SPOILER WARNING!!! I am watching all Star Wars in Chronological order; I have seen the Original Trilogy but nothing else beyond the Kenobi so please be careful of spoilers in the comments.
The Ghost Crew has always been given a fitting description by the fanbase. -The young parents, the three unhinged children, their demon dog, and the chaotic mini-van.
Another Bad Batch connection at 10:38 Yep, it's called the Ghost because its signature is scrambled... and in 'Rescue on Ryloth' in TBB S1 we saw young Hera learn how to do that -- Tech taught her.
The prologue with Vader and the Grand Inquisitor was not part of the original broadcast of Rebels S1E1 and S1E2 "Spark of Rebellion" in October 2014 on Disney XD. The addition of the prologue was not necessary for the enjoyment of Rebels season 1, but it is a welcome addition and serves as one part of a frame for season 1.
It wasn't? Why do I remember it always being there? I know I watched that premiere... weird how your brain keeps on braining even after you tell it not to brain anymore.
Oh that's so cool that it's an addition, it fits so seamlessly with the rest of the episodes but I've heard that the Grand Inquisitor was treated as somewhat of a mystery so makes sense that this left rather ambigious.
@@willfanofmanyii3751I actually have the original version of Spark of Rebellion on its own DVD. Comparing it to the Season 1 version, it seems to be edited a little differently (I think music and sound effects were revised later on), and it's missing that opening scene.
I do think the Grand Inquisitor in Tales of the Empire is even better looking than how he looks in Rebels, but then the art of Lucasfilm's animation has had 10 years of steady improvement.
@@ItApproaches Why do you say that? Because you didn't like what happened to Barriss or because you don't care about Morgan Elsbeth? I thought both stories were good
@@becauseimbatman1391 Both stories were a big old bag of nothing. Barriss's story effected NOTHING in the grand scheme of things. Making it irrelevant. Morgan was just a character I never cared about to begin with. Also the woke crap with pronouns and feminism crap was annoying as heck. Tales of the Empire should have been about characters that are big deals in the Empire, such as Thrawn and Tarkin.
@@ItApproaches Well they're just tales. People were wondering about Barriss for years and now there's closure, that's all it needs to be. But... of course you'd be one to get mad about pronouns. I can't take someone seriously these days if they use the word "woke" unironically
Ezra is such a fantastic protagonist and I love how the Ghost crew grows over this show. I've been waiting for you to finally get to this point. This is a pivotal show for what's next in Star Wars! At this point in time, Ezra is fourteen, and Sabine is two years older than him. Also, Chopper is top 5 droids ever.
Can't believe how much I'm in love with this show already!! The whole cast is done so well that any of them could hold down the focus of an episode and I'm just so looking forward to seeing how this show will progress, from this alone it feels so light-hearted and with everything I've heard it seems like it may even challenge Clone Wars in how good the story could be.
Darker aspect of Kallus kicking that one trooper off the platform is remembering those mining pits are where the slaves are working. It's the same facility the sisters flew over during The Clone Wars.
I really like this darker aspect of the episode where they're dealing with slavery and full-on death, it's got to be so horrifying for the Slaves to be working and then see a Stormtrooper fall from the sky and die at their feet.
Loving the music and it's paying off so well, this felt like I was in the OT Era compared to other shows where I've still felt like it's close to the Prequels, this makes me feel like time is moving!
Thanks for clarifying, recorded a few more episodes now so still questioning it for a while but glad that it is that kid and they added to his story in Bad Batch like that.
One thing to be aware of is that the visual aesthetic of the show is based on the pre-production "proof of concept" artwork Ralph MacQuarrie did for the original trilogy. Zeb is based on MacQuarrie's original concept for Chewbacca.
Loving how much detail this show has already with it going into old concept art, makes the joke about the hairless Wookie even better knowing Zeb was once what Chewbacca could have looked like.
For your clarification, at the very beginning, that was the Grand Inquisitor from Obi-Wan Kenobi show, but they do not refer to him by that title and just call him "The Inquisitor". This is becuase Rebels came out 8 years before Kenobi and was the first show to introduce us to an Inquisitor. Because of this, they refered to the Grand Inquisitor as just "The Inquisitor" because the name "Grand" could suggest there was more than one, and the writers wanted it to be a surprise. But because you've already seen Obi-Wan Kenobi and Tales of the Empire, sadly you already know that surprise, so it's gonna be a little confusing.
Oww I really like that they did that, I'm assuming this was the first time the Inquisitors as a concept was introduced so this is a really cool way to start theories about this guy and keep the organisation a secret.
Great reaction! Yes, the animation is different, they had half the budget of Clone Wars and hair is very difficult to animate, but, besides that, the animation style is paying homage to the original concepts of Ralph McQuarrie. Zeb's model is an early concept for Chewbacca; Chopper, the same for R2 and many others you will see along the series. As the thin lightsaber blades also are. Let's go, Rebels!
The animation style is growing on me more and more and honestly, since the actual movements and expressions of the characters are perfect I don't have a problem with it. Love that Zeb and Chopper's designs and the Lightsabers all come from old concept art!
10 yrs ago; that's when this show premiered on DisneyXD, and I was HOOKED immediately as a then-51 yr old man. This show, despite it being animated, took me right back to the wonderous adventure and excitement of my 13 yr old boyhood in May 1977. It re-immersed me in the sense of hope, bonding relationships of friend-to-family transitions, sound effects and (most of all), musical score. I do not begrudge the Fandom of the PT and its CWEU. They "get it" that George Lucas was telling [at least, trying to tell] a tragic story of political intrigue, love and betrayal in the Star Wars universe he created. But for MY generation the OT and Rebels is Star Wars.
At the time Rebels was released, there was such a strange feeling in the air going from Season 6 of Clone Wars to Season 1 of Rebels, as everyone was so used to seeing the animated Clone Troopers in war environments to now seeing animated Storm Troopers in a calm environment.
@@benspiller CW fans HATED Rebels in the beginning. They felt that CW was being "replaced" by an inferior consolation that Filoni was handed. There were a group of us who were on board since the beginning. We were sold at 29:55 . Mind you this was before TBB and TOTJ.
Filoni originally wanted Clone Wars to focus on a group of new characters and their stories during the war. Lucas didn’t like this idea because he wanted to expand on familiar characters, especially Anakin. That’s how we ended up with Ahsoka. As for Filoni's idea, the concept stayed in his mind and was later used to create Rebels. If I were to compare it to something, it would be Avatar, as it also has a strong focus on the characters, and the action develops slowly and gradually. The flaw would be the large number of filler episodes, but the plot-driven ones are gold. Regarding the characters themselves: You already know Hera and Chopper from Bad Batch. Considering her age, keep in mind there might be a connection to Omega here. Kanan was in the first episode of Bad Batch, where we saw his master's death. Interestingly, we can trace the lineage of these Jedi: Windu > Billaba > Kanan > Ezra. So we're talking about Mace Windu's legacy. As for Sabine, she was probably around two years old by the end of Clone Wars, and although she wasn’t present, there’s a big connection to her. (You’ll understand later.) The Grand Inquisitor is definitely the best version here. He’ll simply be called the Inquisitor, as the idea of the Inquisition originated and developed in Rebels. It's also worth paying attention to the character Kallus. He represents the young Imperial generation of the ISB. This generally means he was trained by veterans of Clone Wars before their retirement to replace them. His role is essentially to get his hands dirty so that the Empire's hands stay clean.
