Season three of Rebels hasn’t been the greatest. That’s not to say that we haven’t had some amazing gems, because we have. Even the episodes that were a bit light on story, were still pretty good, especially the ones with Hando. But this last week’s episode, Warhead, was a surprisingly good combination of meaningless filler and interconnected story arc.
If you haven’t seen last Saturday’s episode, stop reading and go watch it now. You can come back afterward, read this, and tell if you agree with my thoughts. If you have, or if you’ve already done that and you’re now back, I wanted to highlight some of the reasons Warhead was a solid episode.
Wedge Antilles
One of the cooler moments in this episode was when we get to see Wedge Antilles, now just a grunt pilot in Phoenix Squadron. He only appears briefly and it’s slightly comical as he awkwardly runs into another pilot after receiving an order from Hera. It’s cool to see Wedge’s early years in the rebellion. I was never a Wedge fanboy. But as I’ve come to know him in the new cannon, it’s neat to see him work his way up through the rebel ranks.
What’s I like most about his appearance is that he doesn’t take center stage. He’s just a face in the crowd doing his part. Some of the best Star Wars stories come from characters in the background of major scenes.
The Droids
Droids are arguably the best part of the Star Wars franchise. They are lovable companions. Sometimes they are snarky. Sometimes they are cruel. But they are almost always fun to watch, except in the case of C-3PO. That guy sucks.
One of the great things about this episode was the witty banter between Ap-5 and Zeb. For those of you who don’t remember, AP-5 was the protocol droid Chopper convinced to leave the Empire and work for the Rebels. There’s a number of moments in Warhead when AP-5 just cuts Zeb with his remarks and it’s hilarious. What’s great is AP-5 just doesn’t care, which makes it that much better.
I mean, Zeb’s an easy target, but still, it’s pure gold.
Fulcrum and Thrawn
Until the end of the episode, there is very little about the plot that connects to the overall story. The Empire sends a droid to look for rebel bases but it gets lost. Rebels find it and hijinks ensue. When the droid returns to the Empire, it explodes, taking a cruiser down with it. Overall, no real connection to anything beyond the episode, except for two small moments.
The first is when Zeb gets and incoming transmission from Fulcrum. As you may recall, Agent Kallus is now playing the role of Fulcrum, feeding the rebels info when he can. Since Kallus and Zeb have a history, it’s possible that his warning Zeb about the droid in the episode could be a powerful reminder to the Lasat that Kallus is a good guy.
Now, this may be reaching, but if Kallus were ever to get into trouble, I think Zeb would feel honor bound to save him, thus sacrificing his life for the imperial informants. That’s total speculation, though.
The moment that connects to the episode to the story at large is in the waning seconds of the show. Kallus meets with Thrawn and notices that the Admiral is in a good mood. Excited to explain, Thrawn says he can narrow his search to the 100 planets he sent droids to.
A small victory for the Chiss commander, but one that could lead to a much larger one later in the season. I think before season three ends, we will see the rebels leave Chopper base and not with just a few casualties.
You’d think an episode surrounding a group of people doing inventory would suck, but it was actually solid. We are left to speculate just how much time Phoenix Squadron has left on the base. A hasty departure would also mean leaving the Bendu behind just when Kanan and Ezra were starting to learn more from him.
I’m not sure what the rest of season three will hold. Next week’s episode promises more backstory about the Mandalorians and their history with the Dark Saber. But what did you think about Warhead? Did you like it as much as I did? Leave a comment in the section below.
Jan 17 2017
Star Wars Rebels Review: Warhead
Season three of Rebels hasn’t been the greatest. That’s not to say that we haven’t had some amazing gems, because we have. Even the episodes that were a bit light on story, were still pretty good, especially the ones with Hando. But this last week’s episode, Warhead, was a surprisingly good combination of meaningless filler and interconnected story arc.
If you haven’t seen last Saturday’s episode, stop reading and go watch it now. You can come back afterward, read this, and tell if you agree with my thoughts. If you have, or if you’ve already done that and you’re now back, I wanted to highlight some of the reasons Warhead was a solid episode.
Wedge Antilles
One of the cooler moments in this episode was when we get to see Wedge Antilles, now just a grunt pilot in Phoenix Squadron. He only appears briefly and it’s slightly comical as he awkwardly runs into another pilot after receiving an order from Hera. It’s cool to see Wedge’s early years in the rebellion. I was never a Wedge fanboy. But as I’ve come to know him in the new cannon, it’s neat to see him work his way up through the rebel ranks.
What’s I like most about his appearance is that he doesn’t take center stage. He’s just a face in the crowd doing his part. Some of the best Star Wars stories come from characters in the background of major scenes.
The Droids
Droids are arguably the best part of the Star Wars franchise. They are lovable companions. Sometimes they are snarky. Sometimes they are cruel. But they are almost always fun to watch, except in the case of C-3PO. That guy sucks.
One of the great things about this episode was the witty banter between Ap-5 and Zeb. For those of you who don’t remember, AP-5 was the protocol droid Chopper convinced to leave the Empire and work for the Rebels. There’s a number of moments in Warhead when AP-5 just cuts Zeb with his remarks and it’s hilarious. What’s great is AP-5 just doesn’t care, which makes it that much better.
I mean, Zeb’s an easy target, but still, it’s pure gold.
Fulcrum and Thrawn
Until the end of the episode, there is very little about the plot that connects to the overall story. The Empire sends a droid to look for rebel bases but it gets lost. Rebels find it and hijinks ensue. When the droid returns to the Empire, it explodes, taking a cruiser down with it. Overall, no real connection to anything beyond the episode, except for two small moments.
The first is when Zeb gets and incoming transmission from Fulcrum. As you may recall, Agent Kallus is now playing the role of Fulcrum, feeding the rebels info when he can. Since Kallus and Zeb have a history, it’s possible that his warning Zeb about the droid in the episode could be a powerful reminder to the Lasat that Kallus is a good guy.
Now, this may be reaching, but if Kallus were ever to get into trouble, I think Zeb would feel honor bound to save him, thus sacrificing his life for the imperial informants. That’s total speculation, though.
The moment that connects to the episode to the story at large is in the waning seconds of the show. Kallus meets with Thrawn and notices that the Admiral is in a good mood. Excited to explain, Thrawn says he can narrow his search to the 100 planets he sent droids to.
A small victory for the Chiss commander, but one that could lead to a much larger one later in the season. I think before season three ends, we will see the rebels leave Chopper base and not with just a few casualties.
You’d think an episode surrounding a group of people doing inventory would suck, but it was actually solid. We are left to speculate just how much time Phoenix Squadron has left on the base. A hasty departure would also mean leaving the Bendu behind just when Kanan and Ezra were starting to learn more from him.
I’m not sure what the rest of season three will hold. Next week’s episode promises more backstory about the Mandalorians and their history with the Dark Saber. But what did you think about Warhead? Did you like it as much as I did? Leave a comment in the section below.
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By Thaddaeus Brodrick • TV • • Tags: Fulcrum, review, Star wars rebels, Thrawn, Warhead