Star Wars Rebels: A Prophecy of Hope

you two worked together so closely for so many years on the clone wars do you recall maybe one of the best pieces if not the best piece of advice that george ever gave you the teaching wasn't just outward for the audience i mean i think that we learned a lot every day we must have drove you crazy in the beginning with what we didn't know and the big difference was how patient george was at teaching us all these things about film it's amazing how character building that show was for me and how it was for other people that made it through that production [Music] it became a great group effort of people that by 2012 we had been working for many many years together not just me and the writers but me and the whole production team athena joel keith paul killian you know there was nothing that we couldn't do on that show there was no challenge that was too big but because of these new exciting changes and things happening other things have to wind down and come to a close and that's what we're going to be doing with star wars the clone wars lucasfilm and the clone wars supervising director dave filoni have announced that star wars the clone wars the television series is over and that the fifth season that just came to an end was the final one for the show so it was difficult to know that that was gonna go away but at the same time can't live the dream forever and so it was the greatest kind of learning environment that i've ever had i knew every day that one day it would be over it was sort of the end of an era with george telling star wars stories [Music] things are getting worse just as they did back when i was your age but back then there were 10 000 jedi knights protecting the galaxy now there's just you and me but i firmly believe that each generation needs to have their own piece of star wars george has this hopeful story it's something that he's reiterated most times i've seen him remember to make these stories hopeful remember to give that to kids because they really need it before its revival lucasfilm animation's groundbreaking star wars the clone wars first came to a sudden and unprecedented end on march 11 2013. though george lucas day filoni and their team of writers had written scripts and story ideas all the way to the series finale production on the show was far from over some of those cancelled clone wars stories would eventually see the light of day but disney had no ambitions of allowing lucasfilm animation to finish them anytime soon especially given the show's above average budget mature themes and focus on the prequel era still in the early days of disney's ownership of the brand the company was more interested in a unified approach across all its books comics games and shows the original star wars trilogy [Music] as someone who grew up with the clone wars 2013 was a very confusing time to be a star wars fan though a new era of exciting star wars content lay on the horizon it was hard to ignore just how many projects were cancelled across lucasfilm the clone wars most of all considering lucas's personal involvement with the show how much story it had left to tell and where lucasfilm animation was going next while a smaller team wrapped post-production on a final 13-episode bonus season of the clone wars the rest of the studio was immediately thrust into their next animated series with george lucas no longer involved in the company supervising director dave filoni joined hollywood screed writer simon kinberg and lucasfilm story group manager kerry beck as executive producers for their show the pitch they settled on came from beck the adventures of an a-team riding wrongs across the galaxy it wasn't dissimilar from filoni's original pitch to lucas for the clone wars where a crew aboard a falcon-like ship tangled with the criminal underworld from there the studio had 18 months to put together the first season for a fall 2014 premiere a vastly accelerated development period for a 3d animated tv series and less than half the time of development for the first season of the clone wars not to mention the wave of layoffs lucasfilm animation suffered after the cancellation of the clone wars the exodus of key members from around the studio and the considerably smaller budget they would be given to work with on their next show no exact figures are known but there's evidence to suggest it could have been as much as half the one to two million dollar per episode budget of the clone wars the show came together frantically character designs were created while characters were being written the visuals and art style were being fleshed out before the story had settled on its premise and before anyone truly knew what the show was supposed to be it was called star wars rebels taking place five years before a new hope rebels set out to tell the origin story of the famed rebel alliance through the lens of a motley crew aboard a ship called the ghost it was rooted in lucas's own ideas about the rebellion and the story of the anderon arc in the clone wars where a network of small insurgent cells would eventually come together to build the alliance where the clone wars was told as an anthology rebels would focus on a central group of characters which was not only closer to the types of shows the artists of lucasfilm animation had worked on before in the animation industry but better replicated this style of the original trilogy the show's art style is largely a love letter to ralph mcquarrie whose legendary concept artwork informed the look and feel of the original star wars his influence is most felt in the show's environments but also inspires the designs of characters droids clothing and ships the emphasis on mccrory's artwork naturally complemented the studio's new approach to storyboards unlike the clone wars where every shot and sequence was built in zeviz using the original continuity sheets of a new hope cg fx and lighting supervisor joel aaron adopted the same approach to cinematography blocking lighting and color correction used by lucas and gil taylor if you track the position of the camera throughout the first season you'll notice how often it's on sticks as if shot from a street level tripod this was done in a new hope to ground the fantasy of the star wars universe and it similarly grounds mccrory's artwork in rebels we said what if this was cg what if these paintings just pop them off and suddenly get dimension and the same type of camera work that you see in the original films that would be a very inspired animated series while artists and asset designers drew upon original trilogy material composer kevin kiner based his score on john williams's work in the original trilogy and even in the writing room kinberg was injecting touches of lucas's work on raiders of the lost ark in scripts and dialogue from top to bottom the goal of every creative decision of rebels was to continue george lucas's legacy yet despite the studio's years of collaboration with lucas the early production of rebels seemed to suggest they were only recreating what he already accomplished and that didn't go unnoticed by fans rebels was the subject of much iron the star wars community during its development and for all the reasons you might expect the animation looked cheaper than clone wars the writing and marketing played to a younger audience and it was for all intents and purposes an unwanted follow-up to an unfinished show as much of a fan as i was of lucasfilm animation at the time even i was a bit skeptical though my initial hopes were high it would captivate me in the same way clone wars did all signs indicated the studio might never be the same without lucas nevertheless i gave rebels a chance as did over 2 million other fans on october 3rd 2014 when it premiered on disney xd forged in flames at the speed of lights by line producer athena portilla associate producers kerry hart and carrie beck cg fx and lighting supervisor joel aaron art director killian plunkett's animation supervisor keith kellogg digital asset supervisor paul zenis series editors joe elwood and alex mcdonald supervising sound editors david accord and matthew wood lead composer kevin keiner series writers henry gilroy greg wiseman kevin hopps charles murray and simon kinberg episodic directors stuart and steve lee and justin ridge supervising director dave filoni the remaining cast and crew of lucasfilm animation and their partner studio cgcg this was star wars rebels the first major project of the disney star wars [Music] era it is a dark time for the star wars galaxy the jedi knights are all but destroyed the empire's at the height of their power and the citizens of factory colonies like lothal are helpless against their might but the emperor himself has foreseen a new power rising in the force one that may eventually ignite the elusive spark of rebellion the premiere of stars rebels is a modest introduction to the series we're introduced to a diverse cast of interesting characters the titular planet of lothal and the signature editing and pacing of classic star wars media despite how quickly rebels was put together few details were spared in its construction everything on the screen has character the imperial propaganda that wraps around every street corner the design of clothing the emphasis on height and length and stormtrooper helmets speeders and walkers and of course the makorian environments where rough-edged subjects sit against vast backgrounds mccrory's influences are further felt in the show's use of surface-drawn lines on character geometry and the incorporation of deep focus where objects in the distance are just as visible as subjects in the foreground i would argue there's even a touch of hayao miyazaki in the color palette and sparse environments which frankly wouldn't be the last time filoni was inspired by miyazaki on rebels there's certainly a smattering of strange character designs and less than satisfying visual choices inspired by classic star wars such as thin lightsaber blades and hand-drawn laser effects but these never demean the detail port into the show's visuals nor lucasfilm animation's own love for the animated medium but that's not to say the visuals and rebels always come across so thoughtfully what many fans had initially feared about the animation style of rebels is hard to deny when watching the pilot it does feel cheap there's an area shot with more than a few characters standing in it and dialogue interactions are frequently handled in congested setups that's not necessarily a criticism but it occasionally begs for more shot variation