OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH!

I just finished watching the Star Wars Rebels Season 3 premiere: Step into the Shadows. I had goosebumps for most of the show.

So it’s been six months since the events at the end of season 2 and things have changed. The crew has a new look and Ezra has a new attitude. It was amazing to see them all back in action. And it was freaking sweet to see Kanan interact with the Bendu.

The look and feel of the episode was…well, it was just awesome.

Plot Summary (Spoilers Ahead)

The official episode synopsis as listed on IMDB reads:

Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, Chopper and Hera sets out to rescue Hondo Ohnaka, while Kanan finds an ancient force creature known as “The Bendu”.

But that only scratches the surface of the action. Seriously, that is such a short description that it’s almost insulting. But, I don’t want to be the guy who ruins the show for you. So for the sake of spoilers, I won’t go into more depth as to what takes place. But I do want to highlight some of the more interesting parts of the episode.

Highlights (Seriously, Spoilers Ahead)

Ezra = Anakin

As we saw with episode 7, Lucas Media group is not above reliving old plotlines. And while this episode is not a rehash of some old story, at least not to my knowledge, we are seeing Ezra move farther down the path to the dark side.

Early in the episode, we see that the young Padawan activate the Sith Holocron and listen to it. While this fount of knowledge has made Ezra more capable in his powers, it has also made him more unstable. We see his abilities increase throughout the episode as he takes on wave after wave of Imperial troopers, at times, single-handedly.

Couple the constant violence with his overly developed teen angst and desire to keep his friends safe, and we have Anakin 2.0. What do you think his Sith name will be? Darth Sullen or Darth Sassy? (I couldn’t come up with more clever names. I’ll try harder next time.)

Kanan and the Bendu

After the events of last season’s finale, Kanan has struggled to find his place. We know that he has spent less time working with Ezra and the crew. While he means well, he has let fear, anger, and regret lead him down the path to the dark side.

It takes an encounter with the Bendu, a force-sensitive being who falls somewhere between the Jedi and Sith, to show him the error of his ways.

During their conversation, the Bendu points out that knowledge is neither inherently good nor evil. Good intent can lead people to do terrible things (Cough…Anakin).  As the Bendu pushes Kanan to explore his inner thoughts more, he helps the Jedi Knight realize just how far he has fallen from the light.

And I don’t mean just in the show. Since A New Dawn, Kanan has distanced himself from everything related to the Jedi Order he once belonged to. Now after realizing just how far he has fallen, will we see him work with others like himself? Maybe, and not Luke, brings back the Order?

Cells multiply

As the episode winds to a close, we learn that the bombers are set to transfer to a new rebel cell, one overseen by General Dodonna. While we have known that there are other active rebel cells operating across the galaxy, this is one of the first times we have connected to the main cell.

For those of you who don’t know, General Dodonna was the rebel tactician who created the plan on Yavin 4. That plan ultimately led to the destruction of the Death Star. Remember? Could we see Dodonna match wits with Grand Admiral Thrawn? (Nerd giggle)

Speculation

• When we first meet Thrawn, he is introduced as Grand Admiral. He then responds by saying that the Emperor just promoted him. I think his book, which is set to release next spring, will focus on that promotion.
• The Bendu will test both Kanan and Ezra. I think it will show them both the error in the ways of the Jedi. This knowledge will then somehow pass to Luke, or whoever starts the new order.
• Ezra will continue to fight for his friends and family. I think before we are halfway through the season, one of the Ghost crew will die, pushing the already fragile Jedi closer to the dark side.

Did you watch the premiere? What did you think? What do you say were the highlights of the episode? Leave a comment in the space below and let’s talk about it.