Star Wars Rebels: Season 4 - TV review
Star Wars Rebels: Season 4
Plot: A brave and clever ragtag starship crew stands up against the evil Empire as it tightens its grip on the galaxy and hunts down the last of the Jedi Knights.
Cast: Taylor Gray, Freddie Prinze Jr., Vanessa Marshall
Number Of Episodes: 15
Channel: Disney XD
Certificate: PG (mild violence, threat)
Air Dates: October 16th 2017 - March 5th 2018
WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS REBELS: SEASON FOUR. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
The time I have been dreading has finally come. Star Wars Rebels is officially over. For those that aren't aware, Star Wars Rebels is an animated show situated in between Revenge Of The Sith and A New Hope focusing on a small band of renegades that join the Rebellion in the hope of putting a stop to Empire's tyrannical reign across the galaxy. For four seasons this show has run and made a gigantic impact upon the Star Wars lore. This review is going to work quite differently. The season as whole was solid and another stroke of genius from the wondrous mind of Dave Filoni but it's the final half of the season that is the main talking point. The first half was fine and packed in some great episodes and moments but it didn't seem as if it was building up to anything. Mainly situated on the planet of Lothal, the action was mostly stunted which, for a final season, didn't feel like it was going to pay off. The interactions between characters were great as always but it was as the show came off of its mid-season break, that it kicked into high gear and revealed huge facts that will fundamentally change the Star Wars universe forever. Therefore, this review will focus primarily on the final few episodes and then hypothesising where some of these characters may go in the future.
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| HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE!! |
When the season left for its break over Christmas and January, Hera (voiced brilliantly by Vanessa Marshall) has been captured by the Empire during a reconnaissance mission to aid in the liberation of Lothal. We join the action as Ezra (Taylor Gray), Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Sabine (Tiya Sircar) and their trusty crew plan to stage a rescue operation. In these smaller, more intimate episodes, the character relations shine as we look back on how far these individuals have come since the very first episodes. Ezra is taking on a more commanding role in the group as Kanan solidifies himself as the wise master allowing the younger souls to prove themselves. This was when I began to think that Kanan might not be around for much longer. Realistically, the show, in the space of a few episodes, would have to answer a question fans had been needing since the show began; what will happen to Kanan and Ezra? The two are Jedis and therefore, will not be around for the original saga. Whether this meant death, we were unsure but as the first episode back came to a close, Kanan's fate was sealed. In a tender moment between Hera that we've been screaming at our television screens since the first episode, they finally confess their love for each other. However, the joy is short lived as the Empire target the fuel pods on which the Rebels are gathered and Kanan holds off the blast in order for the other members of The Ghost to escape and, in a moment that sent shivers down my spine and brought tears to my eyes, Kanan regained his sight for one fleeting instant before his eventual demise. In terms of the entire Star Wars universe, this has got to rank high on the most emotional deaths but, as dreadful as it sounds, it needed to happen. The following episode wasn't necessarily the most thrilling but served as a great send off to Kanan as each member of the squad mourns their recently deceased leader in their own individual way. It was arguably Zeb's reaction that unexpectedly hit me the hardest as he resorted to anger to overcome his grief. The death of Kanan also shaped the season in a very particular way. Up until that point, I had assumed the Rebels finale would include a giant space battle to ensure the longevity of the Rebellion, possibly the battle above Scarif from Rogue One. Instead, following Kanan's sacrifice, their final mission would involve avenging their fallen master and ensuring the survival of Ezra's home planet.
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| Ooo. They've taken a knee. Trump's not going to like that. |
FACT: The scene in "Flight Of The Defender" where Admiral Thrawn fights off the TIE defender with his hand blaster is an almost shot-for-shot reproduction of a similar scene from Patton where the titular character fights off a German bomber with just a small automatic pistol.
