Star Wars Rebels Season Three (spoilers)

[fireproof78]

Maybe that was kind of the point. Maul has been significant to Ezra, but his significance to Obi-Wan is a thing of the past, because O-W's destiny has taken a different path. He moved on two decades before, but Maul was still stuck in the past, unable to let go, and that was what doomed him. The producers even talked about that -- he tried to kill O-W using the same move he used on Qui-Gon, symbolizing that he was still stuck in the past.

Indeed. I actually found it even more interesting the way that Maul's final moments and Qui-Gon's mirrored each other. It also reflected Obi-Wan's point of view of the Chosen One versus Maul's and the Dark Side in general.

As quick as the actual lightsaber combat was, the moments leading up to it were far more interesting in their character development and psychological part of the battle.

 

[Kirk Prime]

Do not conflate ease with skill and efficiency. It took him his whole lift to end a fight that fast. You can bet it was not easy. Besides, like any good samurai/ronin duel, the match was won before the first blow was struck. The true fight was in anticipating his opponent's actions and exploiting that to create an opening.

Also consider that Kenobi knows his enemy very well. How he fights and how he thinks. Maul, despite what he may think, does not know Kenobi. Certainly not anymore and possibly not ever.

Does he really know him THAT well? They hadn't seen each other in decades for all we know. It's not like they had a life long rivalry.

Kenobi is a great jedi, but so was Quai Gon, and that was a pretty long fight. Maul was insane but his skills were supposedly pretty awesome. I thought it was an interesting creative choice. We all knew Kenobi would win, but I was a bit disappointed Maul didn't put up a better fight.

What I loved was how Kenobi's voice sounded so much like Alec Guiness. It was a subtle change because young Kenobi sounds like McGregor. I liked that a LOT.

 

[Christopher]

Does he really know him THAT well? They hadn't seen each other in decades for all we know. It's not like they had a life long rivalry.

They did encounter each other several times in The Clone Wars, so there was an ongoing rivalry there. And as we've said, Maul is stuck in the past. He hasn't changed from who he was all those decades ago, despite all he's gone through. Everything he's done since has been about avenging that single moment, so he's frozen in time. He's still the person he was way back then. So Obi-Wan knew all he needed to know about the opponent he was facing.

 

[Tuskin38]

According to the official episode guide the model of Luke at the end of the episode was just Ezra's model, since he was so far away and in silhouette there was no reason make a new asset.

 

[Reverend]

Does he really know him THAT well? They hadn't seen each other in decades for all we know. It's not like they had a life long rivalry.

Kenobi is a great jedi, but so was Quai Gon, and that was a pretty long fight. Maul was insane but his skills were supposedly pretty awesome. I thought it was an interesting creative choice. We all knew Kenobi would win, but I was a bit disappointed Maul didn't put up a better fight.

What I loved was how Kenobi's voice sounded so much like Alec Guiness. It was a subtle change because young Kenobi sounds like McGregor. I liked that a LOT.

It's not an issue of martial skill, it's a matter of wisdom and insight. Kenobi has spent 17 years in reflection and meditation. He's not the same person he was when he first went into hiding. He has a much deeper wisdom and a stronger connection to the force and as such doesn't have to have been around to know everything he needs to know about Maul.

Had he wanted to, he could have killed him the day he set foot on Tatooine, but that's not his way. He was content to lead him on a futile hunt from one side of the dune sea to the other, never once letting him get close. It's only when Maul endangered others that he chose to allow him to catch up and only when he directly threatened Luke that he chose to cut him down.

 

[Tuskin38]

It's only when Maul endangered others that he chose to allow him to catch up and only when he directly threatened Luke that he chose to cut him down.

That is exactly right. If Maul hadn't figured out the truth of why Obi-Wan was there, he probably would have just wounded him, scared him off if at all possible.

In fact Maul almost sounded willing to leave Obi-Wan alone until he started questioning why he was there. Though he could have just been toying with him.

