main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Full Series Grade the Episode 4.09: "Rebel Assault" (Spoilers Allowed)

Discussion in 'Star Wars TV- Completed Shows' started by Todd the Jedi , Nov 14, 2017.

?

Grade the Episode

Poll closed Nov 21, 2017.
  1. 10

    11.9%
  2. 9

    21.4%
  3. 8

    26.2%
  4. 7

    23.8%
  5. 6

    14.3%
  6. 5

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  7. 4

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  8. 3

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  9. 2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  10. 1

    2.4%
  1. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    [​IMG]
    Have you watched "Rebel Assault" yet? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did you not give a **** at all? Let us know.​
    Click your grade and if you want, be a critic and let us know why!​
    Note: This poll will close one week from now.​
     
  2. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    7/10

    Pretty good action overall. The fight between Hera and Rukh was pretty awesome, even though she was ultimately overwhelmed. And it's interesting that the Loth-wolves are trying to steer Kanan in a certain direction; clearly the Force has plans for him before all this is over.
     
  3. Darth_Accipiter

    Darth_Accipiter Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2015
    6/10,
    -Looks like we're going to do the "captured" thing again. Did it in season 1 with Kanan. The ending is why I'm not giving this episode a higher rating. We know Hera survives. Even the kids know it, she was in Forces of Destiny. There was no emotional weight to that sacrifice.
    -The wolves are testing my patience. This is the third episode this season with them and we haven't gotten an explanation on them yet despite their significant plot interruption.
    -Mart survives, and isn't panicking in this situation. How old is he again, shot down on an unfamiliar planet with imperials all around, and apparently an amazing shot?
    +there was good animation for the space battle and the Rukh fights.
    +A bit of John Williams for the X Wing fight was a nice touch.
     
    La Calavera and Darth Wookiee like this.
  4. Pain and Suffering

    Pain and Suffering Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2015
    1/10
    +Kanan
    -Rukh
    -Thrawn
    -Incompetent Empire
    -Hera suddenly being some sort of super fighter
    -Rebels destroying more Imperial ships
    -Rebels being able to get through a huge Imperial blockade with a fairly small fleet
     
    Vialco and Snafu55 like this.
  5. SienneRe

    SienneRe Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Mar 23, 2016
    But Hera could fight well even in The New Dawn, so it's just a reminder that she's not only a pilot.

    10/10 for me - I had lots of fun with this one and loved almost everything.
     
  6. Dame sans merci

    Dame sans merci Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 17, 2016
    Just 6/10 for me - although I enjoyed how the episode built atmosphere and thought the score was fantastic, it was too low-key for a mid-season finale (especially given we know Hera will be fine) and gave most of the team too little to do.
     
    Snafu55 and JH24 like this.
  7. JH24

    JH24 Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 19, 2017
    6/10 Had definitely some good moments. (Space battle, Thrawn in control, Kanan going alone to try and save Hera, behind enemy lines with Hera in the city) but for a mid-season finale it lacked a certain impact.
     
    Snafu55 likes this.
  8. Jedi Master Scorpio

    Jedi Master Scorpio Star Wars Television star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 24, 2015
    This wasn't my favorite. It had some good elements, but overall it lacked the punch (no pun) of a mid-season finale. 6/10
     
  9. Jedi Knight Fett

    Jedi Knight Fett Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2014
    What a cliffhanger though

    10/10
     
    ConservativeJedi321 likes this.
  10. jabberwalkie

    jabberwalkie Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2014
    The name checks out. ;)
     
  11. Ahsoka's Tano

    Ahsoka's Tano Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2014
    I gave it a 9/10. I just enjoy watching Hera kick butt! :hera:
     
  12. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    9/10
    Thrawn was actually acting himself in this episode, in a way rarely seen in Rebels. Ruhk was sneaky and tactical as per usual, the Empire was not incompetent, the rebels slicing up ships like that is okay given the context and circumstance, the rebels failed to get through the imperial blockade.

    Hera having fighting skills is fine, considering she lost to the Noghri who was ordered not to kill her.

    -1 for the wolves, which I'm not offended by but still not sure about.
     
