10 Years on, Rebels Remains One of Star Wars‘ Greatest Successes

Ten years agone today, Star Wars acceptable disconnected successful a fantastic caller direction. October 3, 2014 was the time Star Wars Rebels archetypal aired—and with it, a full caller procreation of Star Wars heroes and villains were born. These characters person gone from animation into unrecorded action and go immoderate of the most enduring, and popular, pieces of the franchise.

To observe the anniversary, we cracked unfastened the io9 archives to item the afloat scope of our coverage: immoderate of our champion pieces, interviews, and a full clump more. All of which started a twelvemonth prior, October 2013, the archetypal clip we wrote astir Rebels connected the site. You tin spot it successful the beneath link.

[Note: These small bolded boxes are our highlighted articles and volition proceed throughout.]

That aforesaid week brought our first look astatine a character from the amusement (the Grand Inquisitor), concept art, and more, adjacent though we were inactive a twelvemonth distant from its debut. Teases continued passim the twelvemonth until, astatine San Diego Comic-Con 2014, audiences were fixed their archetypal afloat glimpse of the show. Here were io9’s thoughts.

Yup, we loved it from time one—and erstwhile the archetypal episodes yet debuted connected October 3, 2014, we were each in.

The archetypal play wowed america with the return of Darth Vader, spinning lightsabers, and a full batch more. We adjacent named 1 moment, erstwhile the Inquisitors utilized the remains of Luminara Unduli to gully successful Kanan, arsenic one of the champion moments of the year.

Season 1 ended successful March of 2015, and we proceeded to dive into its reveals, chiefly the instrumentality of Ahsoka Tano, a genuinely landmark infinitesimal for creator Dave Filoni and Star Wars successful general. Plus, it was astir here, betwixt seasons 1 and 2 successful 2015—before adjacent the merchandise of The Force Awakens, this rumor started…

Which, years later, happened successful a large mode connected the Ahsoka show. But of people that was wholly unfathomable astatine the clip since Star Wars TV wouldn’t beryllium for different 4 years.

Season 2 debuted successful October 2015, earlier The Force Awakens, and here’s erstwhile we started doing play recaps. We won’t beryllium posting each of these, of course, but you tin find them at the Star Wars Rebels tag and present was the first…

Season 2 continued the show’s fantabulous storytelling and choky equilibrium of characters caller and old. Princess Leia made an appearance, we learned much about B-Wings, and the narration between Zeb and Kallus began. It was besides astir this clip that io9 began to deliberation astir the extremity crippled of the bid and the implications it could have.

Season 2 was besides erstwhile io9 began a long-standing narration with Rebels creator Dave Filoni. We interviewed him often astir the show, including our breakdown of the play 2 finale which aired successful March 2016. A fewer months later, astatine Star Wars Celebration, Filoni dropped his biggest bombshell yet: Grand Admiral Thrawn was coming to Rebels and Star Wars canon.

This was thing we present astatine io9 were very, precise excited about. So luckily, we were capable to speech to Filoni astir it portion astatine Celebration. That afloat interrogation is here.

September 2016 brought the start of Rebels play 3 and it’s erstwhile the amusement truly got cooking. Remember erstwhile Ezra had a vision astir duplicate suns? Or erstwhile Wedge came onto the show? The reintroduction of the Darksaber? Plus, the merchandise of Rogue One saw respective small Rebels Easter eggs sneak into unrecorded enactment for the archetypal time, similar Hera’s ship, the Ghost, and Chopper.

In the mediate of play three, Disney renewed the amusement for play 4 and everyone had a consciousness it was gathering to thing huge. We’d seen Mon Mothma start the Rebellion, Sabine’s struggle, and truthful overmuch more. And though it wasn’t the finale, play 3 had the unforgettable occurrence “Twin Suns,” which saw Obi-Wan Kenobi yet termination Darth Maul. We were fortunate capable to chat to Filoni each astir it.

In April of 2017, it was announced that the 4th play of Star Wars Rebels would beryllium its last. Things kicked disconnected successful October of that twelvemonth and it was wide aboriginal connected that Rebels was not messing around. We spoke to Filoni astir his expectations and the aboriginal arsenic the play went on and fell successful love, erstwhile again, with Hera Syndulla. Then, successful March of 2018, the amusement came to an end. Here is our last authoritative recap.

Of course, the extremity wasn’t truly the end. We talked to Filoni about what happened successful the finale, pondered what was next for Ahsoka and Sabine, and past attraction shifted to the adjacent animated show, Resistance.

A fewer years passed, but Rebels ne'er near our minds, and past successful 2021 it happened: quality began to leak that Filoni was going to proceed the communicative successful unrecorded action. An Ashoka amusement formed actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo arsenic Sabine Wren, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, and more. The amusement adjacent brought backmost Hera and Jacen Syndulla, Ezra Bridger, and Kanan Jarrus, albeit it concisely successful that past case.

Now, with play 2 of the amusement gearing up, Star Wars Rebels remains arsenic impactful connected Star Wars 10 years aboriginal arsenic it was 10 years ago. A existent landmark successful a postulation far, far, away.

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