“Ahsoka” Season 1 – A Great Prologue for Things to Come

“Ahsoka” Season 1 is all set-up for future conflict ahead and it is a great set-up though it being a prologue keeps me from rating it higher. This is only the beginning of a story that is introducing the audience to all the characters and pieces that will play apart later in hopefully a season 2 and the eventual “Mandalorian” film.

The series was created by Dave Filoni.

Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) must reuinte with her old apprentice Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) to stop Imperial Forces from bringing back Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) to the galaxy.

SPOILERS ahead

The Pros:

The Soundtrack – Kevin Kiner’s soundtrack is fantastic in this. I especially love the return of Thrawn’s theme from “Rebels” but he also is able to capture the moments of hope so well in the conflict and gives Ahsoka a great and memorable theme.

The Action – The action is great in this with quite a few meaningful lightsaber fights where our heroes even sometimes lose in them. We also have the Empire under Thrawn being effective with his alliance with the Night Mothers who can raise the dead. It leads to some great tension in the action scenes which are often races against time.

The Characters – I’m a fan of the main characters in “Rebels” and their return in this show expands upon their characters in meaningful ways. They’ve changed and grown and I’ll expand on how below.

General Hera Syndulla – Mary Elizabeth Winstead is great as Hera as we see her independence has grown within the New Republic with her disobeying orders to help Ahsoka and trusting in the Force when her son Jacen senses Ahsoka is still alive after Ahsoka lost her fight against Baylan. General Leia saves her though and in the end the New Republic is beginning to come around to trusting her that Thrawn has returned and is a threat.

Shin Hati – Shin is one of the new characters along with Baylan and is his apprentice. She is a good figher and defeats Sabine in their first duel. She also is ambitious too and wants to be a part of the Empire potentially though she mostly wants to stand by Baylan even after he abandons her for his quest for a “Great power” that can end the Force on the planet in the new galaxy they travel to. Where her future goes from here is uncertain but Ahsoka did offer to help her.

Morgan Elsbith – Diana Lee Inosanto’s Morgan Elsbith is back and we learn she is a Night Sister of Dathomir. She is rescued from New Republic custody by Baylan and Shin and uses Night Sister magic to find where Thrawn is as the world they travel to is where the Night Sisters originated from. It is cool lore and she meets the Night Mothers who empower her before her final defeat by Ahsoka in the final episode.

Sabine Wren – Natasha Liu Bordizzo does a good job as Ahsoka. She is the reluctant apprentice but is driven to save her friend Ezra. So much to the point that she makes a deal with Baylan which gives the Morgan and Baylan the coordinates to find Thrawn. Over the course of the show she learns to trust Ahsoka though and learns not to leave her so they have one another’s back. We also see her grow in the Force and finally wielding it by the end.

Ezra Bridger – Eman Esfandi is great as Ezra Bridger and he is one of the standout characters in this as we see him reject his old lightsaber he gave Sabine and fight noly using the Force. He is the most unchanged since we last met him and still has his idealism even though he’s been on the run from Thrawn and the Night Mothers. His hopefulness provides a nice contrast to Sabine’s cynicism.

Baylan Skoll – Ray Stevenson did an amazing job as Baylan Skoll and he is going to be missed so much. He carried scenes on his own as this broken former Jedi seeking to end the Force and the cycle of Republic and Empire. He’s a man tired of death but still fights when he has too for his mission and goal. It makes him complex and compelling and it’s a shame we won’t get to see Ray Stevenson continue this character’s story forward as he searches for the mysterious power. R.I.P. Ray Stevenson. You were amazing.

Ahsoka Tano – Rosario Dawson truly inhabits the role of Ahsoka Tano. She has the rebellious spirit but also the calm that has come from loss and time. We see her fears in how after Mandalore’s destruction she feared Sabine would turn to the Dark Side if trained. In the end she trusts Sabine though just as Anakin trusted her. This carry-on of legacy is done beautifully this season and I can’t wait to see where her story with Sabine goes from here.

