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 feeling when this first aired, the first ever confirmation that Ahsoka survived into the Galactic Civil War era, that she survived Order 66 (since the last we saw of her was S5 of the Clone Wars)... Good times
This must have been insane, seems so weird to think that people had no idea of her fate after season 5 of the Clone Wars until right here, the feeling of seeing her again must have been incredible!
The grand inquisitor: there are some things far more frigthening than DEATH Moments later.. Vader walks into this show he’d rather kill himself than face Vader after he failed to kill the jedi
His line is so crazy to think about, we've known of Vader's reputation for so long but to see this act just makes it so much more real, a dude as scary as the Grand Inquisitor would rather die in an explosion than face the wrath of his master!
I don't exactly know how painful it would be to die in an explosion, but at least it's a quick death. If he returned to Vader, it would've been MUCH longer.
I'm convinced that a significant part of Rebels popularity is due to Kevin Kiner's score. His score for "Fire Across the Galaxy" I think is one of his finest.
Oh absolutely! The score is amazing and it's something I'm so excited for with the rest of this series as I know Kevin Kiner did the scores for Bad Batch and those were exceptional too.
I love this finale so much!! Also, keep in mind, this aired back in early 2015 before a lot of these other Star Wars shows came out or were completed, so by this time, we had no idea that Ahsoka was even alive, let alone working for the Rebellion! So, when 13-year-old me saw her and heard her theme again, I was over the moon!! Also, as for your question of "was that the entire Rebllion," the answer is no. Something to keep in mind here, this isn't the Rebel "Alliance" we see in the Original Trilogy. These are just the sparks and localized groups that will eventually grow into a larger rebellion.
It still blows my mind that this is how Ahsoka was confirmed to be alive after so long!! The feeling of seeing her again must have been so amazing to not only know she survived Order 66 but grew up and has been working with the Rebellion. Thanks for answering this question, glad that we aren't seeing the rebellion in its entirety as it would still be fairly young, and I love how it's being explained that there are many who are fighting against the Empire but they're all so spread out and unorganised that some may find that organisation but as a whole it's still small.
Kanan's moment was him purely connecting with the force, being worried about the Grand Inquisitor going after Ezra was a major handicap in the earlier duels. He deactivated the sabers once the Inquisitor started talking, so Kanan was either going to pull him up or simply let fate decide.
It's incredible how this whole scene proved the Jedi order wrong in their view of attachment, Kanan thought he lost Ezra and instead of lashing out in anger and falling to the Dark Side, he gets stronger in the light.
Excellent reaction! I love Kanan's line there, after Ezra fell, "This was a mistake... Because I have nothing more to fear!". And getting Ahsoka back, so wonderful, remember we didn't know what happened to her after she left the Temple... Lots of amazing moments in this season!
Kanan's line was exceptional! He exemplified everything that the Jedi of old were wrong about with their views on attachment and it's crazy to think that considering how poorly trained he is. Having Ashoka back feels so good!!! This entrance just feels amazing as she'd have to have been working with the Rebellion for a long while now considering her age so there must been so much she's been through since we last saw her. Still feels weird to think this is the first time people saw her again after Clones Wars ended with season 5, seeing her then must have felt so much more insane than this seeing as it confirmed she survived Order 66.
Back when Hera delivered Tseebo to "Fulcrum", the drop off was at the same class of ship Organa and his people use. The boxes of supplies Fulcrum left for the team was marked with a carving of Ahsoka's forehead insignia.
Mustafar looked so evil in this, even redder than before. 9:32 man the G.I. is tough there. Thinking a 1v1 was to easy, and then as he's saying a 1v2 is more fair, the imperial march plays. This series is amazing. Talk about something that'd make you want to keep watching. Tarkin just dismissing the G.I. and not caring that he's dead, and bringing in Vader sent by the emperor, followed by the imperial march.
Loved the shot of Mustafar, it's so foreboding and just makes the setting feel so evil and dark, Loved the Grand Inquisitor. The dude truly could have taken on Both Ezra and Kanan but when he knocked the former down he was no match at all for Kanan. This ending was amazing at concluding the season 1 story while also making me so excited for everything to come
Funny to think Vader could sense everything going on above Mustafar. "You have no idea what you've unleashed here today, there are some things far more frightening than death."
This is so true! He could have easily sensed the presence of the Jedi and Tarkin's failure before he even reported to him, makes for a very scary boss when there's nothing you can hide from him.
The reason why Vader was brought to Lothal was likely due to Kanan and Ezra both being Jedi, and having managed to kill the Grand Inquisitor. Vader and the Inquisitorious' whole deal is hunting Jedi after all, and at this point in time, there sure aren't many left to hunt, honestly. Vader and the Inquisitorious has been quite effective indeed. Also, here is a fun fact about the Grand Inquisitor... As shown in a Star Wars comic issue 6 from 2020: Turns out that killing him on the Star Destroyer here above Mustafar was seemingly not enough to get fully rid of him. Vader made sure of that. The Grand Inquisitor's physical body got incinerated and obliterated, however, SOMEHOW, Vader managed to prevent the Grand Inquisitor's spirit from passing on from the mortal world. Vader put the Grand Inquisitor's spirit to guard a High Republic Jedi outpost on a place called "Tempes", in order to trap unsuspecting Jedi who returned there, seeking knowledge. Luke Skywalker was one such person who got ambushed by the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor there some time after The Empire Strikes Back. The Grand Inquisitor's spirit, appearing as his normal self, except covered in fire and explosion-like things, battled Luke Skywalker there. However Luke beat him and escaped. When Vader arrived to check up on the Grand Inquisitor's spirit, the Grand Inquisitor mentioned how he wasn't able to beat Luke, as Luke was just too powerful for him. Vader then basically told him that he will continue as long as Vader finds use for him. And the Grand Inquisitor's spirit then mentions to himself how there are things far worse than death. Apparently referring to the situation he find himself in. So yes, TECHNICALLY the Grand Inquisitor is dead... However his spirit continues to serve Vader SOMEHOW... Don't ask me how, the force works in mysterious ways, and the dark side is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural and all that. XP
It's so insane that Kanan and Ezra now have Vader of all people on their tales, I really don't see how they could survive against him. So even after all this the Grand Inquisitor still can't actually die 😂😂 I'm actually starting to feel bad for the guy after all this, the Jedi aren't even put through this kind of torture with Palpatine!
When Kanan said "because I have nothing left to fear" it was him embracing the light side path and the power that brings. Fear is a pathway to the dark side.
Realising this now makes the scene even better, he fully disproved the Jedi order's view on attachment, when he lost someone he cares for he actually grew stronger in the light instead of falling to the Dark.
@benspiller it takes a strength of character that very few have, even Jedi. Also proves his selflessness, that his only fears are fear of harm to others, he has zero fear of self-sacrifice.
With the prologue, the very first shot of Rebels season 1 is a hologram of Vader addressing the Grand Inquisitor. In "Fire Across the Galaxy" Rebels season 1 ends with a final shot of Vader disembarking Tarkin's shuttle and ariving on Lothal.
Ohh this is so true, this is the actual event which caused him not to leave the Death Star and it's out of sheer stubbornness of his failure here that he refuses to repeat it.
Chopper, the Ghost and the Blockade Runners coming in to save the day was awesome. And the Inquisitor fearing Vader and the Emperor more than death was terrifying.
Loved these scenes, Chopper coming in to save the day is amazing 😂😂 And then the Grand Inquisitor chosing Death over facing Vader goes to show off how truly terrifying he is.
I TOLD YOU you'd like Fulcrum. Also, your reaction to Vader is really appropriate. Vader IS a beast! You know you're screwed the moment he shows up. It's a moment both scary and hype.
Yes you did and I absolutley love what this means for Ahsoka!! Her having such a large role in the early rebellion is so insane to think about! And Vader being here is just terrifying, he's way too powerful for the Rebels to handle so it'll be very interesting to see how the show deals with him.
When Rebels released, Clone Wars S7 didn't exist yet, it was still after it had been cancelled, so Ahsoka's fate was a mystery. Most of us had just assumed she died in Order 66, so her appearance here was mind blowing. Also, the character shorts you watched at the start, I'm pretty sure those didn't exist yet either, so this episode was the first time seeing Ahsoka _and_ Darth Vader in the show. It was also the first time Darth Vader had been seen on screen since Revenge of the Sith in 2005 So this episode gave us the first onscreen Vader in almost a decade, and brought back the fan favorite character Ahsoka, who most had thought dead
It's so crazy how much this one episode accomplished with its release, assumed that this would have been Ahsoka's first appearance after Clone Wars S5 and it must have felt so insane to see her and finally know her fate, but this fact about Vader is even more crazy! Had no clue this was his first time on screen since the RofS and it just adds another mind-blowing moment to this episode.
At the end of Season 7 of Clone Wars, when Ahsoka contacted Anakin's cruiser, Admiral Yularen said Ahsoka was using Anakin's "Fulcrum" communication frequency.
12:26 Vader is who he’s talking about, and he’s dead, but did not go unpunished. He thought he could escape Vader in death but in comics Vader found and punished him, trapping his spirit on Tempes after he allowed Luke to get away on Tempes, he now kills any Jedi that seeks knowledge at that temple.
We always knew how scary Vader's reputation is but it's a whole other thing seeing it like this where his underling prefers death over facing him, and WOW this guy couldn't even escape him in death 😂😂
17:45 I think it's a little of both. Remember how Hera said that the Empire doesn't want private land owners mining on Lothal, and the Ghost crew are becoming too much of a thorn in the Empire's side. Also I want to talk about how easily Kanan destroyed the Grand Inquisitor's (gone but not forgotten) lightsaber hilt so easily. That's an intentional design flaw that Palpatine included incase the other Inquisitors turned on him. That reason is also why Darth Bane established his famous Rule of Two, because weaker Sith were ganging up on stronger ones.
Yeah that's what I'm thinking, there's definitely something special about the planet and the Empire wants full control over it plus this cell of Rebels just took out the Grand Inquisitor too. Love that Palpatine put an intentional weakness into this weapon 😂😂 It's just like him to plan ahead of betrayal and add a fail-safe were he could take out these sabers so easily if they were used against him.
I'm so excited for it!! This season was already amazing and I know it can only improve from here! The Grand Inquisitor's death definitely puts Kanan and Ezra on the Empire's radar, a Jedi and a Padawan taking out the leader of their organisation that's specifically there to deal with Jedi, the Empire definitely wants them gone!
