Spoilers ahead, obviously, if you haven't watched the series finale of Disney XD'sStar Wars Rebels.
It's been a long road for the Ghost Crew. They've made enemies, lost allies, changed haircuts and costumes more often than I can count, and have gone from a ragtag band of rebels to the liberating heroes of an entire planet. They've acquired iconic weapons and legendary skills, developing strong personal relationships along the way, all while honoring and deepening the mythology that makesStar Wars such a rich and beloved franchise. In fact, the co-creation fromDave Filoni,Simon Kinberg, andCarrie Beckhas arguably done more to pay homage to the franchise's mythology, history, and spirit than any of the recentlive-action movies.
Like the Ghost Crew themselves, the fans ofStar Wars Rebels are a scrappy bunch of folks comprised of people from all ages, races, backgrounds, and outlooks on life. They're also a very dedicated bunch, especially those who have been on this journey with the Spectres from Day 1 back in 2014. They've seen Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, C1-10P a.k.a. "Chopper", Garazeb Orrelios, and Sabine Wren survive against all odds in their attempt to liberate the planet Lothal from empirical rule. And now, with the final episodes ofStar Wars Rebels in the books, those fans have been rewarded with a thorough--and thoroughly exciting--concluding chapter of therebels' story.
The last three installments--"A Fool's Hope" and "Family Reunion and Farewell" Parts 1 and 2--tied up just about every major plot point and character question fans have had for a little while now. Season 4 did a phenomenal job at bulking up theStar Warsmythology by folding in the mysterious Jedi Temple, The Ones of Mortis, time travel, the Emperor's machinations, and all manner of incredible creatures like Loth-Wolves and Purrgill. All of these elements are part and parcel to what makesStar Wars Rebels so great, but it's the fate of the Spectres that ultimately drives the fandom's obsession with the show. And it's this aspect that theseries finale absolutely nailed.
The Fall of Pryce and Thrawn
Ultimately, the fate of Lothal would come down to which strategist would win out: Ezra and the Spectres or the Empire's Governor Pryce and Grand Admiral Thrawn. As the lesser of two evils, it's Pryce who is first defeated thanks to a clever trap laid by the rebels--featuring a killer combo of clone veterans Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor and their all-new Wolfpack, the Loth-Wolves themselves. This is helped in part by a pair of betrayals. "Et tu, Brute?" moments are a big part ofStar Wars, but I loved how theRebels storyline turned them around in favor of the rebellion for once. Both Alexsandr Kallus and Ryder Azadi played Pryce in unique ways in order to secure the Governor's cooperation for the ultimate liberation of Lothal; expertly done, this.
What followed from there was a completely bonkers plan on the part of Ezra. Essentially, the Spectres and their allies would overtake the Imperial Complex known as the Dome, a monolithic headquarters of the Empire and an ever-present reminder of their power. But rather than just blow it up Death Star-style (which still totally happens and is a nice nod toStar Wars itself), they first gather every employee of the Empire into its protected confines and use its massive engines to launch it safely into the sky and out to sea. A little over the top, but wildly entertaining.
And just as entertaining was the arrival of Thrawn to nearly thwart the rebels' plan. It's rare to see a Star Destroyer drop down to the planet's surface to absolutely lay waste to helpless cities, but that's exactly what Thrawn does to force Ezra's hand; it's impressive in its villainy. Unfortunately for Thrawn, Ezra's backup plan relied on both Sabine to keep the remaining Rebels on task to destroy the Dome while also charging Mart Mattin with the unexpected job of calling on the massive, "space-whale" Purrgil to come to their rescue. It's with the help of these creatures' ability to travel through hyperspace--and Ezra's singular will--that Thrawn is finally defeated ... but as for both Thrawn and Ezra's fates, that's left undecided.
But to even get to this point, Ezra had to survive a particularly difficult challenge from the Emperor himself...
The Emperor's Challenge
It wouldn't be aStar Wars story without an orphaned protagonist, now would it? The difference withStar Wars Rebels is that Ezra started out by searching for his parents who had been imprisoned by the Empire. He soon learns that they died during amass prison break, a fact which complicates both his Jedi training and his purpose in life. That's a conflict that Emperor Palpatine--the returnedIan McDiarmid--knows full well. He attempts to use this knowledge to turn Bridger from his path and negate everything the Rebels had achieved so far.