Grand Admiral Thrawn – Lars Mikkelsen is fantastic as Grand Admiral Thrawn and like the Thrawn of the books he doesn’t underestimate the Jedi doing everything he can to stall them and in the end successfully makes his escape back to the main galaxy to unite and lead the Imperial Remnants. He also brings with him the Three Night Mothers who bring a mysterious crates with them to Dathomir. Can’t wait to see where his story goes as he is one of my favorite characters in “Star Wars” and Lars truly owns this role.

The Cons:

Pacing and Prologue – This show could have been shorter given it was all set-up for Grand Admiral Thrawn’s and Ezra’s return to the galaxy while leaving Sabine and Ahsoka to deal with whatever Force Ending power Baylan Skoll is planning to release out into the universe. We don’t know what it is or the secret weapons that Thrawn brings to Dathomir. This is all set-up for greater conflicts that haven’t happened yet which keeps the season from being perfect as the story isn’t complete, this was the introduction to the characters and powers at play.

The only things keeping this season from being perfect “Star Wars” are the pacing and it being just the beginning of a story, a prologue for upcoming events. This is still a great season and I’d recommend it to any fan of “Star Wars” even if they aren’t fans of “Rebels” as there is more than enough here for you to appreciate these characters where they are and I look forward to where their story goes from here.

Final Score: 9 / 10

Star Wars: The Bad Batch – Season 1, Episode 12 – “Rescue on Ryloth” – Seeds of the Clone Rebellion

“Rescue on Ryloth” is an episode that does a lot with the little time it has. Really the only problem I had with it was I wanted more time for the mission and B Plot as each were so well written and I wanted to see them expanded. Suffice, to say this is one of the best episodes this season and I highly recommend it.

The episode was directed by Nathaniel Villanueva and written by Jennifer Corbett.

The story follows Clone Force 99 when they are hired for a rescue mission on Ryloth.

The Pros:

The Syndulla Family – Hera and Chopper are the heart of the episode and Omega and Hera have a grat friendship and I love Chopper’s chaos. Her parents are great too with her mother denouncing Rampart (“I have seen how you treat your allies, Admiral. I prefer to be your enemy.”) Hera’s father also appeals to Captain Howzer’s humanity and their history leading to Howzer’s turning against the Empire. In the end Clone Force 99 lets them keep the payment as they see the stakes the Syndulla family is up against.

Clone Force 99 – We get to see them be effective as a squad with Hera, Omega and Chopper working with Tech and Wrecker to cause a distraction at the Imperial mine and Hunter and Echo rescuing the Syndulla family members. They all are shown to be great but still would have lost if Howzer hadn’t given the Syndulla’s, Hunter and Echo an out when Crosshair called out the plan and set a trap at the entrance. They have some great action and I like that they only take up the mission once Hera has a plan.

Crosshair – Crosshair is a great antagonist. In this we see him callout the plan of Clone Force 99 and nearly beat them if weren’t for Howzer warning the squad. He is driven too and in the end Admiral Rampart grants him his request to hunt Clone Force 99.

Captain Howzer – Captain Howzer is the best character in the episode as we witness his regret and questioning of Rampart. In the end he helps Clone Force 99 free Hera’s family and even convinces some of his squad to turn against the Empire. So curious to see

Rebellions – We got the Syndulla’s leading the rebellion to free Ryloth at the end of the episode and Captain Howzer and his men openly going against the Empire. I bet we’ll see more of this too, especially if Captain Howzer is freed or his actions spread among the clones. In the end I bet it will all come down to the final rebellion on Kamino.

Okay:

Length – This episode should have been longer to explore Howzer an Cham Syndulla’s relationship more as well as referencing if Order 66 ever reached Ryloth. Still, for a 20 minute episode the storytelling was efficient.

The Cons:

Failed Assassination – The senator was shot in the head. There should have at least been a small explanation of how that didn’t kill him.

We got Bounty Hunters and the Empire and Crosshair all hunting Clone Force 99 now. Can’t wait to see where this goes and how the actions of Howzer playout among the other clones. The seeds of rebellion are happening and it among both the populaces of Imperial occupied worlds and the clones. This was a great episode and easily one of the best this season.