Ahsoka showing up here used to be even more impactful when it came out, because it is the first time we saw her after the clone wars season 5. We didn't even know if she was still alive, which made this scene extremely emotional for me, to know that she is safe. Maybe the Ahsoka novel came out before, but about that I'm not sure, because I only started reading the novels a bit later...
It feels so insane that this was the first confirmation of Ahsoka's survival, it immediately tells you so much about how she must have been with the Rebellion for a very long time and I know that when this aired the feeling would have been incredible compared to seeing it while knowing she survived.
Agree this was a terrific season one ender. Love the callback to the stolen tie-fighter & it having been painted, love the Kanan/Grand Inquisitor fight, and finally love the ending with the reveals of Ahsoka and Vader. Looking forward to your journey through season 2.
This season was just everything! Loved how he really brought the entire show so far full circle by bringing back the tie fighter from arguably the weakest episode of the season and then it just goes nuts with the Kanan fight and Ahsoka reveal. The creators really went all out with this final and it makes me so excited to see what they have in store for season 2!
Hey, Ben! So good to see you again! 3:45 - Fun fact: This paint job (and I've been WAITING to tell you about this) is available as an "unlockable" paint job for TIE fighters in the "Star Wars Squadrons" game. I don't know if you're into flight simulation games like that, but the game IS really fun. I would advise an inexpensive flight stick, rather than a typical game controller, though. 6:05 - You silly goose... of course it's rigged to "do something"... Sabine rigged it.... ;) 12:30 - "More frightening than death? What are those?" - Ummmm.... what Vader, his master, would do to him for failing to kill Kanan. And he knows that. 12:40 - Actually, he didn't die when Reva pierced him with her lightsaber in the Kenobi series. The blow did not strike a major organ. That's something I didn't think appropriate to reveal before. But this time.... yeah, he's done. Remember, different species have different organ placements in their torso. He's from Utapau (a species we saw in Revenge of the Sith), and there's something else you will learn about the Grand Inquisitor that will surprise you, later on. Let's just leave it at that. 17:00 - Remember, the Inquisitors were Vader's underlings. Since the Grand Inquisitor failed, the Emperor sent Vader, aka "The Emperor's Fist" to deal with the problem. 17:25 - In short, "yes". This episode sets up the events of season 2. But do yourself a favor, and don't get ahead of yourself in thinking about "what ifs", even though it's very tempting. Also, remember at the end of the episode, it wasn't just the Ghost that showed up to ensure their escape.... they basically exposed that there is more organization to the growing threat to the Empire than was previously known. Prior to that, it appeared that there were "random groups of insurgents" acting independently of one another. 17:45 - I'll answer that, without spoilers: Lothal is VERY important to the Empire, for reasons that will become clear over the course of the series. That's all I'll say on that. 20:00 - Remember what Kanan said, "I have nothing left to fear." Meaning that he has shed both his "self doubt" about training Ezra in the first place, since his own training wasn't completed, and while he still has an attachment to Ezra, as well as the others, he now knows it won't lead to it dominating his fear of loss which could lead him to the Dark Side. 20:45 - lol.... Geonosis. But we knew what you meant. Also, consider that the Jedi do not take a life wantonly, only when absolutely necessary. But thinking about it again, that the Grand Inquisitor chose to end himself rather than face Vader's wrath, or even be captured by Kanan, says something as well. 22:25 - Actually, Chopper cares more than you think. He cares so much about Hera (Mom, as even he calls her) and the crew, that he is willing to risk everything to save her. That's why he got Fulcrum involved. And of course, Ahsoka knew Bail Organa, and cashed in a favor to rescue the crew.
Absolutely love that this thing was brought back and it’s so cool that they actually made a skin for it in the game 😂 😂 Get that he’s a different species but still, it’s treated as a death, so you never know for sure if someone dies unless you see the body 😂 Feels like such overkill that Vader’s been sent to deal with them, honestly don’t see how they can survive against him. The Empire’s motives for Lothal are so interesting, from what I can gather it’s basically in a prime strategic space which would be great for both the rebellion and the Empire so both need to try and control it. Loved that Kanan basically proved the Jedi’s views on attachment wrong in this scene, he ‘lost’ Ezra, yet he didn’t fall to the Dark Side because of it and instead focused himself and grew stronger in the light now that he lacked his fear. 😂 😂 Geonosis was it!! My main thought on this is since Kanan is far from the Jedi of old, would he still share their views on taking life. Ahhh didn’t realise Chopper calls Hera Mom, that’s so adorable 😂 It’s so fun to view things through the lens of Chopper and how he isn’t just a chaotic little maniac but cares so much for the crew's safety that he does something chaotic by leaving to go and call in the backup to make sure he can get them to safety.
@@benspiller Remember, he was the Grand Inquisitor for a reason..... though that will be revealed later on. Anyway, Vader was sent because T.G.I. failed, and he was the most powerful of them. Next step up, was Vader. Overkill? Maybe.... but "you'll see" how it plays out. Lothal is, as you noted, of "strategic importance"... but that's not all. The planet is very rich in resources. Hence why the Empire wants/needs it. The only real benefit to the Rebellion is to keep the Empire from controlling it. About Kanan..... you're correct there. Remember, it was the Jedi Order's hubris that caused their downfall. Since Kanan wasn't fully "indoctrinated" by the Jedi, he (as you noted) lets himself be led by the will of The Force, just like Qui-Gon Jinn would. About Chopper: If you listen closely, you can often make out what he's saying. While I don't know if he's credited for it prior to the end of the series, Dave Filoni voices Chopper. He actually DOES speak the lines in English (galactic basic?) but they are run through a bit of software to make it sound more "droid like". But if you listen closely (and factor in the replies by the Ghost crew), you can make out what he's saying. Also, Chopper has a "potty mouth". ;) I think this was covered in the Bad Batch, but even if not, it's simply "background" info and not really a "spoiler": Chopper was in a Y-Wing bomber as the astromech. The ship crashed on Ryloth (Hera's home world), where she rescued and repaired the droid. Since then, he has been loyal to her, and that explains why he calls her "Mom". After all, she IS the "mom" of the Ghost crew. Chopper cares about the Ghost crew, because Hera cares about the Ghost crew. Like Hera, Chopper considers them family. Especially since they treat Chopper as one of their own, and not "just a disposable droid, easily replaced". I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but droids in Star Wars are treated as "lesser beings". It's a very subtle bit of "racism", how droids are treated. Despite being not only intelligent (and more often than not, "self aware"), they are not treated as "living beings". This is also why droids like C-3PO have their memories wiped at regular intervals: To prevent them from developing certain personality traits. Astromechs, such as Chopper and R2-D2 rarely have their memory banks wiped, as that would make them far less useful and less valuable. The side effect of that "lack of memory wiping" is that astromechs tend to develop a "personality" over the years due to their experiences (aside from the personality of their original programing). As you've seen with R2-D2, an astromech does WAY more than simply "co-pilot" a ship. They can calculate Hyperspace routes, use their built-in tools to "save the day", act as spies if needed (notice how droids in general are treated by humans: droids are basically ignored, so they can pretty much access anything without being suspicious, access and retrieve (or even falsify) information.... all sorts of things beneficial to their "owners")... A good example of this kind of treatment is in Return of the Jedi. When Luke "gifted" R2-D2 and C-3PO to Jabba the Hutt. Such a "gift" wasn't out of the ordinary, and it put R2 in a position to be able to help Luke and the rest of them in escaping Jabba's clutches. No one really paid them any mind other than their usefulness. Remember, R2 basically smuggled Luke's lightsaber passed Jabba's security. While Lando was also "undercover", him being in possession of Luke's lightsaber would not only have been easily found, but also gotten him captured and potentially tortured and/or killed. But no one questions a droid, nor even "search" one for any threats. The same thing goes for Chopper. While he's "an older model", his presence on an Imperial ship wouldn't be questioned, especially with a new (Imperial) paint job.
Season two had an hour-long premiere that was later divided into two half-hour episodes. If you haven't watched them yet, I recommend watching them together.
Don't worry, only did this video with one episode since the season had an odd number, season 2's back to doing two eps per video so I watched both episodes together 😁
Spark of Rebellion (Season 1 premiere) was also initially a one hour special. I actually have a copy of it on DVD, and it has a few differences from the Season 1 episode 1 and 2 versions. Most of them are small editing differences, but the episode 1 version added a scene at the beginning.
I just won't ever get over Kanan being able to use Ezra's lightsaber better than than Ezra uses it himself. And yes, the Grand Inquisitor is dead this time, as in not coming back. That's why his suppsosed stab from Reva in the Kenobi show was so confusing.
YES!! 😂😂 Loved how he was using it and I hope that Ezra can get to that ability someday! Glad to know this is the end for the Grand Inquisitor though 😂 can't see how he'd be able to come back from this ending.
I agree with your light side interpretation of Kanan reacting to Ezras "death". When it comes to handling emotions, while still being a good Jedi (even better because of listening to ones emotions to a reasonable degree), Kanan does this best in my opinion. Remember when I told you about there being more characters like Sol (or even better than him) in the Acolyte, I was especially referring to Kanan and you are only through season one! Lets see, where Kanans story will go... :) Also, in the scene with the Inquisitor hanging on the ledge, I think that Kanan wasn't really prepeared for making this decision. Throughout the entire second half of the fight, he was trusting his instincts and letting the force guide him, but when he won, he had to make a decision. I personally think that it could have been possible for him to give in to the dark side at that point, because he is used to making moraly questionable decisions, because in these times this is necessary to ensure the groups survival. Fortunately, the Inquisitor made the decision for him.
This makes me so excited for Kanan's future, love that we actually got to see him believe he lost someone he was attached to yet still stayed in the light, this whole fight proved the order wrong in their views on attachment and to think it's done through a Jedi who's training ended when he was a padawan is amazing, can't wait to see how he progresses over the show with this kind of start! Honestly glad the Grand Inquisitor took this choice from him, it leaves Kanan in the moment of being guided by the force without being dulled by a decision which would have negatively affected it, if he saved him, the Grand Inquisitor would have continued to attack and if he didn't it probably makes me think towards a bit of dark side.
@@benspiller yes. Many do regard season 1 as the slowest but I am really happy that you took the time to appreciate the story they are weaving. Your analysis of their storytelling is very thoughtful and an absolute delight to listen to. I hope no one ever spoils any of the plot for you.
