Star Wars Rebels

Started by Shogunn2517, August 05, 2014, 10:33:03 AM

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Shogunn2517

I haven't seen a thread on the show, but as one of the bigger Star Wars fans on this site, I've been paying a lot of attention to this show with some high hopes.  Although, knowing it's Disney and following The Clone Wars all the way through, I have an idea of what to expect.  But I'm looking at this show and hoping to see the nostalgia created by the original trilogy or "Classic Era"/Rise of the Empire/Rebellion Era where the Empire is in power and rebels are on the run.  The characters in the show thus far are a bit interesting.  Of course more varied than the JEDI or CLONE characters in The Clone War.  A Mandalorian, a pilot, a brute alien and scoundrel/swashbuckling type that made people connect with Han Solo, but also be a former Jedi.  The voice talent in the show is pretty strong and a few heavies from Hollywood(Isaacs, Prinze, Oyelowo and my favorite BILLY DEE WILLIAMS!!!). 

Again, I followed and for the most part liked The Clone Wars.  Asoka Tano was absolutely annoying and the kid seems like he could be as annoying(at least this could be believably in character, instead of a Jedi acting like a spoiled brat), but audiences need someone to connect that they can tell the story through.  I get that, I can deal.  The Clone Wars did a good job with the "Wars" part of the show.  They had a LOT of good action through the series.  My hope is that this one will be able to live up not only to the standard set by TCW, but to the memories that we all have of the original trilogy that we'll all recall watching the show whether we want to or not.  From the clips I've seen from the music, the sounds, the visuals all fill me with the same feeling I get watching the original trilogy or reading old Star Wars Adventure Journals, playing Dark Forces and playing old school WEG roleplaying games.  That alone could help me over look some writing flaws I'm seeing. But it looks good.  It certainly sounds good and when I watch it, I know it's STAR WARS.  And that, in my book, is a very good thing.

1st 7 minutes:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZn_TrwbPN8

Starman

Clone Wars was great, Young Justice was great ... I'm hoping this will be an awesome fusion of the two.

Podmark

I am cautiously excited for Rebels.
I really enjoyed Clone Wars...sometimes. It was an odd show, each season essentially being 3-5 movies so any given arc I would either love or bored by. The best stuff like the Darth Maul stories were great. Asoka was annoying at first but I grew to like her by the end. I'm really hoping she reappears in Rebels.

I'm hoping with Greg Weisman on board he'll bring the kind of plotting seen in Young Justice and his other shows (pretty much all of which are among my favorites). I'm also hopeful that Rebels will pick up some of the hanging plots from Clone Wars. What I've seen of the cast so far has me interested, but not too excited. Looking forward to it.
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Shogunn2517

Quote from: Starman on August 05, 2014, 11:49:13 AM
Clone Wars was great, Young Justice was great ... I'm hoping this will be an awesome fusion of the two.

Young Justice was a SURPRISINGLY really well written show, IMO.  It was one of the fewer shows written by adults for kids in the voice of how kids think, instead of how adults think kids think.  That's what I think made the dialogue work so well and made it seem like I was watching a show about kids instead of watching a kids show.  Make sense?  THAT'S what I can hope to see from SWR.

Shogunn2517

Here are a couple of shorts for SWR.  Not Shakespear, but entertaining enough and still gives me the the feel of the classic trilogy.

"Not What You Think"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy9waYcrE8k

"Machine In The Ghost"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgoDwquiwRM

Silver Shocker

"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

detourne_me

 :thumbup:
Those were pretty good actually!

Podmark

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Shogunn2517

So STAR WARS REBELS: SPARKS OF REBELLION debuted last night on Disney(not XD) and also released on DVD. 

My impressions were that it was a pretty good start.  It was a lot of what I expected.  This show had the look, feel and characterization of CLASSIC Star Wars.  The swashbuckling, running from the Empire, fire-fights, music, lazy writing.  It was very recognizably STAR WARS.