Love that this show would have been in Filoni’s mind for so long that you know he would have had a good idea of the entire story from the start considering how long Clone Wars went on. I really like the comparison to Avatar and how this means the show will focus on the characters a lot and hopefully as a group. I am already on the lookout for Omega 😂 I know that this show was released way before Omega was even a thing, but it’d be so cool if Filoni had already planned everything this far ahead. Ohhh That’s so cool that this is a Mace lineage and hopefully, that means we’ll get an insight into how he trained his Padawans and what he himself was like, feel like we can get to know all of these people more now just by how Kanan will train Ezra. Can’t wait to get more on Sabine, visually she’s such an interesting character being a Mandalorian who’s customised her Armour so much so I can’t wait to get more depth to her story. Can’t wait to see more of the Grand Inquisitor now, everything I’ve seen of him so far is so cool so I’m really looking forward to getting to know him in the show he started in. Having recorded the next episode, I’m super interested in Kallus now, what they do with him there has made him stand out so much, it strengthened his connection to the crew and built him to be such a powerful antagonist!
What does a hairless wookie look like? Probably like Zeb. Zeb's design is actually the first concept of a wookie. They use a lot of original designs in this series.
Amazing! Nothing much too add, but since you were a little confused about how to call the most common ships in the show: The small chunky boxy ship where they docked to free the wookies was a "Gozanti class Cruiser". It is mostly used as a transport and landing craft. it can carry troops and attach ground vehicles on the underside. The slightly bigger triangular fork-like ship with the indentation at the tip of the triangle and the small star destroyer-like Bridge on top is an arquitens-class light cruiser. It is mostly used in smaller fleets where a star destroyer would be overkill or as support ships in bigger fleets. (was also used by the Republic but with red markings) Star Destroyer: Big triangular ship with big bridge and Hangars on the sides and bottom (There will be more specialized ones later, but this is not the time to tell you about those)
I think the look of the animation is supposed to resemble toys. Several designs in this show are based on the original Kenner Star Wars toys from the 70s. For instance, you may notice that the TIE fighter wings are a little bit shorter than you see in the films. That’s because the original toy had shorter wings. Later there is a prisoner transport vehicle that is based on one that was never in any of the films but created as a totally original toy to pad out the toy line in the 70s. Kenner would come up with new vehicles that looked like they were from the films but were actually brand new designs. Some of these toys are now finding their way into canon.
Now that you've said this I can't unsee it 😂😂 I can literally imagine lines on all the characters where joins would be now! Honestly, this is the perfect way to appeal to a new younger audience who would buy the merchandise or even watch the show from something they see in a store.
YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! Finally, I have waited so long for this moment, Rebels my beloved 😩 It's good to be back lol. I've been busy recently, so I haven't really had time to watch your stuff, and UA-cam stopped recommending your videos to me for some reason. But it just so happens that the first video they recommend me of yours in over a month is this. I'm so happy I have someone to dump my Rebels info on again ❤❤❤
YAY!! 😂😂 I've been so excited for this show with all the positive things I've heard about it so I can't wait to get deep into all the info on this show!!
ah yes the found family show of star wars. kanan the dad with severe PTSD to the point that pretty much before meeting ezra he avoided using his lightsaber, the force for the most part and opted to use a blaster instead. Hera the mom who is the one to reign in everyone. Sabine the art kid who very much gives off "its not a phase mom" energy especially in later seasons. Zeb kind of like Kanan with teh PTSD but more of the big brother type. Ezra the orphan who is learning how to deal with his new family and to grow up now that he has a target on his back after joining his new family. Chopper a murder cat in a droid's body. Kanan's PTSD is very much a core part of his character in the early seasons of rebels. outside of ezra i think if you look into the other members of ghost crew they can be considered runaways more if you look at where they were before meeting each other or what they were doing. Kallus very much believes in the empire and despite his moments of rage such as kicking that one stromtrooper believes that everything the empire is doing is for the greater good. when they go through his history in rebels you'll see that for the most part he has his reasons for wanting to be thorough. the rebels as we know it in ANH aren't around yet so what we have here are small insurgency groups like what the empire saw Saw garrea's group in Bad batch. we are like about 5 or 4 years before ANH. Hera and Kanan are in their 20s. with kanna being in his late 20s roughly 27 or 28. Hera is 24. Zeb is about 39. sabine 16 while ezra is just 2 years younger then her. Chopper is i think the character with if not one of the highest kill counts through star wars and we love him for that.
I already love this family so much 😂 It’s so chaotic and I love how each member seems to have a lot of trauma tied to them, and Chopper just being the embodiment of chaos is the cherry on top 😂 😂 Can’t wait to get more on Kanan and his past, having a Jedi survive Order 66 at such a young age and now having to train a Padawan is such an interesting idea and makes me so curious as to how both he and Ezra will develop. After recording the next episodes, Kallus is such a good villain! Love his ties to the group and how he fully believes in what he does, and I just think it’ll be so interesting to see how he can be dealt with when he seems to be so competent. Even though the Rebellion isn’t formed yet I love that this show is following one of the small groups and I really hope this show will go into how the Rebellion actually does get formed! Thanks for the ages of the characters, love how this can tie into their family dynamics with what they would have experienced through the Empire. Honestly, I can’t say I’m surprised 😂 😂 Chopper seems like a right psychopath so I can’t wait to see him get these accomplishments 😂
@@benspiller to be fair there is a joke within the fandom where if you take a shot whenever chopper kills and or attempts to kill anyone weather it be friend or foe you will either gain some sort of alcoholic immunity or be another tally of choppers victim list. from what i remember Chopper was pretty much meant to be the anti R2 where as faloni described R2 as the family dog. Chopper was meant to be the a Cat according to faloni. that being said if there is one person who he will not try and kill is Hera everyone else is pretty much fair game. he as far as i'm concerned trying to make their deaths look like an accident and unless hera is around very much a droid out for blood. in order of who met who first Hera was the fist member of the ghost crew along with chopper. after a while she found kanan and after some trouble she eventually got him to join. Zeb was after kanan. after a couple of years. sabine was the most recent addition to the ghost crew until Ezra came along.
Imagine how we felt seeing little Kanan and then Hera in Tales, their back stories, for us. Since you were introduced to Kanan in Tales, his Master was Depa Bilaba, former Padawan to Mace Windu, and his name was Caleb. There's more to unrevel, but you'll have to wait until season 4, as we did.
Feels so weird looking back now 😂 Love that they did expand on these character's stories in Bad Batch and now I just can't wait to get to know them in their own show.
Yes, Kanan Jarrus is, indeed, Caleb Dume, the padawan that escaped in the first episode of Bad Batch. We'll get more info as the series goes on. This is easily my favorite of the animated series -- Bad Batch has the best animation and I think the best Clone Wars storylines are among the best stories in the entire franchise, but pound for pound, episode for episode, I think Rebels has a consistency of quality through the entire series that Clone Wars didn't manage (I think every episode of Rebels is important eventually to the entire run of the series, like Bad Batch, whereas Clone Wars has PLENTY of filler arcs that can be skipped). Plus the characters and storyline feels like it's Dave Filoni's Star Wars RPG campaign turned into a show, and I love that because it also feels like my old Star Wars RPG campaign that was set in the same time period.