One of my favorites of all your reactions! I could not wait for you to see the reveal of Ahsoka and Darth Vader at the end. At the time, I genuinely thought Fulcrum was going to turn out to be Leia and it did not even occur to me that Ahsoka might be involved. Imagine my surprise! The word "epic" is thrown around a lot, but it is an apt description for the showdown with The Grand Inquisitor. Utilizing "Duel of the Fates" was a stroke of genius, especially with the location closely resembling the plasma refinery complex from Episode I. This made for such a satisfying conclusion to the first season while whetting the appetite for more. I'm looking forward to your journey through season two!
Leia being involved is such a good fit but I'm so glad to see Ahsoka!! I can only imagine what the feeling was like when this first aired and you got to see her return after so long while not knowing what happened to her. I do agree 'Epic' is perfect for Kanan's fight against the Grand Inquisitor, the fight scene has so many callbacks to the Duel of Fates and manages to not copy which would have cheapened the characters but made a homage to it, this is both like to Deul Of Fates but also different enough to stand on its own. This conclusion was spectacular for the story of season 1 and does such a good job at setting up season 2, I truly cannot wait to see what happens next after all of this!
That subtle detail with the saber duel of Ezra only having been trained to block so far, he wasn't going on the offense since he hasn't been taught Saber combat yet.
Nuur (where Fortress Inquisitorious is) is the planet that Mustafar orbits, they are both on the same system and that way Vader keeps tabs on the inquisitors. Edit 1: The Grand Inquisitor was terrified of Vader, and would much rather die than live up to his wrath. That's why he said "you don't know what you have unleashed here today, there are things far more frightening than death...". Edit 2: independently of Vader's power, which is considerable and we're all too aware of it, people also tend to forget the tactical brilliance of Anakin and, hence, Vader. He was short sighted in general, but his tactics and plans rarely failed. He might not account for the future ramifications of his plans (that's Palpatine's speciality), but they are always very likely to succeed. I'd say he's one hell of an "alternative solution" as Tarkin put it... Edit 3: Tarkin was assigned the title of Grand Moff, which is more than ceremonial, it means that he has direct authority over a large swath of the Galaxy, in his case, he oversees the entire Outer Rim (the galaxy is divided in circles from the core outward and the Outer Rim is the outer-most sector) directly, what every governor and Moff does within that sector has to go through Tarkin first. Fleet deployment, troop placing, supply logistics, everything. Last Edit: aside from the deeper interest of the Empire on Lothal (which we'll get to soon enough), Lothal is located in a desirable area of the Galaxy, it is close enough to hyperspace lanes to be a good hub for trade and logistics, but far enough away that no one pays it much attention. It is in the north eastern sector of the Galaxy, close to the Corporate Sector and in an area filled with former separatist worlds (like Raxus Secundus, the seat of power of the CIS). Having so many former separatists close by is also of great interest to the Rebels for obvious reasons, but also to the Empire, which wishes to keep the Rebellion from growing in power and influence (as Tarkin so clearly stated). Lothal is a logistical heaven in that sector of the Galaxy for both factions and as such they intend to secure it for their own (explaining the Inquisitor, Vader and Tarkin's presence in such a short amount of time).
Honestly wouldn't be suprised if Vader was sensing everything that was going on in this episode considering how close it would be to his palace. Loved that we actually got to see someone act on Vader's reputation, we often see him commit atrocities or others talk about him, but here we actually see someone choose to die when Vader is nowhere near because the very thought of facing him is worse than death. Having Tarkin fail and Vader brought in instead is an amazing move and I really don't see how the Rebels can beat him or even survive 😂 It's going to be so interesting to see how the show works around that. It's just annoying that a guy like Tarkin finds so much power, I want to see this guy fail so much yet only good things seem to happen to him until the Death Star and now he's in control of the Entire Outer Rim. Ah, so Lothal is a perfect strategic location for both the Rebellion and the Empire, it'd be so cool to see both of them go head to head over this planet and I can totally see that being the goal of this show with how they've set up it's importance.
Some things that a far more frightening than death hmmm I wonder what that could be. Vader shows up well there’s your answer. Just his mere presence and arrival here is perfect and terrifying
Can't wait to see what they're going to do with him now!! This was such a good setup but it feels like overkill 😂 Really don't see how the Rebels can stand a chance against him.
@@benspiller No spoilers but it’s very well done and what your going into is widely regarded as some of the best Star Wars period (as is the whole show but especially from now onwards.)
Without any spoilers…this Vader is in my opinion the best version of him. The design of his helmet is similar to his concept art helmet from the og movie (literaly the best looking and most menacing looking helmet), his presence is just out of the world every time and he is truely a beast in this show. I’am so looking forward to see your reaction
Cannot wait to see what Vader's going to get up to here, the crew does not stand a chance against him even if they develop and get stronger, I know he's going to be a complete beast and it's going to be so amazing!!
Great show, so much good stuff to come.The Star Wars animated series ( clone wars, bad batch, rebels ) are my favourite canon content. Ahsoka was born in 36bby and Rebels starts in 5bby so Ahsoka is 31.
After this season I cannot wait to see where this show will go, feels like the possibilities have been blow wide open with this ending. It feels so weird that that Ahsoka's grown up so much and I really hope that part of her life can get explored in the future.
So the opening of this episode is a direct sequel to something called Star Wars rebels shorts they are for five minute episodes that introduced each character. The Sabine one is called the artist she attacks the exact same imperial airstrip. If you can find them on UA-cam and various other places me personally they came with the Blu-ray and DVD of the show when it came out the first episode is called the machine in the ghost. Episode 20 is supply run episode three is called the artist episode for property of Ezra bridger.
He's actually seen the Shorts he reacted to them right before he Began the first episode, you can probably find the video if you scroll down on his Channel's videos
I made sure to watch these before I started the series, love how connected they are to the actual final of season 1 and they aren't their own separate thing.
The Grand Inquisitor was right, there are somethings far more frightening than death. And that's what happened to him. While he does technically die here, in the comics (I can't remember exactly how Vader did this) Vader imprisoned the Grand Inquisitor's soul so he could continue his service/be punished. He's a kinda spirit (not a force ghost) and in that comic Luke fights him.
You gotta be kidding 😂😂 Loved the Grand Inquisitor's line and final act but it feels so insane that he somehow gets brought back from this too 😂 Granted that version sounds like shear torture with Vader trapping his stole but it's crazy he's technically cheated death twice.
So the empire really wants to kill the spectre team because of their message and what they effectively represent now, the weakness of the empire. Lothal is also super important as it's effectively untouched meaning the entire planet could be mined for their tie-fighters which they started doing in the first episode, buying or forcibly taking land.
After this ending the crew definitely have a target on their heads with all they've done and their closeness to Lothal, can't wait to see the Empire's response and how it will affect them as I'd assume they'd lose at this point 😂 but then it'd be something they could develop to.
@@benspiller I honestly really cannot wait for your next episodes. I think it does a good job showing the weakness of the individual Rebel groups and how important it was to unify.
The last time anyone’s ever seen, the character was back in season, five of the clone wars which aired almost 7 years before this episode came out. You’re lucky you got to watch it all in one big session. The rest of us had to wait and wait and wait and speculate for seven years. When rebels first came out, there was no production information outside of the fact that the clone wars team worked on it. As far as we were concerned, this was a separate show, and this was had nothing to do with TCW rebels, season two is the spiritual successor to season five of the clone wars. Season six isn’t even a real Season. It’s just called the lost episode a collection of episodes of TCW that were made but never released prior to the shows cancellation.
Still feels so insane that this was the first confirmation that Ahsoka survived, I love the order I've watched this all in but it must have felt so incredible to be suprised like this and have her come back and have such a pivotal role in the Rebellion.
@@benspiller what’s really interesting his fans of the show were able to decrypt the voice modulator way back in Out of the Darkness, and realize that was Ashley Eckstein as Fulcrum.
In a comic that takes place shortly after Empire Strikes Back Luke is searching for a new lightsabre. The search eventually takes him to a Jedi Temple where he finds a yellow lightsabre. After claiming it he's attacked by a resurrected Grand Inquisitor. We later learn that Vader resurrected him and forced him to guard the Temple as a punishment for his failure. But it gets worse. The Grand Inquisitor is eternally burning. His final words in Rebels were that there are fates worse than death. He wasn't wrong. The yellow lightsabre is Luke's third. In the novel Heir to the Jedi Luke travels to the homeworld of the Rodians where he learns of a Rodian Jedi who managed to reach the Rodian homeworld after Order 66, but died. The Rodian who tells him about the Jedi takes him to his tomb and lets him take the Jedi's amethyst lightsabre. Luke never uses his second lightsabre. He takes it apart, hoping to learn how it works. This might be how he eventually learns how to build his green lightsabre.
Love that there's so much backing to how Luke got his Lightsaber but I'm actually starting to feel sorry for the Grand Inquisitor after all this 😂😂 The dude really can't die or move on!
I can’t wait to you get to Season 2 finale, I’ll love to see your reaction to seeing my favorite character in all of Star Wars. In my opinion, this is where the show picks up, most episodes going forward are excellent (there’s a few ones that aren’t as good as the others) and you will love this show almost as much as The Clone Wars, if not more.
I can't even begin to imagine what the season 2 final is going to be like but I know this one was amazing and I'm sure the show will continue to blow me away! Honestly, I might already be loving this show close to how much I loved Clone Wars, the family dynamics and focus are amazing and making me really drawn to these characters.
@@benspiller I know when I watched this show when it was on DisneyXD I was so shocked at every finale in this series, especially 1 and 2. But 2 was definitely my favorite and can’t wait till you get to it
You're lucky, because you knew that Ahsoka lived because Disney added to the Clone Wars. When they canceled the Clone Wars series, we never knew what happened to Ahsoka, we waited years before seeing this episode of Rebels to know she had survived Order 66.