Final Score: 9 / 10

“Star Wars Rebels” Season 4 – The Completion of Arcs and the Promise of Stories to Come

“Star Wars Rebels” is a show I haven’t come back to for sometime. I think I know what my issue at the time was too. After finishing up Season 3 and hearing how Season 4 went I knew I wouldn’t be getting the same bittersweet experience of “The Clone Wars.” The thing is this show was never that and with time I came to see that and wanted to return to this story, especially as it does connect to “The Mandalorian” and sets up some intriguing plot points for the future of the Star Wars Universe. This doesn’t change the cons I’ll be bringing up, which are pretty consistent throughout the show but in the end if you liked the past seasons, before I go into SPOILERS I will recommend this season.

The story picks up after the Rebels loss in Season 3 as they seek to gain victories again as they face Thrawn and his Tie Defender program as well as other Imperial Threats as the Rebellion attempts to grow.

SPOILERS ahead

The Pros:

Heroes of Mandalore Arc – The season starts out strong with us returning to Mandalore and learning about a weapon Sabine Wren made that targets and destroys Beskar armor, which all Mandalorian warriors wear. After nearly losing her mother she and the Rebels manage to stop the weapon through Bo-Katan’s leadership as Bo-Katan unites the Mandalorian Clans in rebellion against the Imperial Occupation with the Dark Sabre Sabine gives her. Empire was also somewhat effective as a threat.

Bo-Katan – Katee Sackhoff is once again wonderful as Bo-Katan as in this we see how driven she is as well as her big picture mindset she’s had since “The Clone Wars.” Her becoming leader made sense and this was a nice part of her arc and rise to power against the Empire.

The World Between Worlds – The penultimate story before the Final is a head trip and opens up the Star Wars Universe in some really cool and unique ways. It is here we find a Jedi Temple connected to the Mortis Gods from the Clone Wars is a gateway between space and time. This leads to Ezra saving Ahsoka from Vader at the last second and accepting the loss of Kanan. It is a really well done story and the Minister was a great villain. The Empire was largely effective this episode which is always nice.

Ahsoka – Ahsoka is back and seems to be being watched over by the Daughter of Mortis as her animal is always with Ahsoka. She is the one who helps Ezra accept the loss of his Master and promises to find him when she returns to her place in time. We don’t see her until the end and as far as I know the in-between time hasn’t been answered yet. I hope we get it given how core she was to the Rebellion early on. I thought I’d hate retconning her great death but I didn’t as it was a pretty special bit of circumstances that made it possible.

Kanan – Kanan’s arc is completed in more ways then one this season. His love story with Hera is finally made official, his training of Ezra is completed and in the end he risks his live to save his friends and becomes a full Jedi, a role he’d rejected after Order 66. It is powerfully done and he carries a lot of the emotional weight this season in his loss.

Zeb, Rex and Sabine – These 3 all are handled well and in Sabine’s case actually have an arc this season but it was mostly good to just to see them in action again and seeing how they help liberate Lothal.

Hera – Hera is my favorite member of the crew besides Zeb. In this we see the weight of being a general in the Rebellion as she navigates politics as well as surviving Imperial torcher and the loss of Kanan. She is such a great character and seeing her guide the crew both as a rebel leader and friend and mentor is some of the best writing on the show.

Rebellion Politics – Mon Mothma versus Saw Gerrara is a thing and it is cool when we see it. Sadly the episodes story kind of sucks as Gerrara is made a joke and a clear villain. This was a shame as the premise and politics of leadership and the fight on Yavin IV was really cool and I liked what it implied, just now how it was handled. Though the politics themselves among Rebellion leadership is still really good.

Grand Admiral Thrawn – Lars Mikkleson continues to play the biggest threat to the Rebellion at this point as we never see Vader of Tarkin in action against the Rebels again at this point. This was probably a good thing as more time with Thrawn is always nice. He continues to be the only successful threat against the Rebels this season and he is only defeated (like last season) through a combination of Deus Ex Force Machina and dumb Imperial underlings. He isn’t dead though so I’m curious to see how his story continues on.

The Cons:

Cringe Dialogue Sometimes – The jokes rarely work in this show and sometimes the show is telling you what you can already see through animation. The Clone Wars could sometimes have this problem too but it was very apparent in some scenes this season.