Thanks for the clarification on Kanan, having recorded a few more episodes I do continue to assume as much, love how you've put this and completely agree, Bad Batch's animation was stunning and Clone Wars did have plenty of filler episodes so very happy to hear that this will have more consitency in relevance to the plot.
@@benspiller There will be moments where you'll think, "Oh, this is clearly a filler episode" and then episodes will fly by and suddenly that episode you thought was merely filler becomes COMPLETELY relevant again. It's so awesome. And there's stuff seeded in Bad Batch, Rebels, and Tales of the Jedi/Empire that totally pay off in later live action series and even the sequel trilogy! This is one of the reasons why I love that you're doing this chronologically instead of release order. Enjoy! I know I will. 😀
Ben, I won't sugar coat it: Rebels is easily my favorite Animated series in Star Wars. While it is episodic in nature (though there ARE multi-episode mini-arcs), overall, the entire series is one "long narrative story arc" about the Ghost crew. You will see some new faces, and some familiar ones. But you'll get to know the characters, and there are surprises galore in this series. And of course, I will help you along without spoiling anything coming up. Oh, and before we get into this... you may have heard me mention before that "C1-10P" (Chopper) is my favorite droid in all of Star Wars.... You will soon find out why he's my favorite. Granted, you DID get a little backstory on both Chopper and Hera in the Bad Batch, but there's a lot more to come. Just listen very closely to what Chopper says, quite often, you can make out what he's saying, and he's got a foul mouth. Don't be afraid to wait for the reply to what he says, then go back and listen to it again to make it out clearer. 2:35 - This was the first appearance of the Grand Inquisitor. Yes, the same one that appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi in live action. That was the main clue that Reva didn't kill him towards the end of episode 2. He had "plot armour", since this series takes place about 5 years later down the timeline. But I couldn't tell you that, when you watched it. 3:55 - I mean, Ezra DID keep the guy from getting arrested, so..... a few extra jogans won't kill the guy. 9:25 - They have a "family" kind of dynamic. Hera is "the mom", Kanan is "the dad". Zeb is the "oldest brother", Sabine is the "middle sister", and "Ezra is the youngest boy". They all kinda adopted one another. Which goes back to something I learned when I was a young adult: "Your blood family is the family you are born into. Your friends are the family you choose." 11:00 - Fun fact: Zeb was based on the original concept design for Chewbacca back when the first movie was being developed. Since they opted for the Wookie design we got back then, the Concept Art was brought back and tinkered with for Zeb's species decades later. You can see this in "Empire of Dreams" on Disney+, which details the making of the Original Trilogy. 11:35 - Remember, the Empire used Wookies as slave labor, usually in places that were as removed from Kashiik as Tatooine is from the "bright center of the universe". So, it would track that the Ghost crew would be interested in freeing the Wookies, since such slavery was often a death sentence. 12:10 - The Ghost is a multi-deck freighter manufactured by the same corporation that built the Millennium Falcon. A smaller design, the Ghost has been heavily modified to accommodate the needs Hera puts it through. Look into the game/story of "Shadows of the Empire" (which is no longer completely "canon"), which has an even smaller ship design than the Ghost. The Ghost is very maneuverable, even more so than the Falcon, due to its compactness. In the '97 Special Edition of A New Hope, the ship from Shadows of the Empire can be seen above Mos Eisley on its way off world. I know that ship has a name, I just can't remember it off the top of my head. But "Dash Rendar" (the hero of that story) is a Han Solo type of character, with a droid co-pilot. 13:25 - Ezra is 14, almost 15 here. Sabine, I'm guessing (since it's never stated) is likely about 18, maybe 19. 15:50 - While I didn't watch this series when it came out (I was under the impression the animated series were "kids shows", and while I am immature.... I'm not THAT immature).... but I do believe that these two episodes dropped together. Either way, I'm glad you decided to do them together. Thank you for that, Ben! 16:50 - You put that together quite well. Kanan Jaras is Caleb Dume from the Bad Batch, and Tales of the Jedi. Well done! 23:45 - Agent Callus, Imperial Security Bureau (ISB - Remember those letters). 24:40 - Remember in Revenge of the Sith, when Obi-Wan said that he recalibrated the message a the Temple to warn any surviving Jedi to stay away? Well, THIS is that message. 30:30 - Kanan/Caleb was about Ezra's age when Order 66 went down. 34:15 - Holocrons, both Jedi and Sith, can hold lots of "wisdom". This one holds the warning from Obi-Wan, and other knowledge. Also, the Rebellion hasn't actually formed/organized, yet. Right now, there are "pockets" of groups that do what little they can because they don't have actual contact with other pockets of resistance to the Empire's tyranny. Purely my own opinion: The writing more than makes up for any "shortage" in the animation style. I can forgive how the Wookies look, because of the quality of the story telling, which you're only now delving into.
I can’t believe how quickly I fell in love with this show and these characters, and I can’t wait to get on the same level as everyone else when I hear how highly this show is praised. Absolutely loved Chopper from his appearance in Bad Batch so I’m so happy that I now get to watch an entire show with him in it just to see what other kinds of mischief he can cause. Thanks again for all the info, especially love the detail with the refusal of old concept art for Zeb’s design. Love how much detail is in the Ghost ship and I love how family-oriented it feels, Bad Batch’s Marauder feels like the closest thing, but it was basically a base for soldiers more than a family home and I love how this ship really leans into this with a whole lounge area. I am completely past the animation style now, at first it definitely hits differently after seeing the same style in so many shows but since the movement and expressions of the characters all look it it’s basically just a different visual style for the show, which I’m actually quite happy with that they are experimenting and not just keeping it to one style.
@@benspiller Heh, honestly, I'm not surprised that you fell in love with them as fast as you did. I fell in love with the characters and the series just as quickly. I want to say SO many things about Chopper.... but they would be spoilers, and you know how I feel about those. One thing that I *WILL* say (because it's not a spoiler) is that I have several Chopper toys around here (one of which (a "Black Series" one, fully articulate) cost me nearly $30. If it wasn't Chopper.... and as cool as it was, I wouldn't pay that much). Also, I would LOVE to get a "Chopper" tattoo on me somewhere, but remind me around the end of season 1 to tell you the words that would go with it (the words would be a spoiler). By the end of the season, it won't be a spoiler anymore. LOL! As far as the animation style goes, just remember, this series came out before the final 2 seasons of Clone Wars was added, and also before the Bad Batch was even created. So, naturally those would have a "better" level of animation. But I'm glad to hear that the animation is no longer something you worry about. After all, it's the stories being told and how they are written that REALLY matter. You're very correct about the Ghost Crew being a family, and the series being "family oriented". Even though that is apparent now, this early in the series.... you'll love how much more so it becomes. I will warn you, though... have tissues nearby, because the show has many things that will make you tear up, some, tears of joy, and others, tears of sadness. But I will not tell you which, or when. Lastly, I am more than happy to share what I know about Star Wars with you (and many others). Ever since I read the novelization for Star Wars back in 1976, then saw the movie in 1977, I have been hooked on this fandom. I have always enjoyed discussing with other fans whatever we know, theories we have, and tiny details we've noticed in the movies (and now the shows). Thinking back, at the age of 11 when the Star Wars Holiday Special was broadcast, I loved it. Watching it now in my 50s..... I wonder why my grandmother, aunt, and great uncle didn't want to kill me. We all sat down and watched it together. But I was just THAT into Star Wars, and it was the only thing we had aside from Star Wars in the theaters (we didn't even have VHS tapes back then). Also, "Variety shows" were really big back then.... and that special is basically a Variety show from a galaxy far, far away. ;) Take care, my friend!