Still feels so crazy that this was the first confirmation of her survival! I can only imagine the feeling of seeing her again after she walked away from Anakin and the Temple only to see her show up again here with the Rebellion.
the grand inquisitor basically dead i say basically because he's for the most part out of the story here outside of the occasional mention. however in the comics he is basically trapped in an old jedi temple and meant to stop anyone from gaining jedi knowledge. he meets and fight luke at that temple after having lost his lightsaber searching for jedi knowledge. and yes vader is the one who traps his spirt to the temple. the last scene in season 7 with vader we don't really get a timeframe of how long vader has been around as vader. we just see the snowtroopers and the imperial landship so it could be a couple years after the crash or after season 2 just because of the amount snow that has overtaken the crash site. but i've always liked the idea that he pretty much goes back to crash site after season 2 first couple of episodes. because for him he is very much looking at any link to anakin as weak and is putting more focus on kenobi because he beat him and he probably read/heard a report about the crash and assumed everyone died on impact and so he didn't bother to check until he had a reason to. and now we have the little sister having to deal with her big brother and his ego. while said big brother basically has to deal with the mistake from his point of view at this point of having trained her . again this is a recurring thing for anakin/vader he keeps creating problems that becomes problems for the empire. season 7 before anakin meets ashoka again his admiral talks about Saw gareera using the fulcrum frequency to contact them before he learns its ashoak and bo katan. that whole sentence is just state 3 things that become a problem for the empire. Saw who we see in BB is already fighting the empire. the fulcrum frequency for ashoka who not only uses it to hide her identity but also ashoka her self. the last thing that would really make it perfect is if both of his kids were involved at this point. but we know they don't really become a major problem for dear old dad till ANH.
So even after all this the Grand Inquisitor still isn't technically dead 😂😂 Kind of feel sorry for him at this point with the torture Vader's putting him through. I like this idea a lot, having his focus solely be on his former master makes sense as Ahsoka's connection wouldn't be as strong considering their separation, his going back could have been after quite a few years with the state of the ship too. Love how much detail was in the scene in Season 7 where they actually said Fulcrom to tie into this show. At least one thing is consistent with Anakin/Vader with how they keep making problems for the thing they work for.
Your comparison to Duel of the Fates is correct. While Duel of the Fates decided Anakin's fate, here we are witnessing Ezra's. However, the symbolism is different: Mustafar represents darkness. Ezra entered this darkness to save Kanan, and Kanan, as a protector, had to lead Ezra out of it. If Kanan had lost, Ezra would have been immediately transported to Nur and indoctrinated as an Inquisitor. They were at a critical moment where Kanan’s death would have sealed Ezra’s fate-he would have remained in that darkness. If Kanan survived, it means that he as a protector would defend and lead Ezra out of the darkness and that's what happened. Now, there are many details in the duel to consider. Kanan didn’t use the dark side, but his fighting style was aggressive. He understood that he couldn’t allow the Inquisitor to take the initiative and control the fight. The Grand Inquisitor primarily relied on Form II, a style of light, precise, and frequent attacks-Dooku was a master of this form. However, when Ezra joined the fight, Kanan made a critical mistake: he switched to Soresu, the most defensive form. Since Ezra is also being trained in this form, the Inquisitor gained the initiative and quickly knocked Ezra out of the fight. The reason behind this mistake is symbolic-Kanan waited for the Inquisitor to well make an mistake, not wanting to risk anything because of his concern for his apprentice - a single mistake could have resulted in Ezra's death (A mistake in an attack can give great opportunities for deadly counterattacks. And Kanan is not a specialist in offensive forms) After Ezra fell, Kanan let go of his fear. He returned to his initial aggressive approach, attacking even more fiercely and completely taking the initiative. And we’ve seen what happens when someone who use this form like Dooku loses the initiative in Revenge of the Sith and Clone Wars-the same thing happened to the Inquisitor here. Forced into a desperate defense, he ultimately lost. [*] Grand Inquisitor In the end, the Grand Inquisitor was defeated. His final words are important: he was afraid, and we know whom he feared. He chose to escape the consequences of his failure. Although we won’t see it on screen, the Grand Inquisitor will still face consequences after death. Vader will suspend his soul between life and death, forcing him into eternal service. Eventually, Luke will defeat and "kill" him. From a symbolic perspective, Kanan’s defeat of the Grand Inquisitor represents overcoming fear and giving everyone hope. The symbol of this hope is a character who is fearless - Ahsoka. But something feels off because the presence of Vader complicates the symbolism. Why is fear replaced with even greater fear? The conclusion is that this is not so simple. The entire concept of symbolism here is much more complex because it raises many questions about the fight with fear. The only thing I will say now is that it will be most visible in Ezra, but it will be about everyone. Ahsoka took the name Fulcrum, and in the 7 season, Ahsoka used this code name to communicate with Anakin and Kenobi. Here’s a quote from the book: “What am I going to call you if I can’t call you Ahsoka? You’ll need a code name at the least, so you can deal with other operatives.” - Bail “Fulcrum. You can call me Fulcrum.” - Ahsoka “Then welcome to the Rebellion.” - Bail (This conversation takes place right after her episode in Tales of the Jedi). And I think it's worth saying that I think we'll definitely get events after Bad Bach and before Rebels in the next animation and I wouldn't be surprised if it will be with all characters. For now we only know about Ventress. 17:49 Mainly Tarkin's humiliating defeat and the fact that this Rebel group allowed themselves to do so much. Vader is meant to show that the Empire is not weak, sending a strong message to others about what happens to the Empire’s enemies.
I absolutely loved this fight scene and how it is very similar to Deul of Fate but also is different enough to stand on its own, love how the symbolism behind it is used in the same way as Deul of Fates too with it deciding Ezra’s fate. Looking at the fight scene closely now just goes to show how it disproved the Jedi’s view on attachment, Kanan ‘losing’ Ezra didn’t make him fall to the darkness but actually moved closer to the light, without having to worry about his apprentice he could actually focus on the fight and not be distracted, he could be as aggressive as he wants to be to make the Grand Inquisitor slip up plus we got to see him get a lot more powerful and competent which all came from the Force. So even after all of this the Grand Inquisitor still doesn’t truly die 😂😂 Honestly starting to feel sorry for this guy with the amount of torture he’s being put through but at least his final words were amazing and set up Vader as the next looming threat while also displaying how incomparably terrifying he is! I feel like we got to see a glimpse of a Kanan who has overcome his fear here, yet it may not be permanent and with Vader coming in he’ll regain his fear, it’s something we can continue to see him develop towards while also having a visual sneak peek at his potential. Loved that Clone Wars actually worked in the name Fulcrum to connect it with what she’s doing here!! Wish this had been included in Tales of the Jedi at the end but then again kind of glad it didn’t as then I would have known about it making this reveal a whole lot less. I really don’t see how the Rebels can survive against Vader, it makes so much sense that he’d be coming for them now since he’s next above Tarkin, but it feels like overkill so it’s going to be really interesting to see how the show works around this.
For having the Empire wanting to take over Lothal I think it's more to show the Empire's power. If a small group of rebels is able to stop the Empire there then it shows that the Empire is weak.
That's a great point, having one small cell be such a pain would make the Empire look terrible so they'd of course want to get rid of them so they don't appear weak.
There are things much more frightening than death! Did you understand what the inquisitor was talking about? Dark side! He knew exactly what he was talking about, because he was a Jedi. All inquisitors are rookie Jedi who survived Order 66. Do you understand what Kanan was talking about? Things that are stronger than fear. He was wrong when he called this thing Force. Anger is what it was! The desire to cut the throat of Ezra's killer, justifying himself to himself for failing to protect him! As he thought. Kill him at any cost, because everything is doomed! The creature that fought the Inquisitor was no longer Kanan. It was a Killer, a dark killer, even if only for a few minutes. Just kill and nothing matters! The Inquisitor knew this feeling. He was in the temple when Vader broke in. The bitterness and anger of a powerless person, unable to stop what is happening. It led the Inquisitor into darkness then, it led Kanan into darkness now. The Inquisitor saw his reflection in Kanan. And he tried to warn. And he was right! Kanan was powerless to protect the Rebellion, his people, himself (in the fight against himself). Others have done it. Those whom the Inquisitor himself did not have at the right time.
He’s not my favourite Jedi, but I do respect him a lot. And honestly, I kind of feel sorry for the grand Inquisitor, especially since we all know what his master is capable of just as much as his(The Emperor) And surprise surprise, believe it or not when we got my bro our favourite character back Ahsoka Tano it was truly a happy day indeed but then on that same day we found out Darth Vader was coming out and coming soon to season two of rebels and I knew it was only a matter of time before those two could see each other again. But now just like the agent says and just like the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker said Hope has spread throughout the galaxy and word of these embarrassing losses are spreading into the Empire the rebellion must be ready because retaliation is on the rise.
Honestly, I do feel a bit of sympathy for the Grand Inquisitor now, I wanted to see him fear Kanan but the fear he showed was of Vader and chose to die instead of facing it. So happy to see both Ahsoka and Vader returning!! They've both changed so much since Clone Wars and I cannot wait to see how these two will clash.
Yes I have watched it, watched Ahsoka's episodes right after I finished Clone Wars season 7 so I knew she was going with the Rebellion but never knew for how long, this confirms she's been there for close to 15 years so she must have become such a pivotal person in its creation.
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.
Duel of fates is qui gon and obi wan vs maul btw. And its not playing here😂
The feeling when this first aired, the first ever confirmation that Ahsoka survived into the Galactic Civil War era, that she survived Order 66 (since the last we saw of her was S5 of the Clone Wars)...
Good times
This must have been insane, seems so weird to think that people had no idea of her fate after season 5 of the Clone Wars until right here, the feeling of seeing her again must have been incredible!
The grand inquisitor: there are some things far more frigthening than DEATH
Moments later..
Vader walks into this show
he’d rather kill himself than face Vader after he failed to kill the jedi
@@sindregrnning7648 be thankful it isn’t his master
His line is so crazy to think about, we've known of Vader's reputation for so long but to see this act just makes it so much more real, a dude as scary as the Grand Inquisitor would rather die in an explosion than face the wrath of his master!
I don't exactly know how painful it would be to die in an explosion, but at least it's a quick death. If he returned to Vader, it would've been MUCH longer.
@@Mis7erSeven tell that to Darth Vader’s master
I'm convinced that a significant part of Rebels popularity is due to Kevin Kiner's score. His score for "Fire Across the Galaxy" I think is one of his finest.
I agree! After Bad Batch especially, I would even choose him over John Williams. His music only keeps getting better with every show
@@timsudmeier6482 which is exactly why I say I only trust the people I trust
Yeah, John Williams rules the movies but Kevin Kiner dominates the TV shows! His work honestly doesn't get enough credit IMHO.
Oh absolutely! The score is amazing and it's something I'm so excited for with the rest of this series as I know Kevin Kiner did the scores for Bad Batch and those were exceptional too.
Absolutely the music is a vital part to all of these shows
I love this finale so much!! Also, keep in mind, this aired back in early 2015 before a lot of these other Star Wars shows came out or were completed, so by this time, we had no idea that Ahsoka was even alive, let alone working for the Rebellion! So, when 13-year-old me saw her and heard her theme again, I was over the moon!!
