Full Series How will Rebels differ from Clone Wars?

Was TCW canceled so that Disney could move forward with a lighter, more family-friendly vision of Star Wars?

Is DF (Dave Filoni) in the same creative position on Rebels as he was on TCW?

If Disney is moving towards a lighter tone, is that necessarily a bad thing? The first Star Wars film seems to fit this description, after all ... maybe Rebels is an opportunity to employ a lighter touch more effectively than ROTJ and the prequels were able to do?

For example, I like how DF handled Jar Jar Binks in TCW, as opposed to the prequels -- perhaps this bodes well for his use of similar characters and elements in Rebels (assuming, of course, he still exerts the same amount of storytelling control)?

 

Well, first off, in response to the title, Rebels will be between Episodes III and IV, rather than II and III.

 

My post is just going to focus on Rebels' tone vs TCW's tone:

First thing Disney didn’t demand that Filoni and co make Star Wars Rebels lighter because Clone Wars later became dark. Instead those working on Rebels have apparently made the show lighter in order to harken back to the tone of ANH. It has nothing to do with the fact that the show is going to air on a Disney owned television channel.

To compare Ben 10 Omniverse is ridiculously lighter than Ben 10: Alien Force and Ultimate Alien and yet that show airs on Cartoon Network. Actually all of Cartoon Network's current shows are lighthearted. So using that information the whole ‘Rebels will be lighter than the Clone Wars simply because it will air on Disney XD’ that some are spouting is erroneous at best and downright illogical at worst.

FYI it wasn’t Cartoon Network who demanded that Ben 10: Omniverse be lighter just because the previous two Ben 10 shows were dark. The creators themselves wanted to make Omniverse lighter. The same applies to Rebels. Rebels would be lighter than the Clone Wars even if it was going to air on Cartoon Network. Why? That’s because the creators have decided on that particular tone.

Honestly I could care less whether Rebels will be lighter or darker than the Clone Wars. What I want from Rebels is decent to solid writing and memorable characters. As much as I loved the Clone Wars it did suffer from lazy writing from time to time and of course it was hard to feel concerned for Anakin, Obi-Wan, etc because we know that they will survive the show. On the other hand we don't know the fates of Ezra, Kanan, Hera, Zeb, Sabine, and Chopper.

Finally, we only know about the first episodes and to an extent the first season of Rebels. Clone Wars didn’t start off dark either. But hey at least the Inquisitor is going to be a genuine threat whereas TCW’s General Grievous was usually this mustache twirling evil laughing coward who escaped all the time.

 

LESS AWESOME.

Seriously though, because of my taste, I really don't see how I can possibly like Rebels more than TCW.

I would be completely shocked if it dealt with Force lore anywhere near as much, which is what I most love in SW. It's competing with the series in which Yoda starts to learn how to Force-ghost, I mean, come on. There's an arc about a planet/temporal dimension that is the Force incarnate and helps channel all the Force in the universe. Seriously.

The other huge thing for me, as all our regulars here and anyone who's noticed my avatar probably all know already, is that TCW finally shows the brotherly relationship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke's dad (which is still primarily how I think of Anakin after all these years) that I was promised in the OT and seemingly flippantly deprived of in the PT. And nearly as important to me as that as is TCW finally showing the Jedi Council treating Anakin in ways that would make him legitimately resentful and skeptical of them so his entire character arc across the saga actually works in an empathic way, instead of it being ruined by the PT showing him as arrogant, whiny and unlikeable. These massive gaping holes in the Star Wars saga TCW has at long last made complete are so important that I don't even see how Rebels could contribute anything nearly as significant to the saga as a whole.

 

I think the switch to Rebels is more about the time period it is set in than the tone. I see no indication that TCW is way darker than Rebels will be.

 

Yes, it seems TCW was about providing a much-needed fleshing out of the saga, and possibly damage control for the prequels. Your question as to whether or not Rebels could ever serve as useful a purpose is a good one. My initial response would be, like you, "no", but then I start thinking about Luminara appearing in the trailer ... and her sad, unresolved TCW arc ... and makes me wonder what secrets of its own Rebels may have to tell.

 

Im pretty sure Rebels will not be as dark TCW. For example I don't think Disney would show a scene of the Inquistor pulling a Maul or Vader with a scene implying that he just slaughtered a bunch of innocent children.

 

I'm curious - what makes you say this?

 

I wonder how much of that team was appointed just to get the show up and running. It's interesting; rumours abound of Greg Weisman not being a part of the show post-season one, something Simon Kinberg seemed to confirm in a SDCC interview. I'm wondering if Weisman's role was as consultant, since he has experience in similar ensemble cast shows, and he was there to "midwife" the show, so to speak.

In any case, I'm not getting any sense that Filoni's not calling the shots. At the most, it's a Filoni/Kinberg-helmed show.

On-topic: this will be Star Wars, just like Clone Wars was. Tonally, it will start light, whimsical even, but will get progressively darker.

 

I'm not sure why. I've always felt Weisman's non-Gargoyles resume is a bit mixed.

 

The main issue with Rebels isn't the tone. It's the characters. Yes, Obi-Wan's going to be in it in at least a small capacity, but I can't see it being too much. Yoda's in exile on Dagobah. The main protagonists are characters which we have NEVER seen before, and may never see again after it. TCW had Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Padme, R2, Threepio, Windu, Clones, etc., Rebels will likely just have Obi-Wan. Maybe Vader and Palpatine every now and then, but not all that much I think. Regardless, the Skywalkers are the protagonists of the Star Wars saga and to have an entire show without them in it is just a HUGE change.

 

I don't expect there to be much difference at all except the time period.

 

anakinfansince1983 there are definitely some things that Rebels will do differently that I'm really looking forward to, like following a single cast of main characters in every episode and having all their fates totally up in the air so anything could happen at any time, but I would be shocked if I like it better than TCW because those holes in the saga are no longer even there to be filled thanks to TCW.

Faithful Wookiee agreed, even though the saga is now complete thanks to TCW there's still a ton of room to do really interesting things we haven't seen before and I'm really looking forward to that, like with Luminara.

 

It will be lighter and softer, no doubt about it. TCW did get darker and more intense as it went on and with Disney at the helm, I cannot really see them reaching that point with Rebels (with decapitations, severing of limbs, lightsaber stabbings, torture and so forth), but it will no doubt have it's darker themes and moments.

 

You make a great point about creativity and suspense.

Also, adding new characters to the saga is, in principle, a good thing. It's a big galaxy.

I'm curious, though, as to why you feel the s5 finale was "poorly planned".

 

I get it. As much as I love those final episodes - and I have no personal grievance with Barriss being the culprit - had the show not been conceived as an anthology of self-contained story arcs, the writers could have given the bomber motivation for their actions in an earlier episode. Instead all this was explained when Barriss was finally caught, Scooby-Doo style.

Perhaps it was another homage...

 

Palpatine: Take her away.
Barriss: I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for the Chosen One and that pesky bald witch!

 

It was probably canceled for political reasons i.e Disney wanted to shaft Cartoon Network and didn't want them sharing even a tiny bit of the Star Wars universe.