Rebels begins 15 years into the Empire, 4 years before the events of A New Hope. By this point, Insurgent Rebel groups continue to rise across the galaxy, and cracks have begun forming in the Senate.
Rebels animation is somewhat economized. You'll notice that some imperial crew have their hats pulled down over their eyes and nose so that the same character model can be used multiple times with character voice being the only distinguishing characteristic. The animation still looks good to me even if it is lacking some fine detail and resolution. And of course you only need a couple of storm trooper models, the regular enlisted and then specialized commanders.
I noticed the missing eyes a few episodes in! Didn't think much of it but that is such a good way to save on the budget and just copy and past the characters 😂 Since the movement and expressions of the characters look good I don't really mind the more simplified style, honestly I think it's quite cool they branched out and did something in another style other than the 'clone wars' style.
5:47 sounds like the sounds of the guns on Jango (and now Boba Fett's) ship. Chopper was indeed laughing at Ezra, and you'll eventually see as this series goes on that he is a bit of a psychopath. 😅 I actually didn't notice that they knew Ezra took the holocron and let him so they'd know if he'd be able to open it. I also didn't know that the message in the holocron was the one from RotS, from when Obi-Wan dismantling the signal bait made by the clones and sending out his own message. Yeah, this animation style definitely isn't like the "Takes Of" shows and TCW, and Bad Batch, but it's not too bad. 30:05 bad batch? Nvm, I think you were referring to Kanan being the kid from TBB. This show, imo, was on par with TCW and TBB. I genuinely loved watching it. It only gets better from here.
I loved how much these episodes were able to do as a premiere, the amount of details in Ezra's story is already insane with the Holocron stuff and Chopper is the perfect hook for me as I really love that chaotic type of humour 😂😂 Honestly don't mind the animation style now, the movements and expressions are all done well so I can look past the visual style being simpler than the 'Clone Wars' style. Love to hear that this show is on par with Clone Wars and Bad Batch!! It's such a high bar to reach but from these episodes, I know it's going to be so awesome seeing it get there!
@@benspiller a lot of people see it as worse, but I genuinely did enjoy it as much as those 2 shows, and I am seeing more and more people say they did love watching this show.
The Ghost has 3 floors. Top Floor - Top turret, service corridor, storage and bathrooms, The Phantom Middle Floor - Bridge, the cabins, airlocks, lounge and kitchen. Bottom Floor - Front turret, Cargo bay, life support and storage. The Phantom is a detachable shuttle, and a central ladder runs through all 3 floors. An additional ladder in the Lounge connects to a hatch in the Phantom for extra access. Cargo bay has a ladder that connects up to the Bridge.
Due Rebels' proximity in the timeline to the Original Trilogy and extremely lower budget, Filoni's team opted to use the concept art paintings for the original films as a basis for Rebels' art style. Their experience with the show ended up making it much easier to anime the other projects, especially with the less is more approach and improved face animations.
Honestly really like both the animation and visual style, it feels more simplified but knowing it comes from the concept art makes it so much better and the animations and movements feel really solid.
Aleksandr Kallus (sideburns) is an ISB Operative. The ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) is a special branch of the Empire that, according to their mission statement, is meant "[...] to further security objectives by collecting intelligence, providing useful analysis, and conducting effective covert action [...]". Think the Gestapo or KGB, for the Empire. Edit 1: one of the biggest gripes I had with Rebels (which isn't much to begin with), is that they nerfed the Stormtroopers A LOT and made them a laughing stock. They are meant to be the special forces of the Empire, better than the regular Imperial Army (guys in green with ugly helmets). But here they're just canon fodder and pathetic. Still, love the show. Edit 2: Someone once made an observation that I keep with me to this day; R2-D2 is the loyal dog, like Lassie or Beethoven, while C1-10P (Chopper) is an 4sshole orange cat. 🤣
Cool that Kallus is in his own thing and not something we've seen before, after the next episodes this villain becomes so awesome with what they add to him so I can't wait to see where his story will go! I do agree with this, the troopers here served no purpose other than to be a threat and they become simplified to being black and white morally, in other shows they were regular people who needed a job but these guys are literally going after children without hesitation. Love this description for the droids!! It's so perfect 😂😂
The Imperial Officer's reflect how different the lifestyle affects people. You have one who is flushed and chubby, and another that is pale and skinny.
Thanks for this! Recorded a few more episodes and she keeps calling him kid which was just making me question what kind of age gap they have more and more 😂
I didn’t watch this show until like a few years ago because I remember a lot of people at my school saying this show was terrible and didn’t watch it because of that and was shocked when I did watch it with how much I liked this show
Can't believe anyone could have anything negative to say about it after seeing these episodes 😂😂 Glad you did watch the show in the end and got to experience it yourself, can't wait to get more into it after all the positive things I've been told about it.
Rebels, much like the Clone Wars, gets better and better for each season, believe me. Sure, Clone Wars started off as okay, and then got better and better for each season until season 7 which is sometimes considered among the best Star Wars has ever been. Rebels, starts of okay too, but gets really bloody good by season 4.
SPOILER WARNING!!!
I am watching all Star Wars in Chronological order; I have seen the Original Trilogy but nothing else beyond the Kenobi so please be careful of spoilers in the comments.
Got a question for you would you be interested in reacting to a cartoon series called swat, Kats, and a movie called axl Both are very good to watch.
The Ghost Crew has always been given a fitting description by the fanbase.
-The young parents, the three unhinged children, their demon dog, and the chaotic mini-van.
😂😂 perfect description!!
Not that one Trooper looking like he wanted to ask Sabine for her number before she blew up his bike.
😂😂
That message from Obi-Wan is the one he made and broadcasted in Episode lll.
Another Bad Batch connection at 10:38 Yep, it's called the Ghost because its signature is scrambled... and in 'Rescue on Ryloth' in TBB S1 we saw young Hera learn how to do that -- Tech taught her.
Love this!! Even dead tech is still helping to fight the Empire and it's so cool that the creators decided to make this connection in Bad Batch!
The prologue with Vader and the Grand Inquisitor was not part of the original broadcast of Rebels S1E1 and S1E2 "Spark of Rebellion" in October 2014 on Disney XD. The addition of the prologue was not necessary for the enjoyment of Rebels season 1, but it is a welcome addition and serves as one part of a frame for season 1.
It wasn't? Why do I remember it always being there? I know I watched that premiere... weird how your brain keeps on braining even after you tell it not to brain anymore.
@@LeChaunce It was added once Season 1 properly premiered later on, as Spark of Rebellion was split from TV movie into episode form.
@@willfanofmanyii3751 Thanks for the clarification!
Oh that's so cool that it's an addition, it fits so seamlessly with the rest of the episodes but I've heard that the Grand Inquisitor was treated as somewhat of a mystery so makes sense that this left rather ambigious.
@@willfanofmanyii3751I actually have the original version of Spark of Rebellion on its own DVD. Comparing it to the Season 1 version, it seems to be edited a little differently (I think music and sound effects were revised later on), and it's missing that opening scene.
The Grand Inquisitor in Rebels looks so much better then the live action version lol.
I do think the Grand Inquisitor in Tales of the Empire is even better looking than how he looks in Rebels, but then the art of Lucasfilm's animation has had 10 years of steady improvement.
