A day before the hour premiere of Star Wars Rebels, the series was officially renewed for a second season. Sure, this isn’t much of a surprise, but it coming before the series even airs is a bit unprecedented. You can check out my review of the premiere Spark of Rebellion, watch some clips, be introduced to the Rebels Recon series, and read about new interviews below.
Rebels Recon will air following each new episode of the show, spearheaded by Lucasfilm’s social media correspondent Andi Gutierrez, giving us a look behind the scenes with key cast and crew regarding what went into making the episodes. I really approve of this idea and look forward to the insights it can give us about the show.
This first clip is actually one seen at the SDCC 2014 panel and the last to be released from it to the public (thanks to The Wrap). It stars Hera and Sabine uncovering quite the nasty secret at what looks like an abandoned Republic military base. I hope the series has a lot of missions where Hera and Sabine take care of business themselves.
The second clip gives us a prolonged look at a lightsaber battle between Kanan and the Inquisitor and is over at USA Today. The Inquisitor here reveals Kanan’s Jedi Master (first revealed in the novel, A New Dawn) showing off his analytic ability to have read the Jedi Temple Archives and use that to figure out whom he is battling, which he can use to gain a psychological edge in lightsaber combat. It’s creepy and cool and I look forward to hearing the Inquisitor uncover other’s secrets through battle.
Speaking of lightsabers, USA Today also has an article and video with Joel Aron and Dave Filoni regarding the work that went into giving the lightsabers a look more in line with those seen in the original trilogy, something you can see in the second clip with those green sparks when Kanan and the Inquisitor’s lightsabers clash and their flickering-like quality.
The interviews are covering all the bases, but the most interesting is a look at a relatively unheard of member of Lucasfilm Kiri Hart, who appears in her first interview since joining the company two years ago. She oversees the Story Group, the new fundamental aspect for all of Star Wars going forward, so she’s got quite the job and lots of pressure. But she seems to be taking it in stride, actively looking for writers, directors, and other creatives to help work on the all the new Star Wars projects coming up, “I’ve been sitting down with filmmakers and writers, talking with them about what they love about ‘Star Wars,’ and playing matchmaker,” she said. And she looks to be open to expanding the universe in any form and way possible,
“I think there are boundaries, but we don’t want to rigidly define them,” she said. “It’s obviously not slapstick comedy, but there’s room for many different stories and genres that still feel like ‘Star Wars.’”
Check out the full article and interview at the Wall Street Journal. I look forward to hear more about Hart, as she’s now so integral to the saga.
There’s also an interview over at Collider with Dave Filoni, the executive producer of Rebels (who previously worked on The Clone Wars), on his views on placing Easter Eggs in the show, the A-Team inspiration for Rebels born from a retired TCW idea, and their game-plan for the new series.
The final of the newest interviews is one with Simon Kinberg, executive producer of Rebels as well as writer for an upcoming Star Wars spin-off (and many more numerous projects) over at the official site, where he also discusses the A-Team inspiration, how an e-mail from Kiri Hart started him on the journey for the show many years ago, and how they made each character a unique part of a family. It’s part one of two three(!) and quite a read, so head on over and check the whole thing out! Here’s part two and three.
The series debuts October 13 on Disney XD, but the next episode is already up at WatchDisneyXD.go.com for verified subscribers!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
STAR WARS REBELS REVIEWS:
Season One | Season Two
SEE ALSO:
Star Wars Rebels Review: Spark of Rebellion
Star Wars Rebels: The Movie Trailer
Star Wars New York Comic Con 2014 Plans
Star Wars Rebels One Hour Movie and Series Premiere Dates Announced
Star Wars Rebels Shorts: 4-Part First Episode
Sneak Peek of First 7 Minutes of Star Wars Rebels
Star Wars Rebels SDCC Panel Unleashes New Trailer
Extended Star Wars Rebels Trailer
Jason Isaacs Joins Star Wars Rebels As The Inquisitor
Star Wars Comic-Con Plans and A New Dawn Launch Event
Agent Kallus Hunts Rebels Like It’s His Job or Something