New Star Wars animated show "Rebels" coming fall 2014

[Gaith]

Well, he did need help from great numbers of Imperial probe droids to locate the Rebels and his son at the beginning of Empire. As powerful with the Dark Side and trusted by the Emperor as Vader is he's not invincible and all-knowing. I imagine having some henchmen and technology at his disposal is a big help when tracking down targets across an area as huge as a galaxy.

Oh, I don't have a problem with Vader having help, but I'd rather said help be more investigative than combative in nature, and I certainly don't want him delegating the job entirely or even mostly to previously unmentioned underlings. Whatever, we'll see...

 

[cooleddie74]

As much as I liked her character, I hope this new guy doesn't turn into just another Asajj Ventress. There's even a bit of a physical resemblance.

 

[Corran Horn]

Some info from today's Star Wars: Rebels panel at NY Comic-Con today, including our first look at one of the show's villains, an Imperial Inquistor who is "tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down the remaining Jedi Knights."

And here and all I thought that was, y'know, Vader's job.

The concept of an Imperial Inquisitor has been around a long, long time. I believe it's originally an RPG construct.

As for the Asajj Ventress comparison - I think it's valid. They need a non-Vader running around being the baddie. Using Vader in a regular role cheapens him. And, presumably, he's off doing more important things. Maybe he'll show up every once in a while.

 

[Reverend]

Is it just me or does that new guy look a lot like the "dark son" from the Mortis trilogy?

 

[ALF]

They need a non-Vader running around being the baddie. Using Vader in a regular role cheapens him.

Agreed on the first point. Not sure about the cheapening. Couldn't the same be argued for any character? I'm hoping for about as much Vader as we got Palpatine in TCW. And perhaps, like TCW, it'll be 98% paperwork and one scene of major ass whoopin'. Rest assured we'll be likely seeing him often in holograms.

This series is going to open up Vader's character a bit more, like it or not. For example, what Vader did during the initial occupation of the empire is a mystery. How hands-on is he? Does he do anything in the day-to-day operations of The Empire, or is he only sent on secret missions bid by The Emperor? Certainly this is were he may be most useful to The Empire.

Case in point: the first time we ever see Vader what is he doing? Hunting down the stolen Death Star plans. So he spends 20 years doing covert ops?

We now know that the series is set 6 years before the Battle of Yavin so there is still a lot we won't see between trilogies but having any insight into what Vader was up to (regardless of his actual screen time) sounds very interesting.

As much as I liked her character, I hope this new guy doesn't turn into just another Asajj Ventress. There's even a bit of a physical resemblance.

Asajj Ventress might know The Inquisitor... for all we know she could survive to Star Wars: Rebels. We'll find out this Christmas when santa brings TCW Season 6 to all the good boys and girls with AppleTM products.

Lose Disney Channel, break away from animation, and we'll have a real excellent show.

It was called Star Wars: Underworld. And at the rate it's going, we'll never see it. I would much prefer to get excited something about something that we will really get to see.

Plus, we got heaps of Bounty Hunters in TCW. I'm Bounty-Huntered out for now. Let's have a story about rebels for a change.

 

[cooleddie74]

The new series would be a great chance to depict stories of the maturing, steadily more skilled and dangerous Boba Fett and other villains seen in the OT (such as Wilhuff Tarkin's rise in the Imperial hierarchy to the point where he was such a respected badass that the Emperor let him push his Sith apprentice around). I hope they touch on the bounty hunters, criminals and other Imperials of that era without devolving into pure continuity porn and fanwank, but Disney and Lucasfilm know that Darth Vader sells and gets eyes on the big and small screens. He'll probably be prominent.

 

[Johnny Rico]

So how do the new Rebels' Stormtroopers get to work? In one of these:

 

[Dream]

Disney and Lucasfilm know that Darth Vader sells and gets eyes on the big and small screens. He'll probably be prominent.

You can't really do a show with Vader as the lead character. He is too powerful and his character development doesn't actually began until ESB.

I see him more as a background character that might get his own episode every once in a while.

 

[cooleddie74]

Like I said, prominent. Hovering in the shadows and seen or referenced frequently during the course of the series. I wouldn't want him to be the lead nor should he be. That's like basing several Bond films in a row on Blofeld and making him the most important character, much moreso than even 007 himself. Strong villains shouldn't usually be domineering, regular leads who smother the other characters.

Vader included. But as I mentioned, Lucasfilm and Disney know he sells. He'll turn up frequently enough to push the series and its associated merchandise.

 

[Freman]

The only thing I'm worried about with this being on Disney is....we probably won't get full season boxsets. Disney is well known for trying to suck people dry with 4 episode volume sets. Then when people DON'T buy them (because they are waiting for the full season to come out), Disney assumes there is no market for the show on DVD, and doesn't release the full set.

 

[Stephen!]

Disney's assumptions of DVD sales could be flawed. Hardly any full seasons of Power Rangers were released on DVD when Disney owned the franchise (other than Germany and UK) yet Shout Factory now seems to be getting successful sales.

