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Full Series Grade the Episodes 1.01-02: "Spark of the Rebellion" (Spoilers)

Discussion in 'Star Wars TV- Completed Shows' started by AkashKedavra_93, Oct 3, 2014.

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Grade the Episodes 1.01-02: "Spark of the Rebellion"

Poll closed Oct 10, 2014.
  1. 1

    1.2%
  2. 2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. 3

    3.5%
  4. 4

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. 5

    7.0%
  6. 6

    5.8%
  7. 7

    29.1%
  8. 8

    29.1%
  9. 9

    18.6%
  10. 10

    5.8%
  1. Robimus

    Robimus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2007
    When they storm Leia's cruiser and wipe out the resistance? When they track C-3PO & R2 D2 on Tatooine, finding the Jawa's and the Lars homestead leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. When they get the location of Han's ship from from an informant in Mos Eisley and almost stop the heroes escape.

    Granted they go sideways a little on the Death Star, but are still making the heroes run away a lot. And Obi-Wan himself never makes it off the Death Star, perhaps in part to the Stormtroopers blocking his escape.

    In Rebel's they did manage to shoot a Wookiee though, so there was that. :p To me the issue between the two was the lack of balance. We didn't get to see the Stormtroopers actually accomplish anything - which makes them seem way more lame than they did in the films.

    This two episode debut had some good to it. I liked the voice acting in general, the show opened with a Star Destroyer on screen and such. But the dumbing down of the Empire, alongsdie the varied plot holes make it impossible for me to give it a good score. I think there is potential there, but knowing who is steering the ship I have my doubts we will ever see much of it realized.

    3/10
     
  2. AkashKedavra_93

    AkashKedavra_93 Moderator Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 8, 2011

    The Clone Wars has plenty of instances, the Citadel and Young Jedi arcs for example
     
  3. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    There was some ventilation-shaft crawling in A New Dawn.
     
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  4. Kablob

    Kablob Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2014
    "Anakin it is NEVER a good idea!"
     
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  5. Trebor Sabreon

    Trebor Sabreon Former Manager star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 15, 2010
    It's so great to have a weekly Star Wars adventure back on my television screen!

    7.5, which I happily round up to an 8/10.

    Even issues with pacing, Kanan blowing his wad in the very first episode, and an uneven, sometimes choppy musical score can't sap my enthusiasm for this reasonably well-crafted first step into a larger (and exciting) world.

    There's unquestionably room to improve, but the pilot "movie" was packed with plenty enough quality, Star Wars-y goodness to leave me hungry for more.
     
  6. Robimus

    Robimus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2007
    And Die Hard as well.

    Maybe it is a homage? :p
     
  7. Orrelios

    Orrelios Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 21, 2005
    I finally watched this one with the low expectations I had and I really ended up liking it; the trailers and various clips didn't do it a lot of justice, but when it's all said and done, it's no doubt a rather solid and enjoyable start of the show and the tone, which is sort of a simplified OT one, really does work quite well without feeling lame. The animation is really good and I do like how it's different from the one in TCW; the more rounded forms and expressive nature of it is very welcome and it's a nice contrast to TCW. It's not as textured as that show and doesn't look as well-detailed, but I'm all okay with that since I do like the look (and I don't understand those who still say the animation is bad); I'm positive it is no doubt gonna improve later on. The music was really good and implemented a lot of cues heard in the OT & I think the scenes I liked the most were the non-action and even character developing ones (I think my favorites altogether were the ones with the Holocron containing Obi-Wan's message & the major bits with Zeb).

    As for the characters, I ended up liking all of the Ghost crew rather quickly and all of them are used well in their respective roles in the group so I think I will have no problem with them as the main characters (and as I expected, Zeb is definitely my favorite and I love how despite he's the big and grumpy tough guy who loves to fight and kick stormtrooper butt, he's got a soft side as shown when he turns remorseful after leaving Ezra behind with the imperials; that downbeat look on his face before the door closed was great and really gave some surprising depth to the character). As for Ezra, I thought I would not like him at all since he seemed like such a smug little jerk judging by the trailers and clips, but in context he was alright and in a way quite likeable (I'm definitely looking forward to see his growth as a character) & regarding Agent Kallus, he was actually quite a good villain, actually (and bring on the Inquisitor); however, it's just too bad the stormtroopers are dimwits (but so far, they didn't bother me much). Vizago seems interesting (but he's no Hondo, at least not yet) and I also think it was great we got to see some Wookiees (isn't that little one adorable?) and unlike most of you, I don't think their design was that bad; sure, they doesn't look as good as those in TCW but they got the job done.

    What I thought didn't work so well was the rather frenetic, fast pace of it all; it was mainly focused on action and there weren't many breather scenes (those that were there were pretty short) so it felt like it jumped from action to action. I know it's a show mainly aimed at a younger public, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt them to slow things down a bit and not go too fast, even sprinkling some more quiet and talky scenes here and there to balance the action/adventure parts better. TCW did this, even in the first season, so it shouldn't be too hard for them to do so here either. Also, maybe the direct and on the nose OT nods and references, including the music snippets taken directly from the movies, were a bit much, but other than that, most aspects worked pretty well.