Also, as for your question of "was that the entire Rebllion," the answer is no. Something to keep in mind here, this isn't the Rebel "Alliance" we see in the Original Trilogy. These are just the sparks and localized groups that will eventually grow into a larger rebellion.
It still blows my mind that this is how Ahsoka was confirmed to be alive after so long!! The feeling of seeing her again must have been so amazing to not only know she survived Order 66 but grew up and has been working with the Rebellion.
Thanks for answering this question, glad that we aren't seeing the rebellion in its entirety as it would still be fairly young, and I love how it's being explained that there are many who are fighting against the Empire but they're all so spread out and unorganised that some may find that organisation but as a whole it's still small.
Kanan's moment was him purely connecting with the force, being worried about the Grand Inquisitor going after Ezra was a major handicap in the earlier duels.
He deactivated the sabers once the Inquisitor started talking, so Kanan was either going to pull him up or simply let fate decide.
It's incredible how this whole scene proved the Jedi order wrong in their view of attachment, Kanan thought he lost Ezra and instead of lashing out in anger and falling to the Dark Side, he gets stronger in the light.
Excellent reaction! I love Kanan's line there, after Ezra fell, "This was a mistake... Because I have nothing more to fear!". And getting Ahsoka back, so wonderful, remember we didn't know what happened to her after she left the Temple... Lots of amazing moments in this season!
That line from Kanan gave me goosebumps when I first heard it 😁
Kanan's line was exceptional! He exemplified everything that the Jedi of old were wrong about with their views on attachment and it's crazy to think that considering how poorly trained he is. Having Ashoka back feels so good!!! This entrance just feels amazing as she'd have to have been working with the Rebellion for a long while now considering her age so there must been so much she's been through since we last saw her. Still feels weird to think this is the first time people saw her again after Clones Wars ended with season 5, seeing her then must have felt so much more insane than this seeing as it confirmed she survived Order 66.
Back when Hera delivered Tseebo to "Fulcrum", the drop off was at the same class of ship Organa and his people use.
The boxes of supplies Fulcrum left for the team was marked with a carving of Ahsoka's forehead insignia.
I remember this now! The ships were the same and so happy I wasn't going crazy and they did put emphasis on that symbol for a reason!
Mustafar looked so evil in this, even redder than before.
9:32 man the G.I. is tough there. Thinking a 1v1 was to easy, and then as he's saying a 1v2 is more fair, the imperial march plays. This series is amazing.
Talk about something that'd make you want to keep watching. Tarkin just dismissing the G.I. and not caring that he's dead, and bringing in Vader sent by the emperor, followed by the imperial march.
Loved the shot of Mustafar, it's so foreboding and just makes the setting feel so evil and dark,
Loved the Grand Inquisitor. The dude truly could have taken on Both Ezra and Kanan but when he knocked the former down he was no match at all for Kanan.
This ending was amazing at concluding the season 1 story while also making me so excited for everything to come
Funny to think Vader could sense everything going on above Mustafar.
"You have no idea what you've unleashed here today, there are some things far more frightening than death."
This is so true! He could have easily sensed the presence of the Jedi and Tarkin's failure before he even reported to him, makes for a very scary boss when there's nothing you can hide from him.
Season one knew what it was doing with the title for the first episode and the last episode.
"Spark of Rebellion" - "Fire Across the Galaxy"
Ohhhh love this!! Got to start looking for details like this in the rest of the season's titles.
To make things more unsettling, Vader's animated form specifically uses Anakin's body proportions.
The Ezra and Kanan/Anakin and Qui-Gon comparison is quite a correct observation.
The reason why Vader was brought to Lothal was likely due to Kanan and Ezra both being Jedi, and having managed to kill the Grand Inquisitor. Vader and the Inquisitorious' whole deal is hunting Jedi after all, and at this point in time, there sure aren't many left to hunt, honestly. Vader and the Inquisitorious has been quite effective indeed.
Also, here is a fun fact about the Grand Inquisitor... As shown in a Star Wars comic issue 6 from 2020: Turns out that killing him on the Star Destroyer here above Mustafar was seemingly not enough to get fully rid of him. Vader made sure of that. The Grand Inquisitor's physical body got incinerated and obliterated, however, SOMEHOW, Vader managed to prevent the Grand Inquisitor's spirit from passing on from the mortal world. Vader put the Grand Inquisitor's spirit to guard a High Republic Jedi outpost on a place called "Tempes", in order to trap unsuspecting Jedi who returned there, seeking knowledge. Luke Skywalker was one such person who got ambushed by the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor there some time after The Empire Strikes Back. The Grand Inquisitor's spirit, appearing as his normal self, except covered in fire and explosion-like things, battled Luke Skywalker there. However Luke beat him and escaped. When Vader arrived to check up on the Grand Inquisitor's spirit, the Grand Inquisitor mentioned how he wasn't able to beat Luke, as Luke was just too powerful for him. Vader then basically told him that he will continue as long as Vader finds use for him. And the Grand Inquisitor's spirit then mentions to himself how there are things far worse than death. Apparently referring to the situation he find himself in. So yes, TECHNICALLY the Grand Inquisitor is dead... However his spirit continues to serve Vader SOMEHOW... Don't ask me how, the force works in mysterious ways, and the dark side is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural and all that. XP
It's so insane that Kanan and Ezra now have Vader of all people on their tales, I really don't see how they could survive against him.
So even after all this the Grand Inquisitor still can't actually die 😂😂 I'm actually starting to feel bad for the guy after all this, the Jedi aren't even put through this kind of torture with Palpatine!
When Kanan said "because I have nothing left to fear" it was him embracing the light side path and the power that brings.
Fear is a pathway to the dark side.
Realising this now makes the scene even better, he fully disproved the Jedi order's view on attachment, when he lost someone he cares for he actually grew stronger in the light instead of falling to the Dark.
@benspiller it takes a strength of character that very few have, even Jedi.
Also proves his selflessness, that his only fears are fear of harm to others, he has zero fear of self-sacrifice.
Ahsoka: "Hello there."
Ben: * short-circuits *
Vader: "Hello there."
Ben: * self-destructs *
Palpatine: "Good... Good..."
Tarkin: "I lost tho."
😂😂😂
With the prologue, the very first shot of Rebels season 1 is a hologram of Vader addressing the Grand Inquisitor. In "Fire Across the Galaxy" Rebels season 1 ends with a final shot of Vader disembarking Tarkin's shuttle and ariving on Lothal.
Love this!! The season begins and ends with Vader himself!
Funny to think the next time Tarkin's in danger and is advised to leave, he refuses...
Ohh this is so true, this is the actual event which caused him not to leave the Death Star and it's out of sheer stubbornness of his failure here that he refuses to repeat it.
I recommend watching the scene where all the voices call Ezra with subtitles on, as that will tell you who all are calling him.
Thanks, I'll rewatch it as that seems very trippy with all of them calling his name all at once.
Chopper, the Ghost and the Blockade Runners coming in to save the day was awesome. And the Inquisitor fearing Vader and the Emperor more than death was terrifying.
Loved these scenes, Chopper coming in to save the day is amazing 😂😂 And then the Grand Inquisitor chosing Death over facing Vader goes to show off how truly terrifying he is.
I TOLD YOU you'd like Fulcrum. Also, your reaction to Vader is really appropriate. Vader IS a beast! You know you're screwed the moment he shows up. It's a moment both scary and hype.
Yes you did and I absolutley love what this means for Ahsoka!! Her having such a large role in the early rebellion is so insane to think about! And Vader being here is just terrifying, he's way too powerful for the Rebels to handle so it'll be very interesting to see how the show deals with him.
When Rebels released, Clone Wars S7 didn't exist yet, it was still after it had been cancelled, so Ahsoka's fate was a mystery. Most of us had just assumed she died in Order 66, so her appearance here was mind blowing. Also, the character shorts you watched at the start, I'm pretty sure those didn't exist yet either, so this episode was the first time seeing Ahsoka _and_ Darth Vader in the show. It was also the first time Darth Vader had been seen on screen since Revenge of the Sith in 2005
So this episode gave us the first onscreen Vader in almost a decade, and brought back the fan favorite character Ahsoka, who most had thought dead
It's so crazy how much this one episode accomplished with its release, assumed that this would have been Ahsoka's first appearance after Clone Wars S5 and it must have felt so insane to see her and finally know her fate, but this fact about Vader is even more crazy! Had no clue this was his first time on screen since the RofS and it just adds another mind-blowing moment to this episode.
At the end of Season 7 of Clone Wars, when Ahsoka contacted Anakin's cruiser, Admiral Yularen said Ahsoka was using Anakin's "Fulcrum" communication frequency.
Love this detail! But does make me think why didn't the Empire realise who Fulcrom was since it was Anakin's codename to begin with.
@@benspiller Not many knew about Anakin using the Fulcrum channel, so the Empire wouldn't be in the know.
12:26 Vader is who he’s talking about, and he’s dead, but did not go unpunished. He thought he could escape Vader in death but in comics Vader found and punished him, trapping his spirit on Tempes after he allowed Luke to get away on Tempes, he now kills any Jedi that seeks knowledge at that temple.
We always knew how scary Vader's reputation is but it's a whole other thing seeing it like this where his underling prefers death over facing him, and WOW this guy couldn't even escape him in death 😂😂
17:45 I think it's a little of both. Remember how Hera said that the Empire doesn't want private land owners mining on Lothal, and the Ghost crew are becoming too much of a thorn in the Empire's side.
Also I want to talk about how easily Kanan destroyed the Grand Inquisitor's (gone but not forgotten) lightsaber hilt so easily. That's an intentional design flaw that Palpatine included incase the other Inquisitors turned on him. That reason is also why Darth Bane established his famous Rule of Two, because weaker Sith were ganging up on stronger ones.
Yeah that's what I'm thinking, there's definitely something special about the planet and the Empire wants full control over it plus this cell of Rebels just took out the Grand Inquisitor too.
Love that Palpatine put an intentional weakness into this weapon 😂😂 It's just like him to plan ahead of betrayal and add a fail-safe were he could take out these sabers so easily if they were used against him.
Season 2 has a lot to look forward to. Grand inquisitor death is something for the empire to take notice.
I'm so excited for it!! This season was already amazing and I know it can only improve from here! The Grand Inquisitor's death definitely puts Kanan and Ezra on the Empire's radar, a Jedi and a Padawan taking out the leader of their organisation that's specifically there to deal with Jedi, the Empire definitely wants them gone!