  13. Ancient Whills

    Ancient Whills Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2011
    8/10
    + Hera being a badass pilot AND a badass in hand-to-hand combat.
    + Chopper saving the day.
    + Beautiful scenery. They went a long way since season 1.
    + Ezra and Mart's maturity. Ezra trusts Kanan enough to let him go and Mart stopped acting like a child.
    + Rukh vs Hera. I'm glad he succeeded at capturing her honestly even if we know she survives until at least RotJ.
    + The Loth-wolf mystery continues though still with a limited vocabulary. Now Kanan understands what he has to do, I got the feeling he's going to sacrifice himself for Hera in the end but it might be a classic Filoni misdirection since we didn't get to see the whole conversation between the wolf and Kanan.
    + Nice space battle at the beginning even if it was a little short.
    + More focus on other member than just Sabine/Ezra.
    +/- X-wings, I know some people absolutely love them but I'm more like "cool" and that's it.
    +/- A set up episode so we'll have to wait until January to know the outcome. Might improve my judgement on this episode or might lessen my enjoyment. We'll have to wait and see.
    - Goodbye Vult Skerris, I'm no longer surprised honestly.
     
  14. DarthBreezy

    DarthBreezy Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2002
    8

    +Hera Kicking arse
    + Kanan nearly losing it - he was screaming himself hoarse
    + Chop!
    + X wing dog fight!
    - only drawbacks -
    it felt too short - we've been spoiled by double epidodes
    Kanan 'gave up' way too easily - too quick - it felt... wrong and OOC.

    Still a pretty solid episode.
     
  15. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    10/10

    It was like licking ice cream on a warm summers day.
     
  16. MrDarth0

    MrDarth0 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2015
    7/10

    There were some great things in this episode, but also some really bad ones (mainly Thrawn), which prevented me from enjoying it more.
     
  17. TetsuAero

    TetsuAero Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 24, 2008
    I just have to say that the scene where the fighters are crashing towards the city is gorgeous.
    Episode got a 8/10 from me.

    It should have done some reminding thingy of who the characters were. Mart who?
     
  18. Pain and Suffering

    Pain and Suffering Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2015
    Thrawn hasn't been acting like himself the entire show of Rebels. A few X-wings being able to stand against that many Imperial ships is not okay; Scarif and the destruction of the Death Star were supposed to be the first major rebel victories. The Imperial ships might as well be made out of butter for how easily they get destroyed by the rebels. The rebels actually did get through the blockade, but they got destroyed after, when they were entering the atmosphere.

    Hera having fighting skills would be fine, if it had been established previously that she was an excellent fighter that spent a good amount of time training. But having never shown the character in a hand-to-hand combat (and really in any combat other than dogfights) and then suddenly showing her as some kind of great martial artist is not okay. Especially when her opponent is supposedly some sort of trained assassin.

    The Empire had a pretty simple task of rounding up any surviving pilots, and they barely managed to do that (and one of them got away). If letting rebels through your blockade, having rebels destroy your ships, being unable to lockdown an area in an Imperial-occupied city, and letting a rebel pilot escape isn't incompetence, I'm not sure I know what is.
     
    R.D. likes this.
  19. TheRebelFleet

    TheRebelFleet Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2017
    After another viewing, I have changed my review.
    Okay Episode.

    Good:
    The score was perfect. The music had its moments, playing with more of our emotions. Well Done. ^:)^
    I loved the fighting sequences between Hera and Rukh. Spot on. :D
    The Attack Force. I particularly loved that the Rebels keep 'failing' at important missions. It creates more significance for later battles like Scarif and Yavin. It also adds to the rebellion's minor power in the galaxy, creating another sense of desperation for the Rebellion.
    Was that Jedha tanks near the end? Pretty cool too.

    Bad:
    Now, let me rant about this blockade of Lothal. From what I spotted, there were 8 Star Destroyers, 11 Arquitens-Class Light Cruisers, and 9 Gozanti-Class Cruisers. This is the biggest blockade in Star Wars Rebels. Considering that the Alliance had 24 ships, how would they even survive the massive amount of power by the Imperial blockade? The rebel forces should have been obliterated by all of the cruisers combined. However, they did show some difference of power between X-wings and TIE fighters, which I enjoyed. In fact, the squadron did fail later, but the ships should not have made it past the blockade. And again, another Star Destroyer is destroyed somehow.. [face_thinking]
    In addition, there are no ground forces protecting the air defenses on ground. What? Also a bit strange.
    Now with, Kanan and the wolves. Seriously, when is the mystery ever going to end - the relationship with the Force and wolves has been dragged across Season 4. Can the writers of this show actually give us hints as to what they are?

