(*black background, light saber ignites, Lucas Film Ltd. logo waves onto screen, Darth Vader breath*)
“Ahsoka!” Ezra yells.
Now that’s a way to start off a trailer, especially after the events of “Star Wars Rebels” season two’s finale “Twilight of the Apprentice”:
- Darth Maul’s return
- Ezra’s continued curiosity into the dark side of the Force
- Maul trying to convince Ezra of being his apprentice
- Maul blinding Kanan
- Ahsoka and Vader locking sabers
A lot happened in one episode, as you can see. However, the well-being of Ahsoka is what’s going to be on the mind of most Rebels fans because both she and Vader walked away from their battle gravely wounded. Plus, she’s a fan-favorite. But we know Vader, obviously, will survive; Ahsoka, on the other hand, isn’t a given. Her fate is left with extremely vague hints as the last episode closed out its final minutes.
Outside from her, and keep in mind Ahsoka is a secondary character, we want to know what’s become of the Rebels themselves. Kanan, for one, is blind and has a new look. He can be seen wearing a mask which covers his eyes and dons a full beard. His line is apt too, “Battles leave scars, some you can’t see.”
It’ll be interesting to see how his role changes within the group, or not, because it’s a life-changing injury. And for someone like Kanan, who’s a leader looked to for answers by the Ghost crew, if he takes a backseat vocally and out in the field. How does that shift the dynamic? I pose that question with Ezra in mind.
He himself has had a change of appearance. He’s seen with shorter hair and a green saber instead of a blue one. Throughout the trailer, he seems to be the member who’s taking the initiative in battle situations. That could be in direct correlation to his continued flirtation with the dark side, including seeing him still listening to Maul who this time is telling him to “embrace your destiny.”
Phew, that’s a lot to unpack, and I didn’t even mention Grand Admiral Thrawn. My first unofficial prediction, of sorts, is season three is going to be a doozy full of awesomeness. Here are the rest of what I see happening:
Three Things “I have a Bad Feeling About…”
- KANAN WON’T REMAIN BLIND: From what I can surmise from the trailer, Kanan visits with Bendu, one of the new characters and has extensive knowledge in the Force, to seek guidance on how to stop Ezra from falling in too deep on the dark side. Why I mention Bendu as being the mediator for he and Ezra is because he mentions to Kanan “I’m the one in the middle” when talking about the two sides of the Force. Also, it may be a stretch on my part, but Bendu looks like a shaman; as the trailer shows him and Kanan talking, this green, gas figure touches Kanan’s eyes and appears to possess him. Kanan is then seen not wearing his mask from earlier and his eyes are lit green. All I’m saying is if there’s the Force, why can’t there be a little bit of magic?
- EZRA ISN’T GOING TO SUCCUMB TO THE DARK SIDE: While most continue to fall into the trap that Ezra is clearly going to turn bad, I’ll beg to differ. Don’t get me wrong, it’s intriguing storytelling and allows for a Maul to be introduced, which I’m all for, but I have hope in Ezra. He says two things in the trailer that signals this to me: (a) “I must become more powerful”; (b) The key to destroying the Sith…” Doesn’t that remind anyone of Anakin Skywalker at all? Yes, he betrayed all he ever knew all in his warped belief that Emperor Palpatine could actually teach him the power to save those he loves from certain death. Ezra lost his parents, feels anger and is being called to the dark side by Maul. Similar threads, but the difference between Ezra and Anakin is Ezra never loses hope in himself or others. While Anakin turned away from his master in Obi-Wan and even his wife, Padame, Ezra keeps himself surrounded by a strong support group. I submit that he’s listening to a lot of different people, but in this situation he’s the Rebels’s only hope. Whereas Anakin never was that, he was thought to be, when all along it was his son, Luke.
- SABINE TO PLAY BIG ROLE: In season two of Rebels, we were treated with learning a bit more of Sabine’s background, and we’re certainly being set-up for a lot more this coming season. She’s another character who has an update to how she looks. Besides that, there’s a Mandalorian arc planned and in a split second toward the end of the trailer she can be seen wielding a dark saber. I think she’ll be a big reason why Ezra won’t give in to the dark side.
Can you tell how much I love Rebels? You’re right! Be sure to read my letter to the show.