Star Wars Rebels Review: Visions and Voices + Rebels Recon. What Did You Think?
We are now mid-season for Star Wars: Rebels and sadly, there hasn’t been a direct tie-in to Rogue One. The good news though is that this episode features Darth Maul, which is usually a good sign for all of us because Sam Witwer brings a level of intensity that goes unmatched when he performs his characters on Rebels or Clone Wars. Will this episode satisfy all of us until the show’s return in a few months? Let’s find out!
SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!!!
What worked for me:
- (Darth) Maul
As I said at the start, Sam Witwer is fantastic as Maul and his greatness continues in this episode. Maul is one tricky bastard; he manages to fool the rebels so many times, but it doesn’t come off as old to me. Instead, it only shows how brilliant of a strategist he is. He needs Ezra to obtain the other portion of info that the two received during the episode where they merged the Jedi and Sith Holocrons together. Maul makes no secret that he views Ezra as a missing aspect of his life by passing his knowledge onto someone. I wish Ezra would just go with him, honestly. That would make for a much better show, IMO. This episode REALLY tells us where it’s headed for it’s second half with the possibility of the crew getting to Obi-Wan Kenobi before Maul does. Will this mean Kenobi will actually show up in Rebels, or does it mean that the rebels will get to Maul before he reaches Kenobi? Something to think about….
- Dathomir
The Clone Wars episodes that featured Dathomir and the Nightsisters were among my favorites of the series for it’s creepy and very alien looking planet. Dathomir and the Nightsisters were originally created in the old Legends novel, The Courtship of Princess Leia, but I never read it. Honestly, I haven’t heard the best things about it either.
Maul brings Ezra to Dathomir where Maul has obviously been staying. Together they use Nightsister magic to obtain the last of the missing information that both parties desired. Maul tells Ezra that all the Nightsisters are gone, that he is the last of his kind, and insinuates they posed a threat to the Empire so the Empire wiped them all out. I’m not sure if this is alluding to the Clone Wars episode “Massacre,” in which the separatists rain down holy hell on the Nightsisters, or if the Empire came there and literally took out the remaining Nightsister and Nightbrother clans that were left. I’m assuming both.
Dathomir looks amazing on this show. It looks like it’s on the same level as the Clone Wars animation. When Ezra and Maul are walking in the Nightsisters’ lair, it literally looks the exact same as the old series. We got confirmation that the Nightsisters tap into an aspect of the Force, but their power comes from the Planet itself. VERY interesting.
- Bendu returns!
It’s always great to see Bendu come back, even if it’s only for a short time. I really wish that the show would focus even more on the aspects of the light and dark side of the Force. I find it interesting that Maul didn’t see Bendu when Maul snuck up on Ezra and Kanan when they were talking to Bendu. Perhaps only they can see this Force being? Sure seems that way.
What didn’t work for me:
- THERE WASN”T MORE TIME ON DATHOMIR!!!!!
Quick hitters:
- Can we have an episode where Maul brings people to sacrifice on Dathmir so we can bring back the Nightsister clan? Thanks.
- AP-5 > Chopper. ‘Nuff said.
- Sabine now has the Darksaber. Hmmmmmmm.
This episode is up there with previous Maul episode as one of my favorites of the entire series. Yes, I am being biased because I love Dathomir and the Nightsisters too, but I think the show is at it’s best when it deals with the greater aspect of the Force. I also think this episode did a great job of setting up the last of the season, and could be creating the way for a truly amazing finish. All in all, the first half of season 3 was stronger than the first half of season 2, and I expect the second half of this season to be great as it begins to tie all the loose ends with Maul and Thrawn.
As always I look forward to reading your thoughts, reactions AND corrections.
Paul
You can follow me on Twitter @Hermann22
Also the latest episode of Rebels Recon has been released. Tell us what you thought about the episode in the comments section and check out StarWars.com’s new video Rebels Recon #3.10: Inside “Visions and Voices”.
The Courtship of Princess Leia was a crappy set-up designed to cash in on the post-Zahn book boom. Solo was trying to bag the Princess, but a powerful family from the Hapes cluster was looking for an arranged marriage that would benefit the New Republic. Somehow they OT gang ends up on Dathomir, a plannet that is interdicted by the remnants of the Empire because they fear the power of the nightsisters. During the course of the story, Luke finds an old Jedi Training Station, dies, and is ressurected by the Force. Han gets Leia, they escape Dathomir, and defeat an Imperial Warlord in the process.
it is great how filoni rescued some the cooler ideas from hokier parts of the old EU.
Except I was pissed that the coolest part of the Nightsisters was not incorporated into Clone Wars.
They are not riding giant rancors that could crush an AT-ST with ease.
well that would make them a little too OP, wouldn’t it? lol. not gonna lie though, that would have been awesome to see.
It would have 🙂
I foresee a truly epic season finale set on a certain desert planet with twin suns…
I really liked the episode overall, finally getting back to the main story rather than dwelling on filler. Maul is always fun. I’m feeling like this is all building to kenobi vs. maul for one final duel to save baby Luke.
