By Justin Hayman
WOW. If you were disappointed by the lack of connection between Star Wars Rebels and the new Star Wars continuity – the wait is over. Dave Filoni and our friends at Lucasfilm dropped an explosive trailer via Entertainment Weekly detailing what’s to come when Rebels returns from its midseason break next Wednesday.
We see young Ezra Bridger continuing down the path of a Jedi Knight. Where will it take him? He appears to be enamored by the abilities of Anakin Skywalker and begins to feel the pull towards the dark side of The Force. Ezra is seen holding a Sith Holocron – a device mentioned several times in the Legends continuity.
What secrets does it hold for young Ezra and will its temptations set his fall to the darkness in motion? We also witness the appearance of a hooded figure simply referring to himself as ‘Old Master’ and tempting Ezra with evil. Is this our first appearance of a certain Supreme Leader? We think the answer is a little more obvious than that if you are able to pause and get a good look at him. The tattoo, the voice of actor Sam Witwer…it appears Season 2 will see the return of fan favorite Darth Maul.
What will his connection to the present and future Star Wars timelines be now that he has been carried past his assumed death in The Phantom Menace? We last saw him face off against Darth Sidious in The Clone Wars and driven to the brink of death by the Emperor’s power. Now it appears he has his sights set on an apprentice of his own.
The writers also appear to be finally moving towards the inevitable (final?) battle between Darth Vader and his former apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. It will undoubtedly go down as one of the most emotionally-charged events in Star Wars history as we know who is standing and who isn’t come Episode IV. It will be interesting to see what the writers end up doing with the crew of the Ghost. We’re sure they will be able to get away with a few characters surviving and disappearing somewhere in the Outer Rim, but we have the core cast of Kanan, Hera, Ezra and Ahsoka to consider. We know that Rebels is only planned for 3 or 4 seasons before transitioning to the next step in Star Wars television, so the conclusion to their stories in the Star Wars universe aren’t far away.
We appear to be getting a tease of the connection between The Force Awakens and Rebels. Ezra is seen igniting a crossguard lightsaber similar to the design of Kylo Ren’s in the new film. For readers of last spring’s Heir to the Jedi, this is old news. In an earlier chapter of the novel, Luke Skywalker is given a crossguard lightsaber by a Rodian family claiming it to have belonged to an ancient Jedi named Huulik. Luke attempts to reverse-engineer the saber to learn more about it, and ends up breaking it. He picks up the pieces, pockets them, and continues his journey. Has Ezra somehow come into possession of Huulik’s lightsaber? Is this another saber altogether? This particular weapon may even be the one a young and furious Kylo Ren finds. It’s feasible he repairs it and inserts a cracked red kyber crystal into it before beginning his descent into darkness.
All will be revealed starting January 20th and we at SWR couldn’t be more excited!
www.ew.com/article/2016/01/15/star-wars-rebels-video-lightsaber
Justin Hayman is a dad and husband who is still as obsessed with Star Wars as his wide-eyed six year old self was. IT project manager by day, family man by night – Justin often spends what little time inbetween as a Jedi with the Rebel Legion. He enjoys helping kids in any way he can through various charity events with which the costuming organization is affiliated. When he isn’t trooping with the Legion or tied up with mundane adult responsibilities, he is playing video games, reading, or brainstorming the next great Star Wars Reporter article.