    However, despite its flaws, this episode was okay and furthers the timeline to Rogue One and Episode IV. I seriously hope they end off this TV show with the Battle of Scarif. That would be an epic finale for fans. :D
    6/10 for this one. How are people rating it higher? Certainly not the best for Season 4.
     
    R.D. likes this.
  20. Ghost Ryder

    Ghost Ryder Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 16, 2016
    The Amazon description spoiled the attack's failure for me, and I had figured that might be most of the episode; the crew had this attack planned for a while, after all. Fortunately, the episode was much more effective on second viewing.

    The opening battle, which felt somewhat small at first, is just focused around Hera. I think the whole runtime is essentially Hera's perseverance against the Imperial forces, and even against the implication of her capture from the loth-wolf stopping Kanan. I actually had a lump in my throat seeing Hera on her knees near the end, accentuated by the music. I love how the music, at times, adds to the sparseness of the visuals. The city feels almost like a war zone here.

    + Hera piloting an X-Wing, and evidently being a General now
    + Nice to see Mart again, and he does pretty well for himself
    + I like that the loth-wolf's speech has been limited. Interestingly, though not surprisingly, Dave Filoni co-wrote every episode in which the wolves have appeared so far.

    9/10
     
  21. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    Thrawn was confident in his victory, we were made to doubt it, but Thrawn was victorious because he counted on Hera finding a way past the star destroyers. Seems the most in-character scene for him in Rebels so far.

    The ships did not make it through the blockade. The line of TIE's under the cloud layer was still part of the blockade. You make it sound like they slipped through with ease and happened to burn up in the atmosphere, but those X-Wings got sliced up by majestic imperial fire power and superior tactics.

    Hera fighting Ruhk is fine. It's a family show, there's got to be some action in it. She didn't hold her own, Ruhk was trying to capture her, if he wanted her dead she might not have even seen it coming.

    The Empire succeeded in rounding up all but one pilot, who only escaped because a magic wolf led a blind ex-padawan to a random sewer hole.

    The empire are already established as incompetent. This is season 4, you should be used to this by now. :p
     
    ConservativeJedi321 likes this.
  22. MandoArtist

    MandoArtist Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2015
    The Empire have almost always been presented as incompetent. Rebels has given us nothing new in this regard.
     
    Darth_Accipiter likes this.
  23. R.D.

    R.D. Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2015
    The forces that dismantled the Rebel fleet over Scarif, overwhelmed Tantive IV and Echo Base, and Thrawn at least as written by Zahn, disagree.

    Plus an incompetent foe should be avoided in general since it doesn't make your heroes look much better.
     
    Vialco and Pain and Suffering like this.
  24. MandoArtist

    MandoArtist Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2015
    And what about the forces that destroyed Phoenix Squadron? Thrawn who exposed Fulcrum? Or stopped the Rebel Y-Wing bombing of the Imperial factories on Lothal?
     
    V-2 likes this.
  25. Pain and Suffering

    Pain and Suffering Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 8, 2015
    Thrawn might be in character for Rebels, but he certainly isn't as intelligent as he was in the books. If they weren't going to match the character up with the one we get in the books, I don't know why they even brought him in to the show. It feels like most of what Thrawn has done in this season is remark about how intelligent and skilled Hera is. :rolleyes:

    They pretty much did slip in with ease. Or at least they got past a ton of Imperial ships before the TIEs took them out, which I think is still too good for a tiny fleet of rebel ships against that many Imperial ships. And if they didn't actually make it into the atmosphere (it kind of looked like it from the show) they were pretty close, much closer than they should have made it with that strong of an Imperial presence surrounding the planet.

    There already was action scene with the battle fleet. I don't think there's anything fine about giving someone extra abilities that they've never had before just because it suits the plot. And she seemed a pretty big challenge for a trained assassin like Rukh to capture, for someone who should have been fairly easy. It should have just taken one stun bolt to take her out.

    Mart looked like he would've escaped through the sewer tunnels - with or without Kanan's help. And for an area that's in lockdown, I find this to be a sad failure on the Empire's part to let one of the rebels escape.

    But the Empire wasn't quite as incompetent in the OT as Rebels portrays them. The Millennium Falcon never sliced and diced through ships like the Ghost team does, for one, and there was actually suspense and a feeling of danger for the characters. I never feel that even remotely with Rebels, which I think is why this episode was partially so lacking, because everything is predictable and there's no danger for any of the characters except for the newly introduced redshirts.
     
    Vialco and R.D. like this.