Spoiler
Admittedly, a lot of the writing and situations were clunky, waaaaaay to convenient a little too fantastic.  How does a identified enemy ship not only approach a Imperial Star Destroyer without being noticed, but dock without being met by a couple of hundred stormtroopers?  How can a group of five be able to outwit and outfight entire squad of stormtroopers?  A few other very convenient situations that they seemed to gloss over just to tell a story.  But overall, I was pleased again with the ambiance, but also appreciative of some of the themes and places that I've read and heard about, but really hadn't seen as much.  Kessel Spice Mines, Imperial Security Bureau, holocrons.  But again, it was very Star Wars.  Even had some of the same shots we've seen in Star Wars movies.  Those situations and situations make it worth a watch.  Again, the writing(not the acting, which is actually very good) is lazy, but the action was good.

It was billed as the premiere episode, but the show doesn't really start until about another week or so, likely with this episode again, but it's a good start.

BentonGrey

#9
I just watched this, and I have to say, Shogunn is pretty much spot-on.  I really enjoyed the ride, over all, but there were definitely some clunky bits.

Spoiler
They really need to get a better class of writers.  On the whole, they did a good job, but come on, it's a good thing a Star Destroyer isn't bristling with weaponry or anything.  It might have actually been difficult to fly away from a massive Imperial battleship if that wasn't the case. :P  Their first escape made a certain amount of sense, as they had the distraction of an explosion in the SD's hanger, but the second one was just hand-waved.  There were a few times that, in my mind, I heard Mike and the Bots (from MST3K) say, "Next on Plot Convenience Theater!"  Despite those writing weaknesses, Shogunn is right.  This FELT like Star Wars, in a way that nothing but the occasional game has managed in at least a decade. 

I like the cast of characters for the most part, though the kid needs to develop relatively quickly or he'll be annoying.  His Aladdin with Force powers bit is only going to carry him so far.  I'm curious what Mandalorian girl's deal is.  Her running around like a pink fairy Bobba Fett is a bit much, but I'm willing to be surprised on that score.  I like Zeb, though.  He seems fairly straightforward, and every team needs a heavy.  The Twi'lek has some nice snappy patter to her, and I like what little we've seen of the droid, Chopper, as well. 

Of course, the captain of the crew is particularly interesting.  When he stepped forward during the showdown on Kessel...that whole scene was pretty darn awesome.  THAT felt really perfect.  Powerful, dramatic, archetypaly heroic.  With some understanding of Star Wars lore, that scene resonated with significance. 

The animation is alright for what it is, but I really just don't care for this type of CGI work.  It always seems stiff and lifeless.  So far this one is better than Green Lantern, but it's a shame we can't get a style that is more capable of portraying real action.

So, despite the weaknesses, I'm definitely onboard.  I told my wife after I watched this first episode, 'to have a Star Wars show that is actually decent would be a remarkable thing.'  I've been wanting that since I was a kid, and the possibility of actually getting it is pretty darn exciting. :)

God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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Podmark

I saw it and I liked it. If it can deliver the level of quality that Clone Wars did and bring a greater level of serialization then I'll be very happy.

Spoiler

Definitely nails a more classic Star Wars feel. Right down to the character armour where the Imperials, despite greater numbers and firepower still can't take down a small band of rebels.
I find myself liking each of the characters. The kid Ezra came off as far too good/lucky but hopefully that will tone down as the series goes on as he gets more skilled and other characters take the spotlight.
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Shogunn2517

#11
Quote from: BentonGrey on October 05, 2014, 03:28:18 PM
I just watched this, and I have to say, Shogunn is pretty much spot-on.  I really enjoyed the ride, over all, but there were definitely some clunky bits.

Spoiler
They really need to get a better class of writers.  On the whole, they did a good job, but come on, it's a good thing a Star Destroyer isn't bristling with weaponry or anything.  It might have actually been difficult to fly away from a massive Imperial battleship if that wasn't the case. :P  Their first escape made a certain amount of sense, as they had the distraction of an explosion in the SD's hanger, but the second one was just hand-waved.  There were a few times that, in my mind, I heard Mike and the Bots (from MST3K) say, "Next on Plot Convenience Theater!"  Despite those writing weaknesses, Shogunn is right.  This FELT like Star Wars, in a way that nothing but the occasional game has managed in at least a decade. 

