Star Wars Rebels Renewed For Season 2 With A Definite Game Plan For The Future
Star Wars Rebels may technically just have premiere yesterday (read our review here)—though many fans were able to see it early via a promotion Disney Channel ran—but it’s already been renewed for a second season. This news actually came down even before the premiere, we’re just a little late to the party, and it doesn’t really surprise anyone, since you can slap those two words on just about anything and people will watch. Still, the show was a ton of fun, captures the swashbuckling feel of the original trilogy, and though this is obviously targeted at kids, it’s one you won’t mind watching right along side of them.
Rebels takes place in between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. In this setting, the Galactic Empire is tightening its grip on the galaxy, including outer rim planets that have, up to this point, largely gone unscathed. In this oppressive atmosphere, pockets of resistance pop up, and you see the start of what will ultimately become the Rebel Alliance in Episodes IV through VI.
Rebels is also the first new addition to the canon since Disney bought out Lucasfilm in 2012, and as they’re taking a Marvel, everything-is-connected approach, this is going to echo throughout the upcoming slate of films, including J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII.
Gary Marsh, president of Disney Channel Worldwide and their Chief Creative Officer, addressed the early second season order, saying, “The global expectations for this series could not have been any higher. And I am proud to say that the team at Lucasfilm has delivered something that has surpassed even that incredibly high bar—artistically and thematically.”
Talking to Collider, executive producer and all around Star Wars nut Dave Filoni addressed the future of the series as well as his previous work on the franchise. He says:
I am a very big stickler about a game plan. I don’t like to stick to it, but I need to know where we’re going. When we did Clone Wars , I always had an end game in mind for Ahsoka, for years. What was hilarious about that was that George had an end game in mind that was different than mine. We would argue about it, all the time. He was more in the, “We’re gonna kill her off,” camp. I was in the, “No, she’s gonna live,” camp. We forged the story over that debate, year after year. So, we sat down and had a talk about, given what we know about the movies that this will run into, where does Ezra need to be and where should Kanan be? We need to know those things, so that when we get really close in these timelines, it starts to make sense. Once you have an idea of where this can go, it lets you know, as a director, how to orchestrate all of these pieces. It sounds really stupid to say, but I’m a storyteller who loves to have a reason to tell these stories, rather than just staying, “Star Wars is a great story.” Okay, but what is that great story? Luke is a story of hope and selflessness and redemption for his father. We have to know those things. As we unveil them over time, I think it’s going to be really different, unique and exciting.
Star Wars Rebels may be a kid’s show, but if you’re a fan, it’s definitely worth investing your time, and just might remind you how much you really love Star Wars. Now that it has premiered, the series will make the jump to its forever home on Disney XD starting on Monday, October 13.