fluidity permeates the style of everything in rebels yet moments of cartoony robotic animation occur more frequently than they should sort of like the influence of 2d animation tropes in a 3d animated movie like tangled which according to falonian kellogg was a key inspiration for the character animation of rebels unfortunately lucasfilm animation didn't have the budget nor the time to really pull off the effect they also didn't have the budget for cloth sim special effects and even the cinematic 2.35 to 1 aspect ratio of the clone wars which is why rebels is shot in the 16 by 9 ratio it gave the crew lester render for each shot and certainly the small scale of the show befit its smaller budget far fewer assets would need to be created for each episode visually rebel still accomplishes a lot more than most other televised 3d animation but the sky was hardly the limit for lucasfilm animation like it was on the clone wars a barrier to creative freedom and in more ways than one pressed for time money and inspiration the first season of rebels can often feel at conflict with itself for the dark times they've sure never felt this light the tv y7 rating of rebels makes it accessible to a younger audience but too many tacky jokes and weightless stakes ends up precluding the investment of an older audience this creative turn after the studio's late seasons of the clone wars initially seems baffling until you read how some disney executives originally wanted rebels to be a comedy personally i don't mind a lot of these jokes but i definitely drew the line at another fruit episode wait you did all this for fruit no okay maybe a little in many ways it feels like the studio was retreading the mistakes of the clone wars season one especially if you consider the over-reliance on original trilogy nostalgia between recreations of classic set pieces gratuitous cameos from larger-than-life characters and kinder's overuse of williams's light motifs it reminded me of the criticisms levied against the force awakens when it came out and that comparison concerned me quite a bit rebels not only had a difficult act to follow but a treacherous path to walk and in the face of that uncertainty dave flony and his crew didn't exactly put their best foot forward all they needed to do was follow the spark a spark entirely of their own so if there's anything in the pilot that's evidence of that it's gotta be the characters where characters like ahsoka or rex started as blank slates in the clone wars and gain depth through their experiences the main characters of rebels feel like fully fleshed out people from the get-go with hopes insecurities and personal histories nowhere is that more immediately apparent than the audience protagonist of rebels ezra bridger among the many things rebels was criticized for in its televised run ezra arguably received the most criticism he's one musical number short of being aladdin and uncle owen and aunt bruce short of being luke skywalker and a few too many annoying jokes to be a likeable character he's not unlike ahsoka tatano in that regard who was widely loathed by fans until later seasons of the clone wars to azeroth's credit then his naivety and childlike innocence early on are crucial to his eventual growth i have to admit at times even i was charmed by ezra's clumsiness given how clumsy i can be in real life but most importantly ezra is the focal point for the show's thematic narrative and that's why in the pilot ezra starts his journey alone with no one to look out for but himself until fate's intertwined and ezra encounters the crew of the ghost you want to ride these are the rebels of specter cell former jedi padawan kanan jairus ace pilot harrison doula mandalorian and demolitionist sabine wren lasat warrior zeb aurelius and uh chopper together they form something of a family unit kanan is the dad hair is the mom sabine is the artsy daughter and so on even aesthetically these characters look like they belong together sharing the same shades of oranges greens and yellows through their outfits many of the same colors prevalent in the eventual rebel alliance familial archetypes inform not only the traits and personalities of these characters but much of their dynamics this is especially apparent when ezra joins the crew as he develops a father-son bond with kanan or a brotherly rivalry with zeb even hera throughout the show calls sabine and ezra the kids as she swoops in after them like some sort of crackshot minivan driver no matter what your definition of family is in real life it's natural to relate at least some of these characters with someone you know for me personally zeb reminded me a lot of the fights i had with my older sister when i was younger and chopper reminded me of one of my cats considering the younger audience rebels targeted this creative decision makes sense young or old family means something to everyone it's arguably what the core of star wars is all about what lucas has long coined as a family soap opera yet beyond the operatic lives of these characters rebels emphasis on family serves a much deeper purpose understanding how family shapes our identity and allows us to actualize our goals by exploring these ideas through the experiences of our heroes family takes on a whole new meaning in rebels it's not just the intimate ties between a tight-knit group but the power of connection that unites people against uncertainty in many ways that power is foreign to ezra who has been on his own since the age of seven but in other ways it's entirely natural and waiting to be embraced whoa the force an energy field that breeds connection between all living things in the star wars galaxy calls to ezra though he doesn't understand the power nor what it'll take to hone it the sense of purpose it might give ezra is enough to compel kanan to take him under his wing and train him in the ways of the jedi in whatever way he knows how ezra i'm not going to try to teach you any more [Music] if all i do is try that means i don't truly believe i can succeed so from now on i will teach you i may fail you may fail but there is no try kanan is a master without mastery the potential he sees in ezra is the squandered potential he sees in himself long divorced from his jedi ways by the scrutiny of the empire not to mention he too had an unflattering past as a street rat by practicing ezra he can redeem his shortcomings and train ezra to succeed where he previously failed this dynamic perfectly embodies the connection between a father and his son where a father might vicariously achieve their dreams through their people kanan and ezra's best moments evoke this relationship especially in the imagery of a father and his son playing catch at the end of rise of the old masters through ezra's training kanan comes to realize that his biggest obstacle is not what he doesn't know so much as it is himself he feels inadequate and throughout season 1 the writers go to great lengths to draw this truth out of kanan especially through the grand inquisitor welcome in the spirit of star wars villain design the inquisitor is a walking embodiment of what he represents fear and because of the inquisitor our heroes are forced to confront their fears for kanan it's a fear of failure his confidence wavers in the inquisitor's presence and he's easily unmade in almost every battle against him for ezra it's a bit more complicated ezra has long been stuck unable to move on from the absence of his parents and unable to form new connections now a part of the ghost crew and a student to kanan ezra's greatest challenge is accepting the connective power of the force he may seem reluctant to acknowledge connection but only because he's so afraid to lose it thus ezra's greatest fear is the same fear that plagued anakin skywalker and will eventually tempt luke the fear of loss it's an easy path to the dark side and the inquisitor makes that abundantly apparent no at the mercy of fear the crew of the ghost stand no chance against the inquisitor and his cohorts tarkin and kallus to them they're just another rebel cell and doomed to fail without one critical ingredient something tarkin understands all too well from his days of service with the jedi unity when kanan is captured hera is ready to give up resigned to the inevitable day she long feared would come true but that's not what happens ezra reaches out both as a family member and a jedi in training ezra has spent this whole season understanding the meaning of connection he knows his greatest fears to be alone to lose everyone that matters to him by using his power solely to protect those connections he will be acting out of fear responding selflessly to his inner demons but by using his power to give back and form new connections with those around him ezra comes to embrace a power that's long eluded him hope we have been called criminals but we are not we are rebels fighting for the people fighting for you i'm not that old but i remember a time when things were better on the fall maybe not great but never like this and see what the empire has done to your lives your families and your freedom it's only going to get worse unless we stand up and fight back it won't be easy there will be loss and sacrifice but we can't back down just because we're afraid that's when we need to stand the tallest that's what my parents taught me that's what my new family helped me remember stand up together because that's when we're strongest as one rebels commitment to scale pays off immensely by the season 1 finale where the lone crew of the ghost attempt to rescue kanan from tarkin's fleet if they mess up the rebellion will be squashed before it even begins but as long as they have each other's backs they may yet succeed just as ezra acknowledged his fear in the jedi temple in the fall and found the resolve to move forward kanan redefined his jedi identity now locked in battle with the inquisitor once again he will only find victory by trusting himself and being one with the will of the force and thanks to ezra's fake out death kanan's fear of failure dissolves to his greatest strength no because i have nothing left to fear a weapon of fear is futile against the fearless and so the inquisitor is no longer a match against kanan the time old clash of light and dark draws to a predictable just close once more but not without the inquisitor's chilling remark a harbinger of the perilous consequences lying in store there are some things far more frightening than death [Music] we came back ezra's call signals other cells to the rescue and the rebellion begins to take