Governor Pryce – Pryce sucks. At least the Inquisitors had a cool look and managed to be effective somewhat before Ahsoka showed up. Pryce always loses and this character, who is setup really well in the “Thrawn” novel is wasted. She isn’t clever or strategic and just reacts. If any semi-competent leadership was in charge of Lothal the rebels never would have won or had as many survivors as they do at the end of the season.

Deus Ex Force and Force Wolves – Force Wolves, animals in touch with the force who have one who can speak to Jedi save the Rebels from destruction when they return to Lothal and single handedly make this small rebel cell nearly unstoppable. I hated this as the Bendu was at least neutral. These beings are Kanan and Ezra’s pets by the end and it makes the Imperial threat even weaker as our heroes have Force entities on their side who can be plot armor at the right time. I think I would have been more forgiving of them if we’d seen them in Season 1 when we were on Lothal a lot. Because of their late entry their ability to be plot armor is made so much more obvious.

This was a good season overall. I was never bored and I found myself invested in the the main cast. The show ends the main arcs solidly and it sets up stories that can be followed up on. We have Bo-Katan and the war on Mandalore, we have the search for Ezra and Thrawn as well as what happens to Thrawn and Ezra. I want to know what happens and am happy that it looks like some of these questions are being answered now in “The Mandalorian.”

Final Score: 8.3 / 10

“Star Wars Rebels” Season 3 – Some Great Arcs are Completed and one of my Favorite Villains Enters the New Canon

    “Star Wars Rebels” has found great quality again, and they do it by getting rid of the Inquisitors (who were really wasted last season) all together and bringing in a character who existed in the original canon of Star Wars, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Doing this was one of the smartest things Disney could have done as even when the Empire is losing most of the time in small battles, it all comes together in Thrawn’s master plan and a pretty glorious final that shows just how deadly the Empire is since the Death Star or Battle of Hoth. Suffice to say, I loved this season and highly recommend it.

    The story of Season 3 involves the arrival of Governor Pryce as the new Moff over Lothal and Grand Admiral Thrawn as the new Imperial Agent to destroy the Rebellion in the sector. As the rebellion gathers allies to free Lothal from Imperial Rule Thrawn uses their own strengths against them as his master plan unfolds to wipe out the Rebellion.

SPOILERS ahead

The Pros: Growing Rebellion Arc – A major arc this season is the Rebellion collecting allies and meeting the leaders of other cells. Whether it is Saw Gerrera on Geonosis, the stupid Iron Squadron, the Twi’lik on Ryloth, Hondo and leaders of the Rebellion like Mon Mothma. This season continues on Season 2 and 1 as the Rebellion Cells are coming together to form a greater fleet so worlds can be liberated.

The Mandalore Arc – The Mandalore arc is one in which the Empire is in firm control but slowly loses it as Sabine and Clan Wren become greater power players when she takes on the leader of the Empire on Mandalore, Gar Saxon and makes peace with her family. From here it is decided to fight and Mandalore is thrown once more into Civil War as it is the only chance for Mandalore to exist for Mandalore and not the Empire. This is where Sabine leaves too as she has found a greater purpose beyond the tech. of the Ghost crew.

The Fulcrum Arc – Agent Kallus is fully a good guy in this season and his arc is helping the Rebellion and getting information to them until he is discovered by Thrawn. In this we see the Rebellion come to trust him and his arc ends with him officially joining them at their lowest as Thrawn’s battle is a success and the Rebels are routed from their base.

Maul’s Arc – Maul’s arc continues the theme of last season of showing how the Dark Side only leaves one alone and resentful of all. By the end of the series all he has is hatred of Obi-Wan and nothing more as he was not able to corrupt Ezra. For a character who really should have stayed dead or died in Clone Wars they at least gave his story a purpose. He is a character who brings about pity as he has lost everything and the Empire is so large and powerful he has no way of gaining back his prior position. He is taking easy outs because if he stays around long enough the Empire will hunt him down. His story is sad and he shows the loneliness of the Dark Side and how empty the quest for power truly is as in the end he dies in Obi-Wan’s arms as Obi-Wan has found peace and a higher cause beyond power and is able to help Maul find peace.

