Star Wars Rebels: The Series Review
Well, it's time. After four seasons and 75 episodes, Star Wars Rebels has ended. While the storylines of the Ghost crew, or the Spectres, may continue in some way, the storyline from the show is over. This was the show that got me working on Geek Volcano (formerly Modern Gafa) so completing this review feels like a closing chapter to me. No, I'm not leaving the site, and I'll still cover and write Star Wars articles, event some Rebels' lists. But for now, this article was give my overall general thoughts on the show as a whole, from beginning to end.
I will split this review into multiple sections. Each main character will get a section, followed by the side characters, villains, a quick recap of what I thought of each season, the storylines and writing, the technical side of the show, and its lasting impact. So come along, as we go through the series that divided many when it started, but has slowly warmed fans over...well most of them.
Ezra Bridger
First up, the main character of the show, Spectre 6, Ezra Bridger. For those who have seen my reviews from the beginning know how divided I am on this character. When he started, everyone, including me, called him "Space Aladdin," because that's what his character basically was. There were times where he was likeable and sympathetic, while there were times where I found him annoying and unlikeable. Honestly, that mentality carried through most of the show. There were times watching the show where I can truly understand his character, truly understand his wishes and goals. I could see him as a good role model. Then there would be times, sometimes in the next episode, where he would act the opposite way.
I think the big thing I should realize is that the character grew up an orphan most of his life, and well, is a teenager. I think we, as audience members, including myself, think Jedi have to always act selfless. However, Ezra was never going to be a normal Jedi. That being said, while I can understand where he is coming from, doesn't mean I liked to watch it.
However, he was the character we as the audience watched the show through. The show evolved with the character. I'll be honest, it is remarkable to see how the character evolved, and in essence the show, from the series premiere to the finale. Ezra, through thick and thin, was the show. He had his good and bad moments. However, I think in the end, the journey and lessons he went through, as well as his sacrifice he made in the end, truly elevated him to a point where I can say I liked him, not loved, but liked.
Kanan Jarrus
Now on the flip side, here's a character I loved since the beginning, and is not only my favorite character from the series, but is honestly one of my favorite Star Wars characters, Spectre 1, Kanan Jarrus, aka Caleb Dume. First off, I loved that he is an Order 66 survivor, which I find interesting. But more than that, I love pretty much everything about the character. He has such a great development over the course of the series. He's a flawed character, a flawed Jedi, but that to me, shows his layers. He is responsible for some of the most badass moments of the series, such as the final fight with the Grand Inquisitor, his brief fight with Maul, and his final act of sacrifice.
Kanan evolved with the show as well, and one of the overarching themes for him, was truly overcoming adversity and never letting anything truly stop you no matter what. Plus, his final moment was honestly one of the best moments of the show, without a doubt. Even though most fans from the beginning knew what was going to happen to him, it was still a heartbreaking beautiful moment.
Overall, I liked his charm, his relationship with the other characters, such as Hera and Ezra, and I loved what he represented in the show as well.
Hera Syndulla
Next up, the leader of the rebel cell, turned eventual General in the Rebel Alliance, Spectre 2, Hera Syndulla. Overall, while she wasn't my favorite character, she was still a character that I liked and rooted for. I liked her personality, her charm, he backstory, and some of the storylines involving her (even if I had problems with the Ryloth episodes). There were times when I thought she cared more about the cause than her 'family,' but overall, I thought she was a good leader, role model, and someone fans can latch on to. She certainly has the most staying power right now as she has appeared in Forces of Destiny, some of the ongoing comic series, and was the first character confirmed to survive the series, and even past Return of the Jedi.
Ok. I have to be trash for a second. I have to talk about Kanera. I'm sorry, but this is my favorite Star Wars romance. Yes, I like Han and Leia, but this to me had the most development to me. I loved the two of them together and their interactions with each other. I made all the teases of their romance that much more frustrating, but made it all the worth it when it was fully revealed. Plus, Kanan's sacrifice and reveal they had a child together is so heartbreaking, yet beautiful.