 

[Mr Light]

Clone Wars started with four episode sets as well.

 

[Christopher]

Like I said, prominent. Hovering in the shadows and seen or referenced frequently during the course of the series. I wouldn't want him to be the lead nor should he be.

Well, the show is called Rebels, not Empire. So I'd assume the lead characters would be members of the Rebel Alliance -- hopefully including Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. If the show begins 6 years before the original movie, I'd like it to have a series arc showing Leia's growth from a teenage princess into the Senator from Alderaan and a rebel sympathizer. Leia's backstory is one of the great unaddressed questions in the franchise, at least for me. Maybe there's been a novel or two about it, but to me it's a blank slate, and one I'm interested in seeing filled in.

 

[Jeyl]

Leia's backstory is one of the great unaddressed questions in the franchise, at least for me. Maybe there's been a novel or two about it, but to me it's a blank slate, and one I'm interested in seeing filled in.

I doubt very much that anyone who's making this series thinks that Leia is the kind of character who can carry a show. An Arc maybe, but she wouldn't be the key player. More like someone who simply observes someone doing something awesome and becomes inspired. She's not a "plays by their own rules" scoundrel, she's not a "cool armor wearing bada**" like Boba Fett and she's not some prophesied chosen one who will save the galaxy. But most importantly, she's not a dude. Star Wars has and always will be dictated by dudes while the dudettes will be the emotional anchors that serve only for the dudes' benefit. Besides, it's a waste of story anyways since Luke pretty much tells Leia in Return of the Jedi that she's only useful to the Alliance if he dies. You're only going to further expand a character who's sole purpose is for the male hero's emotional state.

 

[cooleddie74]

If the show begins 6 years before the original movie, I'd like it to have a series arc showing Leia's growth from a teenage princess into the Senator from Alderaan and a rebel sympathizer. Leia's backstory is one of the great unaddressed questions in the franchise, at least for me. Maybe there's been a novel or two about it, but to me it's a blank slate, and one I'm interested in seeing filled in.

This.

All I can remember from novels and EU materials is that Leia was elected to represent Alderaan in the Imperial Senate as a teenage girl and it made her the youngest person ever to serve in the entire body, either during the Republic or the Galactic Empire. Other than her youth and that milestone at the time, I can't offhand remember all that much about Leia's early years except that Bail Organa once presented her in an audience with the Emperor and the private encounter with both Palpatine and Vader creeped her out. Even as a little girl she knew the Emperor and his regime were corrupt, and along with her adopted father's fiery democratic idealism it affected how she matured into adulthood.

 

[Set Harth]

And, presumably, he's off doing more important things. Maybe he'll show up every once in a while.

Like Nick Fury?

In that case, the show I'd rather see would be called Star Wars: More Important Things.

and she's not some prophesied chosen one who will save the galaxy.

Though she does have the midichlorians for it.

We'll find out this Christmas when santa brings TCW Season 6 to all the good boys and girls with AppleTM products.

I thought that kind of treatment was only for bad boys and girls.

 

[Sindatur]

Leia's backstory is one of the great unaddressed questions in the franchise, at least for me. Maybe there's been a novel or two about it, but to me it's a blank slate, and one I'm interested in seeing filled in.

I doubt very much that anyone who's making this series thinks that Leia is the kind of character who can carry a show. An Arc maybe, but she wouldn't be the key player. More like someone who simply observes someone doing something awesome and becomes inspired. She's not a "plays by their own rules" scoundrel, she's not a "cool armor wearing bada**" like Boba Fett and she's not some prophesied chosen one who will save the galaxy. But most importantly, she's not a dude. Star Wars has and always will be dictated by dudes while the dudettes will be the emotional anchors that serve only for the dudes' benefit. Besides, it's a waste of story anyways since Luke pretty much tells Leia in Return of the Jedi that she's only useful to the Alliance if he dies. You're only going to further expand a character who's sole purpose is for the male hero's emotional state.

So, Asokha and Amidala were dudes? Who'da thunk it? Asohka was every bit the lead in The Clone Wars Animated Series that Anakin and Obiwan were, and Amidala was barely behind them

 

[Christopher]

I'd be happy to see Leia as the lead character, but that wasn't what I proposed. I said "a series arc," i.e. one of its ongoing threads. I expect there to be multiple character and story arcs, but I'd like that to be one of them.

 

[Reverend]

Yeah, no one character really "carried" TCW. It was very much an ensemble cast with an almost anthology based format. So count me in for teenage Leia as a regular character. There's a lot of potential there I think.

 

[cooleddie74]

Also, I wouldn't mind seeing Lando in his younger years....before he lost the Falcon to Han and became the baron administrator of Cloud City. He's likely an older character than Han and has probably seen as much of the galaxy during the rise of the Empire as others. A cameo or two by a younger Lando during his prime would be pretty entertaining.