New Star Wars animated show "Rebels" coming fall 2014

[cooleddie74]

I'm liking what I'm seeing and reading about Kanan. Of course, the proof of any character is in the pudding (or blue milk) of actually watching them in action, but I'm enjoying what we know so far.

As per the animation style, I don't mind at all that there's a very strong resemblance to The Clone Wars. It'll sort of aid in the department of visual continuity and won't look as jarringly different from the previous series, which no doubt will attract some viewers because it will have a familiar, cozy feel that reminds them of Cartoon Network.

 

[Christopher]

I thought the animation style was supposed to be different from Clone Wars? Looks the same to me. That's not a complaint, just an observation. I liked the visuals of Clone Wars.

It's subtly different. The TCW characters seemed to be designed to suggest Gerry Anderson's marionette shows -- they kind of looked like they were carved out of wood, with very stylized, angular features and especially hair. This character still has kind of a plasticky look, like many 3D-animated characters (especially on a TV budget), but the design is a bit more naturalistic.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Yeah, this new design looks more, "cartoonish" with its more rounded edges and less detail on the costume and background.

Then again, more detail may be added prior to the airing of the show.

 

[Christopher]

^Well, much of what we saw in the videos consisted of low-resolution test renderings, but the publicity photos seem to represent the full level of detail.

 

[cooleddie74]

And for anybody out there in the fanbase who might complain that Obi-Wan and Yoda should be the only Jedi left alive after this long, the fact is we just don't know for sure how many Jedi managed to successfully evade the Empire during this specific timeframe. By the time Yoda dies in ROTJ (a quarter-century after the beginning of the Purge) he tells Luke that he'd be the last Jedi alive, but that is years after Rebels and there were no doubt a handful of Knights and Padawans who eluded death for some time after Order 66 was issued.

With at least - what? 10,000 Jedi in the galaxy at the time of the Clone Wars and that's a large enough number that allows quite a few of them to remain kicking and breathing even after the birth of the Empire. Most Jedi weren't in the field and in a war zone commanding or serving alongside Clones who turned on them. Kanan's existence wouldn't violate any supposed canon about surviving Jedi during the timeframe of the new series.

 

[USS Firefly]

But not even Yoda couldn't know if ALL the Jedi are dead in ROTJ.
He couldn't even feel a Sith master in front of him or Anakin becoming evil

 

[Set Harth]

Also, there's the Lucenoverse implication that some escaped Jedi may have simply stopped being Jedi in the sense of giving up their lightsaber(s) and the Jedi way of life, thus not being counted among the Jedi even if they had survived to the time of ROTJ.

 

[cooleddie74]

Fair points. I just tend to enjoy a chuckle at the people who think all the Jedi except Obi-Wan and Yoda had been tracked down and destroyed by the time of the OT. Considering all the human fugitives from the law who evade capture for years or even decades in real life on our very own planet I'd say that chances that all the rest of the 10,000+ members of the Jedi Order being eliminated by the time of Rebels would have been nil.

Vader's sinister Dark Side powers and a legion of crack Stormtroopers at his disposal or not, nobody's perfect - and that galaxy's a bigger place than it often seems. Whether they'd given up the title of Jedi to protect themselves or simply went into deep hiding you're not going to do away with all 10,000 or more of those guys and gals in twenty years' time.

Besides, Obi-Wan told Luke "now the Jedi are all but extinct." Not extinct. That leaves room for more than two survivors even if Ben and Yoda could never be 100% certain of it.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

If Clone Wars could plausibly bring back Darth Maul, then Rebels should have no problem plausibly introducing "Rebel Jedi".

 

[JD]

I know it probably won't mean squat to Rebels, but in the EU there are several alien Jedi from the Prequel era who survived all the way into the Legacy comics 100+ years after the OT. So obviously there is precedent in the stories for there being survivors of The Purge besides Yoda and Obi-Wan.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I've been watching Clone Wars seasons 4 & 5 over the past couple of days, and from the commentary, it's clear that Filoni and his team are well aware of the EU and, certainly, have no problem lifting from it, if it fits their vision. Based on what we've seen so far ... that there will be Jedi in Rebels, it stands to reason that Filoni and his team will at least acquaint themselves with some of the EU.

 

[Set Harth]

Filoni and his team are well aware of the EU and, certainly, have no problem lifting from it

That's been fairly obvious throughout the series.

 

[cooleddie74]

Which I'm cool with to a point. The EU isn't all bad and has some very lift-worthy elements that are fun to see in the films and TV series. That's why seeing, say, Ben Skywalker, Thrawn, Bakura or the idea of a Clone Emperor in one of the new Trilogy films doesn't really bug me so long as they're written well and handled right.

The EU contains a lot of easily shrugged-off crap and fluff but there's no reason why television and screenwriters shouldn't use an idea if it's actually a good one and mold it to their particular needs.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Ezra

When we meet Ezra, he has little interest in becoming a revolutionary. The suave teen has been living on his own on the planet Lothal and is just starting to learn how to use his mysterious new powers. "To survive, instinctively every now and then when he's in a jam he uses the Force," exec producer Dave Filoni says in the exclusive preview video below. "He doesn't call it that. He doesn't know that's what he's doing. He thinks he's got some abilities that are a little strange every now and then, but they help him out. It's instinctive, it's reactionary."

Ezra is played by Taylor Gray, who starred in the Nickelodeon series Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures. "I'm excited to voice the role of Ezra in Star Wars Rebels but I'm even more excited to be a part of the Star Wars legacy," Gray says. "I can't wait for fans new and existing to come together and see the next chapter in the most legendary tale known in the galaxy."

Filoni chose Gray for the role because his voice wasn't too contemporary. "I don't want to sound like I just went down to the local mall [to cast the role]," says Filoni, who also oversaw the previous Star Wars animated series, The Clone Wars. "There's a rawness to him that feels very authentic. Taylor really seems to be able to occupy the character in this time period of the Star Wars universe. He's a real kid who's out there in the galaxy."

 

[Christopher]

So are there any, like, female characters in this show?

 

[Wadjda]

Probably. I expected Ezra to be a female to.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

^ That would have invited too many Ahsoka comparisons, I think. Still, the point is valid: Where are the female characters?

 

[Turtletrekker]

Huh. Maybe Ashoka herself will be on the show, and they are saving that for a big, final announcement.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

That would be fantastic news!

 

[Wadjda]

Huh. Maybe Ashoka herself will be on the show, and they are saving that for a big, final announcement.

I hope she won't be a regular.

^ That would have invited too many Ahsoka comparisons, I think. Still, the point is valid: Where are the female characters?

They will show up sooner or later.