The Bendu – Tom Baker plays the Bendu, a force being who is made up of both the Dark and the Light. He is the one who trains Kanan and Ezra and helps them find balance after their losses last season. He is a great character who in the end is hurt by the Jedi, showing that they aren’t good, as forcing him to fight leads to his death at the hands of Thrawn. In the end he was right in a way and in the end the Jedi turning him to the Dark Side and destroying his balance, is one of the saddest parts of the season as it is what leads to his destruction.

Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Plan and Payoff – Much of this Season involves Thrawn as the observer, watching the different players of the Rebellion and studying how they fight, discovering who Fulcrum is and developing weapons for the Empire. In the end his plan is a success, though it is isn’t a complete success. He destroys most of the Rebellion on Atollon and forces the Rebellion on the run again. He only loses due to the pride of Pryce and Konstantine who let ego get in the way of results and in order for the Rebels to even survive Commander Sato has to sacrifice himself to destroy a ship at the Battle of Atollon, which the battle that ends this season.

Revenge versus Mercy – One of the major themes this season is Revenge versus Mercy and the heart of how the Rebellion and characters should act. We see this with Saw Gerrera and his willingness to kill the last survivor of Geonosis, Cham Syndulla and his willingness to kill and risk his life for the liberation of Rylok and each cases how isolated the characters are when they don’t act with mercy and only want Revenge. It is mercy that turns Kallus to the Rebellion and helps the Rebellion gain allies from Mandalore as well as keeping Ezra’s balance. This theme is universal through the season and gave it strength.

Grand Admiral Thrawn – Lars Mikkelson plays one of my favorite characters in the EU, both in the original lore and now the new lore. This is a character who is an alien among an organization made up of humans and because of this doesn’t care about his own ego and pride. He is ruthless and cares about results and it makes sense because he is an outsider. He has a history and we see that he is honorable to as he lets Cham Syndulla escape after Cham is willing to destroy his own home to escape and is the observer. Every rebel victory is a learning experience that pays off. He is unconventional too as he is making Tie Defenders on Lothal and they are shielded ties that the ghost crew has trouble destroying. Because his greatest asset is knowledge he takes out rebels spies whenever we see him and he is the one who traps Fulcrum and nearly destroys the Rebellion, as the Rebels only manage to escape because Kanan angers the Bendu and Ezra brings allies from Mandalore. He is still alive and I can’t wait to see what he does next season. Just as he was my favorite character in the original lore he is now in the new canon.

Okay: Empire Needed More Wins – The Empire still needed more wins, and with the dead of Admiral Constantine (a stupid Admiral who is obsessed with glory) is killed in the finale that may happen. Thrawn turns even scenarios were he doesn’t crush the Rebellion into learning experiences that lead to his trap unfolding at the Battle of Atollon.

 The Cons: Iron Squadron – Iron Squadron is a rebellion run by a bunch of kids. They were super annoying and overpowered. They were the only folks from the Rebellion we meet who clash with the competence and fear that pervades the rest of the Rebellion and allies. I hated this episode, it is the only episode I hated this season. The rest are good or great.

   Season 3 was a lot better than Season 2 and was much more focused than Season 2 as Thrawn’s overall agenda was revealed at the end and the rebel plans became undone. This was a Hoth moment for the Lothal Rebellion and it was powerful to see what was supposed to be a fleet to liberate Lothal, decimated by Thrawn and the Rebellion forced to run, only just surviving because of unexpected allies. I really enjoyed this given that the Empire experienced mostly losses this season until Thrawn’s trap was finally sprung. This Thrawn is true to his original counterpart in the books in all the ways that matter, and if you were a fan of him in the books, as I was, you will most likely love him on the show. Can’t wait to see how his story unfolds and I hope he survives this series.

Final Score: 9.4 / 10

Star Wars Rebels – Season 2, Episode 17 – “The Forgotten Droid” – Chopper as a Hero

    “The Forgotten Droid” is a decent episode. Chopper gets character development and we learn he once served in the Clone Wars, and we also get to meet a pretty cool Imperial Droid named AP-5. What really brings it down is Chopper and AP-5 are not enough to carry an episode and the Empire acting like dolts always brings an episode down for me, and they do that plenty in this one.

     The episode was directed by Mel Zwyer and written by Matt Michnovetz.

