{"id":49239,"date":"2016-09-21T09:09:13","date_gmt":"2016-09-21T16:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/?p=49239"},"modified":"2019-04-19T09:18:09","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T16:18:09","slug":"5-stand-out-episodes-of-star-wars-rebels-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/5-stand-out-episodes-of-star-wars-rebels-so-far\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Stand-Out Episodes of Star Wars Rebels So Far"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When <em>Star Wars Rebels<\/em> begins its third season September 24 on Disney XD, I\u2019ll definitely be watching!<\/p>\n<p><em>Rebels<\/em> has become so much more than I hoped it would be when it started. While <em>Star Wars:\u00a0The Force Awakens<\/em> and <em>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story<\/em> have been getting the bantha\u2019s share of public attention, <em>Rebels<\/em> executive producer Dave Filoni and his creative team have been confidently spinning a story that spans the <em>Star Wars<\/em> universe in all its richness.<\/p>\n<p>While we\u2019re waiting for Season 3 to take <em>Rebels<\/em>\u2019 characters in new directions and deepen our understanding of the <em>Star Wars<\/em> mythos, here\u2019s a list of five <em>Rebels<\/em> episodes from Seasons 1 and 2 that impressed me. Are they on your list of favorites, too?<\/p>\n<h2>1) \u201cTwilight of the Apprentice\u201d Season 2, Episodes 21-22<\/h2>\n<p>Shame on me &#8211; cheating right out of the gate! But it is impossible to divide this story in two. It introduces an entirely new threat &#8211; new to Ezra, at any rate &#8211; with the return of Maul (\u201cNo longer Darth,\u201d he claims), who tempts our young hero down the path to darkness (a pull Ezra will continue to struggle with in season 3, if the previews and trailers are to be trusted). And it delivers what so many fans had been anticipating or dreading (depending, as they say, on one\u2019s point of view): The epic showdown between Ahsoka Tano and her former master. What do you make of the episode\u2019s ambiguous, fleeing final glimpse of Ahsoka, walking into darkness? Did Darth Vader destroy her\u2014or did she somehow escape to fight another day? Whatever happened, their duel is one of the most titanic seen in animated <em>or<\/em> live-action Star Wars.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P-bJu__WXmY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><strong>2) \u201cPath of the Jedi\u201d Season 1, Episode 8<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Remember how you felt watching Luke Skywalker\u2019s vision in the cave on Dagobah in <em>The Empire Strikes Back<\/em> felt the first time? A little weirded out, a little confused, but a <em>lot<\/em> impressed? That\u2019s how I felt watching Ezra face his fears in the hidden Jedi Temple on Lothal. \u201cPath of the Jedi\u201d was the first <em>Rebels<\/em> episode I found not just entertaining but really riveting. Seeing Ezra receive his kyber crystal and produce his first lightsaber (a lightsaber-blaster combo, to be specific\u2014sweet), we\u2019re reminded of the kids inside all of us who still long to know we are special and can make a positive difference.<\/p>\n<p><em>Hearing Frank Oz voice Yoda again for the first time in a decade? Icing on the Sic-Six-layer cake!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ulrZlv_Gezo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><strong>3) \u201cWings of the Master\u201d Season 2, Episode 7<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019d asked me whether a story about the origin of the B-wing would be interesting, I\u2019d have guessed not. But \u201cWings of the Master\u201d wisely focuses less on the technology and more on who\u2019s using it. The episode places Hera\u2019s quest to get the B-wing for the fledgling Rebellion against the backdrop of her lifelong personal quest to fly, both literally and metaphorically. The result is a genuinely moving story about pursuing goals and refusing to give up on dreams.<\/p>\n<p><em>Don\u2019t forget how composer Kevin Kiner scores Hera\u2019s \u201ctest drive\u201d of the new ship with a cue that beautifully evokes some great flight music from cinema\u2019s past, especially The Rocketeer, allowing the episode to soar!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Jdj4teY5gik?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><strong>4) \u201cRelics of the Old Republic\u201d Season 2, Episode 4<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The episode preceding it, \u201cThe Lost Commanders,\u201d provides the necessary setup, and the clones\u2019 hunt for the giant Joopa worm in that episode &#8211; with Zeb as the \u201cbait\u201d &#8211; is an amusing must-see. But it\u2019s the second of these two episodes that really shines. The story kept me guessing about Rex, Wolffe and Gregor\u2019s ultimate fates until the end, and the animation of the battle in the sandstorm against the AT-ATs struck me as some of the series\u2019 most cinematic and beautiful to date.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VRAcatgArJA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><strong>5) \u201cIdiot\u2019s Array\u201d Season 1, Episode 9<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>No, it\u2019s not of one the show\u2019s more serious stories, and the puffer pig is pretty ridiculous. But Billy Dee Williams\u2019 vocal performance as Lando Calrissian at the height of his career as a smooth-talking, sabacc-playing, high stakes smuggler (excuse me, \u201cgalactic entrepreneur\u201d) makes \u201cIdiot\u2019s Array\u201d a fan\u2019s delight. I also found myself liking the large, lazy, loudmouthed Azmorigan. Based on an unused Ralph McQuarrie concept for Jabba the Hutt, Azmorigan is just foolish enough to be taken seriously\u2014and just powerful enough to be dangerous if you don\u2019t!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xQgRIRWgA5s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i>Star Wars Rebels<\/i> Season 3\u00a0premieres on Disney XD September 24.<\/p>\n<p><em>What episodes from <\/em>Rebels<em>\u2019 first two seasons make your list of stand-outs? Let us know in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; When Star Wars Rebels begins its third season September 24 on Disney XD, I\u2019ll definitely be watching! Rebels has become so much more than I hoped it would be when it started. While Star Wars:\u00a0The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story have been getting the bantha\u2019s share of public attention, Rebels [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11,3794,109],"tags":[3145,112,3857,419,870,4602],"yst_prominent_words":[36805,36807,14684,8051,36806,36808,36802,6280,8613,17664,36801,15370,16373,10171,36804,5780,5779,8821,8822,36803],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49239"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49239"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64136,"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49239\/revisions\/64136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49239"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=49239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}