Star Wars Rebels Review: “Secret Cargo” + Rebels Recon. What Did You Think?

*Warning!!! Extreme Y-Wing love bias ahead*

Every time that Star Wars: Rebels dives deeper into the greater aspects of the mythology/history of the GFFA, the show is ALWAYS on point for me. When Rebels tries to have a fun, standalone episode, it sometimes succeeds, but is often a miss for me. This season has done the best balancing act thus far, but what category does “Secret Cargo” fall into? Does it dive deeper into the mythology/history of the GFFA or is it a cute, standalone episode?

 

 

 
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!

 

 

 
What worked for me:

 

  • OH MY GAWD!!!! Y-WINGS!!!!! *Heart eyes*

 

I’ve gushed about seeing Y-Wings before in this season’s premiere, but we get to see Y-Wings IN ACTION this time! In previous films like ANH and ROTJ, we don’t really get to see how legit Y-Wings can be in battle. BUT…thanks to Rogue One and this episode of Rebels, people get to see how awesome these ships can be. I’ve loved the Y-Wing starship since I started watching Star Wars and I have no idea why I loved them, but I really, really do. I feel that they are the most under-appreciated ship in Star Wars and it’s so nice to see them get some TLC finally. I owe all the writers a giant hug now.

 

 

  • The space battle in the nebula

 

The space battles of Rebels have always been solid and entertaining, but the battle and escape through the nebula was a creative way of increasing the stakes without treading on the same space battle tropes they’ve had before. The visuals alone are really cool. It looks amazing, which I’ve been saying all season. The visuals have REALLY stepped up.

 

 

  • Thrawn scheming

 

Thrawn’s plan almost worked and it took a clever move by Hera to avoid capture (Thrawn under estimated those beautiful Y-Wings). Thrawn is getting closer and closer to capturing the Rebels and you have to think that his small failures are going to get him pissed off sooner than later, and he will bring the pain. He’s only in this episode for a brief moment, but his presence has never been bigger.

 

 

  • The *official* forming of the Rebellion

 

Mon Mothma has a speech in this episode that I didn’t expect to happen. She broadcasts on the Holonet and calls out for all the Rebel cells to unite as one. I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect to see the actual formation of the Rebellion and a great speech by Mon Mothma to boot! Yes, I understand that the show is called Star Wars: Rebels and it seems obvious, but I thought they would save this for a book or something. I am very happy with this explanation of how Mon Mothma unites the Rebellion, and kudos to the writers for pulling it off the right way in a short amount of time.

 

 

 
What didn’t work for me:

 

  • Uh……not enough Y-Wings? 😉

 

 

 

Quick hitters:

 

  • Jon Vander / Gold Leader AKA Ultimate Badass in cartoon form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • I am not a huge fan of Tie Fighters, but I really liked seeing the Tie Defender in action

 

  • I liked seeing the Warhead probe droid again.

 

Wow, a lot happens in this 22-minute episode of Rebels, but it all flows together beautifully. The Clone Wars series did wonders in 22 minutes, and the pacing of this episode reminded me a lot of that: doing more with limited time. I can’t wait to see what the official formation of the Rebellion means for the Ghost crew. Big stuff is brewing and I can’t wait to see it all go down!

 

As always, I look forward to reading all of your thoughts on today’s episode!

Paul

Follow me on Twitter @Hermann22

 

 

rebels

 

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 #3.18: Inside “Secret Cargo”.

 

 

 

+ posts

66 thoughts on “Star Wars Rebels Review: “Secret Cargo” + Rebels Recon. What Did You Think?

  • March 5, 2017 at 5:54 pm
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    I hope they include Sith Starfighters at some point. :3

    Other than that, quite a good episode and a nice way to show the offical formation of the Rebel Alliance, perhaps even better than TFU!

    • March 5, 2017 at 7:32 pm
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      aw I’d love to see some Fury Class Interceptors, S-13 ‘Stings’, S-12 ‘Blackbolts’ and X-70B ‘Phantoms’ ! *Nerding Intensifies*

      • March 6, 2017 at 4:06 pm
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        Why would they be in the show?

    • March 6, 2017 at 10:03 am
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      DIO!!

      • March 6, 2017 at 2:18 pm
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        I’M JOJO!

    • March 6, 2017 at 4:06 pm
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      I don’t. It would literally make no sense.

      Also, don’t believe this was the official formation of the Rebel Alliance.