Sabine Wren
Next, the Mandalorian-turned rebel, Spectre 5, Sabine Wren. In the beginning, in seasons one and two, I made it clear that while I didn't mind her, I felt the show wasn't doing enough to showcase her or develop her. Fast forward to seasons three and four, and the show reversed to the point where she seemed to be the secondary main character behind Ezra. Overall, I didn't mind her. I did like her a lot. I know of lot of fans have called her a 'Mary Sue' like Rey, but I don't see it like that. She is a capable fighter/warrior, but is not perfect. She has flaws, she has a checkered backstory to say the least. She grew as a character. She grew as a person. I don't like how the show abandoned her role with the darksaber, but overall, I liked the overall story the show gave her, even if some of the individual stories could have been told better, and it took awhile to get to it.
Zeb
Next, we have the muscle of the team, Spectre 4, Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios. Ok. I have to be honest. I didn't mind Zeb. However, you could have easily taken Zeb out of the show and nothing would be been that drastically different. Out of the main crew, he honestly gets the least amount of development. Yes, I thought even Chopper got more development. Zeb was pretty much there to be the big brute, the muscle, the dimwit, you know, that type of character. The few times he did shine were good, but it wasn't much. His biggest contribution was leading Kallus to defect, but, that could have been replaced by any character. It's sad to say, but I don't think most fans think Zeb is their favorite character.
Chopper
Ah yes, the snarky droid himself, Spectre 3, C1-10P, Chopper. Unlike Ezra, who I was mixed on in the beginning, I couldn't stand Chopper in the beginning. I found him annoying and childish, and I got irritated whenever he would be on screen for too long. However, for some reason, I can't explain, but right around the mid-point of season 2, I began to warm up to him. I began to respect his attitude and actions. Of course, I wasn't the biggest fans of his standalone episodes, but in the end, he grew into a character that I ended up liking and laughed from. I don't know what to say. I think I started liking him when he charged head on into a fight wielding two blasters. That was when I was like, ok, maybe he isn't so bad after all.
Side Characters
Ok, the show had a lot of side characters, so I won't try to name them all. You have two veterans from the Clone Wars, Ahsoka and Rex, which were awesome and welcomed additions. Hondo was another character from the Clone Wars, who, sometimes I loved, sometimes I didn't. There were characters like Fenn Rau and Ryder who were cool, AP-5 who gradually got more annoying as the show went on, and Vizago, who was ok. Honestly, the side characters ranged from good and memorable, to decent, to ok, to you're annoying the shit out of me.
Of course, I have to talk about the best ORIGINAL side character from the show, Agent Kallus. When he first appeared, most fans, including myself, thought he was a cliche villain who didn't really need to be around. However, his development through the end of season two into season three was so great, that he has now become a fan favorite. I guess that proves what happens when a show actually has good writing and development.
Villains
You can't have Star Wars without villains, and the show had plenty of them. The 'Legacy' villains, those who appeared in the live-action films, were great. I mean, how can you go wrong with appearances from Vader, the Emperor, Maul, and Tarkin? They were used enough, to me, to be effective while not overstaying their welcome. The rest of the Empire...it varied. For the most part, the Empire was portrayed as bumbling idiots, and if I'm bing honest, it got a little frustrating after awhile. If you thought the Empire were stupid and had bad aim in the films, then you ain't seen nothing yet.
The main villain in season one was the Grand Inquisitor. He was a great villain to me that was killed off too soon to me. I understand it was an important moment for Kanan, but I thought it would have been better to keep him around for another season. He would have been better than the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother,. The Seventh Sister was decent, but the Fifth Brother sucked. He was a buffoon. That was it. The show had other minor villains throughout, but they hardly ever left a mark.
While I thought Governor Pryce was a decent villain in the later episodes, the show's best villain was easily, without a doubt, Thrawn. As someone who never read the old Thrawn trilogy, let me say that I loved him as a villain and what he represented. While his buildup was slow at times, his ultimate goal and his ways of getting there were chilling. Every time he was on screen, it was a delight. He was the villain the show needed, and I hope he is brought back for future stories after his newest novel, Thrawn Alliances.
Technical and Performance
For the most part, the voice acting on the show was great. Everyone from the Ghost crew did a great job in their roles. Some of the side characters had annoying voices, if I'm being honest, but overall, I thought it was well done.
