New Star Wars animated show "Rebels" coming fall 2014

[cooleddie74]

Yeah, it didn't help one bit that Palpatine kept filling his head with compliments such as: "They fear what you are becoming. That they won't be able to control you. Soon you will be the most powerful Jedi ever....even more powerful than Master Yoda."

Mix that in a stew with Anakin's lingering fears, hate, jealousies and other issues and it's no wonder he was so overconfident and sure of himself on Mustafar. Palpatine helped make a lonely boy and then young man feel like a king and Anakin ate it all up.

 

[Set Harth]

Of course, it's worth noting that all of Palpatine's hyperbolic descriptions of Anakin's power are in the future tense, including the one uttered during the Yoda/Palpatine battle late in ROTS.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Meet Zeb, the Muscle

Every team needs a tough guy. Introducing Zeb, the (smart) muscle of the Ghost crew from Lucasfilm’s upcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels. He is revealed for the first time in this video, featuring concept art, clay sculpts, and final renderings of the character, in addition to creator interviews.

Zeb is a well-trained honor guard and is highly educated, according to executive producer Dave Filoni, which juxtaposes his brutish, alien appearance. He’s voiced by Steve Blum, who says, “He’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder, hates Chopper and is starting to build a relationship with Ezra, begrudgingly.”

Zeb’s favorite pastime: beating up Stormtroopers, or bucket heads, as he’s heard calling them. He’s an agile fighter, using his hands, feet, and acrobatics. But there is more to Zeb than pounding Imperials. “It’s just going to be exciting to develop him and his bizarre new species,” says Filoni, “and to explain to the audience where he came from.”

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw86B-GFsDU[/yt]

 

[ALF]

Thanks for posting. I'm really enjoying the first glimpses at these characters, which aren't too terrible. Zeb seems like a bit of fun. Not sure what the consistent need with Star Wars to have a token accent is however (is that New Zealand or Australia)?

 

[Christopher]

Well, now I finally know what Steve Blum looks like.

But IMDb said David Oyelowo would play Zeb. I wonder what happened there.

And there's still a disappointing lack of female characters in evidence...

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Thus far, it looks like the series is going to focus on this trio of Kanan, Ezra, and Zeb as they gallivant around the OT-flavored galaxy. Which, at this point, looks like plenty of fun, actually. One does hope the series will include a greater diversity of characters and story lines, though. Following just this trio would offer only a very limited window into the nascent Rebellion.

Hopefully we'll start seeing more of that diversity in the near future.

 

[Wadjda]

Maybe. But it started out as something family-friendly and appealing to kids. The rest would never have existed if not for the original movie and the way it captured the imagination of a generation of children. So to be disdainful of a Star Wars production that's accessible to children is to be ungrateful to the foundations of the franchise.

Things change and evolve all the time. Define ungratefull? I would like more adult stuff from Rebels but i have no problem with them doing an another Droids series aimed at the kiddos.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Here is our female character...

http://www.themarysue.com/star-wars-rebels-sabine/

 

[Christopher]

Like I said, I think fandom has just become too self-consciously disdainful of anything child-oriented, and I see that as self-defeating elitism. A lot of the smartest, best shows out there have been made for young viewers, shows like Batman: TAS and Gargoyles and the Avatar franchise. Not to mention films like Pixar's body of work.

I mean, really, any decent society would ensure that everything it provides for its children be made with the highest possible care and devotion to quality. We should give our children the best we're capable of creating, not our sloppy seconds. And that's why the best of children's film and television is some of the best film and television out there, period.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Here is our female character...

http://www.themarysue.com/star-wars-rebels-sabine/

Awesome. The intro video is available at THR. She's an explosives expert and graffiti artist.

Very cool.

 

[Corran Horn]

They could've shoe-horned Zeb into an existing EU race. Would've been cool to see a Gotal or a Barabel.

