Hey there,
Rebelscum fans! This week on the site, we’re looking into the
Star Wars: Rebels animated series, and how it bridged the gap between the end of
The Clone Wars and the new era of the franchise under Disney. Make sure to read our “
Expand Your Mind” article first to read all about the show’s characters and setting, but stay tuned throughout the week for more
Rebels content. We’ll be adding additional articles, insights, videos, spotlights, and information on the best merchandising options that collectors have.
There were high expectations for
Rebels following the success of
The Clone Wars. Not only would a cartoon series have to tackle one of the darkest periods within the
Star Wars timeline, but it was tasked with continuing some of the events and storylines that had been introduced on
The Clone Wars, and featured the return of characters like Ashoka Tano, Captain Rex, Hondo Ohnaka, and Darth Maul. Thankfully, Filoni and crew succeeded with another knockout animated series. Here are some of our Force Facts about
Rebels.
- Freddie Prince Jr.’s wife in real life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar, appears as the voice of the Seventh Sister.
- Sam Witwer is the third voice actor in the animated universe to take on the role of Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. Seinfeld actor Ian Abercrombie voiced the character on The Clone Wars, but tragically passed away in 2012. He was replaced in the final season by Tim Curry.
- Many of the designs utilized for Rebels were derived from Ralph McQuarrie’s original concept art. Ezra’s blast shield helmet was based on the original Stormtrooper concept designs.
- Events in the tie-in comic Kanan actually contradict events on The Bad Batch. The elite clone trooper squad is inserted into Kanan’s escape from Order 66, but they’re not mentioned in the comic.
- The American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films honored Rebels as the first recipient of the Best Animated Series award, which it won two years in a row. The Saturn Awards have a long history of honoring the franchise; the original 1977 Star Wars picked up the prize for Best Science Fiction Movie.
- The Governor of Lothal Ryder Azadi is voiced by Clancy Brown, who also voiced Savage Opress in The Clone Wars. Filoni was a massive fan of the veteran actor before casting him in The Clone Wars; Brown’s credits include classics like The Shawshank Redemption and Highlander.
- Obi-Wan’s duel with Darth Maul in the Season Three episode “Twin Suns” was partially inspired by the Star Wars Tales comic issue “Old Wounds,” in which a cyborg Maul travels to Tatooine to kill Anakin Skywalker’s son.
- Maul was originally planned to be the primary antagonist on the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, but Filoni encouraged series creator Deborah Chow to replace him with Darth Vader.
- Genevieve O'Reilly returned to the role of Mon Mothma after her scenes were cut from Revenge of the Sith. O’Reilly finally portrayed the character in live-action in Rogue One.
- While The Clone Wars got a theatrical premiere with the feature film, the first Rebels episode Spark of Rebellion debuted on Disney XD as a standalone television movie. The season two premiere Siege of Lothal also debuted as a television movie premiere at Star Wars Celebration months before it aired.
What do you think,
Rebelscum fans? Do you prefer
Rebels or
The Clone Wars? Do you have a favorite episode?
Let us know in the forums, and as always, may the Force be with you!
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