Star Wars: Rebels: Season One (1 Viewer)

The new Star Wars cartoon starts tonight at 9 PM with an hour long episode and then on Monday, October 13, the show moves to its regular timeslot.

Since the show is made by the same team as The Clone Wars, I've got high hopes for this one.

On a different channel also. Disney tonight, Disney XD for the series. Or for me, a "standard" cable channel vs a premium tier that I don't subscribe to.

I find the scheduling very confusing. My kids are eager to see this, and I'm trying to figure out when it's on. I've seen banners that say Premieres 10/13 on Disney XD, but that's referring to the first regular episode, not the pilot movie, which is on today on the Disney Channel and Monday on Disney XD.

I've seen the short clips released as teasers for this show and not sure what to make of it. I hope it's good, something I can sink my teeth into, and will run to its natural conclusion right up to the scroll of ep IV.

Good start. I loved how they used a lot more music cues from the original trilogy. Between that and the OT-inspired designs and ships, costumes & props, it felt like the original movies.

Also, I got a sick chuckle out of the idea of a stormtrooper being so mean that he'd chase after a Wookiee child.

Nice to hear it isn't Ewok-ridden or Jar-Jar infested. Have it in my queue and will watch tonight.

It's not too much to say that the 13-year old boy who first saw Star Wars on a summer day in 1977 felt alive in me tonight when I watched REBELS. Not since that day have I seen a production design and musical arrangement that harkened back to the original. I think I was more charmed by that than the writing and characters, but even they are solid enough to make the show memorable and, I hope, long-lasting.

Part of me also was thinking, "Wow, if this is how Disney treats Star Wars, might it bode really well for episode VII next year?" I think it might.

I liked this a lot. Liked it much more than what I have seen of The Clone Wars.

And also all the worries I had that it looked kid friendly, are gone. All works in the context.

Very good start.

SamT said:

And also all the worries I had that it looked kid friendly, are gone.

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It's probably because there's a main character who is a kid but I thought this show was much more kid friendly than The Clone Wars could be. I don't mean that as a criticism and to be fair, I've seen 2 episodes of Rebels and 100+ episodes of The Clone Wars so it's not a fair comparison but The Clone Wars had some dark stuff for a kids cartoon and Rebels seems a little more adventure oriented and having fun with a kid seeing the galaxy for the first time.

It was very good, although is the rebellion really just getting started only 5 years before Episode IV?

I loved the Ralph McQuarrie designs that are incorporated into every frame of the show. Not sure how the show can end well for the main characters if Luke is to be the last Jedi come the time of the original trilogy.

Sam Favate said:

It was very good, although is the rebellion really just getting started only 5 years before Episode IV?

I loved the Ralph McQuarrie designs that are incorporated into every frame of the show. Not sure how the show can end well for the main characters if Luke is to be the last Jedi come the time of the original trilogy.

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I liked the Obi-Wan hologram predicting "A new hope" in the future.

The kid is straight from the Disney catalog, at least here initially. Basically a copy of Aladdin, who finds a Jedi instead of a Genie. I did like his plasma slingshot.

I too was wondering how the main characters will fare by the end. I'm guessing at least the older one (Kanan) won't make it to the end. Seems unlikely that they'd ever kill off the kid...

Since they're using John Williams music in this I'm a little surprised they didn't do an opening crawl with the main theme.

Sam Favate said:

I loved the Ralph McQuarrie designs that are incorporated into every frame of the show.

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They even used his IG-88 design for a background droid.

TravisR said:

It's probably because there's a main character who is a kid but I thought this show was much more kid friendly than The Clone Wars could be. I don't mean that as a criticism and to be fair, I've seen 2 episodes of Rebels and 100+ episodes of The Clone Wars so it's not a fair comparison but The Clone Wars had some dark stuff for a kids cartoon and Rebels seems a little more adventure oriented and having fun with a kid seeing the galaxy for the first time.

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I haven't watched much of Clone Wars. I was impressed that Rebels wasn't afraid to show Stormtroopers getting killed by the bucket(head) loads, even almost casually and not just in self defense, either (the diversionary explosion to steal the crates at the beginning). If there was anything in the prequels I hated more than Jar-Jar and whiney Anakin, it was the whole idea of PC safe-to-kill "battle droids".

Enjoyed it. Not thrilled with the animation...ships looked great. People and aliens not so much. Wookies looked horrible.Where does it state it's only 5yrs before episode 4? I might have missed it.

Was just watching the premiere episode this morning, and got a huge kick out of seeing the Al Williamson-designed two-legged Imperial walker from his and Archie Goodwin's early '80s newspaper strip run.

Think I'll be sticking around for this one.

I also enjoy the fact that the Zeb character is designed after Ralph McQuarrie's original artwork for Chewbacca.

Greg Kettell said:

I haven't watched much of Clone Wars. I was impressed that Rebels wasn't afraid to show Stormtroopers getting killed by the bucket(head) loads, even almost casually and not just in self defense, either (the diversionary explosion to steal the crates at the beginning).

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The Clone Wars definitely wasn't afraid to kill off characters. They'd let you get to know clones or Jedi and then kill them off to show the cost of war. Don't get me wrong, not every episode is like that (some were designed to be funny and some were for younger viewers and some were just swashbuckling adventure) but they never backed away from getting dark on The Clone Wars.

todd s said:

Where does it state it's only 5yrs before episode 4? I might have missed it.

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It didn't say in the show but that's where it falls in the new canon timeline.

Sam Favate said:

I also enjoy the fact that the Zeb character is designed after Ralph McQuarrie's original artwork for Chewbacca.

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Chewbacca or Han Solo? I remember Han Solo was supposed to be a blue monster if I remember correctly.

A good start, and definitely has the OT vibe, although its treading a fine line between homage/nostalgia and repeating beats/elements from the OT. What worked so well about the Clone Wars is it became its own thing whilst filling out the plot between II and III and hopefully this will eventually do the same.

The first regular episode, Droids in Distress, is available on DisneyXD on Apple TV. Just watched it; very good, with guest appearances by C-3PO and R2-D2 and a cameo I won't mention. The planetscapes are drawn beautifully and really show that McQuarrie influence. I found the end a bit confusing since