 

[fireproof78]

Does he really know him THAT well? They hadn't seen each other in decades for all we know. It's not like they had a life long rivalry.

Kenobi is a great jedi, but so was Quai Gon, and that was a pretty long fight. Maul was insane but his skills were supposedly pretty awesome. I thought it was an interesting creative choice. We all knew Kenobi would win, but I was a bit disappointed Maul didn't put up a better fight.

What I loved was how Kenobi's voice sounded so much like Alec Guiness. It was a subtle change because young Kenobi sounds like McGregor. I liked that a LOT.

It's a fight between masters. Two strokes is pretty common in actual combat.

 

[Basill]

So now we've technically seen both Luke and Leia on Rebels. Who else have we seen from the OT? Kenobi, Vader, Tarkin, Yoda, Wedge, Yularen, that bearded general from Yavin, Mon Mothma... Who else? Was Captain Antilles in the Leia episode?

Lando has also appeared multiple times now on Rebels.

I for one really liked (low level loved) the episode, but I have to agree, after all the hype and given the short time allotted per episode, it did seem to be a bit of let down. The last few minutes after the Kenobi reveal however, were spot on awesome.

I've watched it 3 times now, and for the life of me, I still can't see were Obi-Wan landed the fatal blow whilst leaving him so "intact" (but I suppose that's the art of the Samurai...er Jedi. ) At first, I thought maybe he'd just been sucking on the Force for days on end in his harsh desert search and simply succumbed to exposure after Obi-Wan bisected his lightsaber. I thought perhaps he'd instantly realized he was simply no match, but suddenly aware (and strangely content) that he'd managed to make it to his "last hurrah" (or maybe the Force just decided to pull the proverbial plug). As he lay there crying and dying in Obi-Wan's lap while the smoke rose up, I couldn't determine if it was Maul that was still smoldering or just the remains of his weapon (or hell, even that campfire he'd just dusted out, though less likely).

How far did Ezra manage to get away in the saddle of that Dewback before it was over, and was he (surely) turned back watching the whole thing? And talk about your content lizards; Sooner or later Chopper's rocket engines are going to light something on fire and create some genuine chaos.

I loved how Obi-Wan remained as passive as he could until Maul seemed to put the pieces of the "someone" puzzle together. That moment when the blue light washed across his face was priceless. Of course, you couldn't yet see his lightsaber, but you heard it and you knew what was coming.

As for the final farm scene, it was totally predictable and just as awesome.

 

[Tuskin38]

I've watched it 3 times now, and for the life of me, I still can't see were Obi-Wan landed the fatal blow whilst leaving him so "intact"

You can see smoke coming from his chest once hes on the ground. The angle of his body and the camera obscure the actual wound.

 

[Kirk Prime]

It's a fight between masters. Two strokes is pretty common in actual combat.

Fair enough, but Star Wars isn't actual combat. Quai Gon was very wise with the Force too, as was Yoda, who couldn't take down Palpatine. Maul also had decades to hone his skill.

Just like a boxing movie can't really show a fight like it would be a real boxing match, and a martial arts film can't make fights look like UFC--it's not as entertaining.

One thing is certain, I really would love to see more of Obi Wan post-ROTS. I don't care if it's live action or cartoon--the character is fascinating.

 

[Reverend]

For those still struggling the the concept of an epic duel that lasts mere seconds, I refer you to the master himself: -

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If you happen to be one of those people that for some reason can't stand to watch non-English and/or black & white movies then here's the exact same scene in a format more suited to your troglodyte tastes.

 

[fireproof78]

Fair enough, but Star Wars isn't actual combat. Quai Gon was very wise with the Force too, as was Yoda, who couldn't take down Palpatine. Maul also had decades to hone his skill.

Just like a boxing movie can't really show a fight like it would be a real boxing match, and a martial arts film can't make fights look like UFC--it's not as entertaining.

