The season two premier of Star Wars: Rebels is this coming Saturday, June 20, 2015: "The Siege of Lothal". It is airing at 9:00 PM EDT on Disney XD. In this thread, we will discuss SPOILERS.
I have really conflicting thoughts on REBELS. On one hand, I think it's the best SW that's been created since ROTJ. It recreates the family atmosphere, danger, and sense of adventure of the OT, which was sorely missing in the PT and TCW series. I very much enjoyed season 1. But on the other hand, I fear they're going to water down characters from the OT that shouldn't be watered down because they have nothing better to create -- a concern that preview only reinforced. Vader's shouldn't fight a middling Jedi and a child and the result being their escape. He shouldn't struggle to snatch away an object from the hand of a poorly trained apprentice. Vader, if he ever encountered any of that crew, should squash them like bugs with little effort. And ESB isn't relevant; he allowed Luke to play around with him because he was his son. One of the sins of the PT is that Anakin almost never actually did anything that was intimidating to the point that would warrant him becoming the fearsome Darth VADER. Darth Vader shouldn't be a villain of the week that's continually defeated. In the TCW, they ruined (or, more appropriately, piled on the post-ROTS wastage of) General Greivous precisely this way. Prop up Greivous for ratings, embarrass his character again, and let the good guys get away. The result was that his character became a lame joke. I hope they use Vader sparingly. And if not, he had better extinguish important characters along the way. Regularly.
Dropping these in from the S1 thread: [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZY0gqIAcx4[/yt] Looks like they're opening with a big ol' space battle. Love seeing those blue-before-greenscreen A-Wings in action! [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifRoDS3Xstg[/yt] I'm hopeful on Ahsoka's presence; last year they had Tarkin present and he was suitably menacing despite not actually killing our heroes; I think that Ahsoka and Vader will come to a head, probably this season, and that it will be a conclusion that we've wanted to see for some time. And won't like once we see it. Still though, they've been fairly respectful of the OT characters they've dropped in so far, and I feel that they would similarly not make Vader this year into a moustache-twirling bad guy who shakes his fist every week while saying "I'll get you next time, and your little droid too!". The Clone Wars did an overall great job at salvaging the PT characters and making them into people we could actually WANT to watch, and I have faith that they'll do the same here without disrespecting what's come before. Mark
The impression I have is that Vader will be there to motivate them to leave Lothal. He's there because those two "weak" Jedi managed to kill an Inquisator. That and a request from Grand Moff Tarkin would bring out the Sith Lord. The Rebel barely escaping due to Ashoka being with them (not the ground scene with the shuttle. Vader likes to catch more than just the pawns. He'd be after the fleet if he can use the Rebels to get him there). Then Vader leaving because the Emperor wants him to do something else rather that track Ashoka. Hence the two new Inquisators seen in the trailer. If Vader returns, it will because he's tracking Ashoka again, or the Inquisators fail him.
Actually from the previews its Palpatine that sends Vader to Lothal, probably as a major show of force after the debacle at Mustafar. And I can't help but feel that Lothal is probably important to getting the Death Star up and running.
Lets be honest who have we seen Vader beat in a fight. Barely beat an aged Obiwan on the Deathstar, toyed with his novice son and got clipped on the shoulder in sky city and then was nearly killed by his son on the second Deathstar. Sure he force chokes the non force people and stands around looking intimidating but as a fighter, over rated.
Well this Rebellion managed to kill an Inquisator, destroy an Imperial Star Destroyer, and steal a TIE Advanced v1 along with a TIE Fighter and an armed Imperial transport. As well as give hope to those on the Outer Rim, embarass a Grand Moff, and harbor two "jedi".
Indeed. Likely a result of having his body chopped into pieces and set on fire by lava. His robot suit is basically a giant iron lung.
He's still Darth Vader. He's mostly scary, but he must have his reputation for a reason. [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ipRiCrD03g[/yt] He's still supposely a damned good fighter pilot, even though most of the kills we see him get in Star Wars are against people flying in a straight line. Under all that armor and personality, is still the skillset of Anakin Skywalker. The armor has forced him to go to a more brutal form of lightsaber combat, but blasters? If he can deflect Han Solo's quickdraw heavy blaster pistol with just his hand, he'd basically going to be invincible with a lightsaber. This guy has basically been fighting a war of one kind or another since the start of the Clone Wars, and has his first kills at the Battle of Naboo.
Yeah that's definitely a concern.... but it's also freakin Darth Vader being a badass and being voiced by James Earl Jones again, so I'm willing to take that risk. Not to mention that it should provide the show a much greater threat and sense of danger that often seemed to be lacking in the first season (where it often felt like the rebels weren't scared or intimidated by the Imperials in the slightest). Plus I imagine Vader won't be directly confronting the rebels all that often, but more just overseeing the operation from above in his Star Destroyer, which should make the idea a whole lot easier to buy.
Luke had only a 50% success rate when striking Vader with his lightsaber. His first blow was ineffective against Vader's shoulder in TESB, but the other one was effective against his wrist in ROTJ.
Plus started increasing unrest on the planet Tarkin personally went to to put down the rebellion there.
Another "Siege of Lothal" clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdI86nfib3M A Star Wars Rebels comic being released in September http://www.coffeewithkenobi.com/sep...e-shattered-and-a-scoundrel-tries-to-survive/ And it seems that Luke's encounter with a Rancor in Return of the Jedi wasn't the first time. http://i.imgur.com/IWetzPB.jpg