shape concluding the first season of rebels and our heroes initiative to unite the empire as it does will strike back certain to prey on the fears of our heroes but the spark of rebellion reaches far and wide a beacon of hope and a galaxy ruled by fear and who more appropriate to respond to that beacon than the jedi without fear it's a moment clowers and rebels fans alike will never forget the day ahsoka tano came down the ladder of the ghost and gave hope to patient fans for the exciting future of star wars rebels one chapter has closed for you ezra bridger this is a new day a new beginning the story day filoni and lucasfilm animation were truly weaving had only just begun with the cutthroat initial development period of rebels in the rearview day felony and lucasfilm animation could approach future seasons with far more clarity though each future episode would need to be finished in a rapid one-year pipeline the end of season one gave the show newfound momentum joined by french vietnamese animation studio virtuous sparks the entire team behind rebels worked closer than ever preparing them for the next chapter of their story for these reasons season 2 is not only where rebels came into its own it's where lucasfilm animation recovered their greatness and soared to entirely new heights [Applause] [Music] whether by budget increase or the studio's own resourcefulness season 2 is far more visually ambitious there's a greater emphasis on lighting and fog and consistently fluid animation shot the shots joel aaron attempts a far wider array of special effects largely through the creative use of 2d animation cards and practical live action effects as elements such as footage of salt and sugar slowly pouring through the holes of a cup as dust coming off of a walker they actually did that the crew squeezed more into every frame than they ever could in season 1 employing more wines in mediums that take advantage of the show's expressive style and convey scale or symbolism in ways reminiscent of the clone wars the show even loosens its grip on some of the rigid aesthetic choices of season 1 such as hand-drawn lasers and always on 6 camera work allowing the crew to put the needs of the story first the flight of the b-wing one of my favorite scenes in the whole series feels like the moment rebels evolves technically the camera movements are graceful a cordon wood sound design is maximally immersive and kiner who is largely confined to classic star wars light motifs in season 1 finally embraces the freedom of rebels musical identity after wings of the master it truly feels to me anyway that there was nothing stopping lucasfilm animation from crafting the story they wanted to tell except the budget of course though subtle season two also evolves narratively our heroes travel to a far wider variety of locations truly giving viewers a sense of the empire's omnipotence the reintroduction of beloved clone wars characters not only directly connects the two shows but allows their stories to continue in a way that services the main characters of rebels and most of all where the journeys of these characters lead by season's end connects them to the much grander whole of the star wars mythology the same mythology and mysticism found in even lucas's earliest drafts of star wars and unbeknownst to the naive early audience of rebels it's the same mythology baked into the show from the very beginning [Music] last year when i made my series of videos about the clone wars i threw around a certain term without really taking the time to expel the vagueness behind it the mythology of star wars or interchangeably lucas's mythology on its surface the idea conveys that there's a common style of authorship across all iterations of star wars at least all the good ones anyway whether it's a new hope the phantom menace knights of the old republic the clone wars or rebels and whether it even has george lucas fingerprints on it or not every star wars story is grounded in the same mythology akin to the legends of norse mythology the dramas of greek mythology and the hieroglyphics of egyptian mythology these stories largely share common themes motives and iconography and though new ideas may be interpreted from time to time they usually find a way to apply to the greater mythology what's interesting about star wars then is how lucas wanted to blend the myths and traditions of several different cultures into one canon he was heavily inspired by joseph campbell's the hero with a thousand faces in this regard which attempted to collate the traditions of several different cultures into a shared archetypal narrative infamously known as the monomyth or the hero's journey and that we have definitely talked about plenty on this channel but star wars is not strictly the monomyth it's ingrained with touches of different religions and myth all over the place like a sandbox for mythic storytelling the jedi high council invokes arthur's knights of the round table the curse of the skywalker and family invokes the mark of cain passed on between father and son in the christian bible and we've already compared mullen cities in the clone wars to sisyphus and zeus it should come as no surprise then that these mythological touches persist in rebels the name ezra comes from the bible and means help as biblical ezra helped establish central law to judaism allowing dispersed jews across the world to survive as a community kanan likely derives from the similarly spelled canaan the lord's promised land and home of the canaanites who were wiped out by joshua and the israelites before they claimed the land which doesn't sound too far off from what happened to the jedi hera probably stems from the greek goddess hera of marriage and family sabine comes from roman myth as a group of women that made peace between two warring groups and this one might be a reach but lothal is also a lost city of the ancient indus valley civilization and was a major center of trade in the region all of the names are 100 deliberate especially as we're helping the community come together and lothal thriving on the exchange between different people now do these details enhance rebels no not necessarily but it does highlight filoni kinberg and beck's efforts to instill rebels with the same mythological quality at the heart of star wars as we'll point out this aspect of the show only intensifies as it progresses where rebels is enhanced by mythology can be found in its characters and themes and that's the core of the force the core of the force i mean you got the dark side the light side one is selfless one is selfish and you want to keep them in balance the force can be understood as a higher power that connects all living things belief in the force constitutes belief in the collective whole that everyone is a part of those who follow the light side not only acknowledge that collective but find ways to give back to it conversely the dark side refuses to acknowledge the collective and only thinks of the self hence why the light side is selfless and the dark side is selfish by giving oneself in service of others one can achieve balance and follow their destiny but to truly accomplish that an individual must rise above their fear fear is the quick and easy path to selfish comfort and so by confronting fear we can give hope to others in the power of positive change this is what circumvents everything in star wars hope versus fear selflessness versus selfishness and community versus isolation always expressed to the audience through the experiences of the characters [Music] looking back on season 1 we can already see how these themes are woven into the narrative ezra begins his journey alone as a self-serving pickpockets and over time becomes a catalyst for unity he only accomplishes this by both foregoing his selfish lifestyle and battling his fear of abandonment only then does he embrace his found family in season 2 the themes of the force extend even further even applying to characters who don't wield it now joined with phoenix squadron and entrenched in a fledging rebellion the new threats our heroes face will test their bonds and exploit their fears more than ever before and there is perhaps no greater omen for those threats than the rude awakening awaiting them on lothal the cold machine known as darth vader [Music] that doesn't kill him won't well not us despite his scant few appearances this season vader's presence looms over it from start to finish he's portrayed less as a man and more as a force of nature that's a fear our heroes might have believed their fear was conquered in season one but the complex truth unraveled by season two is that one rarely ever defeats fear for good it challenges life long it is not to bend fear into anger every day we choose whether to act out of it or in spite of it and the ghost crew will have to make the same choice for themselves as the season goes on felony and aaron communicate this struggle visually positioning ezra kanan and the other rebels at the edge of darkness or cascading them in it entirely that is the impact of vader and it clips to the hope the rebels work so hard to give lethal in season 1. that doesn't necessarily mean hope is out of their reach but it will be harder to attain hunted by inquisitors pursued from base to base by calcium forces and confronted by difficult pasts the only way phoenix squadron will survive their trials is with each other's help and who better to lead them out of this particular darkness than the surviving veterans of the clone wars [Music] ahsoka sent spectrocell to find rex wolfe and gregor on celos where they're living out their days of retirement fishing for jupa on hal's moving att all of them struggle with ptsd in some capacity and fearing their days of fighting might not be over is largely what triggers wolf to call the empire kanan too as we've seen is weary of the past and sees the clones as the traitors who gunned down his master but against the empire's forces kanan pushes his fear aside evoking the days of the clone wars when jedi and clones fought side by side note kanan refuses to trust rex well after ceelos he eventually learns to step beyond his past and see rex for the compassionate soldier he's always been thus rex becomes the first of many new recruits and part of a warm welcoming family [Music] ketsu onya and fenrao reflect her ties to the past both her recent stint as a bounty hunter and her greater mandalorian heritage saving ketsu from the empire and giving her a place in the rebellion comes naturally to sabine it's exactly what kanan and hera did for