A/V STAR WARS REBELS (show's over, spoilers allowed)

That doesn't really address his point.

 

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A second, even more diabolical Governor Saxon?

I knew it! I'm surrounded by Saxons.

 

I will never stop laughing at those who said that Clone Wars destroyed Mandalorians. These episodes were mostly great.

Spoiler

Praise

• VILLAIN Thrawn is back. He's efficiently bloodthristy, which is a step more wicked than even his appearance in TTT. It's a far cry for the softened Thrawn that still showed up in the latest novel.
• Say what you will about practicality, but we did just get a full hour of Mandalorians and Jedi fighting Chariot LAVs and AT-PTs (or whatever then canon re-imaginings are called).
• Diverse Mandos are best Mandos.
• We finally found out why everyone freaks out about Sabine's weapon. It isn't just a tool of mass murder. It is an abomination, something that targets Mandalorians for being Mandalorians and roasts them to death inside their armor. This also lead to a very cool discussion about Mandalorian armor, including use of the word beskar. Cool.
• There's Kanan and Hera drama? Weren't these two a couple the whole time? Either way, we're getting something out in the open before this is all over.

Complaints

• Did we really need a slapstick routine of Ezra failing at his jetpack? Filoni really is Lucas' son: he's as committed to the Jar Jar aspect of the franchise as he is lightsabers and space battles.
• I cannot STAND flying astromechs.
• The rules on killing people in show are weird. Shooting if fine. Bolts of lightning through the back are fine. But a run-through with a lightsaber? Unspeakable. It was really obvious in the big convoy rescue set piece.
• I'm really bummed that they bailed on the concept of Sabine as Mandalore. That seems to have been what this whole arc was building towards, with both Bo-Katan and Fenn Rau passing on a claim to the throne at various times. Both of those leaders noted Sabine's obvious ability to lead, and Sabine chose to follow morality and tradition at a key moment. It was just one of several times that this episode pulled a punch. Sabine crying over what we were lead to thing was her mother's fried armor was a beautiful gutpunch moment, though I guess it speaks well of her that she would be that sad over any victim killed by her weapon.
• That business with switching the polarity on the weapon's arc reactor (HA!) so that it targeted plasteel instead was way too cute. I would have preferred a more complicated solution than "I tweaked some settings and now this machine works totally differently."
• The battle ended by dropping an Imperial-class Star Destroyer against the side of the densely populated capital city. At minimum, THOUSANDS should be dead.

 

Well that was an excellent way to kick off the season.

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• Tiber was a great character. I like how they differentiated him from Gar, who at least still wore Beskar armor and honored some Mandalorian traditions. Tiber completely abandoned his culture in pursuit of power.
• Captain Hark was also an interesting character. Given the understandably limited screentime for him and Tiber, I hope a novel comes out that expands on them, the other clan heads, and the entire conflict in general.
• I really wish the title of Mandalore was still used, and that Sabine claimed the title. I like Bo-Katan, but she was right in the first part. She doesn't deserve leadership of Mandalore after her past mistakes.
• So... if Sabine had put the Duchess on high enough power to kill when it got activated, Ezra would be dead. His head would have been fried.
• Interesting that they put so much effort into making character models with unique face for each of the clan leaders who appeared for maybe 10 seconds. Perhaps they will appear again later in the season?
• I was half expecting Sabine to be exiled at the end for creating the weapon.

 

I get my Rebels through Amazon, so I was very surprised to wake up this morning and find them available for purchase! I understood they would be available there the day after (Tuesday). I'm not complaining at all though! That was a fun morning surprise!

 

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Really? Darn, I had hoped for a more gradual development into the Thrawn of TTT. Given the book depiction... Already felt that Season 3 Thrawn was clashing somewhat with the book, but that season was effectively finished before they got Zahn to write the book. So had hoped for a more nuanced approach in the final season.

We already have enough evil Imperials. A bit of grey would be appreciated (by me) - and I don't count Kallus. Can't wait to watch.

