Star Wars: Rebels (TV Series) Spark of Rebellion (2014) User Reviews

While it is a very good start, it is just that, a start, and has much room for needed growth and improvement......

[raistlin903 · 8/10 · 12 January 2015]

So here we are at Star Wars Rebels, the first video entry into the new Star Wars EU. So let's see where to begin. It has been 6 years since we left Kanan and Hera at the end of A New Dawn(the first novel in the New EU), and apparently they have been busy. But that is jumping ahead a little.

We really start this through the eyes of a brand new young character named Ezra Bridger. Right now I can tell you that this is going to be the 'Luke Skywalker' of the series. I really don't like this character. He's a modern twist on a Luke/Anakin-mold that is supposed to be the element to connect to its target audience, namely kids, but I find him to be a very unlikeable character, and wish they just would have gone with Kanan, Hera and their crew and been done with it. Especially since Kanan was set up as an ex-padawan in A New Dawn so we already had the force element covered. So, anyways, Ezra is this street-kid type character that apparently is good at tricking Stormtroopers but is also only out for himself and will take from the people he is helping just as much as from the Troopers, and he has all the charm of an unruly little smart-ass that needs a swift kick in the ass. But again, I digress… For those that pay attention to these things, Ezra is voiced by Taylor Gray, who I have never heard of but seem to do a believable job.

Now, Ezra happens to be at the right place at the right time (which of course he takes advantage of), and we get to see Kanan and his crew, in action, for the first time from an outsider viewpoint looking in. I really liked how they were introduced, and the new additions that were not introduced in the book worked really well in this first action sequence. We have 3 main additions.

Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios who is a species called Lasat. He is basically the muscle of the team with a slightly rougher attitude then the rest but also has the "once you get to know him" type feel. He is being voiced by Steve Blum who is also doing other voices on the show like that of a Stormtrooper, for instance.

Sabine Wren who is a very cute Mandalorian, and wears a pink version of the warrior armor. Since I have a soft spot for anything Mandalorian, she already scored a win from me, even if her armor was pink. Sabine is being voiced by Tiya Sircar. Finally we have Chopper, the astromech droid of the series. This one defiantly has a personality on the level with Artoo, and he seems like he is gonna fit in nicely. As to Kanan and Hera, well, I really like what they did with them for the most part. Kanan is being voiced by Freddie Prince, Jr. and Hera is by Vanessa Marshall, who seems to be the one voice actress with the most experience in this department of the group. Although I'm not sure but Hera seems to be coming off with a bit of a British flare, using words like "luv" at the end of her sentences.

So there was definitely some great Star Wars action, but for the most part this was a setup pilot. There were some things they did great, like the speeder bike scenes, or the wookie rescue, and then there was stuff that seemed too contrived trying to grasp at the greatness of the OT like the fact that in 5 years since we left Kanan, where he was afraid and cautious of showing his powers, that now he is willing to take on a padawan, and in some sense considers himself a suedo-jedi. Similar to the Clone Wars animated series this was a decent start but has a lot of ground it needs to improve on. Oh, they did throw in an Obi-Wan "appearance" and of course it was voiced by James Arnold Taylor, who has been the voice of Kenobi for the past 6 years on the Clone Wars series, so this was a very cool nod to that as well.

Also I would suggest watching the ABC released version on their official website if you want to see the Special Guest appearance (totally awesome) that is well worth the nostalgia alone, and adds heavily to the tiny introduction of the new villain of the series, the Inquisitor (voice by Jason Isaacs, known most recently as Malfoy Senior in the Harry Potter movies). This is Disney showing how dedicated they are to making this work.

Familiar faces help the series settle in and build a place in the Star Wars Universe

[raistlin903 · 8/10 · 12 January 2015]

Now that all the introductions are out of the way, we are going to settle into this series and start to get some character development and just start to get a good feel for the crew. First thing you need to know about this one, pertains to the name of the episode and the two big Guest Stars that play a significant role in the story. At this point, I don't think you can release anything Star Wars related to the screen, without these two showing up somehow. Yup, you guessed it. R2-D2 and C-3PO. And they even got Anthony Daniels to do the voice of Threepio. How cool is that! Threepio even has the silver leg, already. But, Artoo and Threepio are not alone, we get a couple more familiar faces. Bail Organa makes a very interesting cameo that should not be missed.