One thing is certain, I really would love to see more of Obi Wan post-ROTS. I don't care if it's live action or cartoon--the character is fascinating.

Neither Yoda nor Qui-Gon were prepared for Sith combatants. It was a style of combat that had not been seen in 1000 years.
Obi-Wan, in contrast, had decades of seeing actual Sith and Sith acolyte combat, between Maul, Dooku, Asajj, Savage and the like. Obi-Wan didn't just have years but he also had experience to recognize different fighting styles.

That's what the whole "pre-fight" scene was all about. It's a probing of defenses, of your opponents reactions, and gauging their state of mind. The actual lightsaber combat lasted mere seconds, but the fight itself was much longer.

Based upon what I know Lucas used as influences, and mythic tropes he used for world building, this scene is the culmination of all those influences and spirituality of the Force, very much encompassing the Light Side and the Dark Side.

For those still struggling the the concept of an epic duel that lasts mere seconds, I refer you to the master himself: -

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If you happen to be one of those people that for some reason can't stand to watch non-English and/or black & white movies then here's the exact same scene in a format more suited to your troglodyte tastes.

Thank you for sharing the whole clip.

Also,

Insulted.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

The thing is, another high-flying body-spinning fancy light saber duel is exactly what we would have expected, and it's exactly what we've been getting alot of lately. It would be pretty hard to top that and show Obi-Won's skill and Maul's as both have evolved over the years...

Until you realize that most of that fancy footwork is actually unnecessary and a complete waste of energy. It's a lot of passion and violence, but it's also very inefficient. It's kind of like the bare knuckle boxing scene in "Snatch." Gorgeous George is a lumbering powerhouse who can slam Mickey around, body slam him, knock him on his ass and pummel him. But when Mickey finishes goofing off and decides to put George out, he does with his very first punch.

 

[Christopher]

I've watched it 3 times now, and for the life of me, I still can't see were Obi-Wan landed the fatal blow whilst leaving him so "intact" (but I suppose that's the art of the Samurai...er Jedi. ) At first, I thought maybe he'd just been sucking on the Force for days on end in his harsh desert search and simply succumbed to exposure after Obi-Wan bisected his lightsaber. I thought perhaps he'd instantly realized he was simply no match, but suddenly aware (and strangely content) that he'd managed to make it to his "last hurrah" (or maybe the Force just decided to pull the proverbial plug). As he lay there crying and dying in Obi-Wan's lap while the smoke rose up, I couldn't determine if it was Maul that was still smoldering or just the remains of his weapon (or hell, even that campfire he'd just dusted out, though less likely).

Well, it's still a kids' cartoon on Disney XD. So they had to be discreet in how much they showed.

Fair enough, but Star Wars isn't actual combat.

But it is a collection of homages to various genres of classic cinema, and this was an homage to a trope from samurai films. Why shouldn't they be allowed to vary their approach to combat scenes? How would it be interesting if they just did the exact same style of action scene over and over again? Filoni and his team chose to approach this fight differently than the previous Kenobi-Maul battles in order to illustrate how Kenobi had grown over the decades. If they'd just done it the same old predictable way, that would've been lazy and unimaginative.

 

[Tallguy]

Is that the music from Qui-Gon's funeral that plays over Maul's death?

Kiner actually stayed away from Williams music to a surprising degree. But letting Ben's theme play over the credits was wonderful. I buy my episodes on Amazon. I can't imagine that moment being interrupted by "COMING UP NEXT ON DISNEY XD!"

Beru's voice was from the mono mix of Star Wars wasn't it?

I loved how Obi-Wan remained as passive as he could until Maul seemed to put the pieces of the "someone" puzzle together. That moment when the blue light washed across his face was priceless. Of course, you couldn't yet see his lightsaber, but you heard it and you knew what was coming.

As for the final farm scene, it was totally predictable and just as awesome.

I agree on both counts.

The episode was so SPARSE. (That's good.) If I hadn't seen the scenes with Ben in them I would not have been surprised if we had seen his shadowy figure when he rescued Ezra and then that was it.