her but sabine is not so kind towards fenra's protectors raised in the warrior culture of the mandalorians and taught the value of destructive solutions sabine wishes nothing more than to sever all ties to her complicated past and burn rao's forces to the ground especially after what they did to hera but through kanan who demonstrates both the genetic quality of sparing a life and the importance of overcoming fears set in the past sabine holds her demons at bay whatever they might be sabine you're sounding more like a jedi than a mandalorian well i guess i've just been raised right [Music] champson doula harrah's father has fought a lifelong battle for ryloth's freedom he's something of a war hero venerated in the eyes of kanan though that probably has more to do with meeting his girlfriend's dad for the first time but fighting an endless war has all but consumed cham desperate to win ryloth he's grown accustomed to viewing his obstacles as things to be destroyed rather than problems to be solved which comes directly at odds with his daughter's optimism though harrah's high-strung pursuit of liberty clearly derives from her father her tenure as a pilot in connection to rebels of entirely different walks of life have given her a truly galactic perspective ryloth is important to her but there's so much more good she can do across the stars in the end hera and the ghost crew's dedication to a free galaxy reminds cham of the greatness a warrior can be capable of when they fight for more than just their home we were always stronger together unlike cham zeb is a warrior without a home at least not anymore the death of his people defines his hatred for the empire especially against kallus who helped carry out the genocide it's never stopped him from helping the gross crew carry out their missions but it has stopped him from reaching his full potential this all comes to a head when the ghost crew find two lasat survivors who believe zeb can save their people from extinction zeb is quick to mock the survivors he's long lived in a prison of his own making blaming himself for the death of his people what he fails to realize at least until talking to ezra whose long struggle to accept the death of people of his own is that this is a second chance to do the unthinkable the prophecy of the ashla is a clever reflection of the cross-cultural canon at the heart of the star's mythology where different deities might represent the same higher power in this instance it's the ashla and the force both representing the same energy field that flows through all living things zeb has never been much of a believer but given the chance to serve to give something back to his people zeb yields to the will of something so much more than himself just as zeb's design is rooted in the awesome imagination of one of star wars most gifted creators the plight through the nebula appropriately bursts with imagination color and symphony on the other side of the nebula is genuine hope a small glimpse of the future the rebels are fighting for from this moment onward zeb feels more at peace less hostile towards ezra and far less the brute he's usually characterized as which is exactly what prepares him for what happens next stranded on the frigid moon of geonosis zeb and an unlikely callous must overcome their bitter resentment towards each other in order to survive up to now rebels has explored how fear impacts the heroes of myth but not how it impacts the villains vader the inquisitors and the lifeless droves of imperials that pursue our heroes largely represent the fear they run from but kalos sheds lights on a more complex truth haunted by a traumatic past where talus lost his men to an assad attack the empire encouraged him to turn his pain into prejudice and empower his rage truthfully he doesn't hate the assads he's afraid of them until entrusting zeb with his survival kaus never had to humanize him and now that he has the fear that once gripped his heart gives way to a bottomless void zeb has everything he needs a family a cause and hope but kallus has nothing except for the glowing rock that kept him alive within the cold and may seem useless in his imperial dorm but the warmth that once brought him is symbolic of a not so distant hope [Music] [Music] time and time again ezra has watched his friends face their fears untangle thorny pasts and find purpose in the growing family of the rebellion though ezra understands the value of connection more than ever his fears aren't easily assuaged by reaching out he and kanan are two of the only jedi standing between the empire and total annihilation that kind of pressure is sure to instill anyone with pervasive doubts but doubly so for someone as young as ezra despite kanan's stalwart mentorship we watch ezra indulge the misgivings of false mentors like seven sister or hondo onaka arguably even ahsoka's presence adds ambiguity to ezra's jedi teachings his connections are usually unassuming but often muddled by a doubt-ridden self-serving mindset yet when met by the most personal of his fears the dreaded fate of his parents ezra retreats to a solitude reminded how little his connections could ever help him kanan insists otherwise reaching out as any father figure would and leia riddled with the same dilemmas of their generation offers him a different perspective on connection i feel like because i can fight i have to for those who cannot and i think you might be the same way connection isn't always about what one receives it's what one gives inspired by leia and all the tribulations of his friends ezra finds the courage to give he's one step closer to balance but woefully still too far fear continues to cloud our hero's judgments and their connection to the force to protect the rebellion they seek the knowledge to destroy the sith but aren't prepared for what that will entail the jedi sample in lofall gives them a taste of what's to come testing their fears as they will be tested in the future kanan's jedi inferiority and inability to protect ezra and ahsoka's guilt over anakin's true fate ezra however receives a different takeaway having lived through the clone wars yoda warns him of the consequences of pursuing conflict a trail of fear that leads to aggression but ezra is still too naive to understand thus yoda sends him to malachor where he will trace the darkness that pursues his friends to its very source malachor is the ultimate mythological playground of star wars rebels the belly of malachor is comparable to the greek underworld hades the sith holocron is the forbidden fruit and the twists of irony and fate that unfold over the twilight apprentice are the penultimate proof of the force ideology as ahsoka lamented on adelon just when you think you understand the force you find out how little you actually know and walking among the pompeii graveyard of jedi and sith victims doomed by a conflict of their own design ezra fails to see the grander cost of aggression the visual dichotomy of light and dark that's followed ezra culminates in the underworld where a faint glints of light strike a perpetual darkness up until ezra steps into the shadows and follows his fears to their destructive conclusion right into the domain of the most fearful soul of all now now i am cold more in the clone wars lucas and filoni transformed maul into a cispean figure he's trapped in a cycle of victimization doomed to repeat his mistakes again and again and never move on all these years later that really hasn't changed in fact maul is utterly enveloped by the tragedy of his life he acts as a helpless man wallowing in the darkness a decrepit tool of the sith just as forgotten as the broken weapon scattered about the temple and much like sisyphus he lives in a literal underworld in many ways he is a cracked reflection of ezra alone angry and confused but he is also a byproduct of his own relentless aggression though ezra may not understand where following his footsteps will lead he's going to regret the first stop and do you know what knowledge is tell me knowledge is power force wheelers clash blades all the way to the top of the sith pyramid as the action ascends so do the beats escalate in importance and climax at the top a literal point of no return the entire spectacle is a parable to the consequences yoda warned of the pursuit of conflict the indulgence of fear and the inevitable suffering of choosing darkness just as fear has gripped the hearts of our heroes the shadow of fear himself finally descends into malachor which is exactly and fatefully why ahsoka the fearless rises to meet it faced by her worst half she vehemently fights against it but is soon reminded of what the shadow is who the shadow is anakin he may have pursued his fears to the bitter end but ahsoka will not i won't leave you not this time [Music] then you will die relenting her aggression ahsoka chooses the selfless path she gives her life hoping anakin is not gone for good she gives her life hoping kanan and ezra will protect the rebellion and she gives her life hoping for a galaxy ruled not by fear but by compassion that is the power of ahsoka sacrifice beautifully and tragically echoed through the solemn final minutes of the finale malachor is over but the battle against fear is never ending [Music] 2016 was a big year for lucasfilm animation after two successful seasons of rebels lucasfilm animation began to expand not just the team behind rebels but the entire studio future shows like star wars resistance and forces of destiny were entering pre-production while other teams around lucasfilm developed a closer role with the studio for future projects like rogue one to oversee the growth day filoni was promoted to president of lucasfilm animation with kerry beck as vice president though they maintained executive producer roles on the show filoni's promotion left a temporary void in the crew during the show's third season supervising director to fill that void flony called upon a longtime friend his assistant director during the days of avatar the last airbender the episodic director of clone wars episodes rookies the gungan general innocence of ryloth and the holocron heist director of the rebel shorts before the series premiere and coast doorberry artist on the twilight apprentice justin ridge it's really trying to keep that vision from the very beginning like okay this is the end goal and let's just keep that vision as strong as possible through all the steps to get to the end product season 3 was well mapped out by the time of filoni's departure and he would return to direct specific episodes such as