     The story involves Chopper being trapped an Imperial Freighter when he steals a replacement leg for himself from a merchant. From here the story unfolds as he befriends an Imperial Droid named AP-5 and together they must stop the Empire and help the Rebellion.

The Pros: AP-5 – AP-5 is pretty cool, he has a voice that sounds like Alan Rickman and has pride in his protocols and all he does. Seriously, if C-3PO were like this he would be so much more bearable. I liked his character a lot as well as his heroic sacrifice when he sends the rebels coordinates to a space the Empire hasn’t found. He was a great minor character.

Chopper – In this we learn Chopper is a veteran of the Clone Wars and has a good side to him as he helps AP-5 rebel and frees him as well as considering him his friend. They have a nice odd couple thing going on and they are both quick with comebacks which makes them fun. It is great seeing Chopper as the hero too since this was just a freighter not a Cruiser. I wouldn’t have believed it if he had won in a major way on his own.

Okay: The Rebellion – The Rebellion is okay but we don’t see them follow up with AP-5 at all so it makes them look naive. I wanted to see more of their thought process as they could have been sent to a trap.

The Cons: The Empire – The Empire is once again really incompetent and by their downgrading of AP-5 show how they are wasting resources when efficiency should be what they are all about. It just made them look stupid and the Freighter Captain was a one-dimensional idiot who sounded like Pete from the Goofy series.

  This was a decent episode that is worth checking out. I liked AP-5 and it was cool to see Chopper given more depth, especially as he gives the parts of his new leg to AP-5 to repair him. It is a touching scene and you see the actual friendship that has been formed as they are both veterans and ex-slaves fighting for a new world.

Final Score: 7 / 10

Star Wars Rebels – Season 2, Episode 9 – “Legacy” – Return to Lothal

     This was an episode that could have been more, sadly I think that giving this series more episodes has only been a detriment to the story. In giving each of our characters more exploration they end up facing the Empire and soundly defeating them making the Empire continue to be a waste of a villain, this of course after Darth Vader and the Siege of Lothal established that you don’t mess with them…hell Tarkin and the Inquisitor established that. This season has forgotten that for character development leading me to have much less favorite episodes this season, including this mid-season finale.

   Henry Gilroy was the writer of this episode.

   The story involves Ezra having visions of his parents on Lothal and wanting to return there as the Empire attacks the Rebels base that Ezra had accidentally revealed to one of the Seventh Sister’s droid. The Empire attacks and the Rebels must make their escape.

The Pros: Kanan – Kanan is the voice of wisdom here as we see him council Ezra on leaping to rage on multiple points. We also see them share the loss of being alone and losing their mentors or parents. These are great scenes that help make the episode stronger. He is the one who talks about the fact that even though Ezra’s parents are dead, they will always be with him.

Hera – Hera looked everywhere for Ezra’s parents and we see how deeply she looked, giving us a greater experience of the loss of them. It also shows how devoted she is to the crew. She is the captain for a reason. I’d watch a show just about her.

Chopper – Chopper chickens out during the battle. It’s funny given how active he was prior. It also showed how insane and temperamental he is.

Ezra – Ezra goes dark side at one point to defeat General Kallus and almost gets drawn into his destruction by the Inquisitors. Was impressed on how they handled his character and I completely expect him to go dark later, if only briefly.

Okay: Zeb and Sabine – Are just kind of there and don’t really do anything memorable.

The Rebellion – Is on the run, I never thought they were all at risk and they lost one ship. You never feel the loss of that ship.

The Empire – The Empire is still arrogant and overall useless even when they find the Rebel Hideout. They really need a win like what they had at Lothal.

  Not much happens with the Empire and Rebellion. The Rebels escape, only losing one ship and again the Rebels face no consequences and experience no real loss, while again the Empire is made to look like fools. I know they are the bad guys, but they have to win sometimes or else they will no longer be taken seriously as threats. Why even have Luke, Leia and Han if Disney XD’s rebels already had it handled…

Final Score: 7 / 10

Star Wars Rebels – Season 2, Episode 7 – “Stealth Strike” – New Friendship But More Failing Empire

    First I’m going to say I like this episode, it isn’t a favorite but I enjoyed it. My issue is that the Empire continues to lose. I should have never listened to the interview where they said this Season would be “The Empire Strikes” back of “Star Wars Rebels.” So far it hasn’t…it’s even more positive than ‘The Clone Wars” and “A New Hope,” which for the Dark Times just doesn’t cut it for me.

