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We are now 10 episodes into Star Wars Rebels and it has yet to let me down. The work of the writers and actors is not in vain, they have successfully kept me, as well as a lot of you, tuning in each week. I have to admit, after meeting a lot of the cast at Star Wars Weekends last year, it has been a blast to see the fruit of their labors on the screen. After watching the episodes to date, I can see why they were all so excited to be involved.
The audio and effects team have done a tremendous job as well! The sound effects truly have given it an original trilogy feel. The TIE Fighters soaring around take me back to the first time I saw Luke and the rest of the Rebels attack the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin. I will not get started on Kevin Kiner’s soundtrack. I will have to do a whole blog alone about the excellence of his scores for not only Rebels but The Clone Wars as well. All I will say about this subject is that Kiner’s music brings completion to each episode in the same way each John Williams piece brings completion to the movies.
Yet even though all these pieces fit together and help mesh Rebels with our beloved Saga, let’s not overlook the deliberate connections being made to the movies. I am speaking of the guest cameos.
Yes! That’s right! Dave Filoni has given us the return of some of Star Wars’ best characters in Rebels and we are only 10 episode in! The best part is the powers-that-be didn’t wait long to start with the guests.
Spark of Rebellion gave us the return of the legendary James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. Granted, the Vader scene wasn’t added until the re-airing of the episode on ABC, but having Vader give orders to the Inquisitor made the evil threat more real. It fleshed out the relationship between Vader and the Inquisitor in a way we didn’t have originally and in a way that could only be done by Mr. Jones himself. Spark of Rebellion also gives us the multi-talented James Arnold Taylor as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I will not deny that this was the biggest highlight of the episode for me. JAT has been my favorite for a while and he is (along with Ashley Eckstein) responsible for my Star Wars rebirth. His appearance not only connected us to The Clone Wars, but to Revenge Of The Sith as well.
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In the second episode of the season, Droids in Distress, we get the two most recognizable droids in the world: R2-D2 and C-3PO. Amazingly enough, we even were graced with the vocal talents of Anthony Daniels reprising his role as everyone’s favorite protocol droid. Then the episode ended with the appearance of Senator Bail Organa. That’s right, the foster parent of Leia has shown up in Rebels, and I don’t think it was a one time appearance.
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We then had some great episodes that fleshed out the each member of the Ghost’s crew. It was not until ninth episode of the season that we got our next Saga cameo, and a massive one it was. The return of Frank Oz as everyone’s favorite Jedi Master, Yoda. This episode was so deep on so many levels and the addition of Yoda was the perfect way to show the importance of the moment. Frank Oz is a master of his craft and portrayed everything we needed to feel without us seeing Yoda once in the episode.
Immediately in the next episode we get an Original Trilogy appearance that shaped the entire episode. I speak of the coolest cat in the galaxy, Billy Dee Williams. That’s right, Billy Dee returned as Lando Calrissian. Now honestly this wasn’t much of a surprise, after all, Billy Dee did mention that he had done some work for a show called Rebels sometime last year. We all knew what he meant, even though the attempt was made to spin it in another direction. What did surprise me though was the extent of this cameo. Lando played a key part throughout this episode and left us with a sense that Hera and the crew aren’t done dealing with him.
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So after seeing Lando and going though all the fabulous guest cameos we have seen on Rebels through just the first 10 episodes, it got me thinking, who do I want to see show up in Rebels? So after careful consideration and thought, I have come up with a short list of who I would like to see.
First off, I want to see Han Solo and Chewbacca. We know they are out there somewhere, why not have them run some smuggling missions to Lothal? After all, we know Han is friends with Lando, and Lando already has business there.
Next, I want to see my favorite bounty hunter. I want Boba Fett to show up on Lothal in a hunt for the rebels. This would be amazing! We saw him in The Clone Wars as a child getting his start in bounty hunting, why not bring the Mandalorian armor clad Fett back in Rebels? You could even incorporate him in the same episode with Han and Chewie.
I would like to see Princess Leia Organa make her grand appearance. Now this is something I already believe will happen at some point, especially since we have already seen Bail. With the Rebellion in its infancy on Lothal, she could show up to show some kind of moral support. Let the crew of the Ghost know they are not alone out there.
I want Tarkin. Grand Moff Tarkin needs to make an appearance. I feel we will find out as more episodes pass that Lothal will play a very important part in galactic affairs for the Empire, not just the rebellion. It would make sense, then, that Tarkin would show up there.
Last but not least, I would love to see Captain Rex. Of course this is a Clone Wars bring back but I don’t care. Rex was my favorite of the clones, and could make a commanding impact in bridging the two animated shows.
Now this is just my Top 5, I could go on with additional wants, but I would never end. Rounding out my Top 10, though, would be Ahsoka, Emperor Palpatine, Commander Wolf and the Wolfpack, General Madine, and Dak. Now I want to hear from you. What do you think of this list? Who do you want to see make a cameo in Rebels. Comment below or email me to let me know. Of course you can always find me on Twitter as well.
I can’t wait to hear what you have to say and I can’t wait to see what Rebels has in store for us in the future as well!
May the Force be with you, and remember – This is the podcast you’re looking for!