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I like that they didn't use the term Mand'alor, as clearly Bo Katan being leader is an extension of the New Mandalorian movement, with the capital being on Sundari. I know canon hasn't touched this, but I like to think there's traditional Mandalorians and a Mand'alor on the other side of the planet with their capital on Keldabe, which the Empire didn't even bother with because they have no impact on the galactic government.

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There is certainly a sense of a cold calculating villain in Thrawn's brief appearance in this episode. He does admire the weapon, but I also observed a potential... hesitance about it. Some of his first lines to the new governor Saxon could be interpreted to be him trying to dissuade the governor from using it. He ask him how he feels about destroying his heritage, then questions how his brother would feel about it, then questions the practicality of it, "Do you really believe your people will submit to fear tactics?" basically. When Saxon is still insistent on using it, Thrawn finally relents by pointing out how much weaker the weapon appears to be compared what he was told.

The fact that he rarely if ever changes his smooth tone creates a lot of room for justification. We don't really know what is going on in his head, meaning there could be a logic to his words many are not seeing.

 

I found the two part opener... lackluster. Granted, I've never been a huge Mandalorian fan, but the pacing, scale, and main points of the plot felt really weak. I have no doubt this season will be great, but this just didn't grab my attention.

--Adm. Nick

 

Same here. The Mandalorian stuff has never been super interesting to me, though the muted colour palette of these episodes didn't help either.

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The glow effects inside the paint-splattered transport were about the only colourful moments. The whole setting felt very bland, and the plot was too straightforward. Felt like a lot of clunky exposition, too -- even in the scene with Kanan and Hera, which presumably is laying groundwork for exploring their relationship in more detail this season. His dialogue was laying it on thick though.

 

A good illustration of that is

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when Alrich Wren mentions how beautiful Sundari is, but all we'll see in the episode is a desert and the inside of a Star Destroyer. I know we already saw Sundari extensively in TCW, but still...

 

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Eh I liked it well enough but I think this should not have been the opener. Sabine continues to get more and more interesting and likable, though I HATE that her mother and brother survive. Also Bo Katan's entire thing felt way to rushed and bare bones. Like in the end it's just

"I am not as good as my sister"
"Yes you are"
"oh ok then"

at first I thought the idea was gonna be more that she did not wanna wield Pre's weapon cause she felt responsible for his death or did not want those memories brought back up but nope she seems to have forgotten him entirely which really frustrated me. Also her speech to Sabine.......um Bo you where a terrorist and used civilian bombings and suicide tactics you do not get to talk about cowardly fighting. Just I was super excited to have her back and in the end she was just lackluster.

Also yeah as someone else said, disintegration is ok but actually cutting with a blade is not? Seems strange. Oh and I love that the Mandos dislike disintegration when Boba had to get called out on doing that very thing


But yeah I am super hyped for the rest of the season and to be fair i NEVER like Mandos. Heck my favorite line is Ezra saying he does not wanna be a Mandalorian.

Not a baseless statement. My friend who watches for more of cartoons than me, said the same thing. Apparently when disney animation department wants to move past something they put it all out asap at strange times and stuff just to get it done with

 

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I'm not sure if I'd call Bo-Katan an extension of the New Mandalorians. Wasn't she Death Watch at one point? She still rejects pacifism pretty strongly, and seems upset that Mandalore is under Imperial rule, not that all the Mandos we've seen have returned to the Old Ways. The one thing Kryse sisters share is an intense Mandalorian nationalism; I don't see the Mandos full-out joining the Rebellion under her rule.[/spoiler.]

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Ezra really is the worst part of his own show.