@@kronos327-1 I disagree, there wasn't much of anything good in Tales of the Empire.
@@ItApproaches Why do you say that? Because you didn't like what happened to Barriss or because you don't care about Morgan Elsbeth? I thought both stories were good
@@becauseimbatman1391 Both stories were a big old bag of nothing. Barriss's story effected NOTHING in the grand scheme of things. Making it irrelevant. Morgan was just a character I never cared about to begin with. Also the woke crap with pronouns and feminism crap was annoying as heck. Tales of the Empire should have been about characters that are big deals in the Empire, such as Thrawn and Tarkin.
@@ItApproaches Well they're just tales. People were wondering about Barriss for years and now there's closure, that's all it needs to be.
But... of course you'd be one to get mad about pronouns. I can't take someone seriously these days if they use the word "woke" unironically
Ezra is such a fantastic protagonist and I love how the Ghost crew grows over this show. I've been waiting for you to finally get to this point. This is a pivotal show for what's next in Star Wars!
At this point in time, Ezra is fourteen, and Sabine is two years older than him. Also, Chopper is top 5 droids ever.
Can't believe how much I'm in love with this show already!! The whole cast is done so well that any of them could hold down the focus of an episode and I'm just so looking forward to seeing how this show will progress, from this alone it feels so light-hearted and with everything I've heard it seems like it may even challenge Clone Wars in how good the story could be.
Sabine's paint is a special mixture using C4 powder, lol
Darker aspect of Kallus kicking that one trooper off the platform is remembering those mining pits are where the slaves are working.
It's the same facility the sisters flew over during The Clone Wars.
I really like this darker aspect of the episode where they're dealing with slavery and full-on death, it's got to be so horrifying for the Slaves to be working and then see a Stormtrooper fall from the sky and die at their feet.
You aren’t ready for how good this show gets later on
With Rebels, the composer went with a more traditional John Williams-style soundtrack to match it's proximity to the original films.
Loving the music and it's paying off so well, this felt like I was in the OT Era compared to other shows where I've still felt like it's close to the Prequels, this makes me feel like time is moving!
An interesting fact about the Ghost, it was built buy the same company as the Millennium Falcon.
Oh cool! Love this connection to the OT!
Kanan was indeed in the beginning of Bad Batch. He was the kid padawan that Hunter let go. Crosshair was like where's the kid! Hunter said he fell.
Thanks for clarifying, recorded a few more episodes now so still questioning it for a while but glad that it is that kid and they added to his story in Bad Batch like that.
@@benspiller No prob.
One thing to be aware of is that the visual aesthetic of the show is based on the pre-production "proof of concept" artwork Ralph MacQuarrie did for the original trilogy. Zeb is based on MacQuarrie's original concept for Chewbacca.
Loving how much detail this show has already with it going into old concept art, makes the joke about the hairless Wookie even better knowing Zeb was once what Chewbacca could have looked like.
For your clarification, at the very beginning, that was the Grand Inquisitor from Obi-Wan Kenobi show, but they do not refer to him by that title and just call him "The Inquisitor". This is becuase Rebels came out 8 years before Kenobi and was the first show to introduce us to an Inquisitor. Because of this, they refered to the Grand Inquisitor as just "The Inquisitor" because the name "Grand" could suggest there was more than one, and the writers wanted it to be a surprise.
But because you've already seen Obi-Wan Kenobi and Tales of the Empire, sadly you already know that surprise, so it's gonna be a little confusing.
Eventually on the show they do refer to him as the Grand Inquisitor.
Oww I really like that they did that, I'm assuming this was the first time the Inquisitors as a concept was introduced so this is a really cool way to start theories about this guy and keep the organisation a secret.
Great reaction! Yes, the animation is different, they had half the budget of Clone Wars and hair is very difficult to animate, but, besides that, the animation style is paying homage to the original concepts of Ralph McQuarrie. Zeb's model is an early concept for Chewbacca; Chopper, the same for R2 and many others you will see along the series. As the thin lightsaber blades also are. Let's go, Rebels!
The animation style is growing on me more and more and honestly, since the actual movements and expressions of the characters are perfect I don't have a problem with it. Love that Zeb and Chopper's designs and the Lightsabers all come from old concept art!
10 yrs ago; that's when this show premiered on DisneyXD, and I was HOOKED immediately as a then-51 yr old man.
This show, despite it being animated, took me right back to the wonderous adventure and excitement of my 13 yr old boyhood in May 1977.
It re-immersed me in the sense of hope, bonding relationships of friend-to-family transitions, sound effects and (most of all), musical score.
I do not begrudge the Fandom of the PT and its CWEU. They "get it" that George Lucas was telling [at least, trying to tell] a tragic story of political intrigue, love and betrayal in the Star Wars universe he created.
But for MY generation the OT and Rebels is Star Wars.
The Wookiee jokes with Zeb is a callback to his design being based off the concept art for Chewbacca.
Love you noticing Chopper’s skill in shooting down the Ti fighters.
You ask very good questions and you will not be disappointed by the answers you'll get from Rebels!
At the time Rebels was released, there was such a strange feeling in the air going from Season 6 of Clone Wars to Season 1 of Rebels, as everyone was so used to seeing the animated Clone Troopers in war environments to now seeing animated Storm Troopers in a calm environment.
That's got to have been so weird! especially with the ending of Clone Wars which would have been such a big change in the atmosphere of the show.
@@benspiller CW fans HATED Rebels in the beginning. They felt that CW was being "replaced" by an inferior consolation that Filoni was handed. There were a group of us who were on board since the beginning. We were sold at 29:55 . Mind you this was before TBB and TOTJ.
Filoni originally wanted Clone Wars to focus on a group of new characters and their stories during the war. Lucas didn’t like this idea because he wanted to expand on familiar characters, especially Anakin. That’s how we ended up with Ahsoka.
As for Filoni's idea, the concept stayed in his mind and was later used to create Rebels. If I were to compare it to something, it would be Avatar, as it also has a strong focus on the characters, and the action develops slowly and gradually.
The flaw would be the large number of filler episodes, but the plot-driven ones are gold.
Regarding the characters themselves:
You already know Hera and Chopper from Bad Batch. Considering her age, keep in mind there might be a connection to Omega here.
Kanan was in the first episode of Bad Batch, where we saw his master's death. Interestingly, we can trace the lineage of these Jedi:
Windu > Billaba > Kanan > Ezra.
So we're talking about Mace Windu's legacy.
As for Sabine, she was probably around two years old by the end of Clone Wars, and although she wasn’t present, there’s a big connection to her. (You’ll understand later.)
The Grand Inquisitor is definitely the best version here. He’ll simply be called the Inquisitor, as the idea of the Inquisition originated and developed in Rebels.
It's also worth paying attention to the character Kallus. He represents the young Imperial generation of the ISB. This generally means he was trained by veterans of Clone Wars before their retirement to replace them. His role is essentially to get his hands dirty so that the Empire's hands stay clean.
Love that this show would have been in Filoni’s mind for so long that you know he would have had a good idea of the entire story from the start considering how long Clone Wars went on. I really like the comparison to Avatar and how this means the show will focus on the characters a lot and hopefully as a group.
I am already on the lookout for Omega 😂 I know that this show was released way before Omega was even a thing, but it’d be so cool if Filoni had already planned everything this far ahead.