 

[Reverend]

Like I said, I think fandom has just become too self-consciously disdainful of anything child-oriented, and I see that as self-defeating elitism. A lot of the smartest, best shows out there have been made for young viewers, shows like Batman: TAS and Gargoyles and the Avatar franchise. Not to mention films like Pixar's body of work.

I mean, really, any decent society would ensure that everything it provides for its children be made with the highest possible care and devotion to quality. We should give our children the best we're capable of creating, not our sloppy seconds. And that's why the best of children's film and television is some of the best film and television out there, period.

I think people often confuse "kid's show" with "family show". In my experience, the former is usually sickly garbage I think these "elitists" are so terrified of while the latter is where you find the quality entertainment like those you listed.

Honestly, everything I've seen so far says that Rebels will be a *family* show, not just a kid's show. So there's really no need to fret IMO.

They could've shoe-horned Zeb into an existing EU race. Would've been cool to see a Gotal or a Barabel.

Looks to me like they based his design on the old Han Solo character concepts, which honestly I think is way cooler than just picking some existing species off the shelf.

Here is our female character...

http://www.themarysue.com/star-wars-rebels-sabine/

Awesome. The intro video is available at THR. She's an explosives expert and graffiti artist.

Very cool.

That's a relief. I was starting the think the whole cast would be male.

Apropos of nothing, dose anyone else think that the role of the "cowboy Jedi" could easily have gone to Ahsoka? It seems like the perfect place to insert her into the show. I wonder why they didn't go in that direction.

 

[Christopher]

I think people often confuse "kid's show" with "family show". In my experience, the former is usually sickly garbage I think these "elitists" are so terrified of while the latter is where you find the quality entertainment like those you listed.

I don't agree. Avatar: The Last Airbender was undeniably made for kids as its primary audience. But it was made with the understanding that kids deserve our best effort. Frankly the idea that we can settle for tossing "garbage" to our children is horrifying to me -- what kind of sick, irresponsible culture would think that way?

Children are smarter and more perceptive than adults tend to give them credit for -- and they have a wealth of imagination and mental flexibility that adults usually have browbeaten out of them as they grow up and are pressured to conform and play by the rules. It's that imagination and free thinking of the child's mind that's so important to truly creative fiction, especially SF/fantasy/adventure fiction.

Honestly, everything I've seen so far says that Rebels will be a *family* show, not just a kid's show. So there's really no need to fret IMO.

I don't agree that that's a meaningful distinction. A "family show" is just a children's show that has appeal to adults as well. And since good storytelling is good storytelling, period, any well-done children's show should be smart and rich and imaginative and exciting enough to engage an adult's mind and emotions.

They could've shoe-horned Zeb into an existing EU race. Would've been cool to see a Gotal or a Barabel.

Looks to me like they based his design on the old Han Solo character concepts, which honestly I think is way cooler than just picking some existing species off the shelf.

I gather that he was based on McQuarrie's original Chewbacca concept sketch.

Apropos of nothing, dose anyone else think that the role of the "cowboy Jedi" could easily have gone to Ahsoka? It seems like the perfect place to insert her into the show. I wonder why they didn't go in that direction.

This show's under different owners than TCW, even though both have had Dave Filoni on staff. New management generally prefers to bring in its own ideas and make its own mark, distinct from what the previous management did.

Also, given what I've heard about the insanity of toy-company marketing, I bet there was advertiser pressure to keep the female presence in the show to a minimum.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Apropos of nothing, dose anyone else think that the role of the "cowboy Jedi" could easily have gone to Ahsoka? It seems like the perfect place to insert her into the show. I wonder why they didn't go in that direction.

Perhaps it opens too big a can of worms as to where she has been and what she has been up to? Perhaps they are saving her for a momentous guest-appearance? Licensing reasons?

Though, I admit, having her be the lead character would be ... really kind of awesome. That'd connect the PT and OT in a lot of ways. She'd have a hand in undoing the damage her former Master has caused the galaxy. Heck, keeping her alive wouldn't necessarily contradict Yoda's statement to Luke about, "The last of the Jedi, will you be," since she's no longer part of the order.