Luckily, Ezra is made of stronger stuff. When presented with a vision of his parents, alive and well, while in the Emperor's rebuilt section of the Jedi Temple, Ezra is tempted to take Palpatine's offer to rewrite history, cross through time, and rejoin his long lost family. The temptation doesn't last all that long--and neither does the skirmish against Imperial Guards and their "Force-crucifixion" weapons...--and Ezra is able to defy the Emperor, reveal his true self, and bring the last remnants of the temple down in a heap. It's a fitting moment for Ezra, making him the first Force-wielder (I believe) to resist the Emperor, well before Luke and Vader ever did in the timeline. Granted, it's a lot easier to escape Hologram Palpatine's clutches, but it's a win nonetheless.
Rukh's Nine Lives
There are some reliable standbys in anyStar Wars stories: cargo crates will always provide fantastic cover for Rebels and Imperials alike, catwalks in industrial areas will always be harbingers of death and doom, and characters will always find new ways to complicate the distinction between Canon and Legends. Rukh, the dastardly tracker/assassin, gets to play a part in all three of these tropes in the final episodes.
I want to call special attention to Rukh, as far as his actions go inStar Wars Rebels and not the "Thrawn" novel, because he's a fantastic secondary antagonist. No matter what the Rebels throw at this guy, he bounces back. He's been thrown from high cliffs by man, beast, and Force alike, and he survives every time. In the final episodes alone, it looks like we've seen the end of Rukh what feels like a half-a-dozen times before he eventually claws his way back onto the screen.
But Rukh's many lives are up at the close ofStar Wars Rebels. It's Rukh who throws a wrench into their plans to detonate the Dome, and fittingly, it's Zeb who gets to tackle the assassin in the final moments and eventually dispatch him with the help of the facility's powered-up electrical generators. It's a nasty way to go for such a nasty piece of work, but also a fitting, Darth Maul-like end for a character you can really love to hate.
The Battle of Endor and the Future of the Ghost Crew
With Pryce and Thrawn defeated, the Empire literally thrown off the surface of Lothal, and the civilians rising up to join the rebellion in earnest, the Ghost Crew can be rightfully celebrated as liberators at long last. But with the exception of Kanan, whose self-sacrifice allowed the Rebels to escape with their lives, and Ezra, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, the rest of the Rebels are alive to tell the tale. So what have they been up to?
Let's take a second to get straight with the timeline: The series finale ofStar Wars Rebels takes place about a year before the Battle of Yavin, the central time-point in all ofStar Wars history. The epilogue of the series finale picks up after the Battle of Endor, an event that takes place four years after the Battle of Yavin. In other words, we get to see a five-year time jump along with a catch-up for the Ghost Crew.
Rather than immediately go out in search of Ezra--or rather, with no solid lead to go on as to where he might be in the vastness of space--Sabine remained on Lothal to prepare for the inevitable reprisal from the Empire. However, the attack never came, mostly because the crumbling Empire had bigger problems elsewhere.
In the meantime, Zeb accompanied Kallus to the planet of Lira San by way of a secret hyperspace route in order to show the former Imperial Security Bureau agent that the genocide of Lasan did not go according to plan; the Lasat people welcomed him as a friend. As for Hera, she and Rex fought at the Battle of Endor, but the bigger surprise was to follow: Hera has a son, Jacen Syndulla! Nicknamed Spectre-7, it's strongly hinted that Jacen is Hera's biological son since he inherited her pilot skills, and that Kanan is his father; that latter part is more of a nudge and a wink than an outright admission, but three cheers for the next generation!
As for Sabine, she inherited not only the responsibility of keeping the Rebels on task, but also Ezra's own lightsaber. AsStar Wars Rebels came to a close, it's revealed that Sabine realized that Ezra was "counting on her" not just to protect Lothal, but to find him (and reunite him with said lightsaber, of course ... or maybe not since Sabine has wielded the green blade before...). Who's going to assist Sabine in this quest? Noneother than the resurfaced fan-favorite character, Ahsoka Tano!
And that's where we leaveStar Wars Rebels, with a finale that tied just about everything up with a neat bow and a feel-good conclusion while also leaving plenty of story left to tell in future installments in the franchise. We'll be sure to let you know what Disney plans next for its animatedStar Wars adventures, but for now, let's take a few moments to enjoy a journey well-traveled.
Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Rating:★★★★★ Excellent