      • March 6, 2017 at 4:12 pm
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        You mean the one from TFU?

        • March 6, 2017 at 4:30 pm
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          No, I mean that a bunch of ships showing up doesn’t necessarily mean formation of Rebel Alliance. I’m guessing we will see some kind of official meeting or treaty signing somewhere down the line. Why wouldn’t they milk this a bit more, after all?

  • March 5, 2017 at 7:03 pm
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    Great episode! So much for all those people who said it would be “filler”.

  • March 5, 2017 at 7:21 pm
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    Another fight, another rebel win, honestly I wonder how the Empire managed to stay alive during all those decades. Yes, I know it was really big and the rebels were just a bunch of pple but so far I have never seen the Empire being really threatening or powerful.

  • March 5, 2017 at 7:26 pm
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    i’d give this episode an A for world building, but once again the team manages to outwit the best and brightest of the imperial navy. the lack of tension hurts the overall story as i have no reason to doubt that the rebels can beat the empire at every turn.

    • March 5, 2017 at 7:49 pm
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      The heroes are always going to find a way out in a children’s cartoon like this.

      • March 5, 2017 at 8:00 pm
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        its ok to show kids that the good guys don’t always win. in fact, i’d say its important.

        • March 5, 2017 at 8:07 pm
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          I agree but that does not seem to be the direction of this show.

          • March 5, 2017 at 9:24 pm
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            I just dont think that was what this episode was about.

          • March 5, 2017 at 10:54 pm
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            Or any episode prior.

          • March 6, 2017 at 9:59 pm
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            Well, Sabine went her own way. And no doubt Zeb will return to his family. We only know for sure Chopper is still around and most likely Hera.

            And where’s Ahsoka?

        • March 6, 2017 at 4:19 pm
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          I’d bet in Season 4 we’re going to lose more than one character.

    • March 5, 2017 at 9:23 pm
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      Disagree. Tension was there all the way though because we are finally getting to a point where maybe some characters will die. And all we had a lot of new people to worry about.

      • March 5, 2017 at 9:47 pm
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        i don’t need anyone to die, but i need to believe they could fail. my problem with the show is that star wars works best when the villains are menacing, when they are a true threat. but when the rebels constantly win and the empire looks like a bunch of clowns its hard to take it seriously. but if you and others can, more power to you.

        • March 6, 2017 at 5:43 am
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          No i fully agree with you but i dont think this was the epispde for it. They earned their cictory

          • March 6, 2017 at 7:41 am
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            Losing faceless red shirts doesn’t move me. My issue is that thrawn and price and the rest of the imperial brass seem clueless against the rebels. Every week the rebels make them look like idiots. At least last season the inquisitors had the team constantly on the run. This season is doesn’t have that sense of danger.

          • March 6, 2017 at 4:04 pm
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            Totally agree about the sense of danger thing, and maybe that’s why this episode stood out for me. In any sense, I think/hope the Obi-wan v. Maul episode will be something different and special.

            The problem with the show goes back to Kanan. When you have Jedi running around you have a problem. It’s also stupid that the Emperor/Empire could take out hundreds of Jedi, but can’t get rid of Kanan. True, Kanan is aware of the threat and hiding out, but still…

            It makes sense for Luke because he is a Skywalker with a full Rebel Alliance at his back.

            The threat to Ezra is more real without Kanan to keep him in check.

            Re: the Imperial brass, honestly, Vader would show up (even without the Jedi) and put an end to this. As well, he has Force chocked inept Imperials for less that Price’s failure. I just don’t think it’s realistic that the Emperor/Vader would let these Imperials deal with the Jedi threat given their track record. It’s way too dangerous to let word of Kanan and Exra’s existence continue to leak.

            But I guess Vader has better things to do like stew in a bacta tank. I would have been interesting if Ahsoka had injured him so bad he had to be sidelined to recover and is unable to hunt the Rebels/Jedi (hence bringing in Thrawn) and the Emperor’s desire to replace Vader with a stronger apprentice to do his bidding.

          • March 6, 2017 at 7:33 pm
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            you are dead on when you say vader or the emperor or at least tarkin should at least be asking why the rebellion hasn’t been dealt with yet and vader showing up to “relieve” price would go a long way to reestablishing some credibility for the high command. but in the interest of fairness i should reserve final judgement for the season until its over as they always end a season on high note.