trials of the darksaber and twin sons but the studio was otherwise under ridge's watch and that was no small responsibility the shift taking place behind the scenes of lucasfilm animation seemed entirely fitting given where they took rebels next where the show previously struggled to convey more complex ideas within budget and the tv y7 rating the synthesis of new and old creatives around the studio fostered a subtly more expressive approach to the art style the fires of the archeon nebula emulate the searing anxiety of outrunning the empire's destructive clutches the bleak winter on crow nest reflects the emotional distance between sabine and her family and the untold death and devastation incurred by thrawn's invasion is visually as gothic as the organ that plays whenever he's on screen in some ways season 3 melds into a mythological backdrop with our heroes as the center stage archetypes and that comparison extends farther than you might think finding stability on avalon season 3 sees our heroes face not what the empire's relentless pursuits but personal crises of identity the old guard of characters like kanan and hera take a backseat to younger characters like ezra and sabine burdened with increasing amounts of responsibility it harkens to campbell's monomyth as the young are shepherded by the old to go out into the world like much of the hero with a thousand faces it reflects the cycle of responsibility told again and again through various legends and prophecies what season 3 delves into then is how our heroes are compelled by those prophecies separated from family and called upon to lead what paths do they follow how does tradition impact their identity and how will they apply that to their obstacles as always the themes of the force will encircle their actions but because of the guiding example of people like zeb who already fulfilled a prophecy of their own the shrouded path forward isn't as dark as it seems unless you're ezra bridger when did kanan teach you that you didn't ezra has grown in the dark side of the force though the sith holocron is an outlet for his vengeful powers kanan's absence has inflicted the most damage of all the shedding of his armor a new depression beard symbolizes a different canaan enveloped by his inadequacy his crippling doubts have rendered him a hermit and that doesn't sit well with adelon's own resident hermit in the slightest hello [Music] with the hulking appearance of a kaiju monster and the soft demeanor of a jim henson puppets bendu is the one in the middle a fascinating and original addition to the stars mythology and the analog influences of rebels amidst generations of endless war and conflict between the light and dark bendu has religiously abstained never to help others in need nor take anything for himself he embodies the danger of drifting towards apathy much like the jedi and the prequels however his neutrality extends so far beyond even his own personal whims that he has gained omnipotence the ability to see all through the force forward backward and the true nature of the present whether out of pity for kanan or to get him out of his hair bendu imparts him with the key to true sight knowing fear no no it's not ezra or the spiders it's it's me fear grief anger that's how they see me that's how i see myself elements of kanan's light motif have been sprinkled about in previous seasons but never as completely as it is here as he comes into his own for the first time kanan sees not with his eyes but the eyes of the force stepping beyond his hopes his fears distant from everything and nothing everything except the people he loves a love that bendu is too distant himself to understand thus kanan reaches out as a father once again and rescues ezra from imminent doom though the path to the light side has never been more illuminated for kanan his duties as a father have alike never been more dire and that becomes all the more apparent when the legacy of the darksaber falls to sabine the only thing i'm learning is that ezra must be really gifted to learn as well as he has from a lousy teacher like you bestowed by fate with the star wars equivalent of mythological excalibur an artifact capable of uniting her people sabine chooses to stand alone more than her desire to erase her past on several occasions sabine's fierce independence and penchant for expression derives from her ostracization from mandalorian culture to sabine art isn't just a hobby it's a survival tactic one that's allowed her to have a sense of self and personal culture when she couldn't embrace her own heritage and though the ghost crew complements her disdain for the empire her true reason for being here is far less glamorous and for trust and security since season one and destructive instincts in season two were in the indication the effect of her past is nothing short of traumatic the tragic dichotomy between sabine's estranged heritage and personal identity is beautifully portrayed in her light motif appropriately written by one of kevin keiner's own children sean kiner the theme builds and intensifies throughout the episode as sabine wrestles between her own destructive outlook and kanan's noble guidance culminating in their epic confrontation and tia sakhar's greatest performance moment in the whole series kanan becomes the mentor sabine needs tough on her emotions but no less empathetic the core of sabine's doubt the source of her fear is herself i helped enslave my people i wanted to stop it i had to stop it i spoke out i spoke out to save them to save everyone when i did my family didn't stand with me they chose the empire they left me me no choice first she spoke out then she was abandoned now she is broken when family defines who we are what are we to do when family neglects us just as sabine shows us the value of personal mythology to our identity sabine's found family shows her the value of fighting for that mythology fighting for her people fighting for her family meeting clan wren is illuminating in much the same way as meeting your friend's family for the first time sabine's stubbornness passion and upbringing are all informed by clan wren while her found family of the ghost reflects the person she wants to be it goes to show how connection defines us and sheds a new light on how characters like ezra were shaped by the identity of their parents though sabine is ready to reconnect with her family ursa is not so immediately charitable conflated with the superficial clash of rules loyalties and tribalism their connection is not easily fought for but when that bond is threatened by gar saxon and the empire the real thing worth fighting for becomes obvious the only battle worth fighting for any wayward mandalorian the one that will bring people together [Music] clan wren chooses family and heals the long frayed bond with sabine her absence from the crew is bittersweet but one thing is for certain no matter how far she is from her found family the impact they've had on her is indisputable after his dark escapade in steps into shadow ezra embarks on a journey of self-discovery despite his proclivity for connection season 3 sees ezra become far more selective in his connections revealing them as reflections of himself hondo once represented the chaotic good someone could be capable of to ezra but after the win cathu job he sees how the temptation of greed can lead one astray mark matin and the iron squadron give ezra the opportunity to reflect on his early days in the ghost crew for that reason it also allows him to see the price of overconfidence saul guerrera's contempt for the geonosians is not dissimilar from ezra's contempt for the empire but where ezra once let anger lead him down a self-destructive path saul never deviated from that course further showing ezra the cost of aggression and on the surface his distance from kanan may result from frustration with his teachings but deep down he blames himself for kanan's blindness afraid and unable to forgive himself it's time for you to forgive yourself yes master [Music] all these connections inform ezra not just as a jedi but as a human being however his connection to maul is more complicated fates intertwined by the holocrons both ezra and maul continue to seek knowledge but where maul has already resigned his pursuit of knowledge to the destruction of his enemies ezra's choice is not so set in stone malachor brought ezra to the ends of fear and he's been walking his way back ever since yet it's not until twin sons that he puts all the pieces together under the dismal heat of the dune sea ezra chases the pursuit of power to its ultimate destination a desolate nothingness surrounded by no one and chastised by regret it takes a village to keep ezra on the right path and surely no one must understand that more than the former master of anakin skywalker you're in the wrong place ezra bridger in the fledging mentor role he will one day fulfill for luke ben is a desperately needed guide for ezra the holocrons probably did tell ezra the truth but ben's sentiment isn't wrong either the truth the narrative behind legend is what we make of it we can use it responsibly in service of others or empower our own ability to destroy ezra may think he is doing right by chasing the power to stop the sith but his true power originates elsewhere and that's home back to his family the very thing maul wasted so many years ago and used ezra to reclaim a small semblance of having finally learned his lesson ezra is nothing more than a passing bystander in the history of two titans [Music] more than the finale to their long-standing feud the clash between ben and maul is the definitive testament to the force mythos both of these figures have suffered failure been dealt with loss but where each loss has only given mull more bottomless anger obi-wan kenobi never stopped searching for meaning in his loss he was once a warrior of the jedi order back in the days of the clone wars now he's a defender of peace giving his life to protect the future and he couldn't have made it this far without his connection to the humanity of qui-gon jinn whose death was maul's crowning slight against obi-wan whose death defined the force of nature maul would become whose death led to maul's downfall in his dying breath maul sees the futility of revenge an all-consuming pursuit fueled by fear however he also sees the light at least part of it the prophecy of the chosen one who will avenge the ruin in their lives inflicted by the sith ben has devoted the rest of his days to protect it and that alone should speak to the importance of a