Ohhh That’s so cool that this is a Mace lineage and hopefully, that means we’ll get an insight into how he trained his Padawans and what he himself was like, feel like we can get to know all of these people more now just by how Kanan will train Ezra.
Can’t wait to get more on Sabine, visually she’s such an interesting character being a Mandalorian who’s customised her Armour so much so I can’t wait to get more depth to her story.
Can’t wait to see more of the Grand Inquisitor now, everything I’ve seen of him so far is so cool so I’m really looking forward to getting to know him in the show he started in.
Having recorded the next episode, I’m super interested in Kallus now, what they do with him there has made him stand out so much, it strengthened his connection to the crew and built him to be such a powerful antagonist!
What does a hairless wookie look like? Probably like Zeb. Zeb's design is actually the first concept of a wookie. They use a lot of original designs in this series.
Love that they used the old concept like this though it's still weird to think that Chewbacca could have been purple 😂
Amazing! Nothing much too add, but since you were a little confused about how to call the most common ships in the show:
The small chunky boxy ship where they docked to free the wookies was a "Gozanti class Cruiser". It is mostly used as a transport and landing craft. it can carry troops and attach ground vehicles on the underside.
The slightly bigger triangular fork-like ship with the indentation at the tip of the triangle and the small star destroyer-like Bridge on top is an arquitens-class light cruiser. It is mostly used in smaller fleets where a star destroyer would be overkill or as support ships in bigger fleets. (was also used by the Republic but with red markings)
Star Destroyer: Big triangular ship with big bridge and Hangars on the sides and bottom
(There will be more specialized ones later, but this is not the time to tell you about those)
Thanks for this 😂 There are so many ships in Star wars and I do find it hard to keep track of them.
You also didn't mention TIE fighters.
I think the look of the animation is supposed to resemble toys. Several designs in this show are based on the original Kenner Star Wars toys from the 70s. For instance, you may notice that the TIE fighter wings are a little bit shorter than you see in the films. That’s because the original toy had shorter wings.
Later there is a prisoner transport vehicle that is based on one that was never in any of the films but created as a totally original toy to pad out the toy line in the 70s. Kenner would come up with new vehicles that looked like they were from the films but were actually brand new designs. Some of these toys are now finding their way into canon.
Now that you've said this I can't unsee it 😂😂 I can literally imagine lines on all the characters where joins would be now! Honestly, this is the perfect way to appeal to a new younger audience who would buy the merchandise or even watch the show from something they see in a store.
Rebels: the best written story in the Star Wars universe.
YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
Finally, I have waited so long for this moment, Rebels my beloved 😩
It's good to be back lol. I've been busy recently, so I haven't really had time to watch your stuff, and UA-cam stopped recommending your videos to me for some reason.
But it just so happens that the first video they recommend me of yours in over a month is this. I'm so happy I have someone to dump my Rebels info on again ❤❤❤
YAY!! 😂😂 I've been so excited for this show with all the positive things I've heard about it so I can't wait to get deep into all the info on this show!!
A person who gets locked in a room with Zeb either leaves with a bruise or covered in hair.
Sometimes both.
ah yes the found family show of star wars. kanan the dad with severe PTSD to the point that pretty much before meeting ezra he avoided using his lightsaber, the force for the most part and opted to use a blaster instead. Hera the mom who is the one to reign in everyone. Sabine the art kid who very much gives off "its not a phase mom" energy especially in later seasons. Zeb kind of like Kanan with teh PTSD but more of the big brother type. Ezra the orphan who is learning how to deal with his new family and to grow up now that he has a target on his back after joining his new family. Chopper a murder cat in a droid's body.
Kanan's PTSD is very much a core part of his character in the early seasons of rebels. outside of ezra i think if you look into the other members of ghost crew they can be considered runaways more if you look at where they were before meeting each other or what they were doing.
Kallus very much believes in the empire and despite his moments of rage such as kicking that one stromtrooper believes that everything the empire is doing is for the greater good. when they go through his history in rebels you'll see that for the most part he has his reasons for wanting to be thorough.
the rebels as we know it in ANH aren't around yet so what we have here are small insurgency groups like what the empire saw Saw garrea's group in Bad batch.
we are like about 5 or 4 years before ANH. Hera and Kanan are in their 20s. with kanna being in his late 20s roughly 27 or 28. Hera is 24. Zeb is about 39. sabine 16 while ezra is just 2 years younger then her.
Chopper is i think the character with if not one of the highest kill counts through star wars and we love him for that.
I already love this family so much 😂 It’s so chaotic and I love how each member seems to have a lot of trauma tied to them, and Chopper just being the embodiment of chaos is the cherry on top 😂 😂
Can’t wait to get more on Kanan and his past, having a Jedi survive Order 66 at such a young age and now having to train a Padawan is such an interesting idea and makes me so curious as to how both he and Ezra will develop.
After recording the next episodes, Kallus is such a good villain! Love his ties to the group and how he fully believes in what he does, and I just think it’ll be so interesting to see how he can be dealt with when he seems to be so competent.
Even though the Rebellion isn’t formed yet I love that this show is following one of the small groups and I really hope this show will go into how the Rebellion actually does get formed!
Thanks for the ages of the characters, love how this can tie into their family dynamics with what they would have experienced through the Empire.
Honestly, I can’t say I’m surprised 😂 😂 Chopper seems like a right psychopath so I can’t wait to see him get these accomplishments 😂
@@benspiller to be fair there is a joke within the fandom where if you take a shot whenever chopper kills and or attempts to kill anyone weather it be friend or foe you will either gain some sort of alcoholic immunity or be another tally of choppers victim list.
from what i remember Chopper was pretty much meant to be the anti R2 where as faloni described R2 as the family dog. Chopper was meant to be the a Cat according to faloni. that being said if there is one person who he will not try and kill is Hera everyone else is pretty much fair game. he as far as i'm concerned trying to make their deaths look like an accident and unless hera is around very much a droid out for blood.
in order of who met who first Hera was the fist member of the ghost crew along with chopper. after a while she found kanan and after some trouble she eventually got him to join. Zeb was after kanan. after a couple of years. sabine was the most recent addition to the ghost crew until Ezra came along.
Imagine how we felt seeing little Kanan and then Hera in Tales, their back stories, for us. Since you were introduced to Kanan in Tales, his Master was Depa Bilaba, former Padawan to Mace Windu, and his name was Caleb. There's more to unrevel, but you'll have to wait until season 4, as we did.
Feels so weird looking back now 😂 Love that they did expand on these character's stories in Bad Batch and now I just can't wait to get to know them in their own show.
Great roller-coaster ride ahead, filled with a lot of emotional joy and sadness.
Scrambling Ghost signature Hera learned from Omega (Tech taught her).
Love this! Even dead tech is still helping to fight the Empire!
Yes, Kanan Jarrus is, indeed, Caleb Dume, the padawan that escaped in the first episode of Bad Batch. We'll get more info as the series goes on. This is easily my favorite of the animated series -- Bad Batch has the best animation and I think the best Clone Wars storylines are among the best stories in the entire franchise, but pound for pound, episode for episode, I think Rebels has a consistency of quality through the entire series that Clone Wars didn't manage (I think every episode of Rebels is important eventually to the entire run of the series, like Bad Batch, whereas Clone Wars has PLENTY of filler arcs that can be skipped).