Ahsoka showing up here used to be even more impactful when it came out, because it is the first time we saw her after the clone wars season 5. We didn't even know if she was still alive, which made this scene extremely emotional for me, to know that she is safe. Maybe the Ahsoka novel came out before, but about that I'm not sure, because I only started reading the novels a bit later...
It feels so insane that this was the first confirmation of Ahsoka's survival, it immediately tells you so much about how she must have been with the Rebellion for a very long time and I know that when this aired the feeling would have been incredible compared to seeing it while knowing she survived.
Agree this was a terrific season one ender. Love the callback to the stolen tie-fighter & it having been painted, love the Kanan/Grand Inquisitor fight, and finally love the ending with the reveals of Ahsoka and Vader. Looking forward to your journey through season 2.
This season was just everything! Loved how he really brought the entire show so far full circle by bringing back the tie fighter from arguably the weakest episode of the season and then it just goes nuts with the Kanan fight and Ahsoka reveal. The creators really went all out with this final and it makes me so excited to see what they have in store for season 2!
Ahsoka was a teenager during clone wars, this takes place around 20 years after clone wars, so she would be in her late 30s at this point.
Hey, Ben! So good to see you again!
3:45 - Fun fact: This paint job (and I've been WAITING to tell you about this) is available as an "unlockable" paint job for TIE fighters in the "Star Wars Squadrons" game. I don't know if you're into flight simulation games like that, but the game IS really fun. I would advise an inexpensive flight stick, rather than a typical game controller, though.
6:05 - You silly goose... of course it's rigged to "do something"... Sabine rigged it.... ;)
12:30 - "More frightening than death? What are those?" - Ummmm.... what Vader, his master, would do to him for failing to kill Kanan. And he knows that.
12:40 - Actually, he didn't die when Reva pierced him with her lightsaber in the Kenobi series. The blow did not strike a major organ. That's something I didn't think appropriate to reveal before. But this time.... yeah, he's done. Remember, different species have different organ placements in their torso. He's from Utapau (a species we saw in Revenge of the Sith), and there's something else you will learn about the Grand Inquisitor that will surprise you, later on. Let's just leave it at that.
17:00 - Remember, the Inquisitors were Vader's underlings. Since the Grand Inquisitor failed, the Emperor sent Vader, aka "The Emperor's Fist" to deal with the problem.
17:25 - In short, "yes". This episode sets up the events of season 2. But do yourself a favor, and don't get ahead of yourself in thinking about "what ifs", even though it's very tempting. Also, remember at the end of the episode, it wasn't just the Ghost that showed up to ensure their escape.... they basically exposed that there is more organization to the growing threat to the Empire than was previously known. Prior to that, it appeared that there were "random groups of insurgents" acting independently of one another.
17:45 - I'll answer that, without spoilers: Lothal is VERY important to the Empire, for reasons that will become clear over the course of the series. That's all I'll say on that.
20:00 - Remember what Kanan said, "I have nothing left to fear." Meaning that he has shed both his "self doubt" about training Ezra in the first place, since his own training wasn't completed, and while he still has an attachment to Ezra, as well as the others, he now knows it won't lead to it dominating his fear of loss which could lead him to the Dark Side.
20:45 - lol.... Geonosis. But we knew what you meant. Also, consider that the Jedi do not take a life wantonly, only when absolutely necessary. But thinking about it again, that the Grand Inquisitor chose to end himself rather than face Vader's wrath, or even be captured by Kanan, says something as well.
22:25 - Actually, Chopper cares more than you think. He cares so much about Hera (Mom, as even he calls her) and the crew, that he is willing to risk everything to save her. That's why he got Fulcrum involved. And of course, Ahsoka knew Bail Organa, and cashed in a favor to rescue the crew.
Absolutely love that this thing was brought back and it’s so cool that they actually made a skin for it in the game 😂 😂
Get that he’s a different species but still, it’s treated as a death, so you never know for sure if someone dies unless you see the body 😂
Feels like such overkill that Vader’s been sent to deal with them, honestly don’t see how they can survive against him.
The Empire’s motives for Lothal are so interesting, from what I can gather it’s basically in a prime strategic space which would be great for both the rebellion and the Empire so both need to try and control it.
Loved that Kanan basically proved the Jedi’s views on attachment wrong in this scene, he ‘lost’ Ezra, yet he didn’t fall to the Dark Side because of it and instead focused himself and grew stronger in the light now that he lacked his fear.
😂 😂 Geonosis was it!! My main thought on this is since Kanan is far from the Jedi of old, would he still share their views on taking life.
Ahhh didn’t realise Chopper calls Hera Mom, that’s so adorable 😂 It’s so fun to view things through the lens of Chopper and how he isn’t just a chaotic little maniac but cares so much for the crew's safety that he does something chaotic by leaving to go and call in the backup to make sure he can get them to safety.
@@benspiller Remember, he was the Grand Inquisitor for a reason..... though that will be revealed later on. Anyway, Vader was sent because T.G.I. failed, and he was the most powerful of them. Next step up, was Vader. Overkill? Maybe.... but "you'll see" how it plays out.
Lothal is, as you noted, of "strategic importance"... but that's not all. The planet is very rich in resources. Hence why the Empire wants/needs it. The only real benefit to the Rebellion is to keep the Empire from controlling it.
About Kanan..... you're correct there. Remember, it was the Jedi Order's hubris that caused their downfall. Since Kanan wasn't fully "indoctrinated" by the Jedi, he (as you noted) lets himself be led by the will of The Force, just like Qui-Gon Jinn would.
About Chopper: If you listen closely, you can often make out what he's saying. While I don't know if he's credited for it prior to the end of the series, Dave Filoni voices Chopper. He actually DOES speak the lines in English (galactic basic?) but they are run through a bit of software to make it sound more "droid like". But if you listen closely (and factor in the replies by the Ghost crew), you can make out what he's saying. Also, Chopper has a "potty mouth". ;) I think this was covered in the Bad Batch, but even if not, it's simply "background" info and not really a "spoiler": Chopper was in a Y-Wing bomber as the astromech. The ship crashed on Ryloth (Hera's home world), where she rescued and repaired the droid. Since then, he has been loyal to her, and that explains why he calls her "Mom". After all, she IS the "mom" of the Ghost crew. Chopper cares about the Ghost crew, because Hera cares about the Ghost crew. Like Hera, Chopper considers them family. Especially since they treat Chopper as one of their own, and not "just a disposable droid, easily replaced". I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but droids in Star Wars are treated as "lesser beings". It's a very subtle bit of "racism", how droids are treated. Despite being not only intelligent (and more often than not, "self aware"), they are not treated as "living beings". This is also why droids like C-3PO have their memories wiped at regular intervals: To prevent them from developing certain personality traits. Astromechs, such as Chopper and R2-D2 rarely have their memory banks wiped, as that would make them far less useful and less valuable. The side effect of that "lack of memory wiping" is that astromechs tend to develop a "personality" over the years due to their experiences (aside from the personality of their original programing). As you've seen with R2-D2, an astromech does WAY more than simply "co-pilot" a ship. They can calculate Hyperspace routes, use their built-in tools to "save the day", act as spies if needed (notice how droids in general are treated by humans: droids are basically ignored, so they can pretty much access anything without being suspicious, access and retrieve (or even falsify) information.... all sorts of things beneficial to their "owners")...
A good example of this kind of treatment is in Return of the Jedi. When Luke "gifted" R2-D2 and C-3PO to Jabba the Hutt. Such a "gift" wasn't out of the ordinary, and it put R2 in a position to be able to help Luke and the rest of them in escaping Jabba's clutches. No one really paid them any mind other than their usefulness. Remember, R2 basically smuggled Luke's lightsaber passed Jabba's security. While Lando was also "undercover", him being in possession of Luke's lightsaber would not only have been easily found, but also gotten him captured and potentially tortured and/or killed. But no one questions a droid, nor even "search" one for any threats.
The same thing goes for Chopper. While he's "an older model", his presence on an Imperial ship wouldn't be questioned, especially with a new (Imperial) paint job.
Season two had an hour-long premiere that was later divided into two half-hour episodes. If you haven't watched them yet, I recommend watching them together.
Don't worry, only did this video with one episode since the season had an odd number, season 2's back to doing two eps per video so I watched both episodes together 😁
Spark of Rebellion (Season 1 premiere) was also initially a one hour special. I actually have a copy of it on DVD, and it has a few differences from the Season 1 episode 1 and 2 versions. Most of them are small editing differences, but the episode 1 version added a scene at the beginning.
The moment with Kanan fighting after Ezra “died”, was very similar to quigon meditating before the fight with Maul
Yes! Love this detail, it's the calm breath that took before he fought that links in and just adds to the similarities between the two fight scenes.
I just won't ever get over Kanan being able to use Ezra's lightsaber better than than Ezra uses it himself. And yes, the Grand Inquisitor is dead this time, as in not coming back. That's why his suppsosed stab from Reva in the Kenobi show was so confusing.
YES!! 😂😂 Loved how he was using it and I hope that Ezra can get to that ability someday! Glad to know this is the end for the Grand Inquisitor though 😂 can't see how he'd be able to come back from this ending.
I agree with your light side interpretation of Kanan reacting to Ezras "death". When it comes to handling emotions, while still being a good Jedi (even better because of listening to ones emotions to a reasonable degree), Kanan does this best in my opinion. Remember when I told you about there being more characters like Sol (or even better than him) in the Acolyte, I was especially referring to Kanan and you are only through season one! Lets see, where Kanans story will go... :)
Also, in the scene with the Inquisitor hanging on the ledge, I think that Kanan wasn't really prepeared for making this decision. Throughout the entire second half of the fight, he was trusting his instincts and letting the force guide him, but when he won, he had to make a decision. I personally think that it could have been possible for him to give in to the dark side at that point, because he is used to making moraly questionable decisions, because in these times this is necessary to ensure the groups survival. Fortunately, the Inquisitor made the decision for him.
This makes me so excited for Kanan's future, love that we actually got to see him believe he lost someone he was attached to yet still stayed in the light, this whole fight proved the order wrong in their views on attachment and to think it's done through a Jedi who's training ended when he was a padawan is amazing, can't wait to see how he progresses over the show with this kind of start!
