Today we continue our rewatch of Star Wars Rebels with episodes 16 through 20 of the popular Lucasfilm animated series.
Star Wars Rebels stars the vocal talents of Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger, Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus, Steven Blum as Zeb Orrelios, Tiya Sircar as Sabine Wren, and series co-creator Dave Filoni as Chopper.
Episode 16: “The Siege of Lothal (Part 1)” – While Kanan is still adapting to working with the larger Rebel Alliance rather than in a smaller cell, the crew is contacted by Imperial Minister Maketh Tua (guest star Kath Soucie from Futurama), who wants to defect to the Rebellion. She feels threatened by the presence of Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), and her paranoia proves correct when the Sith Lord uses her as bait to corner Kanan and Ezra, resulting in the minister’s death. This episode serves as the second-season premiere.
Episode 17: “The Siege of Lothal (Part 2)” – Kanan and Ezra clash lightsabers with Vader while the Ghost crew struggles to escape. After fleeing, they contact Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), who agrees to help smuggle them off Lothal. They meet up with other rebel ships but are soon confronted by Imperial forces once again, with Vader ultimately sensing Ahsoka Tano’s (Ashley Eckstein) presence via the Force. Vader contacts Emperor Palpatine (voiced by Darth Maul performer Sam Witwer in the original airing, and original actor Ian McDiarmid in later versions), who tell him to dispatch more Inquisitors.
Episode 18: “The Lost Commanders” – Ahsoka sends Ezra, Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb to the Seelos System, where they are able to track down several former Republic Clone Troopers, including Captain Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor (all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, reprising his roles from Star Wars: The Clone Wars) in order to retrieve information about potential rebel bases in the Outer Rim. Naturally Kanan is distrustful of clones after what he witnessed during Emperor Palpatine’s Order 66, though Rex reveals that he and his compatriots removed their inhibitor chips. Zeb helps the clones catch a giant sand monster in exchange for the info, but Wolffe covertly reports the presence of the two Jedi to the Empire.
Episode 19: “Relics of the Old Republic” – The Empire arrives at Seelos and attacks our heroes with Probe Droids and Imperial Walkers. A desert battle ensues between the clone troopers’ clunky converted Republic walker and the Imperial forces. Kanan eventually decides that while he’s not a fan of clones in general, he doesn’t necessarily want these three to die at the hands of the Empire, so they help their new friends fight off the walkers and escape Seelos. Also, Admiral Konstantine (Baker as well) meets the imposing Inquisitor known as the Fifth Brother.
Episode 20: “Always Two There Are” – The crew explore a creepy decommissioned Republic medical space station in the hopes of transforming it into a new rebel base. While on the station searching for pharmaceutical supplies, they are attacked by the Fifth Brother (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez from The Morning Show) and the Seventh Sister (Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Sarah Michelle Gellar), who demand that Ezra turn over Ahsoka Tano. Ezra and Sabine are eventually rescued by Zeb and Chopper in the Phantom, but once safely back aboard the Ghost, Kanan is disturbed by the news of more Sith Inquisitors.
Star Wars Rebels is available to stream in its entirety on Disney+.