legend though distant it will eventually become their only hope [Music] after giving their all to unite the broken forces of the galaxy the rebel alliance comes together in a glorious moment of unity the promise of a bright future may come to pass but their greatest obstacle is just around the corner and it threatens to block out the sun there's always a bit of truth in legends at least according to ahsoka though it's not untrue of star wars either for such a massive long-running ip star wars arguably has its own meta mythology in the form of legends the old canon before disney's takeover it's only fitting that a show concerned with the mythological aspects of star wars cherry picks so many things from legends as once mythic figures come to life in our heroes stories timothy zahn's grand admiral thrawn is the titular example of that for rebels though his reintroduction is welcome fan service his purpose is deeply woven into the show's themes thrawn is a tactician he studies patterns looking for the inherent weakness in any opponent's strategy absolutely everything he does is calculated and nothing is reactionary but his biggest assets ironically is art the expression of one's culture history and narratives art and expression obviously circumvents everything the rebels do sabine is an artist herself both ezra and kanan carry on the legacy of the jedi and as we saw early in the season hera's calicori means everything to her it's unusual for someone from an organization built on sterility and industrialization to see so much value in art but thrawn is not your usual villain kyner uses an organ for his theme a stranger to the saga's musical canon and lars mickelson gives thrawn a deceptively soft demeanor therein lies the nature of thrawn's appreciation art gives thrawn a connection to his opponents albeit an aloof one and like maul he manipulates these connections to his benefits just as easily as he manipulates the helpless officers around him this is why thrawn is the perfect nemesis for the rebels he too knows the power of prophecies and the collectives they serve to know your enemy is to know their hopes and their fears and for thrawn that knowledge gives him the power to wipe his foes from the face of existence thrawn divides our heroes depletes their resources and forces them into open combat the very thing the rebels have spent years trying to avoid they live in thrawn's world now where hope is fleeting and fear shadows all trapped on adelon the rebellion's only hope is through the sacrifices of others callus risks everything to give the rebels a fighting chance against thrawn's fleet sato gives his life for ezra's escape clan wren risks their lives for the rebellion's escape and though entirely indiscriminate in his wrath bendu gives up his sanctuary to rid his world of war [Music] everyone surrounding the crew of the ghost gives up something for their survival allowing them to fight at least one more day [Music] thrawn may understand how connection serves the rebels but he can never comprehend the true strength of selflessness which is why when thrawn crosses paths with bendu someone who bends to nothing but the force he doesn't understand him bendu cannot be manipulated and will serve thrawn no use except for the insight of his eventual downfall what what do you see i see your defeat like many arms surrounding you in the end the rebels are together now more than ever they know what it's like to lose but the sacrifice of those around them can't be for nothing whatever lies ahead for the rebellion it must be faced courageously the prophecies legends and narratives of old have led them this far but to win this battle they have to do more become more they must forge their own prophecy and light the way for the galaxy there's a future for us one where we're all free but it's up to us to make it happen [Music] and what do stories do for us in that sense what are myths they try to show us our place myths help you to have your own hero's journey find your individuality find your place in the world but hopefully remind you that you're part of a whole and that you must also be part of the community and and think of the welfare of the community above the welfare of yourself in the spirit of return of the jedi season four of rebels picks up right where the previous season left off the mandalorian civil war though expectedly limited in visuals and scope to the mandalorian stories of the clone wars these episodes provide a great deal of closure for what those stories set up years before mandalore is finally liberated bokotan becomes the rightful wielder of the darksaber and the mandalorians finally seem united none of it would have been possible without sabine overcoming her demons and the allyship of the jedi and the mandalorians a far cry from the jedi mandalorian war centuries ago that kanan referenced everything sabine's gone through in previous seasons prepared her for this and so as she stands over tibber saxon with the power to turn the occupying empire to ashes she makes a different choice a difficult one rooted in the same simple question we've asked again and again hope or fear the choice is yours by ending the bloodshed she gains the power far greater than what the empire can imagine thus giving her closure to her troubled past and forging a hopeful future for mandalore [Music] closure can be a hell of a thing especially if you're dave filoni who never had the chance to bring cloners to its rightful conclusion before starting rebels though rebels came to an end much sooner than the cloners would have i can't imagine it's something felony took lightly season four of rebels is short like the first season but it's also committed to the highest production quality of any season thus far and telling an entirely different story than those previous seasons mandalore was but the prelude to a much grander gauntlet the test sabine was faced with foreshadows the trials and tribulations ahead on lothal it's entirely deliberate then that ezra and kanan were the ones to accompany sabine on mandalore we know by now how all these characters are connected and how the values and actions of one informs the identity of others ezra and kanan will face the greatest trials out of everyone in the ghost crew on lothal and sabine's choice prepares them for the implications of that it's absolutely about hope or fear but it also touches on something final saul gets it or at least half of it following orders will only get you so far then you have to take control of your destiny destiny that's where all roads through star wars rebels have been leading to the core of the force articulates that every individual has a purpose by following the light side and the selfless pursuit of giving we will discover that purpose and that is our destiny what saul taught seems more empowering of the individual but overlooks the importance of the community and without community the connection to others there's very little the heroes of rebels could have accomplished heck if it weren't for ezra's speech in the fall the rebel cells might have never come together and the fate of the galaxy would be drastically different our heroes can think fate is theirs to control sure but it would go against everything their experiences have taught them sabine didn't find the darksaber it found her zeb didn't find his people they found him and once destiny called out to them they learn to follow it and change the lives of those around them for the better which is why when the thaw bleeds out for the rebels they will answer the call look at the sky ending the series where it began gives rebels a signature star wars circuitry returning to lothal gives our heroes an opportunity to reflect on the full width of their journey especially for ezra they've all gone through change but so has lothal no longer the playground it was for ezra as a street rats lothal is now an industrialized hellscape the artists lean into burnt oranges and yellows blacks and grays high contrast and dense fog i'd go as far to say that season four lothal is the greatest visual accomplishment of the whole series as the images of a burning lothal perfectly conveys the empire's violence destruction and oppression even though fall's outward appearance alone communicates the skyward stakes of truly freeing the planet but if they want to liberate lothal they can't think of it as the machine it's devolved to they must think of it as a home for writer for jaikel for ezra and for all the people and creatures they're connected to the persistence of its humanity will guide them to victory to destiny to the loth wolves filoni's infatuation with wolves is no secret across his work before rebels had its name it began pre-production as wolf princess mononoke and wolf's reign are both cited inspirations for the effects in clone wars and rebels he created commander wolf put wolf constellations in the mortise temple and hid wolf carvings in the temple in luthal in season two here in season four flony finally unveils a purpose for wolves the loth wolves are rooted in mythology immediately reminiscent of the norse figure fenrir in most mythologies wolves are predators and warriors sometimes associated with witchcraft however the most pertinent influence for the loftwolves and rebels probably comes from native american mythology where wolves are revered for possessing great power navajo tribes would call upon the wolf in healing trials omaha tribes tell the legend in which a wolf would guide a wounded warrior safely back to his camp and pawnee tribes looked to the birth and death of the wolf star cirrus as the coming and going of the wolf down the milky way which they called the wolf road aspects of these interpretations make their way into rebels but the latter folklore from the pawnee holds the most direct connection to rebels the lost wolves are guides and though their powers are mysterious it's implied they can travel through hyperspace or a visually incomprehensible equivalent the wolf constellation all the way back on mortise and in the caves on luthal also makes a lot of sense if you think of it as the star wars version of the wolf star not to mention there's the commonly referenced two wolves legend of the cherokee where two wolves live inside you one of darkness one of hope the one that's stronger is the one you feed this binary makes a very literal reinterpretation in rebels as there are both dark wolves and white wolves and as we'll see later on these wolves prey on ezra's fear but also bolster his courage delving even further into the context of the show wolves are