Star Wars Rebels: Imperial Forces Inbound!

Zare LeonisYou can’t have a Rebellion without having an establishment to fight against, and Star Wars is quite obviously no exception. Early copies of the DK Book, Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide, have been seen throughout the internet, revealing the names and motivations of a couple of the of antagonists – of special note is Zare Leonis, a dark-skinned Imperial Cadet with a special agenda in mind. In addition, there appears to be a possible link between Rebels and Episode VII (minor spoilers after the jump).

 

Before getting into the special case of Zare, however, let’s get into the more generic Imperial antagonists. So far, two Imperials have been described as leading the Imperial occupation of Lothal, the planet that protagonist Ezra Bridger calls home: Commandant Cumberlayne  Aresko, and Taskmaster Myles Grint. Aresko is said to be cruel to both citizens and his inferiors alike (sounds like a model officer for the Empire), often spouting Imperial rhetoric and overestimating his own abilities. Conversely, Grint is fairly quiet and is the less intelligent than the typical Imperial Officer, but he is also considerably more powerful and imposing, keeping underlings in line with his presence alone. Both characters are said to benefit from being a part of the Imperial regime, and are deeply loyal to their cause.

 

Now that that’s out of the way, we can get into Zare Leonis, Imperial Cadet. Zare’s appearance represents an obvious change in the portrayal of the Empire that we’ve seen so far in the canon in that he doesn’t represent the “snooty male human from Space-Britain” archetype that has come to be associated the bad guys in previous Star Wars works, and there’s a good reason for that – he’s a mole, and quite possibly one of the first major additions to the ragtag crew of the Ghost. According to the book, he starts off as a friend to Ezra when the latter is forced to infiltrate an Imperial Academy under the guise of a new recruit. When fellow trainee Jai Kell is taken into questioning by the Inquisitor, Ezra and Zare (whose names are incidentally anagrams) work together to ensure Kell’s safety without blowing their cover. While Ezra and Kell escape the facility, Zare remains within the ranks of the Empire, in part to uncover just what happened to his sister Dhara (who disappeared from the Imperial Academy under suspicious circumstances), and in part to act as an informant to Ezra regarding Empire’s Lothal operations.

 

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But the fun doesn’t stop there – while everything above has been confirmed by eyewitness accounts of those who have looked at the DK book, the rumor mill’s a-buzzing due to the similarity between this character’s description and the description of John Boyega’s character, suggesting that they may both be related – after all, both characters are Black in ethnicity and choose to ditch the Empire in favor of doing the right thing. Some to believe that the two characters will be related in the long run, and that this will be Disney’s first real tie-in between the show and the new movies. The good folks over at Making Star Wars respectfully disagreed with this line of thought, having the following to say on the matter:

In Star Wars Rebels, when Jai Kell is arrested, Zare Leonis betrays the Empire and gives our rebel heroes information to help rescue Jai. What does this have to do with Star Wars Episode VII? Well if you recall we shared some rumors that John Boyega’s character is a Stormtrooper in Star Wars Episode VII and he defects to the good side after being saved by Daisy Ridley’s character. I mean no disrespect to our sources, but it has made me wonder if Leonis’ character has confused things. What if concept art for a scene of a young black man in Stormtrooper gear was observed and the assumption was it was from Star Wars Episode VII? But what if it was just Zare from the animated show and not Boyega’s character in the feature film? Honest mistake.

So, what do you think? Could Zare Leonis be an early sign of what’s to come in Episode VII, or is it too early to tell? Let us know in the comments below.

 

In other news, Disney launched a flash game on their website featuring the new ship, the Ghost. The game serves as a short prequel to the series, explaining how the crew of the ship made it to Lothal, where they would later meet Ezra. The game involves the ship making a few daring attacks on Imperial Shuttles to siphon their supplies, operating the Phantom attack shuttle to defend the ship while it recovers the goods. It’s a neat little diversion to ease the wait for the San Diego Comic Con, and it also includes a handful of the planets featured in The Clone Wars – an added treat for fans of that series, and hopefully a sign that we’ll get to revisit them and others in the new show. Kashyyyk is also present, meaning that it’s likely that planets that were only briefly included in the movies will be making more prominent appearances in the show.