 

[Wadjda]

Like I said, I think fandom has just become too self-consciously disdainful of anything child-oriented, and I see that as self-defeating elitism. A lot of the smartest, best shows out there have been made for young viewers, shows like Batman: TAS and Gargoyles and the Avatar franchise. Not to mention films like Pixar's body of work.

I mean, really, any decent society would ensure that everything it provides for its children be made with the highest possible care and devotion to quality. We should give our children the best we're capable of creating, not our sloppy seconds. And that's why the best of children's film and television is some of the best film and television out there, period.

Trash will be created even if everyone is an angel. Is the responsability of the the parents and the guardians.

 

[cooleddie74]

The creators might have received instructions to leave Ahsoka out of Rebels for the time being because they want to do other things with her character down the road. It's at least a possibility that the new powers that be are well aware she's a popular character with many fans and have other plans, and those plans don't fit in with Rebels, at least not at this early stage in the game.

Frankly we don't know what Disney and Lucasfilm have ordered or demanded from Filoni and the Rebels team but I'd never rule out an Ahsoka appearance in the future if for no other reason than to finally wrap up her storyline.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Yeah, considering just how strong and complex a character she was becoming by the end of Season 5, it'd be shame to not have any on-screen closure for her character.

 

[Corran Horn]

I gather that he was based on McQuarrie's original Chewbacca concept sketch.

Agreed. They'd noted they were mining that work previously as well.

 

[Christopher]

Don't get me wrong, I'd certainly be pleased if Ahsoka were in the Kanan role, and I hope she does play some role in the series. But I wouldn't be surprised if there were management or advertiser pressure to avoid using her -- in which case it might take some fan pressure to overcome that resistance.

 

[Reverend]

Just to be clear, I didn't mean to suggest that I think they *should* have gone with Ahsoka in lieu of an original character. It just seemed on the face of it that the background for this character is so similar that I can't help but wonder if that was the intent at some point.

Plus I admit a part of me would just like to see a female character in the Obi Wan role for a change.

I think people often confuse "kid's show" with "family show". In my experience, the former is usually sickly garbage I think these "elitists" are so terrified of while the latter is where you find the quality entertainment like those you listed.

I don't agree. Avatar: The Last Airbender was undeniably made for kids as its primary audience. But it was made with the understanding that kids deserve our best effort. Frankly the idea that we can settle for tossing "garbage" to our children is horrifying to me -- what kind of sick, irresponsible culture would think that way?

Besides ours?

Children are smarter and more perceptive than adults tend to give them credit for -- and they have a wealth of imagination and mental flexibility that adults usually have browbeaten out of them as they grow up and are pressured to conform and play by the rules. It's that imagination and free thinking of the child's mind that's so important to truly creative fiction, especially SF/fantasy/adventure fiction.

Did I claim otherwise?

Honestly, everything I've seen so far says that Rebels will be a *family* show, not just a kid's show. So there's really no need to fret IMO.

I don't agree that that's a meaningful distinction. A "family show" is just a children's show that has appeal to adults as well. And since good storytelling is good storytelling, period, any well-done children's show should be smart and rich and imaginative and exciting enough to engage an adult's mind and emotions.

Trust me, if you have kids it's a *hugely* meaningful distinction. It's the difference between a brainless 20min toy advert that you plonk your kid in front of while you do other things and a program that you can enjoy along with them. It's the difference between Barney the Dinosaur and The Muppet Show.

Looks to me like they based his design on the old Han Solo character concepts, which honestly I think is way cooler than just picking some existing species off the shelf.

I gather that he was based on McQuarrie's original Chewbacca concept sketch.

I may be misremembering, but I'm pretty sure that was Han Solo from one of the early "Starkiller" drafts. IIRC Chewie wasn't introduced until much later in the process, after the Wookiee X-wing pilots were switched out for human rebels. That artwork may have been the basis for Chewbacca's design after the fact (like the Blockade Runner was based on an early idea for the Falcon), but I'm 90% sure this was originally a Han Solo concept.