    All in all, it was an very entertaining, OT-styled Star Wars adventure which was a good intro to this new show and characters. The animation is good, the characters are likeable, the voiceacting solid, the actions scenes are very good and the story is entertaining (but I'm still hoping later episodes will have a better pace with more and longer breather scenes so it's not essentially all action, explosions and running around). It's not perfect and certainly has room for improvement, but the good definitely outweighed the bad and I enjoyed it, no question about that. Bring on more of Rebels!

    8/10
     
  8. Thrawn082

    Thrawn082 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jan 11, 2014
    -They wiped out a bunch of nameless Rebel redshirts and capture ONE lightly armed woman.
    -They killed two defenseless middle-aged farmers, and STILL failed to capture their actual target (the droids).
    -They find Han's ship because someone literally TOLD THEM WHERE IT WAS! And then a bunch of them start shooting at Han, who's not that far away from them, and yet the "elite Stormtroopers" ALL miss him, not one shot hits him. And then dozens if not hundreds of them ALL miss our heroes when they're on the Death Star, despite them being mere feet away at some points.

    Yes, truly these are some Green Beret-level badasses here, and not a bunch of morons who cannot shoot straight. ;)
     
  9. Jedi Knight Fett

    Jedi Knight Fett Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2014
    Better then I thought I was so used to the PT era that I thought I would not like it but it was great so 9/10
     
  10. phatdude1138

    phatdude1138 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2005
    Where to start? Well the animation was ok, however I have to agree with the folks about Ezra's hair and the texture if the wookiees. A few friends I talked to all complained about the wookiees. They just looked wrong. I would take TCW season 5/6 animation over Rebels for sure. But TCW animation improved over the years so I'm sure Rebels will as well.

    My other complaint was the Ghost crew just flying up, docking on a Star Destroyer, walking in and walking out with ease. Even the mighty Han Solo and the Falcon wouldnt try that.

    Other than those nitpicks, it was pretty good. I would say 7/10.

    Also I wish all episodes were an hour. Not sure why kid shows are always 30 minutes. Even TCW basically went to 3 or 4 part series, because 30 minutes just isn't long enough to tell a story.
     
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  11. Sable_Hart

    Sable_Hart Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2009
    Are you playing the Devil's advocate or sincerely trying to defend stormtrooper incompetence? Wiping out a bunch of nameless Rebel redshirts is still a fairly significant victory. No one expects them to actually cut down the main characters due to Plot Armor but it would be nice if the story would treat it as though they very well could. A story is only as good as it's villain as Bruce Willis once famously said and Star Wars is no exception. As bad as battle droids were in TPM, all it took was two droidekas to send Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon (two Jedi!!!) running for the hills.

    The Empire is supreme for a reason and the rebels have to be the underdogs for the story to work. The Empire has to be bigger, stronger, faster, more powerful, more significant in pretty much every way. This is not a battle of equals.
     
  12. Hoggsquattle

    Hoggsquattle Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2009
    There is nothing elite about the activities of the stormtroopers that you mention in the first paragraph. It is pretty standard movie soldier stuff.

    The only elite troops we see in Star Wars are the Clones.

    The heroes run from stormtroopers because of the shooting and being outnumbered.


    The Kyber Crystal arc too. It is hardly a long history like the Jefferies Tubes on Star Trek.

    Plenty of ventilation shaft action in most action orientated movies and TV shows. Even New Girl did it ;)

    A virus outbreak, shapeshifting imposter, a collision in space with time running out are also standard story types and will most likely be done in some form.

    Yes, they are a significant threat but they aren't the ultimate space soldier. :)

    [quote="Sable_Hart, post: 51863927, member: 1358293"
    Are you playing the Devil's advocate or sincerely trying to defend stormtrooper incompetence? Wiping out a bunch of nameless Rebel redshirts is still a fairly significant victory. No one expects them to actually cut down the main characters due to Plot Armor but it would be nice if the story would treat it as though they very well could. A story is only as good as it's villain as Bruce Willis once famously said and Star Wars is no exception. As bad as battle droids were in TPM, all it took was two droidekas to send Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon (two Jedi!!!) running for the hills.

    The Empire is supreme for a reason and the rebels have to be the underdogs for the story to work. The Empire has to be bigger, stronger, faster, more powerful, more significant in pretty much every way. This is not a battle of equals.[/quote]


    I don't believe Thrawn082 is doing either, but rather simply pointing out that stormtroopers are never portrayed as being an "elite" fighting force.

    Nor are they portrayed as the incompetents that pop culture now mocks them as.

    BTW, Spark of Rebellion gets more points for debuting Kessel ;)
     
  13. Robimus

    Robimus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2007
    It is our definitions of elite that is the difference here.

    The Clone Troopers themselves come across better because the story dictated that they needed to, many were in fact the central heroes in Episodes of TCW. Rex was the character equivalent of say Zeb, as such his accomplishments would be greater.