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Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

36 thoughts on “Star Wars Rebels: Imperial Forces Inbound!

  • July 22, 2014 at 2:08 am
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    There are so few black people in the SWU that they are all related?

    Hardly.

    Rebels is some 40 years before VII so while there could be some connection it’s to difficult to say. Always in motion the future is.

    • July 22, 2014 at 2:12 am
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      There’s also no *possible* way that a black person could be (space)brittish/imperial.

      • July 22, 2014 at 10:28 pm
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        As a black British person myself i dont know whose side to choose! the imperials share my dialect but the rebels share my characteristics! oh choices choices

    • July 22, 2014 at 4:05 am
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      It’s just like when Boyega was first announced and a bunch of people immediately assumed he was Lando’s son.

    • July 22, 2014 at 6:38 am
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      The idea that no black people in Star Wars should be related is just as ridiculous as all of them being one large family. If some white people can be related, why not blacks and everyone else?

      Here’s a simple solution: Create enough black characters throughout the series, in various capacities, so that the idea of two or more of them being related no longer sounds crazy.

      No more tokens.

      • July 22, 2014 at 7:59 am
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        I think that’s what Disney’s been doing with Boyega, Nyong’o, Clarke, and possibly Richardson-Sellers…

        • July 22, 2014 at 8:03 pm
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          Hmmm! Maybe Boba Fett as well – There’a already two possible candidates, Lupita Nyongo’o and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

  • July 22, 2014 at 2:29 am
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    BREAKING: episode ix to be directed by wayan brothers – working title “star wars: aunt madea goes to space” – featuring kevin hart and ice-t – soundtrack by ludacris

    • July 22, 2014 at 9:42 am
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      What’s up with all the racist trolls?

  • July 22, 2014 at 2:53 am
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    No way they’re related. Boyega wasn’t cast until April at the earliest. Both black and white actors auditioned for his part. You really believe they waited until May to craft this Rebels character?

    • July 22, 2014 at 6:32 am
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      Is it possible they could’ve crafted several versions of “Zare Leonis” in Rebels based on the six or so actors competing for the role Boyega eventually won?

      • July 22, 2014 at 8:00 am
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        Design-wise? Possibly – after all, Agent Kallus was supposed to be a Chiss like Thrawn at one point.

  • July 22, 2014 at 4:17 am
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    My gut instinct is that this Rebels character is the source of the rumors about Boyega’s character, rather than Boyega’s character actually following the same path as Leonis.

    It doesn’t really make sense that they’d have the same basic character deserting the Empire in such a similar manner in both the new cartoon series and the new movie.

  • July 22, 2014 at 4:55 am
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    Could this rebels kid be a younger version of Boyega’s character? Can they possibly be the same person?

    • July 22, 2014 at 5:21 am
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      No. This Zare Leonis character would have to be at least 45 by the time of ep7.

      • July 22, 2014 at 10:49 am
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        What is up with all of these names. The new names do not gel well with me. Clone Wars was getting out of hand with names too. From OT through PT I could deal with the names and they worked fine. These new ones are stale.

  • July 22, 2014 at 5:16 am
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    Boyega is Zare’s son and their respective storylines at some lenghts paralel each other.

    For example – Zare stays with the Empire, albeit he may offer some help to Ezra by now. It’s not going to be an easy friendship. At the end of the series, Zare’s final choice is perfectly clear – he wants to become 100% imperial, has already stopped helping Ezra. The boys will become openly antagonistic.

    Zare’s son (John Boyega) does not know much about his father or only have heard that his daddy was an Imperial Officer. Or maybe another way: Zare is alive, John has known him all the time and it is his father’s career that inspired him in his own choices; then something happens that changes Boyega’s allegiance for the opposite side, that means the good side. A crash on a desert planet maybe? Meeting some particularly hospitable people there?