pack hunters they thrive by community just like the rebels and because they are guides they are conduits of the greater will of the force of destiny it has a deep connection to the force to the energy of this planet don't all living things this is different more focused like it has a purpose the wolves arrival is nebulous but their intentions are not they've chosen caleb doom not kanan jairus the man who longshot his jedi identity by answering to the empire's fear but the balanced responsible and caring man caleb could be the man he became after embracing his jedi identity training ezra fighting his fear of inadequacy seeing through the force owning up to his love for hera and being the father figure for the ghost crew in their most desperate hour only then do the loth wolves impart kanan with his ultimate purpose the return of caleb doom is unexpected and whimsical he shaved the depression beard cut off his fugitive ponytail and removed the mask that concealed his blindness instilled with the knowledge of his fate kanan couldn't be more at peace complimented perfectly by a graceful score flowing visuals and saturated hues in the environment but kanan's final act is no solo endeavor where he once struggled to trust ezra to protect himself wrestling with his traumatic youth as a jedi survivor he entrusts him to devise hera's rescue contrary to the strict teachings of the fallen jedi order kanan finally believes in the value of his attachments ignoring them would suffocate kanan but following them too closely would make him possessive instead kanan discovers a balance he knows his attachment to hera will cloud his judgments but he's not about to let the love of his life perish for the jedi there's no greater service than sacrificing yourself to save others and that is kanan's destiny [Music] [Music] hey [Music] we'll see each other again [Music] so [Music] kanan's death breaks our heroes sabine and zeb lash out in anger harrah's stalwart composure utterly collapses and ezra is transported back to the familiar confusion and loneliness he's known since his parents vanished the lothal insurgency has nothing left to give and no hope for reinforcements the family is divided and their home will survive only in fractured memory fear will eat them alive but kanan isn't gone though nothing has quite prepared them for the loss of kanan his impact lives through them he lives on inherits proud syndulla legacy sabine's compassion and quite literally one of the loth wolves for ezra though our heroes were always going to find a way to make kanan's death meaningful i can't appreciate enough how filoni and sergio peas dwell on the extreme pain and confusion of kanan's loss it is human to mourn and to miss we can eventually reclaim our focus but not without treading a broken path it's especially fitting that the audience protagonist is the most confused and the most in need of guidance the fate of the force crushingly weighs on his shoulders yet there is a path forward the same path that ezra has always followed how together now ezra walks towards destiny the jedi sample in the fall contains knowledge privy only to a few ezra has accessed it before but he couldn't see it now at the pit of the empire's excavation site is beholden to just a small sliver of its truth the mortise gods the wolves the temple they're all connected as are all things inherently connected and within those connections is a world between worlds [Music] inspired by cs lewis's wood between worlds ezra's journey out of isolation poetically culminates in a plane where all living things are connected through time and space a vivid map of the force destiny as ezra knows it is literally in his hands though the choice he must make in pursuit of it is no different which is why when ezra wanders back to the tragedy on malachor he sees an opportunity to attach new meaning to ahsoka's sacrifice born from an entirely selfless after all this time ahsoka lives but not without reason having tasted the power to control fates as refines the moment of kanan's sacrifice and prepares to intervene in his destiny but attachment clouds his judgment no different than how kanan knew attachment clouded his in hera's rescue it's entirely deliberate that ahsoka is here to coach him through this moment given her own struggle with the past and the fall of her master there's nothing she wouldn't do to change his fate but she also knows the fear she'll be feeding by choosing not to accept it the quick and easy path to selfish comfort this is ezra's most important lesson letting go where kanan's death first seemed like a horribly timed tragedy it now gains unfathomable multitudes imbued in the beautiful evolution of kanan's light motif he destroyed the refinery and halted production of the thai defender he gained the ability to commune to the living not as a force ghost but as a wolf a fascinating reinterpretation of hindu reincarnation from which elements of the force are already inspired he inadvertently led ezra to save ahsoka's life and saved the world between worlds from the emperor's clutches he gave ezra his final lesson empowering him to march towards his own destiny and he'll re-inspire the rebels to save lothal that is the legacy of kanan jairus jedi knight goodbye canon [Music] so you're in for that boy there is nothing i would not do every theme of the force mythos converges in the final episodes of star wars rebels the rebel alliance may be unreachable but not the friends the ghost crew made along the way though these characters at one point or another were beneficial to the growth of our main characters the return to the finale gives rebels even more completeness it's very much like the end of an rpg where all the companions you recruited along the way matter in the success of the final mission the tighter their bond the more assured their victory will be over thrawn's already divided forces on low fall though the stakes are dire fallonian saul ruiz aren't afraid to inject humor much like the battle of endor in return of the jedi the fight leads them to the heart of capital city the root of its occupation and the end point of their journeys hope may raise them into the sky but thrawn will do whatever it takes to reduce them to ashes [Music] i await your arrival and make no mistake come alone ezra has always felt alone in forging bonds he found a temporary means to stave off his emptiness but never to complete a veil he devoted his solitary fury in search of the power to vanquish his foes but always walked away empty-handed now back on lothal he's never been surrounded by more of his friends but still finds himself forced into the same precarious position alone and yet he knows exactly what he's supposed to do after all she's been through sabine might be the only other person in the room who truly understands the weight of that burden she protects ezra so that ezra can protect everyone [Music] from the very first scene of rebels the emperor foresaw ezra's eminence he knew the threat he posed to the coveted world between worlds and what he might do to inspire others to rise up against the empire in a last-ditch effort he tempts ezra with his greatest desire the eternal comfort of his long gone family for more than a moment ezra struggles no hero wouldn't but palpatine couldn't possibly account for what ezra's been through the family he found the battles they fought the mistakes he's made and the teacher and father who led him to this point that after his sacrifice the truth of loss became clearer than ever now staring the perpetual source of his abandonment in the eye as regains the power to dispel his fears no one is ever really gone you'll always be a part of me i have to let you go palpatine fears all that he cannot control and by ezra choosing not to succumb to his fears and let go of his loss he gains unimaginable power over palpatine cliche as it may be stated it's no less poignant in the climax of ezra bridger the awesome power of love thrawn may feign to see right through ezra's connections but love is beyond his comprehension the compassion that flows through all living things yet is entirely foreign to thrawn's manipulation when the window of opportunity arrives ezra reaches out through the force and summons the purgil perfectly and purposefully ezra's magnificent winning move is achieved through connection thus as ezra grips the arbiter of his peril in one hand and the overwhelming might of the empire's forces in the other ezra like his father before him finds the balance and remember the force will be with you always [Music] fog dissipates burnt colors give way to a vibrant blue sky and the characteristically sparse streets of lothal are overrun with nigh endless crowds of people an astounding technical achievement for a show long confined by its budget the significance of lothal's liberation is not lost in that spectacle either nor are all the sacrifices the rebels made to get to this moment by its conclusion rebels completely recontextualizes the symbolic importance of the legendary rebel alliance their eventual defeat of the empire was not foretold by the might of their fleets or their skill in battle but their persistent belief in hope because of lothal anything is possible the empire's doom is as inevitable as the sun rising over the horizon and that's why the beautiful epilogue sequence after the war is the final scene of rebels lothal is a sprawling utopia once more once misguided by fear kalos finds a new purpose beyond the stars with lassad people kanan's greatness lives on in harrah's family and as a harbinger of the next generation sabine carries the torch of pursuing her destiny ezra is still missing which means her and ahsoka are going to look for him of course at the time of this video that story has yet to be told but rest assured wherever ezra is in the universe he and the ghost crew are together in legend a prophecy of hope that will remind future generations that anything is possible when done together the silence solitude uh this is beautiful i'm in a world all my own i do not feel alone it's easy to see i fit perfectly in this wonderful beautiful [Music] when the clone wars first came to its untimely end in 2013 and the production of star wars rebels began the future of lucasfilm animation seemed uncertain though they were mentored by george lucas and responsible for some of the best star wars stories ever told the accelerated development of rebels didn't seem like the best environment for their creativity to flourish dealt with layoffs budget cuts the pressure of being the first major project of