“Stealth Strike” was directed by Brad Rau and written by Matt Michnovetz.

The story involves Ezra and Sato being caught by the Empire when they discover an Experimental Star Destroyer that can pull ships out of Light Speed. From here it is up to Rex and Kanan to rescue them and stop this new weapon.

The Pros: Ezra – Ezra is a cocky guy but he loses this time and it isn’t until  Rex and Kanan are helping him take out the weapon that we get to see how powerful he is as a Jedi. He isn’t overpowered like Starkiller in “The Force Unleashed,” so it keeps him interesting. He also earns Sato’s respect.

Rex and Kanan – These two are at odds but have grown to be friends, as we see at the end when Rex doesn’t turn on them and Kanan comes back to rescue him. It’s a great moment and this episode was a Clone Wars callback for sure.

Agent Kallus – Kallus is smart about the Rebels now, sadly the man in charge of the special weapon was not. Kallus got a big “I told you so,” at the end.

Okay: Chopper – Choppper it too overpowered. Nobody suspects droids even though they were the main enemy of the Clone Wars and countless times Chopper has saved the day.

Commander Sato – Sato doesn’t have any personality yet, he’s just a blank slate who commands respect. I want to know what drives this guy so the mystery puts him as an okay rather than a con.

The Cons: How the Empire Was Handled – The Empire captures the Rebels and does nothing with it. Sato should have been sent to an Imperial Prison, Ezra should have been executed or at least the attempt of execution immediately, and the super weapon needed more fail safes.

This was an episode that could have been more. Even Grievous managed to hold onto his super weapons longer and he was a coward and an idiot. I expected more from the Empire, they still have to be the best if the Rebels are to be the underdogs. This season they are not the underdogs at all…except for the Pilot “Siege of Lothal.”

Final Score: 7.8 / 10

Star Wars Rebels – Season 2, Episode 6 – “Blood Sisters” – Sabine’s Past

   “Blood Sisters” is okay, which has kind of been a theme lately (Bring back the Inquisitors and Ahsoka or Tarkin at least). Each episode involves the Rebels eventually having a win of some sort and the Empire being made to look incompetent. I get that we got around 24 episodes this season…but really? The Empire is ruling for a reason, make them a threat again. This episode really illustrated how this has become a problem, even though we do get some great Sabine development.

      The episode was directed by Bosco Ng and written by Kevin Hopps.

      The story involves Sabine and Ezra picking up a Droid that has important information for the Rebels but things soon get complicated when Sabine’s former old friend Ketsu arrives on the scene who is working for the Black Suns to get the Droid for them.

The Pros: Chopper – Chopper is a lot of fun in this as we see him wreak havoc in Ketsu’s ship and be just as adaptable as R2-D2 in regards to new situations and threats.

Ketsu – Ketsu has a great ship and we see that her and Sabine were both alone after the Clone Wars leading them to become bounty hunters. At one point Ketsu left Sabine for dead and went her own way…in this episode we see her go from being skeptical of the Rebellion to eventually wanting to maybe join after she is forgiven by Sabine and when Sabine saves her from the Empire.

Sabine – This is very much Sabine’s episode as we see how selfish she used to be in the actions of Ketsu who left her behind to die in the past even though they were like sisters…and how now she is willing to risk everything for her former friend to help them escape. She’s grown up and this episode illustrates it.

The Cons: Ezra – Ezra is really annoying in this. Stop hitting on Sabine, she has clearly shown she isn’t interested. There is nothing positive to say about him in this episode, when he isn’t creepin he’s incompetent and ends up left behind when Sabine and Chopper escape with the Droid.

  This episode was okay. Again, I’m tired of the Imperials being a non-threat after how awesome they were in the Siege of Lothal and when the Inquisitors first arrived…can we get back to that? I get that the Rebellion needs more allies but we already know they win since we know how the Original Trilogy goes. Have them lose more.