And the most unexpected cameo comes from RX-24. Now this is a rather clever cameo that I must explain, since I'm sure that name doesn't ring any bells for most (If it does, score big points for you and your Star Wars knowledge). RX-24 is actually the droid pilot of the transport ship you fly on when you go on Star Tours at Disneyland. He is the voice of the ride, and is an actual live action animatronic character in the passenger area, at the front, "piloting" the ship, and talking to the group as he takes them on a crazy ride through Star Wars space battles and such. Growing up in Los Angeles beach areas, I have taken passage on his flight many, many times and he was a very memorable character. What really makes this noteworthy is that RX is voiced by Paul Reubens on the ride, and of course he also voiced him on the show. All these guest voices by the original actors make me think of that line from Jurassic Park, "We spared no expense!"

This episode picks up with the Ghost crew getting used to their new member. Also, they are low on supplies and need to take on some shady work they would normally have avoided, but times are tough all around these days. This of course brings them in contact with the droids, which leads to the type of messes Artoo and Threepio always seem to be involved in, with Threepio acting as ignorant to everything as ever. The Ghost crew works rather well in this episode, and Zeb gets a lot of character and race- background development. And of course, Ezra gets a "moment." About my only real disappointment, is the lack of any strong individual characters on the antagonist side of things other than Stormtroopers and forgettable officers. I know they are going to build to The Inquisitor, but where are some of the Grand Moff's like Tarkin, who was featured in quite a few of the latter episodes of Clone Wars. But, overall, I'm enjoying what I'm seeing.

Surprisingly good

[h_spj · 8/10 · 4 October 2014]

i'll keep this short just to get the fresh memory of the episode out while I still have it in me. This show, as the title says, looks really good. There is a great group of characters introduced that we can evolve with. It has a good script with a decent amount of well working jokes. It doesn't contain too many Cliché's, and has some great animations.

The only thing bad about this episode that comes to mind was that it had too much action in one episode. They could have ended it after the stardestroyer incident.

Overall 8/10

A spark that becomes a flame.

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 9/10 · 8 October 2020]

Following 4 little introductory short mini episodes this is the first full episode and is actually a double episode. We get the meeting between Ezra Bridger, scavenger youth, and the crew of rebels who steal from Imperial forces. Kanan, Hera, Zeb and Chopper are introduced as characters well and Ezra has the intriguing introduction as we see that he has the force.

The animation in this first season is a little below the standards of Clone Wars sadly and there are bits that are a bit cartoonish but overall it shows great potential from the start with nice characters, fun action and a promising Jedi power story.

There is huge rewatch value in Rebels and watching this back is even better than the first time.

The moment Kanan reveals his power is spine tinglingly emotional. Great stuff.

Very enjoyable first episode with a great start with Darth Vader giving dark instructions to his agent 'The Grand Inquisitor'. The second part is even better and really sets up the series well.

Very good opening to the season.

My rating: Part One - 8/10, Part 2 - 9/10. Overall 8.5/10.

Decent first episode(s)

[Trey_Trebuchet · 8/10 · 3 May 2022]

This was actually a pretty solid pilot. It definitely feels a bit generic, like you've seen a handful of Star Wars material like this before, but the characters came off as likable and it does legitimately feel like Star Wars, which o wasn't expecting. Good stuff.

Spark of Rebellion

[lassegalsgaard · 7/10 · 8 December 2019]

First of all, I am reviewing these two episodes as one, as I feel like they compliment each other and are best watched as an extra long episode. This was a great beginning to a series that I didn't know how I was going to feel about. I remember the first teaser that I watched, and it felt like a weird different take on the original "Star Wars." And it is, but it is a lot cooler than that. Ezra Bridger is the new hero who is to be learned in the ways of the Force by Kanan Jarrus, and while the similarities are there, there is so much more so enjoy. The animation is spectacular and the look of the series seems to be one of the most intriguing thing about it. I really enjoyed Simon Kinberg's script and his dialogue felt true to the language that has been used in various comicbooks and novels. It felt like a nice entry into a new corner of this lore and it is sure to offer a lot of perspective on things that has happened. I felt like the tone needs a little adjustment, but for an animated show on Disney XD, I felt like it was as good as it could have been, and I can't wait to see what they are hiding down the line.

The Force is with it... mostly

[Fluke_Skywalker · 7/10 · 10 November 2014]

From two animated series, to books, video games and a slew of merchandising, Lucasfilm has milked every last ounce out of the once compelling 'Clone Wars' era of the 'Star Wars' saga over the last decade. As a result, it is now utterly demystified. Might the same be in store for the era in between the sagas? We'll soon see.