I like the cast of characters for the most part, though the kid needs to develop relatively quickly or he'll be annoying.  His Aladdin with Force powers bit is only going to carry him so far.  I'm curious what Mandalorian girl's deal is.  Her running around like a pink fairy Bobba Fett is a bit much, but I'm willing to be surprised on that score.  I like Zeb, though.  He seems fairly straightforward, and every team needs a heavy.  The Twi'lek has some nice snappy patter to her, and I like what little we've seen of the droid, Chopper, as well. 

Of course, the captain of the crew is particularly interesting.  When he stepped forward during the showdown on Kessel...that whole scene was pretty darn awesome.  THAT felt really perfect.  Powerful, dramatic, archetypaly heroic.  With some understanding of Star Wars lore, that scene resonated with significance. 

The animation is alright for what it is, but I really just don't care for this type of CGI work.  It always seems stiff and lifeless.  So far this one is better than Green Lantern, but it's a shame we can't get a style that is more capable of portraying real action.

So, despite the weaknesses, I'm definitely onboard.  I told my wife after I watched this first episode, 'to have a Star Wars show that is actually decent would be a remarkable thing.'  I've been wanting that since I was a kid, and the possibility of actually getting it is pretty darn exciting. :)


Yeah, for years GL teased for a few years about a 'live action' Star Wars show, which never really materialized.  We all rather grew up with the Classic Trilogy or at the very least our gaming/roleplaying/literary excursions in Star Wars were initially through the lense of the original trilogy.  Now, the Prequel Trilogy had it's challenges, but there are things it did right like both Clone Wars series, comics and games, but it's the Original Trilogy we still hold dear.  So to see this series, not only do we have high hopes for it, but to hear what we hear from it it resonates with us in a way The Clone Wars couldn't. 

Spoiler
I didn't much speak about the characters, but I hear you Benton.  They're compelling.  I slightly disagree with you about Ezra.  I understand the need for the kid.  They need someone to tell the story through and to connect to the Disney audience, but unlike Ahsoka Tano, a wise-cracking, bratty, back-talking, maverick makes more sense with a orphan kid living in the Outer Rim in the Empire instead of a Jedi Padawan.  A lot of it was still a stretch in believe though, I agree.  The others were also intriguing.  Kanan I can dig.  Hera, I like too.  I want to see more of her story.  Now, I'm really interesting in seeing much more about Sabine.  She could potentially be my favorite character, but I need to see more.  I found out that she's only 16 years old, which is not only really young for a Mandalorian commando/warrior, but more than that she would have been a toddler during the end of the Clone Wars.  Death Watch was all but disbanded with the death of Pre Vizsla.  There was also the Mandalorian Protectors, but I don't know how much they'd pull from that storyline.  So I'm really curious about where she comes from.  Zeb is a little over the top, IMO.  He's always portrayed as too angry or too friendly.  I would like to see his characterization more stabilized.  As far as the villains go, the main ones being Kallus(Oyelowo) and the Inquisitor(Isaacs) so far are okay.  Oyelowo did a really good job with Kallus.  Really believable.  The Inquisitor remains to be seen, but with Jason Isaacs doing the work, I'm confident he'll be well done.

The animation is slightly different from The Clone Wars.  The Clone Wars' animation was based off the art and framing of Tartakovsky's Clone Wars series.  Star Wars Rebels seems more traditional.  The stormtroopers are 'bulkier' than clonetroopers.  The faces are less realistic and more cartoony.

But the overall pacing of Sparks of Rebellion was good.  Yeah, it was too fast and convenient in spots.  But the spots it wasn't, the action was really good.  The corridor fight, the TIE Fighter chase scene and the rescue of the Wookiees were all pretty fun.  It seems like THAT is what they wanted to do with this show and if that's what they want to go with it, I can't complain so much about the flaws because it's these scenes and the ambiance of being authentically STAR WARS will carry this series.

Shogunn2517

Just watched the latest episode "Rise of the Old Masters" and this was EASILY the best episode so far.  The action was great.  Characterization and level of Star Wars detail put me in awe!

