{"id":50750,"date":"2016-11-21T17:32:56","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T01:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/?p=50750"},"modified":"2019-04-19T09:17:03","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T16:17:03","slug":"3-big-questions-from-star-wars-rebels-season-3-episode-8-iron-squadron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entertainmentearth.com\/news\/3-big-questions-from-star-wars-rebels-season-3-episode-8-iron-squadron\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Big Questions from Star Wars Rebels Season 3, Episode 8 \u201cIron Squadron\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This article contains spoilers for Star Wars Rebels Season 3, Episode\u00a08<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Ghost <\/em>crew weren\u2019t the only people striking back against the Empire during the dark times, as the most recent episode of Star Wars Rebels<\/em>, \u201cIron Squadron,\u201d reminds us. The story introduces us to a group of independent young people who, outraged by Imperial aggression and driven by a desire to save their home, take it upon themselves to fight the good fight, no matter the risk.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>http:\/\/www.starwars.com\/tv-shows\/star-wars-rebels\/iron-squadron-episode-gallery<\/em><\/a>) <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIron Squadron\u201d features plenty of action, a lot of it reminiscent of some of the original trilogy\u2019s most exciting space battles, thanks to the Millennium Falcon<\/em>-like design of the YT-2400 freighter. But it left a lot of questions unanswered. Here are three of them:<\/p>\n

1) Who is this \u201cIron Squadron,\u201d really?<\/strong><\/p>\n

With only 22 minutes to tell this story, the Rebels <\/em>creative team probably had to ditch a lot of interesting backstory about Mart, Gooti, Jonner and R3. How long have these three kids and one astromech known each other? Are Gooti and Jonner \u201cwar orphans,\u201d as Mart is? We learned nothing <\/em>about them; R3 was the most fully developed character after Mart. How did Mart become this crew\u2019s captain? Sure, he\u2019s brave and charismatic\u2014maybe he\u2019s a kind of \u201cdry run\u201d for the young Han Solo we\u2019ll be seeing in cinemas<\/a>\u2014but his unflagging eagerness to take on a Star Destroyer made me think, fleetingly, of Ahab chasing his whale. Should this kid be giving us cause for concern?<\/p>\n

I hope we haven\u2019t seen the last of Iron Squadron. I\u2019d like to know about the hardships they\u2019ve already faced, and more of the battles they\u2019ve already won. And I\u2019m curious how well this formerly independent foursome fares as part of the Rebel Alliance. Whether in future episodes of Rebels<\/em>, or in standalone novels and comics, I want more tales of Iron Squadron told!<\/p>\n

2) What is Grand Admiral Thrawn\u2019s history with Commander Sato?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last seen in \u201cHera\u2019s Heroes<\/a>,\u201d Grand Admiral Thrawn returns in \u201cIron Squadron,\u201d still patiently plotting against all who would oppose the Empire, especially the crew of the Ghost<\/em>. But he does seem to take a special interest when Admiral Konstantine reports on the ongoing resistance at Mykapo.<\/p>\n

Mykapo is a planet created for Rebels<\/em>, so the \u201cLegends\u201d universe can offer no clues about why it holds special significance for Thrawn. Clearly, however, it does\u2014as does Commander Sato. Thrawn\u2019s taunt near the episode\u2019s end (\u201dI wondered what it would take to motivate your return to Mykapo\u201d) reveals that these two military men share some connection. Did they face each other across a field of battle, or did their paths cross in even more personal and, for Sato, painful ways? Given the fact that both Sato and Thrawn expect to meet again, I\u2019m confident we\u2019ll learn more.<\/p>\n