Honestly glad the Grand Inquisitor took this choice from him, it leaves Kanan in the moment of being guided by the force without being dulled by a decision which would have negatively affected it, if he saved him, the Grand Inquisitor would have continued to attack and if he didn't it probably makes me think towards a bit of dark side.
thank you for the reaction. Season 2 is where the fun begins, I am sure you will be very entertained by this series.
So excited for Season 2!! This final was incredible and for it to be for only the first season makes me feel like season 2 can only go up from here!
@@benspiller yes. Many do regard season 1 as the slowest but I am really happy that you took the time to appreciate the story they are weaving. Your analysis of their storytelling is very thoughtful and an absolute delight to listen to. I hope no one ever spoils any of the plot for you.
One of my favorites of all your reactions! I could not wait for you to see the reveal of Ahsoka and Darth Vader at the end. At the time, I genuinely thought Fulcrum was going to turn out to be Leia and it did not even occur to me that Ahsoka might be involved. Imagine my surprise! The word "epic" is thrown around a lot, but it is an apt description for the showdown with The Grand Inquisitor. Utilizing "Duel of the Fates" was a stroke of genius, especially with the location closely resembling the plasma refinery complex from Episode I. This made for such a satisfying conclusion to the first season while whetting the appetite for more. I'm looking forward to your journey through season two!
Leia being involved is such a good fit but I'm so glad to see Ahsoka!! I can only imagine what the feeling was like when this first aired and you got to see her return after so long while not knowing what happened to her. I do agree 'Epic' is perfect for Kanan's fight against the Grand Inquisitor, the fight scene has so many callbacks to the Duel of Fates and manages to not copy which would have cheapened the characters but made a homage to it, this is both like to Deul Of Fates but also different enough to stand on its own. This conclusion was spectacular for the story of season 1 and does such a good job at setting up season 2, I truly cannot wait to see what happens next after all of this!
That subtle detail with the saber duel of Ezra only having been trained to block so far, he wasn't going on the offense since he hasn't been taught Saber combat yet.
Nuur (where Fortress Inquisitorious is) is the planet that Mustafar orbits, they are both on the same system and that way Vader keeps tabs on the inquisitors.
Edit 1: The Grand Inquisitor was terrified of Vader, and would much rather die than live up to his wrath. That's why he said "you don't know what you have unleashed here today, there are things far more frightening than death...".
Edit 2: independently of Vader's power, which is considerable and we're all too aware of it, people also tend to forget the tactical brilliance of Anakin and, hence, Vader. He was short sighted in general, but his tactics and plans rarely failed. He might not account for the future ramifications of his plans (that's Palpatine's speciality), but they are always very likely to succeed. I'd say he's one hell of an "alternative solution" as Tarkin put it...
Edit 3: Tarkin was assigned the title of Grand Moff, which is more than ceremonial, it means that he has direct authority over a large swath of the Galaxy, in his case, he oversees the entire Outer Rim (the galaxy is divided in circles from the core outward and the Outer Rim is the outer-most sector) directly, what every governor and Moff does within that sector has to go through Tarkin first. Fleet deployment, troop placing, supply logistics, everything.
Last Edit: aside from the deeper interest of the Empire on Lothal (which we'll get to soon enough), Lothal is located in a desirable area of the Galaxy, it is close enough to hyperspace lanes to be a good hub for trade and logistics, but far enough away that no one pays it much attention. It is in the north eastern sector of the Galaxy, close to the Corporate Sector and in an area filled with former separatist worlds (like Raxus Secundus, the seat of power of the CIS). Having so many former separatists close by is also of great interest to the Rebels for obvious reasons, but also to the Empire, which wishes to keep the Rebellion from growing in power and influence (as Tarkin so clearly stated). Lothal is a logistical heaven in that sector of the Galaxy for both factions and as such they intend to secure it for their own (explaining the Inquisitor, Vader and Tarkin's presence in such a short amount of time).
Honestly wouldn't be suprised if Vader was sensing everything that was going on in this episode considering how close it would be to his palace.
Loved that we actually got to see someone act on Vader's reputation, we often see him commit atrocities or others talk about him, but here we actually see someone choose to die when Vader is nowhere near because the very thought of facing him is worse than death.
Having Tarkin fail and Vader brought in instead is an amazing move and I really don't see how the Rebels can beat him or even survive 😂 It's going to be so interesting to see how the show works around that.
It's just annoying that a guy like Tarkin finds so much power, I want to see this guy fail so much yet only good things seem to happen to him until the Death Star and now he's in control of the Entire Outer Rim.
Ah, so Lothal is a perfect strategic location for both the Rebellion and the Empire, it'd be so cool to see both of them go head to head over this planet and I can totally see that being the goal of this show with how they've set up it's importance.
Some things that a far more frightening than death hmmm I wonder what that could be. Vader shows up well there’s your answer. Just his mere presence and arrival here is perfect and terrifying
Can't wait to see what they're going to do with him now!! This was such a good setup but it feels like overkill 😂 Really don't see how the Rebels can stand a chance against him.
@@benspiller No spoilers but it’s very well done and what your going into is widely regarded as some of the best Star Wars period (as is the whole show but especially from now onwards.)
Without any spoilers…this Vader is in my opinion the best version of him. The design of his helmet is similar to his concept art helmet from the og movie (literaly the best looking and most menacing looking helmet), his presence is just out of the world every time and he is truely a beast in this show. I’am so looking forward to see your reaction
Cannot wait to see what Vader's going to get up to here, the crew does not stand a chance against him even if they develop and get stronger, I know he's going to be a complete beast and it's going to be so amazing!!
@@benspiller exactly man
Great show, so much good stuff to come.The Star Wars animated series ( clone wars, bad batch, rebels ) are my favourite canon content. Ahsoka was born in 36bby and Rebels starts in 5bby so Ahsoka is 31.
After this season I cannot wait to see where this show will go, feels like the possibilities have been blow wide open with this ending. It feels so weird that that Ahsoka's grown up so much and I really hope that part of her life can get explored in the future.
@@benspiller Don't worry there is a lot of Ashoka's story to come both in Rebels and other Star Wars shows.
So the opening of this episode is a direct sequel to something called Star Wars rebels shorts they are for five minute episodes that introduced each character. The Sabine one is called the artist she attacks the exact same imperial airstrip. If you can find them on UA-cam and various other places me personally they came with the Blu-ray and DVD of the show when it came out the first episode is called the machine in the ghost. Episode 20 is supply run episode three is called the artist episode for property of Ezra bridger.
He's actually seen the Shorts he reacted to them right before he Began the first episode, you can probably find the video if you scroll down on his Channel's videos
I made sure to watch these before I started the series, love how connected they are to the actual final of season 1 and they aren't their own separate thing.
16:10
Yeah back when this came out this was the biggest reval ever cause no one knew what happened to ahsoka after she left the order in season 5
This makes this whole thing even crazier, walking away from Anakin and the Temple to just showing up here with no context must have been insane!
In jedi knight we see Ezra say he was with Sabine as a hint they where Painting the Tie Fighter
The Grand Inquisitor was right, there are somethings far more frightening than death. And that's what happened to him.
While he does technically die here, in the comics (I can't remember exactly how Vader did this) Vader imprisoned the Grand Inquisitor's soul so he could continue his service/be punished. He's a kinda spirit (not a force ghost) and in that comic Luke fights him.
You gotta be kidding 😂😂 Loved the Grand Inquisitor's line and final act but it feels so insane that he somehow gets brought back from this too 😂 Granted that version sounds like shear torture with Vader trapping his stole but it's crazy he's technically cheated death twice.
Here we go!!!!
So the empire really wants to kill the spectre team because of their message and what they effectively represent now, the weakness of the empire. Lothal is also super important as it's effectively untouched meaning the entire planet could be mined for their tie-fighters which they started doing in the first episode, buying or forcibly taking land.
After this ending the crew definitely have a target on their heads with all they've done and their closeness to Lothal, can't wait to see the Empire's response and how it will affect them as I'd assume they'd lose at this point 😂 but then it'd be something they could develop to.
@@benspiller I honestly really cannot wait for your next episodes. I think it does a good job showing the weakness of the individual Rebel groups and how important it was to unify.
The last time anyone’s ever seen, the character was back in season, five of the clone wars which aired almost 7 years before this episode came out. You’re lucky you got to watch it all in one big session. The rest of us had to wait and wait and wait and speculate for seven years. When rebels first came out, there was no production information outside of the fact that the clone wars team worked on it. As far as we were concerned, this was a separate show, and this was had nothing to do with TCW rebels, season two is the spiritual successor to season five of the clone wars. Season six isn’t even a real Season. It’s just called the lost episode a collection of episodes of TCW that were made but never released prior to the shows cancellation.
Still feels so insane that this was the first confirmation that Ahsoka survived, I love the order I've watched this all in but it must have felt so incredible to be suprised like this and have her come back and have such a pivotal role in the Rebellion.
@@benspiller what’s really interesting his fans of the show were able to decrypt the voice modulator way back in Out of the Darkness, and realize that was Ashley Eckstein as Fulcrum.
In a comic that takes place shortly after Empire Strikes Back Luke is searching for a new lightsabre. The search eventually takes him to a Jedi Temple where he finds a yellow lightsabre. After claiming it he's attacked by a resurrected Grand Inquisitor. We later learn that Vader resurrected him and forced him to guard the Temple as a punishment for his failure. But it gets worse. The Grand Inquisitor is eternally burning. His final words in Rebels were that there are fates worse than death. He wasn't wrong.
The yellow lightsabre is Luke's third. In the novel Heir to the Jedi Luke travels to the homeworld of the Rodians where he learns of a Rodian Jedi who managed to reach the Rodian homeworld after Order 66, but died. The Rodian who tells him about the Jedi takes him to his tomb and lets him take the Jedi's amethyst lightsabre.
Luke never uses his second lightsabre. He takes it apart, hoping to learn how it works. This might be how he eventually learns how to build his green lightsabre.
Love that there's so much backing to how Luke got his Lightsaber but I'm actually starting to feel sorry for the Grand Inquisitor after all this 😂😂 The dude really can't die or move on!
I can’t wait to you get to Season 2 finale, I’ll love to see your reaction to seeing my favorite character in all of Star Wars. In my opinion, this is where the show picks up, most episodes going forward are excellent (there’s a few ones that aren’t as good as the others) and you will love this show almost as much as The Clone Wars, if not more.
I can't even begin to imagine what the season 2 final is going to be like but I know this one was amazing and I'm sure the show will continue to blow me away! Honestly, I might already be loving this show close to how much I loved Clone Wars, the family dynamics and focus are amazing and making me really drawn to these characters.