Luke would be a teenager not a baby
True- i keep forgetting he’s like the same age as ezra
I keep forgetting too. Lol. Don’t worry. You are’nt the only one lol. It actually would have been cool protecting baby Luke. Maybe in the Obi Wan stand alone movie
He sure acts like a baby, though.
Yes, thank you for a great episode. Inside Man was good but this now finally made up for that blemish on S3 that was Iron Squadron. Maul, Dathomir, Bendu, lightsaber duels and the return of the dark saber, loved it all. Oh and a nice little tie-in to Dutchess Satine too, cool that Maul obsessed over that issue as we. Perhaps regretting taking his revenge on her rather than Obi Wan. A mistake I’m sure he’s on how way to try and rectify.
My thoughts are on how Thrawn might become involved in this too, if all this is building to the final.
I can’t wait!
Great episode.
So it looks like Obi Wan Kenobi will at least make an appearence down the line during the second half of the season which should be interesting; this development also pretty much provides the possibility for another (maybe final?) Maul/Obi encounter as well as the possibility of a Luke cameo, perhaps, should the ghost crew arrive on Tattooine.
And it looks like Sabine has acquired the darksaber which should provide some more developments for her character.
Can’t wait for the Ghosts of Geonosis two parter next month. ^_^
Oh man…every episode should be that good! So many excellent elements – Maul (love his Mando ship, BTW), darksaber, Dathomir, Nightsister magic; Sabine’s arc will be especially interesting, I think – no, don’t think even for a second she’s Obi-wan’s lovechild, though…
Didn’t like it. I am sick of all these filler episodes. No thrawn, no Vader, just filler
This episode was most certainly NOT filler. Quite a few lately have been, but this one is clearly part of the overall arc of the show….
…and it was a much better episode than recent ones because of it.
Didn’t see the comment before it got deleted, but anyone who watched this ep and cried ‘filler’ is a complete nob-end; a nob-end with an agenda of the ‘troll’ variety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT5qGE4PIdI
My guess is Maul will go to Tatooine, Obi-Wan will defeat him, Ezra will come to Obi-Wan saying he can destroy the Sith and Obi-Wan will say, “it’s not me, it’s this boy nearby” and the Ghost crew will leave him in peace
Also did I miss something? The collider crew seems to think this episode heavily implied that sabine was Obi-Wan / Satine’s daughter…I didn’t get that at all. What were the hints? Just the dark saber being there?
There was a drawing of Satine on the wall when the went to Dathmir. I know they said that this week but I didn’t see anything that screamed out that she is related to Obi-Wan. Might have to watch it again to see if there is something I missed.
Sabine Wren is a member of Clan Wren of House Viszla. Duchess Satine Kryze is from a different family and a different planet. There are some options there but they require some baby swapping shenanagins. Sabine was born (22bby) two years before Satine died (19bby), so she may have hidden her those two years due to who her Dad is (Obi) and her sister (Bo Katarn Kryze, Death Watch) may have organised her to join house Wren after she died.
It is possible that she is Bo Katarn’s own kid and was baby swapped. It is kinda implied that Pre Viszla and Bo Katan Kryze got it on. Bo Katan was confirmed earlier this year to be appearing in Rebels.
If they are indeed setting up for an Obi Wan film and even Rey Kenobi, then this all could be possible. If not, fawgetaboutit.
sabine and luke sitting in a tree. k-i-s-s-i-n-g.
I think that the blatant and explicit reference to Satine is foreshadowing to the Collider crew that Satine’s lineage is important.
It’s possible. I think it stretches the Clone Wars timeline if Kenobi was really supposed to have time to father a child with Satine in between him re-connecting with her and her death at the hands of Maul.
Sabine can’t be Satine’s daughter.
1. Sabine’s mother is still alive, Satine isn’t.
2. Filoni said that’s not the case.
another one of those eps i wished was longer. so much here could have been unpacked in further detail, but i settle for one great ep. also, it will be a damn shame when they inevitably have to kill off maul, sam witwer is just killing it as his voice actor.
What was the scouting mission Hera flew off to complete? Could this be connected with the battle over Scarif?
rebels is two years behind rogue one. this is probably related to the geonosis eps that we’re getting next.
You mean two years before right? Rebels starts 5 years BBY, and RO is just before the Battle of Yavin. It could be that more than 3 years have passed in 3 seasons. Ezra did age all of a sudden but probably would be too complex for a kids show and there’s probably a PH tweet somewhere on the subject.
There is. It’s a one year difference. Ezra is now 17
The lack of Rogue One teases/tie-ins is indicative of how Marvel operates with their movies and TV shows. You don’t any solid tie-ins on TV until after the movie comes out. The Rebels Recon segment for this particular episode pretty much confirms it. Once we get into the new year you can bet your ass that Rebels will be wall-to-wall Rogue One. Since Rebels is a few years prior to the movie how cool would it be if we got a Cassian Andor guest appearance? Maybe even Mon Mothma?
Maul wanna buy some death sticks from Obi
Next spinoff movie with Maul going to Tatooine in 3,2,1…
FINALLY! An episode with some meat to it. I loved the Satine drawing in Maul’s cave.