    It was mentioned quite some time ago that Boyega’s character mirrors Luke’s. No wonder if Luke Skywalker shows up as Boyega’s Miyagi. Boyega undergoes the typical fairy tale journey through Jedi lessons and through his daddy issues.

    • July 22, 2014 at 5:54 am
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      I really like this idea, actually. I hope they implement it or something like it.

    • July 23, 2014 at 12:37 am
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      what if this Zare be Landos relative? maybe not the son but some nephew? And Lando helps him through?

  • July 22, 2014 at 5:43 am
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    Well, I don’t think so. Perhaps he is the Boyega’s character father. But no way that both are the same character. Zare Leonis would have about 40 years old during the Episode VII.

  • July 22, 2014 at 5:49 am
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    Just my guess, but I am pretty certain we’ll get to see the Han Solo background in Rebels. Him rescuing Cheque and all… Or at least how Cheque was enslaved

  • July 22, 2014 at 7:45 am
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    Hmm a storm trooper who changes teams…maybe boyega will be based on Kyle Katarn!

  • July 22, 2014 at 9:06 am
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    I thought stormtroopers were clones?

  • July 22, 2014 at 9:56 am
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    Boyega can’t be a black stormtrooper… some form of imperial officer I can go with, but stormtroopers are clones, all the same, all from the same source

    • July 22, 2014 at 10:22 am
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      Only at the beginning. Later, with Jango Fett’s death, they lacked a suitable template to be cloned and started recruiting other people for the imperial army. Then again, this happenend on the Legends continuity, but I saw Imperial recruitment posters among the art for the new Rebels series, so I suppose this story still works on the new canon

      • July 22, 2014 at 10:36 am
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        Actually, I’d like to see how is the relationship between the remaining old clones and the new recruits

  • July 22, 2014 at 10:30 am
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    I do recall Boyega’s father got casted for a role. His father plays an older Zare, while John plays the son..?

    • July 22, 2014 at 9:37 pm
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      Hope not. If someone’s to play one of the key characters father (with spoken lines) then it should be a professional actor.

    • July 23, 2014 at 1:03 am
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      It will just be a cameo

  • July 22, 2014 at 10:36 am
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    Looks like some kind of commander. I don’t think the one and only sample of Jango Juice is singularly used for all clones. I’m sure there have been other donors of DNA. I would bet in SW lore a biker scout would be different DNA than a Sniper Squad. If I were to have diverse DNA to make super soilders I would collect my samples at the Olympics. Army, Navy, Air force all have different criteria and training. And I know the guy standing next to me in the chow line, may have been a better swimmer than me but was a lousy shot. Not saying those who can swim can’t shoot, but when making super humans just ask Khan (space seed) how it works. I feel imperial forces had different classifications and different hosts for different deeds.

    • July 22, 2014 at 10:49 am
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      Agree. There were some stories from the old EU talking about cloning templates other than Jango’s (“In His Image” and “A Two-Edged Sword” come to my mind, but I’m sure there were many more). If the Imperial forces use their best recruits as templates for new clones, it’s quite possible that some of these new DNA donors were black people.
      So, back to the wild rumors and theories, it’s possible that Boyega don’t play Zare’s son… but one of Zare’s clones.

      • July 22, 2014 at 10:52 am
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        I’m getting it now, there suggesting that a clone got force powers.

        • July 22, 2014 at 11:31 am
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          Well, while it’s said many times in several Legends sources that Force powers can’t be cloned, there has been several force-sensitive clones before in EU: Starkiller, Joruus C’baoth, Luuke, X1 & X2, Dorsk 81, 82 & 83…
          And, if I remember correctly, the imposibility of cloning Force-sensitives has been never stated anywhere on the new Canon

  • July 22, 2014 at 6:42 pm
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    It amazes me how SO many people don’t know that the clone troopers died out..

  • July 22, 2014 at 8:04 pm
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    We know the Clone Troopers were made with accelerated growth. We also know that, ANH, any human could join the Imperial Academy.

    I also suspect that if Lucas felt that all the Stormtroopers in the OT were Jango clones, he very well would have gone back and overdubbed his voice to the troopers in the OT. Just saying.

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