          • March 6, 2017 at 10:00 pm
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            Well, hopefully it’s not as confusing as last season with Ahsoka and the sudden end of the Inquisitor plotline that never got wrapped up.

  • March 5, 2017 at 8:54 pm
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    This episode had a lot going for it, I think it was the first time we’ve seen these Y-wings drop some bombs in the new canon right? At any rate it was a neat situation to put the rebels in instead of just a straight out dogfight. It also shows how the rebels who don’t have the fire power and numbers have to run and trick their enemies to get by.

    • March 5, 2017 at 9:22 pm
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      They dropped bombs in rogue one. Cant remember about clone wars or not.

      • March 6, 2017 at 12:29 am
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        I think he might have meant the first chronological time, though you’re right, they might have bombed something in TCW.

  • March 5, 2017 at 9:08 pm
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    GFFA?

    • March 5, 2017 at 10:09 pm
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      Galaxy Far Far Away

      • March 5, 2017 at 10:31 pm
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        Thanks, don’t recall this being used to discuss the canon but at least it makes sense now.

        • March 6, 2017 at 5:42 pm
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          It’s an older code, but it checks out.

  • March 5, 2017 at 9:21 pm
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    Finally…. a truly great episode of rebels. Outstanding on all levels. Proving the show didnt need any jedi activites (or kanan) to be awesome.

    Where was kanan anyway? Oh who am i kidding i really dont care he can stay hidden under a rock or just have died off screen!

    • March 6, 2017 at 12:45 am
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      He had an eye appointment 🙂

  • March 5, 2017 at 9:28 pm
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    Was this the actual forming of the rebellion? I know all the ships showed up at the end but dont they have to meet and discuss and sigb a declaration and agree on certain things first? Because i really liked the infighting between the different rebel cells touched on again in this episode and would like to see more of that, especially saws more militant approach.

    Also if the rebel alliance is formed it had better be all downhill for the rebels from here on out. One loss after another until scarif.

    • March 6, 2017 at 12:28 am
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      “Also if the rebel alliance is formed it had better be all downhill for the rebels from here on out. One loss after another until scarif.”

      Not necessarily. Scarif was their first major victory, but not necessarily their first victory at all.

      • March 6, 2017 at 5:42 am
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        I know but its such a tricky line i hope they dont blow it.

        • March 6, 2017 at 3:54 pm
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          Update: the crawl does state “first victory” not “first major victory.”

      • March 6, 2017 at 9:15 am
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        Actually, the opening crawl line in question is:

        “Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.”

        So really, the Rebellion can’t go around winning battles against the Empire for the remainder of SW: Rebels without creating a continuity problem. IMHO, it’s time for Thrawn to really hand their asses to them and put them on the defensive from here on in.

        In fact, I’d go so far as to say that something probably needs to happen to put the Ghost crew on the run, effectively separating them from the Rebel Alliance. This allows for a slightly more dynamic story for them, while also allowing for a lack of Alliance victories from now until Scarif.

        • March 6, 2017 at 2:06 pm
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          Well rebel cells have already won small victories against the Empire, so the continuity is already pretty broken unless we’re going on a loose definition of a “victory”.

          • March 6, 2017 at 3:07 pm
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            Cells. Not the Alliance.

          • March 6, 2017 at 3:58 pm
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            Well, the text does say Rebel spies… not Rebel Alliance spies. Again, fine line here. I think for the stake of the story people accepted Rebel cells could score victories, but not Rebel Alliance because at some point the text has to make sense.

            My guess is the writers are going to argue this episode isn’t the actual forming of the rebellion… and show us that will happen towards the end of the show when an actual document is signed or something more official then a bunch of spaceships meeting over Dantooine. Honestly, the show isn’t just going to be one defeat after another for another season.

          • March 6, 2017 at 4:05 pm
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            Seriously? It didn’t say Rebel “Alliance” spies? This is the continuity argument?

            Oy…

          • March 6, 2017 at 4:29 pm
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            What show have you been watching to bring this up now?

  • March 6, 2017 at 12:47 am
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    I enjoyed this ep.. not overly done with battles or heroics just a simply ep. Really ending when some ships turned up, even seeing the imperial hanger ship.

  • March 6, 2017 at 2:03 am
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    What I liked:-

    1) Probably one of the better space battles in the episodes and great to see the Y Wings in action.

    2) Mon Mothma

    3) The end scene, which is arguably one of the most pivotal in the series so far.

