Ten cool things from Star Wars Rebels we hope to see in future live-action movies
When the Disney XD animated series Star Wars Rebels (available today on Blu-ray) was first launching, there were a lot of knee-jerk reactions: “The graphics look cheap! It’s for kids! They should keep doing ‘Clone Wars!’ Ezra is just Space Aladdan!” But as the show progressed, it turned into one of the truest expressions of the spirit of fun and adventure embodied in the Original Trilogy, all the while expanding upon iconic aspects of Star Wars in new and creative ways. That’s why we want to see a number of things “Rebels” is doing really well cross over into the slate of live-action feature films that Lucasfilm is cooking up.
Related: Can Disney and Lucasfilm Sustain a Continuing Star Wars Franchise?
The trans-media precedent is there for crossover between TV and film within the Star Wars universe: Boba Fett made his first appearance in the animated segment of the infamous “Star Wars Christmas Special,” while General Grievous popped up in Genndy Tartakovsky’s original 2D “Clone Wars” cartoon in a cliffhanger that led directly into Revenge of the Sith. Listen up, Lucasfilm Story Group’s Kiri Hart, Carrie Beck, Pablo Hidalgo, Dave Filoni and Simon Kinberg, as this is a list of some awesome stuff from “Star Wars Rebels” that we want to see brought to life in at least one of those six movies you have slated!
Do you agree? Let us know in the comments! On a desktop, click on Full Screen to read each entry.
10 Things From Star Wars Rebels
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Sabine Wren
This young Mandalorian warrior (with possible ties to Boba Fett and a penchant for graffiti) has quickly become a standout among the principle characters of the show. As voiced by Tiya Sircar, Sabine is a badass weapons expert with a big heart who is incredibly capable in a tight spot. In a run-of-the-mill cartoon she'd simply be Ezra's love interest, but here her skills are in the foreground, which is why we were giddy when rumors started to spread that the lead character Felicity Jones was playing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was in fact an older Sabine. Whether that turns out to be true or not is anyone's guess, but it would be pretty sweet.
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Kyber Crystals
These lightsaber-powering babies have been teased in the Extended Universe since the days of "Splinter of the Mind's Eye," although if you'd only seen the six movies then for all you know the Jedi pick up their laser swords at Target. Ezra constructing a lightsaber/blaster hybrid shows that these crystals are far more malleable than we'd been led to believe, but the series is also hinting that kyber crystals may be part of what powers that mighty Death Star laser. That would be a nifty addition to, say, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
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Inquisitors
The idea of a lightsaber-bearing Jedi hunter is cool, and the first one we encountered in Season 1 felt like Darth Maul crossed with Nosferatu and proved a genuinely formidable threat. With a new swarm of these guys coming after our heroes in Season 2 on the heels of the demise of The Grand Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs), one gets the sense that the worst is yet to come. "You have no idea what you have unleashed today... there are some things far more frightening than death." It would be great to have the presence of Inquisitors be acknowledged in the Anthology films which take place in the time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
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Lothal
The main setting of "Star Wars Rebels" is this Earth-like planet based on some leftover Ralph McQuarrie designs sketched as concepts for the Original Trilogy's Alderaan, thus it shares real DNA with the OT. Hence, that's probably why its cityscape, alleyways and rural rolling hills felt so instantly recognizable the moment we laid eyes on it. Would it be too much to have at least one measly set piece in any of these upcoming movies take place in a truly well crafted sci-fi environment like Lothal?
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Imperial Propaganda
How does a dictatorship control the populace? The media. Joseph Goebbels knew it and so does Emperor Palpatine. "Rebels" really gives us a glimpse into what an oppressed populace is like from a ground level. We can see the tugging and pulling of public opinion that is at stake, especially in the moving scene where Ezra takes over a broadcast to make a brief, impassioned speech urging people to stand up to the Empire's fearsome tactics. When Grand Moff Tarkin orders the broadcast tower destroyed in response that tells you how much the bad guys are relying on propaganda to keep people in line. Empire Day indeed.
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Loth Cats
These cute little bobcat critters stole our hearts from the first time they popped up in the grassy fields of Lothal. While they look like something Hayao Miyazaki might dream up, they've also got a temperamental side that truly endears them. George Lucas established a very clear precedent in the previous six films that the backgrounds be absolutely chock-o-block with all variety of weird creatures, so a brief Loth-cat cameo in somewhere like Maz Kanata's castle would be much appreciated.
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Satellite Jedi Temples
Jedi Temples not located on Coruscant were shown in "The Clone Wars" as well, although the "Rebels" episode in which Kanan and Ezra take a spiritual journey to one on Lothal gave us a really powerful glimpse into what this religion really means. It was also a great opportunity to bring back Frank Oz's Yoda, who is someone we hope either J.J. Abrams or Rian Johnson can keep integrated into the main Star Wars Saga movies.
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Lando Calrissian
Yes, technically this is one of the most famous characters -really a core character- from the Original Trilogy, but there has yet to be any official indication that he will be making his way into the films. It seems inevitable, especially given the enthusiastic fan response to Billy Dee Williams' voicing of the character in the "Rebels" episode "Idiot's Array," but Kathleen Kennedy needs to make sure to sign the smooth-talking smuggler to a picture-deal soon so we can stop worrying.
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Tibidee
How can we put this delicately… these guys have sex with spaceships. The green-eyed flying creatures of the planet Stygeon Prime met up with The Ghost's attack shuttle The Phantom and mistook its jamming frequency for a mating call. It then proceeded to attempt to get it on with the ship, something we did NOT expect to see in what was supposedly a cute Disney cartoon show for kids. We also LOVED this moment, so the more Tibidee-on-starship action we can see in the future the better.
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Normal People
In Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, there are several mentions of Naboo citizens being herded into "camps," "suffering" and "dying," though we never see any of it which makes it hard to grasp what's at stake. On "Rebels," the crew of The Ghost act like futuristic Robin Hoods, robbing from the Empire to feed the poor. They're not just defending vague territories or armies, they're witnessing Imperial tyranny on communities and refugee settlements first-hand… then doing something about it, ultimately putting a human face on the galaxy far far away.