Spoiler
We finally got to see "The Inquisitor" in action.  The way it happened was pretty eventful and unexpected.  I was pleasantly surprised to see not just a reference to the Jedi Purge, but the revelation that Luminara Unduli survived the Purge "as rumored".  The first lightsaber battle we saw, in my opinion was made better by how the Inquisitor dissected Kanan's style, what he was taught and WHO taught him, which was a bit more telling about his background.  That Depa Billaba was his master and given his age, we can also see why he might not have been comfortable training Ezra and why he was so persistent on finding Luminara.  Very sparse detail was given, but it was enough for me to want to know more and to want to watch more.  There weren't any convenient plot skips like there has been, it flowed well and wasn't an "easy" adventure for the characters.  I'm still very impressed with the level of detail of the characters we're seeing.  Kanan was focused.  The Inquisitor was intimidating.  Even Ezra, who sometimes is too good was imperfect.  Overall a really good episode. 

BentonGrey

I am unspeakably disappointed this show is on freaking Disney XD instead of anything we get. :(
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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Shogunn2517

I've been watching old episodes of X-Men TAS and I saw this linked on the page.  And it works pretty well.

http://dubbed-scene.com/cartoon/star-wars-rebels

Silver Shocker

Quote from: BentonGrey on October 28, 2014, 11:30:31 AM
I am unspeakably disappointed this show is on freaking Disney XD instead of anything we get. :(

Welcome to Canada, eh.
"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

BentonGrey

Anybody still watching this?  I'm taping the episodes that get played in syndication, so I'm a bit behind, but I'm still watching it.

All-in-all, I want to like it much more than I actually do.  It has its moments, but it also occasionally has really terrible plotting (like when the Rebel's entire plan is to charge a convoy of ships straight at an Imperial blockade) and poor voice acting.  It doesn't suffer from the lack of energy in the animation that other CGI shows, like Green Lantern, did, but that is still occasionally a problem.  I'm also totally not okay with them rewriting Star Wars canon, even though I should have expected it with the death of the EU.  It hurts more than I expected.  :(

Ha, but, it is a Star Wars show set in the period that actually matters.  It has its strengths too, and they at least are willing to kill some stormtroopers.  The idea of a failed apprentice taking on his own apprentice is pretty interesting, and there are elements of the show that have promise.  I do have trouble buying the artist-Mandalorain, though.  What a ridiculous character.  I also keep expected the kid to break out into "A Whole New World."
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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Silver Shocker

I've been watching it, but Disney XD Canada is shuffling into another channel and I'm not sure if I'm going to still have it going forward.

The show got a lot better in the last episodes of season 1, and season 2 so far has been pretty good. Not amazing, but solid, with lots of continuity with Clone Wars (sorry if that's a turnoff for you Benton ;) ) the opening tv movie for season two was pretty awesome though.
"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

BentonGrey

Yeeeaaaah, pretty much all connections to Clone Wars and the Prequels make the show drastically less enjoyable for me.  :P

Fortunately, since I have blocked as much of the Prequels from my mind as possible and never followed the Clone Wars much, I don't notice a lot of the connections, I imagine. :)

I'm surprised that there hasn't been more discussion about this here.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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Shogunn2517

I'm glad you guys bought this back up because with the release of the new movies, I can't help but to have questions about some of the stuff I'm seeing in Star Wars still.

Naturally we know last April, the Disney acquisition erased Star Wars continuity like the Death Star did to Alderaan.  And as a huge fan like I've been for decades, believe me Benton, I feel your pain.  Probably more since I've practically committed to memory EVERYTHING from the Expanded Universe.  Now, as it stands, outside of the 12 films(1-9, Rogue 1, Solo and Clone Wars), both Clone Wars series and Rebels were the only official canon to carry over from the EU.  But there are MORE than several aspects from the EU that has found it's way into the The Clone Wars, Rebels and even the films themselves.  For example, I remember hearing Disney saying that Shadows to the Empire is no longer part of continunity, but the Black Sun, Falleen, Xizor and the Outrider(YT-2400) all have made the cut.  So is it feasible that Dash Rendar does exist?  Aayla Secura, who was created in the comics as a padawan of another Jedi who was given legitimacy in Episode III, Quinlan Vos, herself was prominently in Episodes II and III.  The Sith Homeworld, whether it was named Moroband or Korriban was still the same world in TCW.  Even Coruscant itself received it's name from Heir to the Empire.  Deathwatch, Juggernauts, 501st, swoop bikes, Boba Fett(technically).  And then there's the entire The Old Republic series.  It's the one video game that did survive the acquisition.  But even they don't know if it's officially canon.