    What I disliked:-

    1) The Ghost crew yet again making an against the odds escape. This is becoming repetitive and silly.

    2) Tying into (1), the general uselessness of the Imperials, including Thrawn yet again.

    3) Ezra. He’s beginning to annoy me.

    On the fence about:-

    – The continual use of McQuarrie and Legends/EU designs. Sure, it’s cool to see here and there but they’re doing it constantly now and that is pushing out fresh world building IMO.

    Overall, I enjoyed the episode more than quite a few others, but like quite a few recently there was a feeling of “seen it before” for much of the episode.

    • March 6, 2017 at 4:09 am
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      can just say on your dislike comment number 1, it wouldnt make for a good story if the crew got caught and sat out the war in an imperial labour camp now would it..
      I can see it now, Next week on Rebels… Ezra eats his meal…Chopper is used for parts and Vader laughs about his victory…

      • March 6, 2017 at 4:31 am
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        No, but it would make for a more compelling stoyrline if a couple of them were caught and were held by the Empire for two or three episodes. followed by a hard and tough escape.

        • March 6, 2017 at 5:44 am
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          Then people would just complain about them escaping 😉

          • March 6, 2017 at 7:37 am
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            and tbh, that happens a lot too..

        • March 6, 2017 at 12:05 pm
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          I think that’s the hard part about making a television series. I’d say most people don’t complain about Luke, Leia, and Han making it out of countless imperial traps because we don’t see them that often by comparison. I think what Clone Wars had going for it was such an insanely large cast of jedi that we could do some Anakin episodes, do some Obi-Wan, some Windu so that it doesn’t get stale when they constantly win. But Rebels focuses entirely on one crew for every episode pretty much.

          This is why I don’t really care when they escape the empire because pretty much every star wars hero has done it so many times. We just don’t see it one after another like in Rebels so it’s more unbelievable

  • March 6, 2017 at 4:08 am
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    Holy fuck that was awesome.

  • March 6, 2017 at 6:07 am
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    This is a Rebellion isn’t it? It has formed !

  • March 6, 2017 at 8:15 am
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    I didn’t much care for this episode. I found MM uninteresting and overacted. Hera was meh. Nebula scene was uninspired, yet saved by y-wings and that ugly tie (which otherwise came across well). It felt like an unimportant victory that should have been split into two parts to give it more impact to the whole rebellion story.

  • March 6, 2017 at 8:21 am
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    Y-Wings are the greatest and most beautiful ships ever.

  • March 6, 2017 at 10:04 am
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    Wasn’t Jon Vander in rogue one? I swear I spotted him for like 5 seconds

    • March 6, 2017 at 10:35 am
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      He was.

  • March 6, 2017 at 10:36 am
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    So Hera will become a General at last…

  • March 6, 2017 at 12:50 pm
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    Loved the way that all the ships jumped in at the end. It was really convenient the way they all jumped in from the same direction to ensure they were all facing the Ghost straight on for the shot too!

    Also, Thrawn needs to actually hatch a plan that results in something really happening. So far he’s all sinister organ music, menacing looks and vague ” they’ve done exactly what I expected” type comments. He doesn’t actually seem like he’s getting much done to me.

    • March 6, 2017 at 4:32 pm
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      He isn’t. That’s somewhat the point. He’s playing the long game. He’s not looking for an immediate payoff, unlike most Imperial officers.

    • March 7, 2017 at 12:09 am
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      Did you miss the episodes where he easily narrowed down the possible Rebellion planets AND easily deducted that Kallus was Fulcrum? Because those are small but important things.

  • March 6, 2017 at 1:47 pm
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    You’re not a huge fan of TIE fighters?

    You’re dead to me.

    I kid, I kid… I’m totally serious. 😛

  • March 6, 2017 at 6:24 pm
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    Thought it was a solid episode! Even got over the little guy’s voice she had with her. Good overall…hope the next one isn’t filler…Chopper centered. Although the clip after rebels recon did show something rather interesting…very Lobot-esque headgear! 🙂

    • March 7, 2017 at 4:14 pm
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      Good call. Norra Wexley. I don’t think that was her.

  • March 6, 2017 at 8:56 pm
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    Loved the mention of Dantooine. Been waiting for it to show up for ages.

  • March 6, 2017 at 9:21 pm
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    Nothing wrong with some Y-Wing love, but time we had a few B-Wings off the production line after Season 2’s prototype.

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