan found him. Therefore, the reason why he is angry at not only the two Lasats, but also himself, is because he blames himself for the tragedy and that he doesn't deserve their loyalty. However, it takes a well-done one-on-one talk with Ezra to finally convince him to work for his people now.
That, I feel, speaks volume for both characters. For Ezra, it shows how he is maturing and learning from Kanan on how to be compassionate to people. For Zeb, it gives a new side to his character and a reason behind his motivations, as well as his demenour and actions. Would I still like to learn more, yes, but I feel that this backstory was honestly more fleshed out than Hera's and Sabine's in previous episodes this season.
Another big part of the episode is the spirituality of the Lasat people. The two believe in a prophecy that a child will lead a fool and a warrior to the world of Lirasan. Zeb obviously thinks that he is the warrior and Ezra is the child, and as a result, denounces the whole thing is rubbish. However, Chava, the mentor, eventually reveals that Zeb is a combination of all the roles inside of him, and that he, alone, must balance all the roles inside of him to lead the way. That I thought was really clever.
The mythos of the Lasat were also intriguing as well. We later see Zeb use his bo-rifle with Chava's staff to find the location of Lirasan. I think the idea of seeing of what the force is called in other cultures in the Star Wars galaxy as it makes the universe seem more expansive and detailed.
The team then travel beyond the outer rim but are nearly destroyed by a large star cluster. At that same moment, Agent Kallus finds the rebels thanks to Onaka's tracking device and offers them a chance to surrender. However, thanks to Chava's words of wisdom, Zeb uses his rifle to literally lead the way. I really can't describe the sequence easily of what happens but I'll just say that it was very powerful. The scene was beautifully animated and the music complimented the scene very well. It was the highlight of the episode by far.
They are able then to avoid the Imperials and find Lirasan. We don't actually see Lirasan on the surface, at least not yet, which is a bummer. However, when Zeb returns, we find out that the planet is full of his people because it was actually the Lasat people's true homeworld. In the end, it definately lifts Zeb's spirit and focus, which is always a good thing.
Overall, I thought this episode did what it was supposed to do really well. It gave great background and character to Zeb, which was greatly needed, and it gave new insight on another culture and people in the universe. Honestly, Hondo's flip-flop behavior was really my only real problem with the episode.
