Suvudu Universe

The latest Star Wars Rebels news comes to us directly from Making Star Wars, where a private source revealed minor details about the series. Please be aware that there may be some spoilery content ahead.

Ezra was born in the first year of the Empire.

When Ezra was first introduced, my best friend and I immediately made note of his blue eyes and bronze colored skin. We instantly thought, “Ezra’s the son of a clone.” There was nothing to back up that theory, but we had fun shooting the idea back and forth. The romantic in me likes to think that a clone trooper saved his Jedi commanding officer from impending doom and had a relationship like that of Darman and Etain from the Republic Commando series by Karen Traviss. Alas, that idea falls more in the realm of fan fiction, but it would make Ezra’s currently known background a lot more interesting. Could he be the son of a Jedi who escaped Order 66? Maybe. Galen Marek from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was the son of two Jedi Knights. Even though this story now falls under the new Star Wars Legends brand, certain concepts could appear in the animated series.

Ezra lives in a radio tower and collects stormtrooper
helmets.

According to Making Star Wars’ source, something bad happened to Ezra’s parents. Having nowhere else to go, Ezra lives on his own and makes a home out of a radio tower, which we originally saw in Ralph McQuarrie’s paintings. He does harbor strong resentment towards the Empire. Maybe he lost his parents at the hands of Imperial forces and that’s why he retaliates the way he does. Whatever the case, I wonder how attached he is to the radio tower and his collection of helmets (which are essentially his trophies). Whether it’s attachment to materialistic possessions or actual people, I hope we see Ezra’s struggle with that, especially after he gains a family.

Sabine has a way of making her explosions look beautiful.

Fans at Star Wars Weekends will recognize this to be true. During the weekend that Tiya Sircar visited, Ashley Eckstein at the “Behind the Force” show unveiled a brand new clip featuring the Mandalorian explosives expert, Sabine Wren. The scene involved Sabine breaking into a ground base filled with TIE Fighters to cause a diversion. After coming into contact with a small group of stormtroopers, Sabine detonates an explosive charger she left behind. When Hera comms her to let her know that she did a job well done with the diversion, Sabine replies, “Forget the explosion. Look at the color.” Thus, Sabine does make her explosions look beautiful–she does so by adding a splash of color and altering them to reflect her tastes.

A Devaronian named Vizago is an underground dealer/crime
lord on Lothal.

This tidbit of information is also true. There is, in fact, a Devaronian male by the name of Cikatro Vizago, according to the screen capture provided by Rebels Report (which originated from the Fall 2014 Mission Series figure line). In the Star Wars Rebels: Rebel Journal by Ezra Bridger, Ezra mentioned that he used to trade weapons for food. Perhaps, he had trading ties with Vizago? This character could also be a source of future weapons for the rebel crew.

Obi-Wan does appear in the pilot, but only as a holographic
recording.

Conversation surrounding Obi-Wan Kenobi’s appearance in Star Wars Rebels surfaced when Dan Curto of Sandtroopers.com brought us a sneak preview of the figure lineup for Saga Legends and Mission Series. A “Rebels Obi-Wan Kenobi” figure was pictured with a combination of other characters from the Star Wars universe. Many of us believed that Obi-Wan would appear later on in the season, so it is quite surprising to hear that he will take part in the Rebels pilot as a hologram recording. A different report from TheForce.net (TFN) also revealed that James Arnold Taylor would return to voice the character, which he had previously voiced in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars, and later, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Make sure to tune into the next episode of “Now, This Is Podcasting!” to hear an interesting theory concerning Obi-Wan’s appearance.

Kanan is in possession of a holocron.

We knew a holocron was on board The Ghost when the Summer 2014 LEGO sets were first announced earlier this year. The Ghost‘s LEGO set includes Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Zeb Orrelios, a stormtrooper, and a holocron. The fact that the holocron is in Kanan’s possession makes me wonder how it got to him in the first place. Since he had escaped the Jedi Temple during Order 66, could he have salvaged a holocron in the process? If not then, acquiring the holocron could happen during Star Wars: A New Dawn, a new novel featuring Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla. Or, perhaps it’s an item the rebel crew might end up stealing at some point during the first few episodes. After he gets his hands on it, I’m sure he has a bigger problem trying to keep it safe from the Empire.

Apparently, there is a thing called Kessel spice mines (I
only knew the Kessel run), but they’ll appear, too.

The Spice Mines of Kessel appeared throughout several novels with its first mention originating from the adaptation novel for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Dangerous creatures inhabited the spice mines, and apparently, “The Empire threatened beings who would not cooperate that they would be sentenced to work in the mines if they continued to ignore them” (1). This could be another instance of canon borrowing material from the Legends story lines.

Lots of Wookiees.

As previously seen in the full Star Wars Rebels trailer and in the clip revealed in the Disney Parks video, we see captured (enslaved) Wookiees in binders and others are seen escaping during the confrontation between the Imperials and the rebels. At one point, Ezra goes off on his own to rescue a young Wookiee being taken away by a stormtrooper. He manages to subdue the trooper, but has Agent Kallus on his tail until Kanan and The Ghost appear just in time. Star Wars Rebels: Ezra’s Wookiee Rescue is an upcoming storybook and CD set from Disney Lucasfilm Press set to be released on October 21, 2014. The publication incorporates character voices and sound effects that enhance the action set forth in the story, which may retell the events related to the Wookiees seen in the aforementioned videos.

Jason Isaacs is also rumored to play the voice of the Inquisitor in Star Wars Rebels. Isaacs is best known for his role as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series. He also voiced Admiral Zhao in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a series that Dave Filoni had worked on prior to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As previously mentioned, I believe this particular scene with the Inquisitor is the last shot of the Rebels pilot (also known as the one-hour special that will air on the Disney Channel). With Agent Kallus rumored to be the main antagonist in the pilot, it makes sense that he reports his findings and updates to the Inquisitor after the confrontation on Lothal. This possibly sets the stage for the Inquisitor to personally take over the matter and pursue the rebels himself throughout the series.