We’re back! Star Wars: Rebels took a break last week for reasons unknown to me so, sadly, there was no episode to cover. We’re back now, though, with an episode that feels almost like a Season One episode that’s been slotted into Season Three in terms of existing to set up later plots. Still, it was an interesting enough episode so let’s dive in, shall we?
1. Sabine Goes Home
One day, we’re actually going to learn about Sabine’s past and that episode is going to be so fulfilling. We’ve had information about how Sabine was before being a rebel trickle through the series in drips and drops and only sometimes come into play like her infiltration of the Imperial Academy earlier in the season. I totally understand why they’ve held back on much of this information in part because it keeps an air of mystery surrounding Sabine and a growing sense of tragedy every time we find out something new about her.
This episode, we got to see Sabine return to Concord Dawn and confront the Imperial corruption that’s set in there in the form of Gar Saxon. It’s the beginning of a longer confrontation, clearly, but the fact that Saxon was around during the Maul’s takeover of Mandalore and clearly knew Sabine’s mother makes for an interesting rivalry. Hopefully this will lead to us learning more about Sabine in coming episodes.
2. Imperial Supercommandos
I remember seeing footage of this episode at this year’s Star Wars Celebration, specifically the sequence of Sabine, Chopper and Ezra being chased through the canyon by these Imperial Supercommandos and being blown away. Rebels has tended towards Stormtroopers as being the usual kind of cannon fodder for the series so it was really fascinating to see a group of enemies feeling genuinely deadly and threatening to our heroes, especially when the two youngest members are isolated from the rest of the group.
Not to mention the fact that the concept of an Imperial Supercommando dates back Boba Fett’s earliest concepts and the helmets they wear here are inspired by some of Ralp McQuarrie’s original Boba Fett design and you have characters that embody the history of Star Wars. I love it when Rebels does that, using unused Ralph McQuarrie artwork and concepts to expand the galaxy into new places.
3. Gar ‘Sadly Not The British Heavy Metal Band’ Saxon
Because I’ve yet to read “Darth Maul: Son Of Dathomir” (I know, I know, it’s on my list), this is probably my first encounter with Gar Saxon that I can remember, but it’s an interesting one. Rebels has been exploring what happened to Mandalore in bits and pieces since the end of the Clone War, but it’s mostly been in the context of Concord Dawn. Here, we see that the Empire has rocked up to a struggling Mandalore and has essentially offered them economic stability and the chance to become the nation they once were as long as they strip themselves of their honorific armour and become cogs in the Imperial Warmachine.
It’s an interesting and actually kind of dark concept, if you think about it. The fallout from the civil war sparked by Maul was never entirely addressed, I feel, and it seems like it had much longer lasting damage than anyone could have thought. Not only was Mandalore weakened to the point that it would accept the reign of the Empire over Mandalore, but someone like Gar Saxon, who is everything Mandalorian culture despises, would be put in charge.
I hope we get to see a little more of what exactly has happened to Mandalore in the times since the Clone War, maybe even with an appearance from Boba Fett himself?
4. Shades Of The Old Ezra
This episode had a scene in which Ezra is held captive and interrogated by Gar Saxon and it’s a scene that brought back a lot of the qualities of younger Ezra. This season has seen him as much older and more responsible to the point of him being headstrong and arrogant. This interrogation brought back the sly cunning of the orphan pickpocket of Lothal and it was a nice touch. Having him try to convince Saxon that he was everything from a member of Hondo’s crew to Lando Calrissian himself was a nice touch and reminded us that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Continued belowI really hope this season balances these qualities with Ezra’s new, more responsible self in coming episodes.
5. Protectors Of The Rebellion
Only 6 episodes into the season, and it’s clear this is the season where the Rebellion is recruiting everyone that will join them. From defected Imperial Academy pilots to (potentially) Separatist Super Tactical Droids to now the Protectors of Concord Dawn, there are a lot more forces working alongside the Rebellion than every before. It’s interesting because the Rebellion has always been shown as fairly overpowered force, relying on sabotage and subterfuge to strike at the Empire, but now with a band of Mandalorians working with them, they’ll likely be able to tackle larger targets than ever before.
At least, that’s how I hope this plays out in later episodes and this isn’t a case of Fenn Rau being forgotten until next season again.