Sabine's arc seemed, to me, very much about discovering that she was the leader she was looking for the entire time. This feels very thematically Star Wars-y, and fits with a lot of what we've seen on screen. She brought the darksaber back to her people. She was the lynchpin in their alliance with the Rebellion. She defeated Gar Saxon (but got all weirdly squeamish about killing him). She put together the plans to rescue her father and destroy the Duchess. Bo-Katan's group was supporting Clan Wren's rebellion, so what we SAW did not fully jibe with what we were TOLD about her role in Mandalorian society. Making Sabine Mandalore would also have the rather handy role of insulating her from whatever doom may be awaiting some of the Ghost crew this season, though I admit it would create a paradox as to why we never see Mandos joining the Rebellion. I'm not saying it was the best idea, just that the these episodes have spent a lot more time growing Sabine into a Mandalorian leader in her own right than showing Bo-Katan as the obvious choice. Hell, Fenn Rau would have made more sense.

In my own personal headcanon where the X-Wing series still occurred, Zsinj's Raptors are exiled Saxonite Mandos, spared or running from Bo-Katan's faction. There has to be some significance to the Warlord having Mandalore in his personal fiefdom.

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I suppose they could say that Sundari's shell is made of Mandalorian Iron, but then we ARE in the territory of "well, why don't they build their spaceships out of that stuff?"

 

that's what I thought but I have been told that in the past they have just sorta dumped all the remaining eps for shows to get through them so they don't have to deal with fans and the creators begging them to finish airing. I would assume to avoid something like what happened with young justice and cartoon network having massive breaks between airings that made people angry. Of course they are not trying to get rebels canceled or anything, it is ending of its own volition, it is just possible that the double airing thing is so they can speed up the airing so they can get em out fast.

Just saying it's not totally baseless, but yeah I do agree with you

 

I haven't watched the Clone Wars, and there have been a few moments while watching Star Wars Rebels where I felt a moment...just kind of fell flat. These two episodes had the most of those moments.

Plus...is it true that Bo-Katan murdered a child in the Clone Wars?

 

https://d23.com/how-two-of-star-war...spire-us-to-be-heroes/?share_token=9dedb23ead

 

Not that I remember

 

I didn't think it was bad, but not a dual-episode for an opener.

My thoughts as I watched (and as I read the thread )

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Ezra with the jetpack is utterly hilarious.

"This just got more and more..."
"Interesting!"
"Nope! Just more!"
- Gotta agree with Ezra here. Yeesh.

The effects with the jetpacks are fantastic.

The fight with getting Sabine's father back was like a mix of AOTC and ROTJ. And video game-esque. I like it.
I don't like how high and long Chopper can fly. It's a bit ridiculous.

Oh, Ezra. You and your freaking crush. *laughs* It wasn't all that funny but I chortled.

I don't really get the art stuff (I get that it's SW but I still don't always understand it), but he said "derivative" which made me smile.

Hm. It is quite stupid that Tristan and Sabine's mother survived.

I love Mandos but I don't want Ezra to be a Mandalorian either. Though it would be cool for him to meet up with the Skirata clan
And it is unfortunate that more Mandos weren't involved in the Rebellion because they are BAs.

Mm. Thrawn's analysis is spot-on and pure Thrawn.

Should have realized the weapon would come back in play.

Who the hell is this Saxon guy?
And please, as if he would even believe that Sabine would turn against her people again.

 

No, but she did helped the mass murder of the fuzzy alien village.

 

Damn,

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I was hoping for a Clan Ordo shoutout. Oh well, good couple of episodes! I wonder if we'll be returning to Mandalore before the end of the show?

 

Oh yeah, I blocked that ep out of my mind due to high amounts of Lux

 

Regardless of where Bo Katan is now, there can be no doubt she was complicent in multiple acts of terrorism during her service to the Death Watch. We do not bear witness to her personally murdering anybody, but throughout the series we do see the lengths Death Watch is willing to go to undermine the New Mandalorians. Including bombing civilian targets, and burning down villages.

It certainly seems A Friend in Need, her introductory episode, did not set her up to be a benevolent ruler of Mandalore. Particularly as she did not flinch when Pre Viszla murdered the daughter of the village chief right in front of him, then proceeded to aid in the destruction of the village.


All I can presume is that the show intended to reveal some character development leading into the Siege of Mandalore arc, which hopefully would have made her face-heel-turn more believable.