Plus the characters and storyline feels like it's Dave Filoni's Star Wars RPG campaign turned into a show, and I love that because it also feels like my old Star Wars RPG campaign that was set in the same time period.
Thanks for the clarification on Kanan, having recorded a few more episodes I do continue to assume as much, love how you've put this and completely agree, Bad Batch's animation was stunning and Clone Wars did have plenty of filler episodes so very happy to hear that this will have more consitency in relevance to the plot.
@@benspiller There will be moments where you'll think, "Oh, this is clearly a filler episode" and then episodes will fly by and suddenly that episode you thought was merely filler becomes COMPLETELY relevant again. It's so awesome.
And there's stuff seeded in Bad Batch, Rebels, and Tales of the Jedi/Empire that totally pay off in later live action series and even the sequel trilogy! This is one of the reasons why I love that you're doing this chronologically instead of release order. Enjoy! I know I will. 😀
Ben, I won't sugar coat it: Rebels is easily my favorite Animated series in Star Wars. While it is episodic in nature (though there ARE multi-episode mini-arcs), overall, the entire series is one "long narrative story arc" about the Ghost crew. You will see some new faces, and some familiar ones. But you'll get to know the characters, and there are surprises galore in this series. And of course, I will help you along without spoiling anything coming up.
Oh, and before we get into this... you may have heard me mention before that "C1-10P" (Chopper) is my favorite droid in all of Star Wars.... You will soon find out why he's my favorite. Granted, you DID get a little backstory on both Chopper and Hera in the Bad Batch, but there's a lot more to come. Just listen very closely to what Chopper says, quite often, you can make out what he's saying, and he's got a foul mouth. Don't be afraid to wait for the reply to what he says, then go back and listen to it again to make it out clearer.
2:35 - This was the first appearance of the Grand Inquisitor. Yes, the same one that appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi in live action. That was the main clue that Reva didn't kill him towards the end of episode 2. He had "plot armour", since this series takes place about 5 years later down the timeline. But I couldn't tell you that, when you watched it.
3:55 - I mean, Ezra DID keep the guy from getting arrested, so..... a few extra jogans won't kill the guy.
9:25 - They have a "family" kind of dynamic. Hera is "the mom", Kanan is "the dad". Zeb is the "oldest brother", Sabine is the "middle sister", and "Ezra is the youngest boy". They all kinda adopted one another. Which goes back to something I learned when I was a young adult: "Your blood family is the family you are born into. Your friends are the family you choose."
11:00 - Fun fact: Zeb was based on the original concept design for Chewbacca back when the first movie was being developed. Since they opted for the Wookie design we got back then, the Concept Art was brought back and tinkered with for Zeb's species decades later. You can see this in "Empire of Dreams" on Disney+, which details the making of the Original Trilogy.
11:35 - Remember, the Empire used Wookies as slave labor, usually in places that were as removed from Kashiik as Tatooine is from the "bright center of the universe". So, it would track that the Ghost crew would be interested in freeing the Wookies, since such slavery was often a death sentence.
12:10 - The Ghost is a multi-deck freighter manufactured by the same corporation that built the Millennium Falcon. A smaller design, the Ghost has been heavily modified to accommodate the needs Hera puts it through. Look into the game/story of "Shadows of the Empire" (which is no longer completely "canon"), which has an even smaller ship design than the Ghost. The Ghost is very maneuverable, even more so than the Falcon, due to its compactness. In the '97 Special Edition of A New Hope, the ship from Shadows of the Empire can be seen above Mos Eisley on its way off world. I know that ship has a name, I just can't remember it off the top of my head. But "Dash Rendar" (the hero of that story) is a Han Solo type of character, with a droid co-pilot.
13:25 - Ezra is 14, almost 15 here. Sabine, I'm guessing (since it's never stated) is likely about 18, maybe 19.
15:50 - While I didn't watch this series when it came out (I was under the impression the animated series were "kids shows", and while I am immature.... I'm not THAT immature).... but I do believe that these two episodes dropped together. Either way, I'm glad you decided to do them together. Thank you for that, Ben!
16:50 - You put that together quite well. Kanan Jaras is Caleb Dume from the Bad Batch, and Tales of the Jedi. Well done!
23:45 - Agent Callus, Imperial Security Bureau (ISB - Remember those letters).
24:40 - Remember in Revenge of the Sith, when Obi-Wan said that he recalibrated the message a the Temple to warn any surviving Jedi to stay away? Well, THIS is that message.
30:30 - Kanan/Caleb was about Ezra's age when Order 66 went down.
34:15 - Holocrons, both Jedi and Sith, can hold lots of "wisdom". This one holds the warning from Obi-Wan, and other knowledge.
Also, the Rebellion hasn't actually formed/organized, yet. Right now, there are "pockets" of groups that do what little they can because they don't have actual contact with other pockets of resistance to the Empire's tyranny.
Purely my own opinion: The writing more than makes up for any "shortage" in the animation style. I can forgive how the Wookies look, because of the quality of the story telling, which you're only now delving into.
I can’t believe how quickly I fell in love with this show and these characters, and I can’t wait to get on the same level as everyone else when I hear how highly this show is praised. Absolutely loved Chopper from his appearance in Bad Batch so I’m so happy that I now get to watch an entire show with him in it just to see what other kinds of mischief he can cause.
Thanks again for all the info, especially love the detail with the refusal of old concept art for Zeb’s design. Love how much detail is in the Ghost ship and I love how family-oriented it feels, Bad Batch’s Marauder feels like the closest thing, but it was basically a base for soldiers more than a family home and I love how this ship really leans into this with a whole lounge area.
I am completely past the animation style now, at first it definitely hits differently after seeing the same style in so many shows but since the movement and expressions of the characters all look it it’s basically just a different visual style for the show, which I’m actually quite happy with that they are experimenting and not just keeping it to one style.
@@benspiller Heh, honestly, I'm not surprised that you fell in love with them as fast as you did. I fell in love with the characters and the series just as quickly.
I want to say SO many things about Chopper.... but they would be spoilers, and you know how I feel about those. One thing that I *WILL* say (because it's not a spoiler) is that I have several Chopper toys around here (one of which (a "Black Series" one, fully articulate) cost me nearly $30. If it wasn't Chopper.... and as cool as it was, I wouldn't pay that much). Also, I would LOVE to get a "Chopper" tattoo on me somewhere, but remind me around the end of season 1 to tell you the words that would go with it (the words would be a spoiler). By the end of the season, it won't be a spoiler anymore. LOL!
As far as the animation style goes, just remember, this series came out before the final 2 seasons of Clone Wars was added, and also before the Bad Batch was even created. So, naturally those would have a "better" level of animation. But I'm glad to hear that the animation is no longer something you worry about. After all, it's the stories being told and how they are written that REALLY matter.
You're very correct about the Ghost Crew being a family, and the series being "family oriented". Even though that is apparent now, this early in the series.... you'll love how much more so it becomes. I will warn you, though... have tissues nearby, because the show has many things that will make you tear up, some, tears of joy, and others, tears of sadness. But I will not tell you which, or when.