'Rebels: Spark of Rebellion' is a welcome change, recapturing the tone and spirit of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy in a way the prequels and the 'Clone Wars' never quite did. It's not just the superficial aesthetic, this actually *feels* like 'Star Wars'. This first pilot movie episode feels a bit rushed at times, and definitely would've benefited from a feature-length runtime, but what we get is a fun, fast moving adventure that features likable characters and a compelling set-up. Hopefully it can maintain a tighter overall narrative focus than the occasionally slapdash 'Clone Wars'. So far, so good.

Incredibly fun!

[musthavecupcakes · 23 February 2016]

Just as Dave Filoni and crew fleshed out the prequel era with the incredible "The Clone Wars" television show, they have returned to the small screen to breathe life back into the original trilogy era with "Star Wars Rebels. And let me just say, they have outdone themselves.

Set five years before "Episode IV: A New Hope", "Spark of Rebellion" finds the galaxy oppressed and disheartened by the crushing presence of the Galactic Empire. The episode takes place on the backwater planet of Lothal where Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko and Taskmaster Myles Grint rule with an iron fist. They constantly harass the citizens and make life difficult for everybody. Fortunately, a small band of rebels have grouped together to fight back. The group is led by Kanan Jarrus, a human Jedi who survived Order 66 when he was a padawan learner. Hera Syndulla is the Twi'lek pilot of their ship, the Ghost. Garazab "Zeb" Orrelios is a former soldier and one of the few existing members of the Lasat, a species that was nearly wiped out by the Empire. Sabine Wren is a young adult Mandalorian with a flair for explosions and art. And last, but certainly not least, is Chopper, the spunky and sassy protocol droid.

Through a series of action-packed events the crew come upon Ezra Bridger, a Force sensitive street orphan. After giving stolen crates of food to the poor, the rebels sell black market weapons to Cikatro Vizago, a Devaronian crime lord, in return for payment. They also learn the location of Wookiee slaves that they have been trying to rescue for the Empire.

After a slew of outer space dogfights, Imperial kidnappings, rescue missions, and stormtrooper shoot-outs, the crew travels to the spice mines of Kessel to free the Wookiees. Unfortunately, they are pursued by the ruthless Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau. As a last ditch effort to save the Wookiees (and themselves), Kanan ignites his lightsaber and charges the stormtroopers while Hera loads crew and the Wookiees onto the ship, leaving Kallus (and a bunch of dead stormtroopers) behind.

In the end, Ezra joins the Ghost Crew and becomes Kanan's apprentice. Meanwhile, Agent Kallus informs The Grand Inquisitor, Vader's Jedi-hunting assassin, that he has encountered a rebel cell led by a Jedi Knight.

Overall, the story is absolutely riveting from beginning to end and I loved all of the references to the original trilogy as well as Ralph McQuarrie's original concept art. For example, Lothal is based off of early art of Tatooine and Zeb is based off of early art for Chewbacca, and the spice mines of Kessel are visually realized for the first time after being mentioned in "A New Hope". (Plus, we get holograms of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader!!)

Visually, the episode is stunning. While "The Clone Wars" had more angular animation, "Rebels" is far more polished and "Disney-fied" (which is a good thing). It feels very much like the original "Star Wars" with its designs, landscapes, and action set pieces. The score is also beautiful and has a lot of throw-backs to the original trilogy.

All in all, I give Spark of Rebellion an 8 out of 10. It's an outstanding piece of Star Wars media and I can't wait to see where the show goes from here.

Droids in Distress

[lassegalsgaard · 7/10 · 8 December 2019]

As a third episode, this goes hand-in-hand with the first two episodes. While clearly featuring a lot more fan service than those episodes, it does hint at the origin of the rebellion, and there is some great development with a few of the characters. I have a feeling that this series is going to have these episodes where individual characters are going to have big arcs. Zeb Orrelios had a good arc in this, and we got to learn a little bit more about his race, which is endangered at this point, plus a little bit more of the tension between him and Ezra. The frustrations of not being able to properly train is also apparent in Ezra, but as the episode progresses, a lot more of his potential is also unearthed. The inclusion of R2-D2 and C-3PO wasn't necessarily something that I needed, and I think it would have felt more organic with random droids, but it is a nice way of connecting the dods between the films and this series. Gives it a little bit more meaning. It was a nice follow-up to the hourlong premiere, and I think that there is a lot of ground for making something great in the next few episodes.

Decent Introduction to the Show

[carsonsalameh · 7/10 · 25 June 2022]

Star Wars Rebels' First Season is really bad at times, but this episode shows what the show is trying to do, establish a nice dynamic between a group of characters that aren't always likable, but are always *trying* to do better for the galaxy. It's not a perfect pilot, but it's not a terrible one either, by any stretch of the imagination.