Now, I know a lot of people had problems with the animation, especially with the lightsabers. I'll admit, it's a style you had to get used to, and is something that I wouldn't have chosen. I think the animation improved as the show went on, as there were moments and sequences where I was stunned. However, there were parts, specifically early on, where I noticed it was rough around the edges to say the least.
However, if there was one thing from this show that was a masterpiece, it was the music. Composer Kevin Kiner, who also did the Clone Wars, truly showcased his brilliance in full force in the show with truly memorable pieces. John Williams is set to retire after Episode Nine. Get Kevin Kiner to record the music for the films. At the very least, get him to record the music for all other upcoming animated series.
Season One
These won't be major recaps of the seasons, but overall thoughts of what I thought of them. Season one was building towards the crew learning they were a part of a bigger fight. While I liked it, I thought it was the 'worst season.' A lot of the episodes felt like filler, specifically "Fighter Flight." However, the season did have memorable moments, and a fantastic finale with "Fire Across the Galaxy."
Season Two
Overall, I thought season two was an improvement over season one. While it did have filler episodes, and the villains weren't that great, the stuff that was good, was really damn good. Seriously, to this day, "Twilight of the Apprentice" is not only one of the best episodes of the series, it's one of the best episodes of Star Wars TV period.
Season Three
Season Three was really good, as it had its moments to shine, and, like season two, had moments that truly shined. However, like season five of the Clone Wars, season three was the biggest disappointment for as there were elements and story arcs that I thought could have been done better. For every "Zero Hour", "Trials of the Darksaber," and "Through Imperial Eyes," there was "Secret Cargo," "Iron Squadron," and...ugh..."The Wynkahthu Job."
Season Four
Overall, season four was easily the best for me, as it moved in a coherent story and gave us some of the most memorable and emotional scenes in the series. It wasn't perfect, as I thought some elements from the first half of the season could have been done better. However, the back half of the season, from "Jedi Night" to the finale was easily the best stretch of episodes the series had, in which I had zero major complaints.
Storylines and Writing
The thing about the show, to me, was that when it was good, it was damn good. When the show hit its strides with its writing and pacing and development, it was fantastic. However, it was far from perfect. There were elements that were fantastic that even changed the way we view the franchise, such as the World Between Worlds. However, there were times where I was frustrated with the pacing of the show, as I thought it had no clear goal, or shuffled between too many elements lazily. Yes, if you map out the entire story now that it is done, it makes sense, but watching it week after week, it got frustrating at times wondering, ok, what direction is this show going in? What is the next step forward? It was sad that the Clone Wars, which was mainly structured as individual story arcs with connected threads, felt more organized at times than Rebels which was supposed to have a consistent storyline.
It also didn't help there were story elements, such as the Mandalorian and Ryloth arcs, that never reached their full potential to me. They weren't bad, but I thought they could have been done a lot better. There were also a lot of filler episodes, storylines and characters that felt stupid, or were just plain bad.
However, I don't think the majority of the show was bad. A decent portion was sloppy, but again, the stuff that was good, was really good. Anything that had to do with the force was great. The stuff with Thrawn, great. How the show ended its story, damn-near perfect.
Lasting Impact
The show may be over, but that doesn't mean its the end of the characters. While the show wrapped up the Lothal storyline nicely, it left the door wide open for potential new stories to tell. The franchise, (through most likely comics and/or novels) can tell the stories of the characters before they met, what the surviving characters did during the events of the original trilogy, and what the surviving characters following the end of the war, especially with Hera and her son Jacen.
Of course, the show left a huge potential source of stories with the World Between Worlds. Also, a show detailing Sabine and Ahsoka trying to find Ezra would be nice.
Overall
You know, if you guys took shots every time I 'overall' in my reviews. Anyway, how was the show. I'll admit, I think I still liked the Clone Wars more, and that's not me being nostalgic. However, I think Rebels was a really good show. I was great, downright fantastic in parts, while also struggling in other parts. I know not every Star Wars fan is a fan of the show, and that's fine. However, you can't deny what the show did for the franchise and its lore. Dave Filoni and his team was able to craft their own story with no limitations, (minus the obvious censorship by Disney) and that has to be commended. Star Wars will continue with more shows and movies, but the legacy of Rebels will not be forgotten. It was a good show that I loved. It was tough love, something I won't give a free pass too, but love nonetheless.