@@benspiller I know when I watched this show when it was on DisneyXD I was so shocked at every finale in this series, especially 1 and 2. But 2 was definitely my favorite and can’t wait till you get to it
You're lucky, because you knew that Ahsoka lived because Disney added to the Clone Wars. When they canceled the Clone Wars series, we never knew what happened to Ahsoka, we waited years before seeing this episode of Rebels to know she had survived Order 66.
Still feels so crazy that this was the first confirmation of her survival! I can only imagine the feeling of seeing her again after she walked away from Anakin and the Temple only to see her show up again here with the Rebellion.
the grand inquisitor basically dead i say basically because he's for the most part out of the story here outside of the occasional mention. however in the comics he is basically trapped in an old jedi temple and meant to stop anyone from gaining jedi knowledge. he meets and fight luke at that temple after having lost his lightsaber searching for jedi knowledge. and yes vader is the one who traps his spirt to the temple.
the last scene in season 7 with vader we don't really get a timeframe of how long vader has been around as vader. we just see the snowtroopers and the imperial landship so it could be a couple years after the crash or after season 2 just because of the amount snow that has overtaken the crash site. but i've always liked the idea that he pretty much goes back to crash site after season 2 first couple of episodes. because for him he is very much looking at any link to anakin as weak and is putting more focus on kenobi because he beat him and he probably read/heard a report about the crash and assumed everyone died on impact and so he didn't bother to check until he had a reason to.
and now we have the little sister having to deal with her big brother and his ego. while said big brother basically has to deal with the mistake from his point of view at this point of having trained her . again this is a recurring thing for anakin/vader he keeps creating problems that becomes problems for the empire. season 7 before anakin meets ashoka again his admiral talks about Saw gareera using the fulcrum frequency to contact them before he learns its ashoak and bo katan. that whole sentence is just state 3 things that become a problem for the empire. Saw who we see in BB is already fighting the empire. the fulcrum frequency for ashoka who not only uses it to hide her identity but also ashoka her self. the last thing that would really make it perfect is if both of his kids were involved at this point. but we know they don't really become a major problem for dear old dad till ANH.
So even after all this the Grand Inquisitor still isn't technically dead 😂😂 Kind of feel sorry for him at this point with the torture Vader's putting him through.
I like this idea a lot, having his focus solely be on his former master makes sense as Ahsoka's connection wouldn't be as strong considering their separation, his going back could have been after quite a few years with the state of the ship too.
Love how much detail was in the scene in Season 7 where they actually said Fulcrom to tie into this show. At least one thing is consistent with Anakin/Vader with how they keep making problems for the thing they work for.
Your comparison to Duel of the Fates is correct.
While Duel of the Fates decided Anakin's fate, here we are witnessing Ezra's. However, the symbolism is different:
Mustafar represents darkness.
Ezra entered this darkness to save Kanan, and Kanan, as a protector, had to lead Ezra out of it.
If Kanan had lost, Ezra would have been immediately transported to Nur and indoctrinated as an Inquisitor. They were at a critical moment where Kanan’s death would have sealed Ezra’s fate-he would have remained in that darkness.
If Kanan survived, it means that he as a protector would defend and lead Ezra out of the darkness and that's what happened.
Now, there are many details in the duel to consider. Kanan didn’t use the dark side, but his fighting style was aggressive. He understood that he couldn’t allow the Inquisitor to take the initiative and control the fight.
The Grand Inquisitor primarily relied on Form II, a style of light, precise, and frequent attacks-Dooku was a master of this form.
However, when Ezra joined the fight, Kanan made a critical mistake: he switched to Soresu, the most defensive form. Since Ezra is also being trained in this form, the Inquisitor gained the initiative and quickly knocked Ezra out of the fight.
The reason behind this mistake is symbolic-Kanan waited for the Inquisitor to well make an mistake, not wanting to risk anything because of his concern for his apprentice - a single mistake could have resulted in Ezra's death
(A mistake in an attack can give great opportunities for deadly counterattacks. And Kanan is not a specialist in offensive forms)
After Ezra fell, Kanan let go of his fear. He returned to his initial aggressive approach, attacking even more fiercely and completely taking the initiative. And we’ve seen what happens when someone who use this form like Dooku loses the initiative in Revenge of the Sith and Clone Wars-the same thing happened to the Inquisitor here. Forced into a desperate defense, he ultimately lost.
[*] Grand Inquisitor
In the end, the Grand Inquisitor was defeated. His final words are important: he was afraid, and we know whom he feared. He chose to escape the consequences of his failure.
Although we won’t see it on screen, the Grand Inquisitor will still face consequences after death. Vader will suspend his soul between life and death, forcing him into eternal service. Eventually, Luke will defeat and "kill" him.
From a symbolic perspective, Kanan’s defeat of the Grand Inquisitor represents overcoming fear and giving everyone hope. The symbol of this hope is a character who is fearless - Ahsoka. But something feels off because the presence of Vader complicates the symbolism. Why is fear replaced with even greater fear?
The conclusion is that this is not so simple. The entire concept of symbolism here is much more complex because it raises many questions about the fight with fear. The only thing I will say now is that it will be most visible in Ezra, but it will be about everyone.
Ahsoka took the name Fulcrum, and in the 7 season, Ahsoka used this code name to communicate with Anakin and Kenobi.
Here’s a quote from the book:
“What am I going to call you if I can’t call you Ahsoka? You’ll need a code name at the least, so you can deal with other operatives.” - Bail
“Fulcrum. You can call me Fulcrum.” - Ahsoka
“Then welcome to the Rebellion.” - Bail
(This conversation takes place right after her episode in Tales of the Jedi).
And I think it's worth saying that I think we'll definitely get events after Bad Bach and before Rebels in the next animation and I wouldn't be surprised if it will be with all characters.
For now we only know about Ventress.
17:49
Mainly Tarkin's humiliating defeat and the fact that this Rebel group allowed themselves to do so much.
Vader is meant to show that the Empire is not weak, sending a strong message to others about what happens to the Empire’s enemies.
@@hehu4025 he miscalculated the governor which is always been his biggest mistake of his ego😈
I absolutely loved this fight scene and how it is very similar to Deul of Fate but also is different enough to stand on its own, love how the symbolism behind it is used in the same way as Deul of Fates too with it deciding Ezra’s fate.
Looking at the fight scene closely now just goes to show how it disproved the Jedi’s view on attachment, Kanan ‘losing’ Ezra didn’t make him fall to the darkness but actually moved closer to the light, without having to worry about his apprentice he could actually focus on the fight and not be distracted, he could be as aggressive as he wants to be to make the Grand Inquisitor slip up plus we got to see him get a lot more powerful and competent which all came from the Force.
So even after all of this the Grand Inquisitor still doesn’t truly die 😂😂 Honestly starting to feel sorry for this guy with the amount of torture he’s being put through but at least his final words were amazing and set up Vader as the next looming threat while also displaying how incomparably terrifying he is!
I feel like we got to see a glimpse of a Kanan who has overcome his fear here, yet it may not be permanent and with Vader coming in he’ll regain his fear, it’s something we can continue to see him develop towards while also having a visual sneak peek at his potential.
Loved that Clone Wars actually worked in the name Fulcrum to connect it with what she’s doing here!!
Wish this had been included in Tales of the Jedi at the end but then again kind of glad it didn’t as then I would have known about it making this reveal a whole lot less.
I really don’t see how the Rebels can survive against Vader, it makes so much sense that he’d be coming for them now since he’s next above Tarkin, but it feels like overkill so it’s going to be really interesting to see how the show works around this.
For having the Empire wanting to take over Lothal I think it's more to show the Empire's power. If a small group of rebels is able to stop the Empire there then it shows that the Empire is weak.
That's a great point, having one small cell be such a pain would make the Empire look terrible so they'd of course want to get rid of them so they don't appear weak.
There are things much more frightening than death! Did you understand what the inquisitor was talking about? Dark side! He knew exactly what he was talking about, because he was a Jedi. All inquisitors are rookie Jedi who survived Order 66. Do you understand what Kanan was talking about? Things that are stronger than fear. He was wrong when he called this thing Force. Anger is what it was! The desire to cut the throat of Ezra's killer, justifying himself to himself for failing to protect him! As he thought. Kill him at any cost, because everything is doomed! The creature that fought the Inquisitor was no longer Kanan. It was a Killer, a dark killer, even if only for a few minutes. Just kill and nothing matters! The Inquisitor knew this feeling. He was in the temple when Vader broke in. The bitterness and anger of a powerless person, unable to stop what is happening. It led the Inquisitor into darkness then, it led Kanan into darkness now. The Inquisitor saw his reflection in Kanan. And he tried to warn. And he was right! Kanan was powerless to protect the Rebellion, his people, himself (in the fight against himself). Others have done it. Those whom the Inquisitor himself did not have at the right time.
He’s not my favourite Jedi, but I do respect him a lot.
And honestly, I kind of feel sorry for the grand Inquisitor, especially since we all know what his master is capable of just as much as his(The Emperor)
And surprise surprise, believe it or not when we got my bro our favourite character back Ahsoka Tano it was truly a happy day indeed but then on that same day we found out Darth Vader was coming out and coming soon to season two of rebels and I knew it was only a matter of time before those two could see each other again.
But now just like the agent says and just like the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker said Hope has spread throughout the galaxy and word of these embarrassing losses are spreading into the Empire the rebellion must be ready because retaliation is on the rise.
Honestly, I do feel a bit of sympathy for the Grand Inquisitor now, I wanted to see him fear Kanan but the fear he showed was of Vader and chose to die instead of facing it.
So happy to see both Ahsoka and Vader returning!! They've both changed so much since Clone Wars and I cannot wait to see how these two will clash.
💙
Just a question, but have you not watched Tales of the Jedi yet? That kind of bridges the gap for Ahsoka between clone wars and rebels.
Yes I have watched it, watched Ahsoka's episodes right after I finished Clone Wars season 7 so I knew she was going with the Rebellion but never knew for how long, this confirms she's been there for close to 15 years so she must have become such a pivotal person in its creation.
I'm sure you're hating this series by now. :)
Now your at the point where the series gets really good. The first season is by far the weakest part of Rebels.
Season 1 has been amazing so far so it's the weakest out of all four then the rest must be absolutely insane!!
The moment with Kanan fighting after Ezra “died”, was very similar to quigon meditating before the fight with Maul