Star Wars is a cinematic icon, but it is much more than its movies. Blaine and Josh dive right into the middle of Star Wars Rebels, the fantastic animated show on Disney XD, and will be reviewing the first half of Season 2. As a show aimed at kids, but also clearly for the kid in every adult Star Wars fan, they’ll also have a discussion section to talk about the themes covered in each show. 

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While the rebels get some much-needed rest on Garel, Ezra tosses and turns in his sleep, terrorized by visions of his family. He is now in the place, emotionally speaking, where he is ready to learn more about his mother and father. But tracking them down proves to be tricky. Using their collective resources, however, the group is able to discover a mysterious connection between Ezra’s parents and a shadowy figure known as X-10. They need to get back to Lothal in order to track him down, but the Empire is once again causing problems. Meanwhile, having discovered the rebel hideout on Garel, Agent Kallus orders the empire to strike swiftly and with maximum force. On one hand, this means that the rebels will be able to move around more freely on Lothal, as the majority of the Empire’s presence there has been temporarily diverted to Garel; at the same time, though, getting to Lothal just got a lot more difficult.

Fighting their way through the hordes of Imperial troops, Kanan and Ezra finally make it to Lothal in one piece. (The rest of the crew stays behind to help defend Garel.) Initially their search seems futile, but they soon find help from an unlikely source: a white Loth-cat, who leads them to the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, Ezra and Kanan find themselves under blaster fire. The shooter is none other than X-10 in the flesh. After Ezra is able to defuse the situation, the three men retire to a nearby shelter to discuss pressing matters. X-10, we learn, is actually Ryder Azadi, the former governor of Lothal and a close personal friend of Ezra’s parents, Ephraim and Mira Bridger. But the news is not good for young Ezra; his parents are dead. Ezra is an orphan, yes, but he is far from alone. In one of the most touching moments of the entire show, he weeps in Kanan’s arms. Late that night, however, Ezra is granted a consoling vision of his parents as he watches the binary moon set with Kanan by his side.

One of the more subtle motifs picked up on in this episode is that of the rebels’s continued search for a new base. Pablo Hidalgo mentioned that they created this particular story arc on Garel in order to show why it is that the rebels tend to look for bases on isolated and desolate planets. Garel is such a heavily populated planet that the rebels are putting thousands of lives at stake by their mere presence, and we get a first-hand look at the threat this poses when the Empire begins its assault. This event helps us understand why the Rebellion will make camp in Echo Base on Hoth and Yavin in the coming years. If the rebels are going to protect the galaxy and remain undetected, they must do so from the little-know corners of the universe.

Of course, the heart of this episode is Ezra’s journey to find his parents and his subsequent discovery of their death; and as someone who lost his father at a young age, this episode resonates very deeply with me on a personal level. The comfort, love, and friendship that Kanan is able to offer to Ezra here will likely hit home for anybody who has lost a loved one, as the presence of a friend during trying times is tremendously healing. True and faithful friends are indeed a grace in times of trouble, a healing balm for pain, and a light to pierce the darkness. More than anything else, however, Ezra is comforted by the fact that he knows his parents live on— that he will, perhaps, see them again one day. And surely that is the hope we have as well—that those of us who have lost loved ones will be reunited with them in the presence of Christ and His redeemed.

 

Star Wars Rebels is a family show. Parents love watching as much as their kids. Infusing the spiritual with the fantastic and adventurous, Rebels continues the spirit of what makes Star Wars great. In order to foster the young minds and hearts of your Reel World Theologians, each week there are questions you can use during or after the show to talk about with your kids. Enjoy the show and then enjoy conversation, but always remember that story is powerful and Star Wars Rebels is not mindless.

• Have you ever lost someone you loved? What helped you get through it?
• Knowing that we will all face death at some point, why is the resurrection such an important truth?

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REBELS TRIVIA

• The rock on which Ezra stands in the final moments of the show (see feature image) looks exactly like Pride Rock from The Lion King.
• Ryder Azadi is played by Clancy Brown, who voiced Savage Oppress in The Clone Wars.
• According to StarWars.com, this episode was originally named “The Secret of Prisoner X-10.”