After the confirmation that the Lothal revolution would seemingly be the finale, the next two-parter might just be one of the greatest and most groundbreaking moments in Star Wars history. Show creator and creator of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Dave Filoni, is a huge proponent of the history within Star Wars and the introduction of the World Between Worlds may be the most significant discovery in Star Wars since the crew of the Millenium Falcon mistook the Death Star for a small moon. The two parter begins as Ezra and Sabine plan to infiltrate an Empire dig around the Jedi Temple. Upon activating the door through a painting of the Mordis Gods (a cheeky little nod to the work of Filoni from The Clone Wars), Ezra enters the portal into the World Between Worlds, a sprawling dimension transcending space and time as we hear sound-bites from Obi-Wan Kenobi (both McGregor and Guinness), Yoda, Jyn Erso, Kylo Ren and Rey. As someone who is always on the lookout for Easter Eggs such as these, it gave my entire body chills to hear some of these voices as it meant that Filoni was tying the saga together in a way that hadn't been done before. And then came the game changer came along. Whilst discovering this new world, Ezra comes across a portal in which he sees the finale of season two; Ahsoka Tano vs Darth Vader. Filoni led us to believe that Ashoka fell at the hands of Vader but left the ending unclear. As it would turn out, through the help of Ezra, he pulls Ashoka through time, saving her life. This. Was. HUGE. Not only did this confirm the #AhsokaLives movement but it also confirmed a seed planted in that episode as Ashoka stumbles into the temple after returning from the World Between Worlds. This helps in my argument that Dave Filoni should not just get a promotion to a live-action film but should run Lucasfilm as a whole. Don't get me wrong, I love what Kathleen Kennedy is doing and am so grateful that she spearheaded the campaign to bring Star Wars back but as much as I love the new films, they feel like their own individual property rather than connecting to the bigger picture. As Filoni has proven with two TV shows, he is able to look beyond and immediately see an endgame and build towards that whilst incorporating references and nods to all other mediums of Star Wars. All you need to do is listen to him talk. In fact, stop reading this review right now. Remember where you left off and go onto YouTube and simply look for an interview with the Stetson-wearing genius. After a brief appearance by The Emperor for the first time in the show (with the indelible Ian McDiarmid voicing), Ezra and Ahsoka return to their respective timelines as the Jedi Temple collapses to rubble, protecting this world for good. The threat of the Empire gaining control of possibly the most powerful secret was over as the season set itself up for the finale that we've all been waiting four years to come.
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| The Ross and Rachel of the Star Wars universe. |
If I'm being completely honest, the finale to Rebels felt more like a season finale rather than wrapping up the entire series but that being said, it was still a damn good finale with a perfect final few minutes. The penultimate episode set the scene as the Rebels lure the Empire into their distant base and entrap them through the help of fellow renegades encountered along the show (the ever hilarious Hondo makes an appearance). They also finally utilised the Loth Wolves that the show had been teasing for some time now with a shot that proved even animations could have luscious cinematography. As the finale hit, Ezra makes the bold move to sacrifice himself to save the people of Lothal by answering Thrawn's demands to give himself up. This results in a confrontation between Ezra and The Emperor as he tempts Ezra with the ideal past of his parents. After resisting the urge, Ezra rebels and activates his final calling card, the Space Whales. Unfortunately, I have to admit that the reveal of the Space Whales wasn't as effective as I had hoped. Whilst a good call back to the past seasons, I couldn't help but feel that a branch of the main Rebellion spearheaded by Mon Mothma would have been much more emotive. As he connects with the Force, Ezra bonds with the whales as they wrap themselves around Thrawn's destroyer and Thrawn himself (calling back to the Bendu's prophecy of Thrawn's end) and sends them into hyperspace, seemingly sacrificing himself in the process. If this were to have been Ezra's final act of heroism, it seemed appropriate. Not only did it have to happen to explain his absence from the original trilogy, but also the fact that Ezra has never intended to be "The Chosen One". He had only wanted to free his planet and people and prove that the Empire are mortal. It was a touching send off and, despite rushing through the motions, did cap the series off with the ending it deserved.
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| How I wish I could deal with Sunday drivers. |
Then the final five minutes came along and blew all expectations for the future of Star Wars wide open. The episode jumps years into the future to give us all much needed explanations for where our characters end up. Presumably this takes place soon after the events of Return Of The Jedi as Sabine is replicating Ezra's position from the Rebels pilot as she stands atop an observation tower looking over the new and improved Lothal. It turns out that Zeb and Kallus teamed together as it was revealed to Kallus that he hadn't wiped out the Lasat race which served as a deserving conclusion to both of their characters seeing as they had been at loggerheads for a long time. Hera and Chopper are still piloting the Ghost with an extra crew member; Jacen Syndulla. Apparently this is Hera and Kanan's son although the conception of said child seems to be mysterious due to Kanan's death years before the birth. Maybe Jedi pregnancies have a long gestation period? Maybe Kanan got some private time with Hera from beyond the grave? Who knows? As for Ezra, Filoni teases us that little bit more by suggesting that both he and Thrawn survived their hyperspace escape and they're lost somewhere in the galaxy. As Sabine reflects on her Rebel family, she turns and finds none other than Ahsoka Tano. Boom! Mic drop! She's lived all along. So, as it would seem, Filoni appears to have already set plans in motion for a future series focusing on Ashoka and Sabine's quest to find Ezra. This also means that Luke Skywalker isn't the sole surviving Force user and could have unbelievable repercussions for installments in the Star Wars universe to come.
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| Raw footage of the crowd's reaction to Trump's inauguration. |
If you're asking me how the season works as a whole, it was a solid season that had some good episodes to begin with but really delivered in the second half. The group dynamic is the strongest it has ever been and the voice cast bring these characters alive in the most amazing way imaginable. Dave Filoni has proven himself to be a master at storytelling and I'm salivating to see what future projects await him. I'm going to miss Star Wars Rebels but as I say with all TV shows, I prefer a show to find an ending than continue indefinitely.
My Verdict: 9.5/10
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