The season finale has come and gone leaving us with new revelations, the reappearance of much beloved characters, and a reason to keep watching into season two. Let’s brush up on what happened.
RECAP
Through some daring acrobatics Sabine manages to distract a team of Stormtroopers while Ezra and Zeb take out a fleet of TIE Fighters and steal an Imperial Freighter.
Back on the Ghost, Hera is impressed by the crew’s ingenuity but points out that they will be in need of a much smaller craft to get into the hanger bay of the Star Destroyer in which they are keeping Kanan. Hera instantly laments that they destroyed all the TIE fighters without considering this.
Nervously Ezra admits they have access to one TIE Fighter, the Fighter that Zeb and Ezra stole many episodes back. The only problem is the TIE is covered in Sabine’s artwork. Hera agrees that it will do as, the Imperial crew would only do a cursory scan and by the time they actually saw the Fighter, it would be too late.
Back on the Star Destroyer, The Inquisitor is still attempting to extract information from Kanan. Using the memory of his fallen master Depa Billaba and his cowardice at the event to weaken Kanan’s mind.
On the approach to the TIE Fighter Ezra confirms that he can feel Kanan’s presence on board. Sabine manages to pass Imperial muster and enter the loading dock of the bay and she sends out an EMP like pulse to knock out power to the ship. As the Imperial reinforcements pursue the Rebels, Ezra climbs through the air ducts and finds and frees Kanan. Upon their escape the Inquisitor returns and a battle ensues.
Kanan does battle against the Inqusitor with Ezra’s lightsaber, but Ezra quickly realizes that the Inquistor has Kanan’s lightsaber on his person and lifts it, joining the fight. The Inquistor overpowers both Kanan and Ezra knocking the boy off the tall platform into what is most certainly his doom. Kanan calls out to Ezra but receives no response.
This in turn engrages Kanan, who admits to the Inquisitor that he no longer fears dying and has given himself completely to his faith in the force. This gives Kanan the extra boost of power needed to overcome the Inquisitor’s advance and knock him off the platform. Sending the damaged pieces of the Inquistor’s lightsaber down into the reactor, which explode and begin a chain reaction of destruction. The Inquisitor is left hanging on to the platform edge.
Hera tries to reach Ezra on coms but gets no response. Finally Ezra regains consciousness, having not perished from the fall. He informs Hera that Kanan is doing quite well in the fight.
The Inquisitor monologs to Kanan before letting go of the ledge and falling into the exploding reactor. His last words are, “There are some things more frightening then death.” By this point Ezra manages to get back to Kanan on the platform and the two are happily reunited. However, the explosions cut the celebration of their reunion short, as they must make a hasty escape.
Hera, Sabine, and Zeb make an emergency exit in Sabine’s TIE Fighter while Kanan and Ezra steal the Inquisitor’s TIE reasoning that he no longer had a use for it. Hera attempts to constant Chopper to make the jump to hyperspace with enemy forces opening fire at the rebels but he does not respond.
At the last moment, Chopper and an entire fleet of unknown ships appear and provide aide. The crew of the Ghost discover that the ship were provided and piloted by the other Rebel cells and had been commanded by none other then Senator Bail Organa. After Hera admitted that she knew about the existence of other rebel cells, her informant reveals herself as none other than Ahsoka Tano. Tano admits she doesn’t know what will happen next but that this was a new beginning.
The episode closes with a conversation between Agent Kallus and Grand Moff Tarkin in which Tarkin informs the Agent that the Emporer had provided an “alternative solution” to the rebel problem. Familiar labored breathing is heard and the silhouette of a black cape is show before cutting to credits.
MY TWO CENTS
Where to even begin on this episode really, this review is just slightly late as it took me this long to truly collect my thoughts on the situation.
Remember last week, when I said, wow this episode was bland I hope they are saving of their juice for something really spectacular for the season finale? Well, guess what, they did.
This episode had everything could hope for, action, character call backs, lightsaber battles which are for some reason performed high above reactor cores (I mean really why is it that every single lightsaber battle must be done above a reactor core, is there some sort of handbook that dictates that?)
On a whole the episode was probably the most “Star Wars” episode Rebels has managed to present us, filling all the hallmarks of the Star Wars world. Which is important for a show that has always felt a little disjointed from the greater universe. Gone are the planets we know little about (nor care little about), the personal dramas, which play very little into the over all plot, and instead we are presented with a good old-fashioned and very Star Wars, “lightsaber battle on the baddies’ ship before we blow it up.”
This battle also marked the return of my favorite double-ended “rolly-roundy” lightsaber. I still covet this thing and am in mourning for its demise.
Beyond this fight, the episode is peppered with Star Wars universe favorites like Senator Organa but it is really the inclusion of Ahsoka Tano that stands out the most. Fans have long wondered how Clone Wars would fit into this new storyline which can at times feel like it has no roots in the previously crafted story telling but the revival of Tano feels like a reward for sticking it out this far often times for little more that one’s allegiance to the Clone Wars series. Well, done Rebels crew you understand your audience both young and old.
It feels like the appearance of Darth Vader has been spoiled since the series began and thus his ragged breathing and looming silhouette didn’t give me the “oh my goodness, jumping up and down feeling” I received at the sight of Tano but it’s nice to know we will be seeing him in the future.
This was a great episode. It made of for the less than stellar episodes along the way. So much so that I look forward to what Rebels offers us in its next season. This show is still growing and changing but after this I wholeheartedly believe it is in the right direction.
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