    Not that I'm very concerned with how the OS defines things, I just find it odd that you imply that the Stormtroopers in Rebel's come across the same as the Stormtroopers in the OT. For me there is no comparison, at least to this point. Stormtroopers in the OT actually did things(as well as get beaten by Ewoks :p), they didn't just get beaten by Ewoks from start to finish.

    You say they are a significant threat. I presume you mean in Rebel's, but I'd ask you what they have done in Rebel's to be viewed as a significant threat?
     
  14. Hoggsquattle

    Hoggsquattle Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2009
    When mentioning the Clones, I intended to put elite in " " , as in to say they are the nearest we get to "elite". They aren't though - they are just awesome.

    They are officially described as that for years, but they simply aren't "elite". They are pretty much the common type of bad guy soldiers used in movies.

    By "significant threat", I meant the movies and Rebels. Their very presence - they outnumber the heroes and that force of numbers is often what causes the heroes to have to withdraw and run

    Can you explain what it that the stormtroopers don't do in Rebels, that they do in the Originals?
     
  15. Robimus

    Robimus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2007
    I already pointed out multiple examples, you didn't seem interested.

    In your own words though, "- They wiped out a bunch of nameless rebel redshirts"

    They haven't done anything on that level as yet in Rebel's.
     
  16. Hoggsquattle

    Hoggsquattle Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2009
    I didn't say that.

    Where have have you pointed out "multiple times"? There is no call to be aggressive, if I wasn't interested, then I wouldn't ask.

    I didn't see the harm in asking you to explain how they are different, since you asked the same of me.

    No, they haven't killed a load of people because the story didn't call for them to.

    The good guys won because they were better, despite being outnumbered, just like in the movies. The stormtroopers didn't do anything wrong and weren't behaving like a bunch of clowns or Keystone Cops.
     
  17. Robimus

    Robimus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2007
    Ah yes, I confusing my posters. My apologies.

    I did point out multiple accomplishments the Stormtroopers had in A New Hope(that I know you read as going back as I see you quoted them) that they don't have as yet in Rebel's. The discussion at that point was about "elite" accomplishments, but the response serves as the same answer to your recent question.

    I also really don't feel I was being hostile towards you, just pointing out that I'd already given examples that you seem to not agree with.
     
  18. TiniTinyTony

    TiniTinyTony JCC Super Bowl Pick 'Em Winner star 7 VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2003
    I definitely dug the "movie" and need to watch it again. I remember really liking a lot of the camera angles they chose to go with, especially when the camera was behind the main characters as them jumped from the platform of the ship. I enjoyed the pacing; it didn't feel like it had any lulls. I actually LOL'd when Kallus kicked the storm trooper.

    The show has promise and I look forward to see where it goes from here.
     
  19. phatdude1138

    phatdude1138 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2005
    I don't know how we got on clones vs stormtroopers but I'll bite. Clone troopers had to be ultimate soldiers because inevitably they would have to fight the Jedi. That is why clones were made from a copy of a mandalorian bounty hunter. Age acceleration not only made the Clones ready to fight in 10 years vs 20, but had the added effect that they would die off sooner. This was key for Palpatines plot. He couldn't risk these elite warriors turning on him and ultimately over throwing him.

    Once the clones gained control of the galaxy, Palatine was able to replace them with regular civilians which was way cheaper and easier than growing actual clones. Stormtroopers merely have to enforce the existing law, not overthrow the galaxy. The clones took care of that for them.
     
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  20. Darth_Hydra

    Darth_Hydra Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 14, 2001
    5/10

    A good episode and it helped set up the series but not very memorable.

    Pros
    *Fast paced.
    *Obi Wan's warning/message to other Jedi.
    *Jabba and Tarkin name drops.
    *"First Jedi you've seen sir?" and Kallus kicking the stormtrooper off.
    *Stormtroopers being sucked into outer space while the Ghost crew rescued Ezra.
    *Kanan revealing he's a Jedi.

    Cons
    *No real plot, just everyone kinda stumbling from one place to another.
    *Ezra escaping his holding cell even though Stormtroopers are supposed to be "elite" soldiers.
     
  21. Darkslayer

    Darkslayer #1 Sabine Wren Fan star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2013
    So can anyone tell me how this was, and would you recommend that I watch it? I am pretty reluctant to watch it - still a bit annoyed at Disney over The Clone Wars and just the way they have handled Star Wars in general.
     
  22. TheSilentInfluence

    TheSilentInfluence Retired Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 15, 2014
    It's worth watching. It really feels like Star Wars and they have a darker element underneath as well. The characters are fun and Ezra isn't that annoying. I'd give it a chance.

    Plus...

    In regards to darkness, the spoiler from episode 5 of Rebels is...well dark. They are not holding back like some people think they are. If you want to know; I'll let you know where to look.
     
  23. Hoggsquattle

    Hoggsquattle Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2009
  24. TheSilentInfluence

    TheSilentInfluence Retired Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 15, 2014
    That's pretty cool. I hope they have him appear talking to the Inquisitor or something about Jedi and leaving him to deal with any remaining ones for now.
     
  25. Hoggsquattle

    Hoggsquattle Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2009
    He does speak - James Earl Jones is the voice once again.

    I hope the clip is posted online or an extended version of the episode is offered on iTunes.
     
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