REVIEW: Star Wars Rebels "Jedi Night"
Have you ever read a story, whether it be from a book, TV, movie, or video game, where you pretty much knew what the outcome was going to be, but how it was executed made it worth it? That is exactly how I felt with this episode. This episode was many things, but most importantly, it was powerful. The final three minutes of this episode is some of the most powerful moments of the show. I predicted what would happen, but how it was handled made the moment worth it.
I am of course talking about the death of Kanan Jarrus, aka, Caleb Dume, Jedi Knight. Before we talk about that moment, we do have the rest of the episode to discuss. For the most part, the episode was pretty good. Thrawn has a great scene with Hera where he talks about her Kalikori that he stole from here. The idea is that Hera lost a brother before, and that the Kalikori is meant to represent her family and those she has lost before. (Foreshadow #1)
Kanan also decided to shave his beard and cut his hair to make it look like it did when he was a Jedi. (Foreshadow #2) He also gives emotional goodbyes to Zeb, Ezra, and Sabine before going off to rescue Hera. (Foreshadow #3) I think deep down, Kanan knew his fate and knew what he had to do to save his family, particuarly after speaking with the Lothwolves.
Eventually, through a series of events, Kanan reaches Hera, while Ezra and Sabine go undercover to find a ship to escape. When Kanan first meets Hera, she's loopy off of a truth serum, from an Imperial probe droid. While it was silly, I did get a kick out of the interactions between "drunk Hera" and Kanan.
Before we talk about, "the moment," here are other thoughts of the episode. Thrawn and Tarkin have a scene where Thrawn is sent to speak to the Emperor regarding funding for his Tie Defender program. It was nice to hear Tarkin mention Director Krennic and the Death Star. I hope we get to see, even if for a moment, the interaction between Thrawn and the Emperor.
Thrawn obviously leaves Pryce in charge, which, yeah, the Empire is pretty much incompetent without him and Rukh. While Rukh has a short but effective duel with Kanan, the rest of the troopers, including the "I can't believe how pointless they are death troopers," can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn.
Ok, let's discuss the final three minutes, because there is a lot to go over. The scene takes place in the fuel depot, which basically supplies the Tie factory. While waiting for backup, Hera finally confesses her love for Kanan in a very sweet moment. (Foreshadow #4) When Ezra and Sabine arrive, all appears to be won. However, not wanting to be outdone, Pryce orders Imperial walkers to fire on the depot. This creates an explosion that Kanan is able to hold back with the force, showcasing his full power. However, realizing what needs to be done, in a final selfless move, Kanan force pushes the others away, allowing him to be consumed in the blast, which fully destroys the depot.
Caleb Dume, Jedi Knight, Order 66 survivor, Rebel Alliance hero, friend, love, and master to the Ghost crew, meets his end protecting those closest to him.
Obviously, this is the biggest moment we've seen from the show so far, even more than Vader vs Ahsoka or Maul vs Obi-Wan. This is the first time a main character has been killed off. Again, based on the amount of foreshadowing, as well as the fact there aren't supposed to be any Jedi in the original trilogy other than Yoda and Obi-Wan, we knew it was going to eventually happen. I knew that knowing Kanan was my favorite character.
But like I said before, it is the execution of the scene that makes the moment works. The animation is stunning, the emotion each character gives is chilling, and the music, Kevin Kiner delivers another stand-out track. Plus, and I didn't know this the first time I watched the scene, right before he dies, Kanan's eyesight returns. He is able to see the woman he loves one last time. Which means, his promise he made to her in season 2, "we'll see each other again," was never broken at all.
So yeah, while it was expected, and heavily foreshadowed, the moment was still executed perfectly to me and made the episode great. It wasn't perfect due to some nitpicks, but in the grand scheme of it all, it really doesn't matter. This could be the only main character that dies, or this could be just the start. Regardless, for this moment right here, this is one of the most emotional and powerful sequence of events in Star Wars history.
