Star Wars Rebels Review: “Rebel Resolve”

– Spoiler Review –

It’s hard to believe one of these last two episodes wasn’t a season finale! “Rebel Resolve” functions well as a penultimate episode, setting the stage for a dark path ahead before things might have a chance to finally get better again.

Hera gets put in a situation which reveals her devotion to the cause, as she’s willing to listen to Fulcrum’s words regarding leaving Kanan behind. Whomever Fulcrum ends up being, it’s obvious Hera’s trust in them and their goals is implicit. But we have to remember she is the mother of the ship and she and Kanan are basically space-married, so the decision weighs on her heavily. It’s both thanks to Vanessa Marshall’s voice acting and the animation which really sells us on how much leaving Kanan behind pains and troubles her. She can’t even bring herself to joke around with Chopper, annoyed more easily by his antics than usual.

Ezra won’t stand for leaving any member of his new family behind, especially not his Master. And in a touching moment, Ezra catching Chopper mourning Kanan’s absence leads him to come up with a risky plan. I was surprised neither Sabine nor Zeb, more senior members of the group, let Ezra keep the lead nor spoke up during the deal with Vizago. And to get Vizago’s help, Ezra goes so far as to offer up a favor from a Jedi in exchange for info on Kanan’s whereabouts. That’s a big offer considering there would be no questions asked when Vizago calls it in, and of course he doesn’t cash in on that favor right away, choosing to wait for another day; I’m anxious to see what he’ll want when that day comes. But Vizago solves the problem the group’s earlier attempt at hijacking an AT-DP didn’t: info on the Empire’s current way to send secure and encrypted communications and data off Lothal, since Tarkin blew up the comm tower last episode.

Speaking of Tarkin, he isn’t going to let Kanan slip through his fingers until the Jedi coughs up intel on his rebel pals. And just before the torture starts, Hera reveals Kanan knows nothing. We knew the group was disseminating information in case of something like this happening, but I would’ve suspected Kanan knew a little more than nothing. However he might not care to know more, as the Kanan of A New Dawn suggests he’d just be happy to be able to follow Hera around, and possibly train Jedi along the way. So when the interrogator droid doesn’t work, the Inquisitor tries a mind probe and Kanan’s response is one of the funnier moments of the episode. Unfortunately, his resistance to that means shock treatment is next, with Tarkin mentioning he wants Kanan alive sounding almost like an afterthought. The Inquisitor almost seems to feel sorry for Kanan when he brings up the idea Kanan might not actually know anything. Tarkin doesn’t bite, instead insisting they take him to a more persuasive facility…

The mission to replace an Imperial info droid with Chopper and his subsequent rescue was a big highlight of the episode. It happens only because Hera, though initially pissed the team went against her orders to abandon the search for Kanan, is relieved they have an actionable lead. The mission is swift, there are some really great shots of the action, and it’s a fun scene. And while it’s over very quickly, it gives the crew the information they wanted about where Kanan is headed: Mustafar. According to Hera, he told her it’s a place where Jedi go to die. His words suggest knowledge of events that took place there and the implications of how he gained said knowledge are extremely intriguing. As for what’s on Mustafar, the common guess that I totally agree with is Tarkin built a facility almost exactly like the Citadel as seen in the The Clone Wars. We’ll know all that and more soon enough.

Here are a few other things:

The latest Star Wars Insider has a few details on who we’ll all be seeing again in the finale episode, “Fire Across the Galaxy.” Is Base Delta Zero coming as well? It’ll be a crowded episode, that’s for damn sure.
There’s nothing like seeing Chopper sad about Kanan being gone and later he attempts to murder another droid. In fact his kill count is rising, as he takes four troopers out the airlock with him.
I get the writers wanted to give Chopper a quick way to dispatch the other droid, but in ‘reality’ why didn’t the rebels close the bay doors after they knew Chopper was securely in?
It totally went over my head but it’s a really good point: Ezra says “an” Inquisitor, implying there are more than one, which fits with how Inquisitors were handled in Legends.
Thought that scene where Chopper is out in space would sound good with the soundtrack from Gravity? Well, you can thank Rebels Report for making this awesome video!
My biggest question from all this is why does Kanan consider Mustafar a place where Jedi go to die? It would imply he seems to know about the duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin, but how did he learn about that? Might we learn how in his upcoming comic in April? It can’t have been from Imperial propaganda, which might have told the public that Anakin, hero of the Republic and friend to the Empire, was killed by his old mentor on Mustafar, but since no one else has heard of it that’s not the case. And why would he bring it up/tell Hera? Or does the identity of Fulcrum hold all the answers to these questions, because if it’s who the rumors suggest, they’d probably have known about what happened…most likely felt it happen. Something to mull on, everyone.

All the pieces are set. The stakes are high. And the team’s leader has found a way to push pass her orders and rescue a member of her family. But will it be too little too late? It’s going to be a long week of waiting for the season finale and “Rebel Resolve” has promised after all this dark, there might still be a dawn.

+ Hera’s struggle
+ Ezra’s bold plan
+ Darkest before the dawn

Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.

Season Four: Ep.1/2: “Heroes of Mandalore” Part One / Part Two | Ep. 3/4: “In the Name of the Rebellion” | Ep. 5: “The Occupation” | Ep. 6: “Flight of the Defender” | Ep. 7/8: “Kindred” and “Crawler Commandeers” | Ep. 9: “Rebel Assault” | Ep. 10/11 “Jedi Night” and “Dume” | Ep. 12/13: “Wolves and a Door” & “A World Between Worlds” | Ep. 14/15: Series Finale “A Fool’s Hope” & “Family Reunion – And Farewell”

RELATED REVIEWS:
Kanan (Comic)
The Last Padawan (#1-6) | First Blood (#7-12)

A New Dawn (Novel)

Tarkin (Novel)

Star Wars Rebels Review: “Rebel Resolve”

+ Hera’s struggle

+ Ezra’s bold plan

+ Darkest before the dawn

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