Does Ezra really not tell anybody that he met Kenobi? I do kind of think that Kanan gives him a meaningful nod.

Ezra steals an A-wing, goes looking for a dead Jedi master, loses his ship, comes back with Maul's ship, knows Maul is gone, and nobody's going to ask him who he met?

Admittedly he only has to keep the secret for another two years.

 

[Reverend]

RE: the killing blow. There's only one place it could have landed and you can quite clearly see where the wisp of smoke came from.
You don't need to cut someone in half to bisect their heart and if you do so with a blade of super-hot plasma, said heart is going to be flash-cooked into a cauterised mass of no-longer-able-to-pump-bloodness.
And yeah, it's still a kid's show so they're not going to actually show the injury.

Thank you for sharing the whole clip.

Also,

Insulted.

Well that all depends on whether you're struggling with the aforementioned concept and are unwilling to watch people in monochrome talking in not-English.

 

[kirk55555]

So, I watched the latest episode because a lot of people online were saying to watch it regardless of what you think of the show in general. I have to say, it was unintentionally hilarious. The worst Alex Guiness impression I've heard, then following that up with making every single Maul scene in Rebels being made pointless by having him killed quickly in a fight so pathetic it makes the Vader/Obi Wan fight in Episode IV look decent by comparison. Not to mention the stupid BS conversation between Ezra and Obi Wan, or how boring the episode was before Obi Wan showed up.

I can't even be mad at Rebels. I just feel sorry for it at this point. It never really had a chance to be a good show. Saying anything else would be like kicking someone when they're down.

 

[fireproof78]

RE: the killing blow. There's only one place it could have landed and you can quite clearly see where the wisp of smoke came from.
You don't need to cut someone in half to bisect their heart and if you do so with a blade of super-hot plasma, said heart is going to be flash-cooked into a cauterised mass of no-longer-able-to-pump-bloodness.
And yeah, it's still a kid's show so they're not going to actually show the injury.
Well that all depends on whether you're struggling with the aforementioned concept and are unwilling to watch people in monochrome talking in not-English.

Struggling? I struggle with English so that's not exactly fair.

So, I watched the latest episode because a lot of people online were saying to watch it regardless of what you think of the show in general. I have to say, it was unintentionally hilarious. The worst Alex Guiness impression I've heard, then following that up with making every single Maul scene in Rebels being made pointless by having him killed quickly in a fight so pathetic it makes the Vader/Obi Wan fight in Episode IV look decent by comparison. Not to mention the stupid BS conversation between Ezra and Obi Wan, or how boring the episode was before Obi Wan showed up.

I can't even be mad at Rebels. I just feel sorry for it at this point. It never really had a chance to be a good show. Saying anything else would be like kicking someone when they're down.

 

[Christopher]

Kiner actually stayed away from Williams music to a surprising degree. But letting Ben's theme play over the credits was wonderful. I buy my episodes on Amazon. I can't imagine that moment being interrupted by "COMING UP NEXT ON DISNEY XD!"

Luckily, it wasn't. They actually ran the whole end-credits sequence clean.

Beru's voice was from the mono mix of Star Wars wasn't it?

I read that the source of the audio was an unused take from the original film. So it is the original actress's voice.

Does Ezra really not tell anybody that he met Kenobi? I do kind of think that Kanan gives him a meaningful nod.

Ezra steals an A-wing, goes looking for a dead Jedi master, loses his ship, comes back with Maul's ship, knows Maul is gone, and nobody's going to ask him who he met?

Admittedly he only has to keep the secret for another two years.

Obi-Wan told him that their destinies aren't supposed to intersect. If Ezra told the others that Kenobi was alive, then Kanan would want to find him too, or Rex would, and it'd throw everyone off their intended courses. So I guess he has reason to keep the truth to himself. And Chopper just doesn't care.

 

[Ithekro]

Sure...we'll go with that.