Lastly, I am more than happy to share what I know about Star Wars with you (and many others). Ever since I read the novelization for Star Wars back in 1976, then saw the movie in 1977, I have been hooked on this fandom. I have always enjoyed discussing with other fans whatever we know, theories we have, and tiny details we've noticed in the movies (and now the shows). Thinking back, at the age of 11 when the Star Wars Holiday Special was broadcast, I loved it. Watching it now in my 50s..... I wonder why my grandmother, aunt, and great uncle didn't want to kill me. We all sat down and watched it together. But I was just THAT into Star Wars, and it was the only thing we had aside from Star Wars in the theaters (we didn't even have VHS tapes back then). Also, "Variety shows" were really big back then.... and that special is basically a Variety show from a galaxy far, far away. ;)
Take care, my friend!
Rebels begins 15 years into the Empire, 4 years before the events of A New Hope.
By this point, Insurgent Rebel groups continue to rise across the galaxy, and cracks have begun forming in the Senate.
Love that we get to see one of those groups as the focus!!
Rebels animation is somewhat economized. You'll notice that some imperial crew have their hats pulled down over their eyes and nose so that the same character model can be used multiple times with character voice being the only distinguishing characteristic. The animation still looks good to me even if it is lacking some fine detail and resolution. And of course you only need a couple of storm trooper models, the regular enlisted and then specialized commanders.
I noticed the missing eyes a few episodes in! Didn't think much of it but that is such a good way to save on the budget and just copy and past the characters 😂 Since the movement and expressions of the characters look good I don't really mind the more simplified style, honestly I think it's quite cool they branched out and did something in another style other than the 'clone wars' style.
5:47 sounds like the sounds of the guns on Jango (and now Boba Fett's) ship.
Chopper was indeed laughing at Ezra, and you'll eventually see as this series goes on that he is a bit of a psychopath. 😅
I actually didn't notice that they knew Ezra took the holocron and let him so they'd know if he'd be able to open it.
I also didn't know that the message in the holocron was the one from RotS, from when Obi-Wan dismantling the signal bait made by the clones and sending out his own message.
Yeah, this animation style definitely isn't like the "Takes Of" shows and TCW, and Bad Batch, but it's not too bad.
30:05 bad batch?
Nvm, I think you were referring to Kanan being the kid from TBB.
This show, imo, was on par with TCW and TBB. I genuinely loved watching it. It only gets better from here.
I loved how much these episodes were able to do as a premiere, the amount of details in Ezra's story is already insane with the Holocron stuff and Chopper is the perfect hook for me as I really love that chaotic type of humour 😂😂
Honestly don't mind the animation style now, the movements and expressions are all done well so I can look past the visual style being simpler than the 'Clone Wars' style.
Love to hear that this show is on par with Clone Wars and Bad Batch!! It's such a high bar to reach but from these episodes, I know it's going to be so awesome seeing it get there!
@@benspiller a lot of people see it as worse, but I genuinely did enjoy it as much as those 2 shows, and I am seeing more and more people say they did love watching this show.
44:53 Hera is motherly to all. Remember her screaming GARA ZEB ORRELLIOUS. Only a mother uses someone's full name when scolding.
Ohh that's so true! 😂😂 love that she is like this to all the crew and not just Ezra
The Ghost has 3 floors.
Top Floor - Top turret, service corridor, storage and bathrooms, The Phantom
Middle Floor - Bridge, the cabins, airlocks, lounge and kitchen.
Bottom Floor - Front turret, Cargo bay, life support and storage.
The Phantom is a detachable shuttle, and a central ladder runs through all 3 floors. An additional ladder in the Lounge connects to a hatch in the Phantom for extra access. Cargo bay has a ladder that connects up to the Bridge.
Absolutely love the design of this ship, it feels so family-focused compared to the Bad Batch's which was meant for missions.
The design of this series was heavily inspired by all the original Sta Wars concept art.
Due Rebels' proximity in the timeline to the Original Trilogy and extremely lower budget, Filoni's team opted to use the concept art paintings for the original films as a basis for Rebels' art style.
Their experience with the show ended up making it much easier to anime the other projects, especially with the less is more approach and improved face animations.
Honestly really like both the animation and visual style, it feels more simplified but knowing it comes from the concept art makes it so much better and the animations and movements feel really solid.
I forgot that you saw them briefly in Bad Batch lol.
Loved your thoughts about Rebels so I'm here for your journey thru this terrific show.
yaay! this is gonna be such a treat to watch with you :D
Awesome, some of my other followed reactors are just finishing Rebels, great to have a new one on board.
Glad to have you here for the ride! 😁
Who are those? Would you recommend one?
For a light kid's show, what was the storm trooper death count for episode 1?
😂😂 True!
Aleksandr Kallus (sideburns) is an ISB Operative.
The ISB (Imperial Security Bureau) is a special branch of the Empire that, according to their mission statement, is meant "[...] to further security objectives by collecting intelligence, providing useful analysis, and conducting effective covert action [...]". Think the Gestapo or KGB, for the Empire.
Edit 1: one of the biggest gripes I had with Rebels (which isn't much to begin with), is that they nerfed the Stormtroopers A LOT and made them a laughing stock. They are meant to be the special forces of the Empire, better than the regular Imperial Army (guys in green with ugly helmets). But here they're just canon fodder and pathetic. Still, love the show.
Edit 2: Someone once made an observation that I keep with me to this day; R2-D2 is the loyal dog, like Lassie or Beethoven, while C1-10P (Chopper) is an 4sshole orange cat. 🤣
Cool that Kallus is in his own thing and not something we've seen before, after the next episodes this villain becomes so awesome with what they add to him so I can't wait to see where his story will go!
I do agree with this, the troopers here served no purpose other than to be a threat and they become simplified to being black and white morally, in other shows they were regular people who needed a job but these guys are literally going after children without hesitation.
Love this description for the droids!! It's so perfect 😂😂
2 Rebels video in 1 day??!!? Keep up the great work Ben!
Thanks! 😁
The Imperial Officer's reflect how different the lifestyle affects people. You have one who is flushed and chubby, and another that is pale and skinny.
Ohh that's such a good detail!
Yes, Ezra and Sabine are Similar ages. She was born 21 BBY and he was Born 19 BBY. Sabine is about to be 17 and Ezra is about to be 15.
Thanks for this! Recorded a few more episodes and she keeps calling him kid which was just making me question what kind of age gap they have more and more 😂
I didn’t watch this show until like a few years ago because I remember a lot of people at my school saying this show was terrible and didn’t watch it because of that and was shocked when I did watch it with how much I liked this show
Can't believe anyone could have anything negative to say about it after seeing these episodes 😂😂 Glad you did watch the show in the end and got to experience it yourself, can't wait to get more into it after all the positive things I've been told about it.
Rebels, much like the Clone Wars, gets better and better for each season, believe me.
Sure, Clone Wars started off as okay, and then got better and better for each season until season 7 which is sometimes considered among the best Star Wars has ever been.
Rebels, starts of okay too, but gets really bloody good by season 4.
So good to hear this!! The start is already pretty good so it's amazing to know that it'll only get better from here!
Oh boy, you are in for a show tonight, Benny boy.
And trust me when I say this the best or worst is yet to come.
i am pogging so hard right now
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Grand Inquisitor is to long of a name? Two words????
😂😂 I need something snappier!
@@benspiller Sadly we don't know his actual name.
I'm confused, how do you know the characters names already???
The earlier video where Ben watched the shorts that Disney released to introduce them.
He has already seen the shorts where they were introduced
@@msoundg The shorts? What shorts?
Watched the Shorts just before this so got a brief introduction to the characters
@@benspiller I never knew there was any shorts.
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The first season is by far the weakest part of Rebels, it gets so much better from season 2 onwards.