Official Synopsis
Young hero Ezra Bridger joins the clever but motley crew of the starship Ghost in their resistance against the Empire. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. Ezra and his new rebel friends — Hera, Kanan, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper — embark on daring adventures in their fight against oppression across the galaxy, receiving help from familiar heroes such as Lando Calrissian, Ahsoka Tano, and Jedi Master Yoda. Pursued relentlessly by the Imperials and a Jedi hunter called the Inquisitor, this tenacious ragtag band of rebels will find itself in the crosshairs of none other than Darth Vader when season one closes in a shocking two-part finale.
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Yeah, so this series is great. And by ‘great’, I don’t mean that it’s another cartoon series that beats around the bush with previous movie-driven material that only scratches the surface of what we already know about the Star Wars universe built over the last three decades. No, Star Wars: Rebels dives right into the thick of the story that George Lucas previously put together, cultivates it a bit and then puts together one of the stronger cartoon series that I’ve had the pleasure of watching in the last 10 years.
So, yes, it is great.
The story of Rebels lies somewhere between episode III and episode IV, where the galactic empire is just starting to put its foot down on the face of the galaxy. Uncertainty and uneasiness are rampant, which eventually produces the first piece of a Rebel force. The story starts with the introduction of our main protagonist, Ezra (there is nothing better than Ezra at the moment — yes, I went there). Ezra (Taylor Gray) is a young thief, in the style of Aladdin, who is destined for better things, but before knowing that he must put trust in a young rebel force led by Jedi survivor Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze, Jr.). Funny happenstance brings them together in act one, or more specifically the theft of weaponry from the empire, but soon everyone involved realizes there is more to their story than simple survival.
Act one, which really spans about five episodes at the beginning of the season, does a great job with establishing all players involved in Ezra’s development. The show does well with treating the story and character development properly. We get a good feel of who the other, minor characters are in the Star Wars: Rebels story in a short amount of time. We have a Boba Fett-esque clone in a Mandalorian named Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar). We have a gruff, rough and Chewbacca-esque role with Zeb Orrelios (Steven Blum), a Lasat honor guard. We get to know pilot Hera Syndulla (Vanessa Marshall), who keeps the crew on task and in order throughout the entire first season. We also get to know Anakin Skywalker’s Togruta padawan in Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein). Oh, there is also the crew’s annoying droid companion that keeps them honest. All of these folks are given enough time to get their story pieces in the entire season and their motivations are clearly put on the table. All of this within the first part of the season.
Call me crazy, but it’s a rare thing these days when a cartoon takes great care in putting together memorable characters with incredibly interesting backgrounds. Not many cartoons do that these days, at least none that stretch the stories over multiple episodes. Act one of the first season of Rebels looks to have plans for the long haul with this series and it isn’t shy about making those intentions known with the first act.
As act two starts budding, and all the characters involved start to gel into a well-oiled action machine, the story introduces its first official bad guy, who is also in it for the long haul. A Sith inquisitor (Jason Isaacs — no joke) shows up with intentions of getting rid of Jedi Master Kanan, as well as his padawan Ezra. From the mid-point of season one until the two-episode capper, the story is basically a race to make Ezra as prepared as possible for a Jedi role before the inquisitor either brings Ezra over to the dark side or kills him.
Love act two as it really puts everything out there. The cartoon shifts from a mildly violent cartoon to a real work of art that outshines episode I-III (I know Disney doesn’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth). The cartoon doesn’t apologize for the elimination of characters, doesn’t stop to think if it should include the ‘real danger of death’ that most cartoons tend to ignore (looking at you, G.I. Joe), rather it shifts everything into fifth gear and makes its viewers uneasy knowing that at any given moment someone they know and love could go. Act two separates Star Wars: Rebels from the rest of the cartoon tripe out there on cable or network.
Anyway, act three begins with a few elements. First, Ezra has to learn to control his powers, which are on the brink of out of control — leaning towards the Sith side of life. Second, Ezra’s also is on the search to find out what happened to his parents (that is a touching episode, and intriguing storyline). Lastly, Kanan is scrambling to push his padawan through the Jedi trials, deathly afraid that he’ll lose Ezra to the dark side. The third act has a lot of things happening, but all moving perfectly in sequence with each other. I won’t reveal how it all ends in season one, but I will say you’ll be pining for season two shortly thereafter.
Star Wars: Rebels is more than a license/money grab. Creators Simon Kinberg, Carrie Beck and Dave Filoni have hit all the right notes with the development of this long-term project. They have set up the story beautifully, executed it properly and produced one of the best cartoons you could hope to have the pleasure of viewing leading up to the Star Wars crescendo that starts in the theaters this December.
In short, yes, Star Wars: Rebels is great.
On the blu-ray side, this series is gorgeously transferred to HD. You won’t find a single imperfection in the transfer. It’s crisp, clear, beautiful and just a pleasure to view. On top of this, the animation style is amazing. While the models of the characters (at least in picture) look a bit rough, their movements, expressions and details are a treat to watch, containing a lot more emotion than I was expecting. Special kudos to the lighting folks, who did a superb job with lighting this animation. I’m not sure I have ever stopped to admire lighting quite as much as I did with Rebels. They nailed it.
On the sound side of things, the soundtrack is exquisite. Taking plenty of notes (literally, figuratively) from John William’s Star Wars masterpieces. You’ll find a more dramatic and endearing musical score waiting for you with Star Wars: Rebels. All done in 5.1 Dolby.
In terms of special features, here’s what you’re getting with this Blu-ray set:
– Rebels Infiltrates Star Wars Celebration
– Season One shorts: “The Machine in the Ghost,” “Art Attack,” “Entanglement,” “Property of Ezra Bridger”
– Rebels Recon: 14 behind-the-scenes featurettes
– Star Wars Rebels – The Ultimate Guide
– Star Wars Rebels Season 2 – A Look Ahead
Plenty to love here.
Onto the summary!