the disney lucasfilm era and the delicate expectations of the star wars community the team behind rebels could have easily told a mediocre story and failed the legacy of their mentor and though the first season of rebels admittedly left a lot to be desired a spark of greatness was buried within a spark that would take time to cultivate but once it was it would transform rebels into one of the most soulful star wars stories ever told and so after four seasons and five years of production dave filoni simon kinberg cary beck and the cast and crew of lucasfilm animation cgcg and virtuous sparks finally saw the spark of star wars rebels all the way through to the end [Music] what defined rebels in the beginning the budget the tv y7 rating and its small scale is not at all what defines the show by series end the art style the music the performances and the storytelling and that shift isn't incidental because of what lucasfilm animation lacked technically on rebels every other aspect of the show improved though never quite as cinematic as the clone wars lucasfilm animations artists endeavored to convey so much more emotion through the expressivity of colors light and movement the work of kevin kiner and his children arguably surpasses the music of the clone wars in its original run freddie prince jr taylor gray vanessa marshall steve bloom and tia zakar breathe indistinguishable life and humanity into their characters and because of the centralized focus on these entirely original characters felony took us all the way through the arc of their journeys to their satisfying ends even some areas of the show initially constrained by budget blossomed over time as the studio became more resourceful and developed creative workarounds rebels may have not been possible without the clone wars but the siege of mandalore and everything that will follow has been elevated because of rebels because of what lucasfilm animation achieved together with dave filoni now presiding over the future of star wars storytelling as lucasfilm's executive creative director and all the storytellers and artists who worked on rebels contributing to different projects around the company the truth of stars rebels has never been more apparent the legacy of george lucas's mythology will go on [Music] and yet rebels has yet to get anywhere near the same appreciation or exposure as even the clone wars especially after last year while rebels are still remembered dearly by fans in the day of its finale and continues to be relevant elsewhere in the canon the show is still relentlessly chastised for its shortcomings helicopter lightsabers the empire's incompetence the rebels always win filler episodes ezra is annoying and disney's refusal for clone wars level violence as tired as these complaints are i can't say i don't understand where they're coming from though i gave the first season of rebels a chance i fell off the show shortly into season 2 and never watched season 3 or 4 when they premiered on television aside from the many glaring issues we pointed out about the first season and beyond i could never bring myself to embrace the show that replaced the clone wars one of my favorite and most personal pieces of media growing up it took me seven years to realize how blinded i was by that crutch and possibly how much happier i would have been to stay with the show don't get me wrong there's things that didn't work for me at the start of rebels that still don't work by the end lightsaber duels feel weightless the 21 minute run time doesn't always give great moments time to breathe and if i'm being honest yeah a little bit more violence would have aided the show's darker edge but ultimately i think what rebels achieves far outweighs what it doesn't rebels captures a genuine sense of mysticism in the stars galaxy not felt since the original trilogy the wonder of not knowing the awe of sights and sounds beyond imagination and the sneaking feeling that just maybe there is a reason for everything there's a constant devotion to the idea of family not just what it literally is but what it represents what it's supposed to be while these characters might have their differences at first they always come around in the end becoming models of unconditional support and healthy communication for young viewers who may lack those models in their own families and most of all for me anyway rebels preserves an uncompromising vision of optimism and hope through its characters their families and each and every outcome and reflecting back on my messy broken teenage years when i first grew apart from my family and saddled the terrifying uncertainty of my life after high school having a story that could have made me believe in that hope for just a passing moment every week might have genuinely saved me a lot of pain even after all these years rebels has given me a small bit of catharsis for what i missed out on back then and that's a gratitude i can't completely express i can only imagine how rebels has impacted the viewers that grew up with it and inspired them to grow and give in all the beautiful ways the found family of the ghost did themselves for that reason alone all the flaws of rebels have to be worth it so once more thank you dave filoni simon kenberg terry beck and the cast and crew of star wars rebels for a true prophecy of hope for starting a fire in complete darkness for finding humanity in malignity and for making the ordinary utterly legendary [Music] hello everyone welcome to the end of the video congrats on guinea gear this was a long one wasn't it um way longer than it was supposed to be in my outline um you know sometimes that happens but this video especially really got away from me uh this was a video that did not want to get made i had problems writing it problems editing it just pretty much from start to finish this was a very difficult video to make though i do have to say because of this video i think i am a slightly better writer and as with every video i work on i learn more about editing and you know the whole jazz so my sincere hope for anyone who has watched this video is that if you are a fan of rebels if say you like rebels more than clone wars that i've done justice by you because i personally do not fall into that crowd i should say right now um i do not like rebels more than clone wars people have been asking me about that but no though to be fair as well i don't think i like anything else in star wars more than clone wars so it'll be very hard for anything to ever dethrone that just because it comes from such a personal um foundational place you know growing up with it um and my other hope is that if you are not a fan of rebels or you know you do not like it more than clone wars uh maybe watching this video has heightened your appreciation for the show because i know making it certainly did for me um and you know obviously just trying to enjoy the show as it was for the first time all the way through in preparation for this video so um plenty of stuff to look forward to on the channel star wars fans and viewers um though i want to talk about that stuff a little bit after um i plug some things so guys you can follow me on social media on twitter that's at parksharman on instagram that's parksharman on twitch that's twitch.tv forward slash sator you should actually follow if you're not already following because i'll actually be streaming for once in my damn career um tomorrow on may 26th that's a wednesday um don't have a time sometime in the evening presumably in the east coast uh terms uh we'll be streaming i'll be starting my playthrough for mass effect the legendary edition so that's gonna be a lot of fun um i'm a big mass effect fan and uh i would be happy to share my playthrough i look forward to sharing my playthrough with everyone who tunes in and then other than that you should totally totally join our uh community discord the artorium we get new members every week we have papa discussion every day about star wars video games movies tv shows it's truly for anyone and everyone um if you especially if you want a really positive space to talk about your favorite stuff in pop culture that's something we're really big on so please consider joining that the link to the discord to join the discord as well as on my social media is in the description below um so where do we go from here guys well i got a bunch of videos planned for this summer nothing quite as long as this video or the cyberpunk video and probably you won't see any videos this long for a while at least until next year knocking on wood for that hopefully another video doesn't get away from me um and you know throughout the summer there probably won't be any star wars videos to look forward to but there are a couple of other cool videos on movies and video games that i'll be doing um one of which is the song you're hearing right now uh you know over this outro and another of which is a video for actually a couple of films in one video uh that i teased i was going to make last year so either that or the other video i talked about will be coming up soon but yeah couple of stuff to look forward to and then in the fall i will be uh star wars will be back on the channel in a big way um won't say any more than that just hoping if everything pans out um there's gonna be a pretty cool series of videos about star wars in the fall so yeah i like to keep things vague here so that when i actually announce something it's exciting more exciting but yeah okay guys thank you so much for watching this seriously your support from the start of me editing this to now um has truly been a blessing and um i'm just extremely grateful for all of you being here so tongue-tied um so yeah thank you all for watching one last time and may the force be with you peace out [Music] viewer [Music] you

Channel: ArTorr

Views: 625,606

Keywords: Star Wars Rebels, The Bad Batch, The Clone Wars, Dave Filoni, Lucasfilm, Star Wars Theory, Star Wars Explained, Star Wars Rebels Review, Video Essay, Star Wars Documentary, Star Wars Music, Star Wars Scenes, Ahsoka, Thrawn, Ezra, Sabine, Darth Maul, Star Wars Anime, Rebels Full Episodes, Clone Wars Full Episodes, Star Wars Analysis, Star Wars Essay, LEGO Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels Season 5, The Bad Batch Omega, George Lucas, Boba Fett, KOTOR Remake

Id: e622QkAAH9g

Length: 95min 51sec (5751 seconds)

Published: Tue May 25 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/twataburger]

just finished watching this, it’s a fantastic essay

[u/arubablueshoes]

this was amazing! definitely worth the watch