Suvudu Universe

Star Wars Rebels is positioned to be a unique property that can pull together elements of the original trilogy, The Clone Wars series and the expanded universe to provide for thrilling adventures in opposition to the evil Empire.

The setting of Rebels during the rule of the Empire presents some interesting decisions for the creative team. After all you can only use the Emperor and Darth Vader so much in a series focused on heroes as the main characters, because you can only show Palpatine and Vader bested so many times before you diminish their role in the original trilogy.

With that in mind and in anticipation of Saturday’s Rebels panel at New York Comic Con lets take a look at some individuals and character types that could appear in the show.

The Blaster Cannon Fodder:

1) Stormtroopers:

Judging by the fact that Stormtroopers will be on the toy packaging of Star Wars Rebels, I think we can safely assume we will see these white armor clad soldiers frequently in Rebels. The interesting discussion arises from whether or not we will see clones as stormtroopers, human who are recruited or drafted, or a mixture of both.

I for one hope we see some gray-haired clones in a training or senior leadership role within groups of stormtroopers. The subplot of a stormtrooper who has an idealized vision of what the Empire is only to become disillusioned by its brutal and totalitarian nature is just to ripe of story ground not to explore.

2) TIE Pilots:

Short of a few in the cockpit shots and running through the Death Star hallways we have not seen a lot of the TIE Pilots on film, they have been explored much more in the Expanded Universe and particularly in the comics. A crack team of TIE pilots lead by a Red Baron (Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen) like leader would certainly serve as an interesting foil chasing the heroes aboard the Ghost through space. In the expanded universe this role was served by the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing.

3) Navy Officers:

In their crisp dress uniforms we are likely to see less interaction in the series between Naval officers and the rebels, but it is no doubt that these character models will see frequent use in the background and at moments aboard Imperial vessels.

The Big Bosses:

1) The Emperor

We say Darth Sidiuous sparingly during The Clone Wars, we saw Chancellor Palpatine frequently. The era in which this series is set is one in which the Emperor is triumphant. It will be hard to have Palpatine significantly involved as a villain in the show and make his portrayal in the original trilogy still make sense. We could see him frequently via hologram, directing underlings, or even training operatives to do certain things, but I think his direct involvement in the action of the series is something we are not likely to see often.

2) Darth Vader

Vader like Palpatine is a villain built up to such a level in the original trilogy that it is hard to have him show up in a recurring way and be thwarted or defeated without neutering the character in some significant way. That said, I think we see Vader more frequently as a proxy to Palpatine directing the actions of those chasing the rebels and any rumored Jedi they may bring to the surface. I would bet we see Vader in action a couple of times through the course of the series at either mid-season episodes before a hiatus or in season finale cliff-hangers.

3) Tarkin

Just what rank will Tarkin have attained by the time Rebels rolls around? As of the end of The Clone Wars he had attained the rank of Admiral and in A New Hope he was a Grand Moff. Will the Tarkin we see in Rebels be a Moff or Grand Moff already? I think the response to Stephen Staton’s portrayal of the character in The Clone Wars was too good to avoid using this character in Rebels.

4) Maul

Last we saw Maul he was soundly defeated and nearly killed by his former master Darth Sidious on Mandalore. Sidious said that he had other plans for Maul, so it is possible that he could be an agent for the Emperor, or it is possible that Sidious kept him alive and used him as a clone template for an elite squad of assassins.

The Level Bosses:

The Clone Wars showcased a number of one-off or recurring villains of the week. These ranged from Separatist generals/admirals, various command droids, alien mercenaries, bounty hunters, Force-users and Hutts. It is likely that in addition to the cannon fodder Imperials which we will see frequently and the major villains that we will see sparingly, the majority of the dramatic tension will be provided by villains that are somewhere in between.  Below I explore these characters by type and how they could play into the story.

1) Imperial Naval Captains/Admirals

If the Ghost is going to be the home base for our heroes in the series then it makes sense that the primary threat to them will be in space and being pursued by the Imperial Navy. As such the commanders of ships, Captains and commanders of flag-ships, Admirals will probably serve a significant role as recurring villains. In this area we could see a character like Admiral Yularen switch sides from hero to villain. We could also see characters brought in sparingly from the expanded universe like Gilad Pellaeon,  It seems even possible that we could see Grand Admirals introduced, and perhaps not Thrawn but others of the rank.

2) Inquisitors

The Inquisitorius was a branch of Imperial intelligence that staffed some of Palpatine’s strongest Force using henchmen. They were key in hunting down any Jedi that survived Order 66 and are a creation of the Expanded Universe. Since the teaser for Rebels mentions Jedi rising, it would make sense to see Palpatine create the Inquisitors as a Force to seek out and eliminate the threat of the Jedi.

3) Emperor’s Hands

The most famous of the Emperor’s Hands was Mara Jade, one time servant of the Empire who would become the wife of Luke Skywalker in the expandeduniverse. I believe the concept of the Emperor’s Hands was strongly foreshadowed in The Clone Wars episode, “Children of the Force.” Mara Jade explains the role of the Hands better than I can;

“I was his hand, Skywalker. That’s how I was known to his inner court: as the Emperor’s Hand. I served him all over the galaxy, doing jobs the Imperial Fleet and stormtroopers couldn’t handle. That was my one great talent, you see ― I could hear his call from anywhere in the Empire, and report back to him the same way. I exposed traitors for him, brought down his enemies, helped him keep the kind of control over the mindless bureaucracies that he needed. I had prestige, and power, and respect.”

“Who were my targets? You name ‘em. Ambitious planetary governers, greedy crime lords, disloyal officers. Did I believe they were threats to the general public? Most of them. Did I ever feel sorry for them? Emotions were never part of the job. I was sworn to do the Emperor’s bidding. I couldn’t even feel sorry for myself if I tried.”

4) Imperial Governors/Moffs

Below Tarkin on the food chain we could see a series of Imperial Governors or Moffs as recurring villains in the show. If the crew of the Ghost frequently travels to different planets and systems in the show, than the local ruling Imperials in that area will by necessity become involved in the plot. We have seen this type of character created and used frequently in the expanded universe.  The corruption and constant push for advancement within the Empire provides these characters to be the mustache twirling villains that can be very fun.

5) Imperial Security Bureau and Imperial Intelligence

The KGB and spies of the Empire are the ISB and Imperial Intelligence. Could we see an animated Armand Isard or Jahan Cross in Rebels? The cloak and dagger aspects of these organizations as well as the enforcement of social controls and spying on populations make these groups interesting and particularly socially relevant given our current political climate.

6) Bounty Hunters

We know the Empire hired this type of scum from time to time.  Boba Fett, Bossk, Dengar, and even Asajj Ventress could appear from time to time, taking jobs that need to avoid the appearance of direct Imperial involvement. Of the bounty hunters, Bossk strikes me as the most plainly evil and likely to be used frequently. Boba Fett is a character that is a little more complex and may or may not fit into the conceptualization of a villain in the show.

Concluding Thoughts:

I am sure I have missed some possibilities, but I think this gives us a good idea of the types of characters that we could see as villains in the new series.  Either way I am excited because the bad guys get all the cool toys.