So yeah, everything after RotJ is wiped from existence.  No Crimson Empire, Dark Empire or Heir to the Empire.  No Kyp Durron, Kyle Kattarn, and no Mara Jade.  But everything before?  I mean, what we loved about the EU was it's ability to weave itself into the overall Star Wars story.  It told us the backstory of that guy sitting with Sebulba was an undercover Jedi Master.  It told us the backstory of how Lando lost the Millennium Falcon to Han.  Told us how Jango Fett got hired to be the clone template.  Told us these stories to make the universe richer.  But now... who knows...

Anyway, I still watch the show.  Or trying to.  It needs to stop being as simplistic and light-hearted.  I like the stories they're telling and the overall arch itself.  I loved bringing back familiar characters like Ashoka, Hondo and Lando, but also extremely appreciate the series doing what the movies did and bring back the ACTUAL actors for these roles with Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones as well.  But I'll keep watching.  The Clone Wars had similar problems, but was not afraid of darker themes and harsher storylines, which were extremely gripping.  So we'll see.

HarryTrotter

Basicly non of the Dark Horse series except Darth Maul:Son of Dathomir are cannon.Thats the official statement.So no Legacy,KOTOR etc,etc...
In general I felt that Disney caters to people who only saw New Hope.I mean there are other time periods,use them.
Second season of Rebels has been a bit slow.Its mostly just one shots.And I know Im a minority there,but Im glad some of the characters from Clone Wars returned.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

Silver Shocker

Quote from: Shogunn2517 on December 02, 2015, 01:47:18 AM
Aayla Secura, who was created in the comics as a padawan of another Jedi who was given legitimacy in Episode III, Quinlan Vos, herself was prominently in Episodes II and III.

Was Quinlan Vos in Episode III? I think I read that he was meant to appear but got cut. It doesn't matter though, because he appeared in Clone Wars (and the new novel, Dark Disciple, which is based on an unproduced Clone Wars storyline) so he's canon regardless.

Spade, I'm also fond of the Clone Wars characters returning in Rebels. It kinda makes up for Clone Wars getting cancelled by making Rebels a continuation and thus making both shows seem like two parts of the same story. It's also helped the current batch of episodes IMO because they're a little bit more interesting for having returning characters. Otherwise they were a little boring.
"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

Shogunn2517

He was mentioned.  But you're right. He was in TCW, which was carried over so he's as official as Ashoka. 

And I too am glad she's back.  Along with Rex and Hondo, to kind of connect the two shows more than just cameos but kind of a continuation.

HarryTrotter

Seeing he survived Clone Wars,and his own series,you think Darth Maul will be back in this series?
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

Talavar

Quote from: Spade on December 19, 2015, 07:16:23 AM
Seeing he survived Clone Wars,and his own series,you think Darth Maul will be back in this series?

I really hope not.  Bringing him back on Clone Wars was not a good idea IMO.  Like Pet Cemetery says, sometimes dead is better.  This was one of those times.

HarryTrotter

I would actually say that TCW added some depth to Darth Maul.It really went a long way in fixing him and General Grivous.IMO villain based episoded where some of the best in the show.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

Silver Shocker

I do think he'll appear in Rebels at some point. And yes, I'm firmly in the camp that bringing him back was a good thing. He was fleshed out a lot more, and his storylines were some of the absolute best in the series.
"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

BentonGrey

They brought Darth Maul back?  How did they manage that after he was chopped in half?
God Bless
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spydermann93

I think that it had something to do with his hatred sustaining him and then he was given cybernetic legs or something like that.

Talavar

Quote from: BentonGrey on December 21, 2015, 05:05:22 AM
They brought Darth Maul back?  How did they manage that after he was chopped in half?

Getting bisected at the waist and falling down a seemingly bottomless shaft isn't as hazardous as you'd think, I guess.  Which is why bringing him back in the EU, like Boba fett before him, was crappy.  Sometimes characters nerds think are cool are actually chumps.  Everyone just needs to deal with that.