Final Score: 7 / 10

Star Wars Rebels – Season 2, Episode 4 – “Brothers of the Broken Horn” – Among Pirates

  Hondo is back in a decent episode of “Star Wars Rebels.” This is an episode that largely explores Chopper and Ezra and reminds us that more of the characters from the Clone Wars era survived. It isn’t a great episode but it does what it has to do for Ezra’s arc in the episode to be completed.

     The episode was directed by Saul Ruiz and written by Bill Wolkoff.

     The story involves Ezra being overwhelmed with all his responsibilities so he decides to take the ship and Chopper to investigate a distress signal. It is there they discover Hondo who tries to make Ezra a member of his crew.

The Pros: Chopper – Chopper comes in handy this episode and we see that he is there for than comedic relief as we see him take on Pirate Droids and gangsters in order to save Ezra and Hondo from being by Azmorigan.

Captain Rex – His scenes are small as he only appears at the beginning and end of the episode but his scenes are great as we see him trying instill discipline in Ezra and train him to be a soldier.

Hondo – Hondo is back and hilarious! We see that he is very a smooth talker and loves the challenge or a worthy mental opponent. He survives, which is a theme of his as he survived the Clone Wars and is surviving the Empire. In the end he leaves with a respect for Ezra as Ezra gets the supplies he needs for a Rebel colony world.

Ezra – This is Ezra’s episode to show how much he’s grown and the episode does a good job of showing it as he quickly distrusts Hondo and is always trying to get back to his crew but with the supplies they need. He is quick on his feet too and acts with fairness even when dealing with cheats and murders like Hondo and Vizago.

Okay: Vizago – He is just kind of there as Hondo stole his ship and shutdown his droids. Rather than working with Ezra though we see him just act self destructive, which was a shame.

The Cons: Azmorigan – This gangster is weak and Chopper even chases him away. I wish we had another Underworld Boss as this guy has never felt like a threat…even when he’s holding guns against our protagonists head.

This was a good episode that is worth checking out if you have been watching the series or watched Clone Wars. Hondo is back and he feels like the character he’s always been, a survivor and pirate who will do whatever it takes to get more…though with some semblance of honor as he respects those who have a code.

Final Score: 8 / 10

Star Wars Rebels – Season 2, Episode 3 – “Always Two There Are” – The Inquisitors Return

    Zeb is finally useful again! This episode was good at showing at why he’s a member of the Team as well as establishing the threat of Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister as we finally get to see them in action and why they were made Inquisitors. Suffice to say, this episode made me curious to see how their backstories unfold.

      The episode was directed by Brad Rau and written by Kevin Hopps.

      The story involves Ezra, Zeb, Sabine and Chopper going to an abandoned Old Republic Medical Base for supplies and having to escape when Inquisitors arrive on the scene as Ezra and Sabine end up captured.

The Pros: The Tone – The tone is that of horror as the base is good at giving a good haunted vibe to it that only increases with the arrival of the Inquisitors.

The Inquisitors – I really like the Seventh Sister and think the Fifth Brother has potential. The Seventh Sister does the temptation deal and shows how on top of things she is as she knows about Ahsoka and manages to capture Ezra. The Fifth Son captures Sabine and it is only with a suicidal plan from Zeb that our team even manages to make our escape.

Rex – Rex is teaching Kanan discipline which is something he never got fully as he was only a Padawan during the Clone Wars (something the Seventh Sister points out). It’s cool seeing Rex becoming the Obi-Wan of the group. I feel bad for him having lost so many brothers though and the fact that his Jedi is now a Sith Lord.

Kanan – Kanan grows a lot in this as we see him finally listen to Rex and be willing to learn and grow.

Zeb – Zeb is great! He goes from comedic relief to showing why he’s a part of the Team as he risks everything to save Sabine and Ezra and keeping the others safe from the Inquisitors. He needed this episode after how off to the side he’s been this season.

Okay: Sabine and Chopper – These two are good but I can’t think of any character defining moments for them. They are simply there being supportive and we don’t learn anything new about them.

  This was a great episode and easily the best this season since “Siege of Lothal” was a tv film. I highly recommend it and hope we see our Inquisitors defeat our heroes at least a few times and hurt the Rebel Alliance. We know the Rebels win in the end, so let the villains show why they are villains and win sometimes.

Final Score: 9 / 10