The series finale of Star Wars Rebels finally aired and I, for one, was not disappointed. That said, this post contains spoilers for the series finale of Star Wars Rebels. You have been warned.
Star Wars Rebels told the story of the rebel rebellion from the viewpoint of one of the resistance cells. It’s also the story of how Executive Producer Dave Filoni got to tell the story he has wanted to tell since the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (more on that later).
In the episode, Rebel Assault, Hera Syndulla, leader of the rebel cell is captured during a failed raid on the planet, Lothal. In the following episode, Jedi Night, Hera is rescued by the blind Jedi Kanan Jarrus who is later killed, but not before they both confess their love for each other. Kanan’s death sets his Padawan, Ezra Bridger on his own hero’s journey which includes, in the episode A World Between Worlds, Bridger rescuing Ahsoka Tano as she was about to be struck down by Darth Vader (Ankin Skywalker). As Ahsoka re-entered her own timeline, Bridger told her, “When you get back, come and find me.” These events set up the finale, Family Reunion – and Farewell.
As Erza says at the end of the episode, he didn’t take the path he wanted to take, he took the path he had to take. The path he took allowed him and the rebels to liberate his home planet of Lothal and kill the Empire’s appointed Governor Pryce and Fleet Admiral Thawn’s assassin, Rukh. Thawn’s own fate is not clear at the end of the episode. As an aside, Thawn’s defeat (not death) by many arms surrounding him in a cold embrace was predicted by the fallen Bendu. The many arms belonged to the Purrgil (space whales) who destroyed much of the Imperial fleet on Lothal before seizing Thawn’s Star Destroyer (with Bridger on board) and jumping into hyperspace. (Thawn and Rukh are characters that came from Timothy Zahn’s excellent Heir to the Empire book trilogy. While not canon anymore, it’s still a highly recommended read.)
Erza sacrificed himself to save his friends and his home planet and tol
d Sabine, “I’m counting on you.” Sabine understood this to mean that Ezra was counting on her to protect his home planet when he was gone. So she stay on Lothal ready to defend against an Empire attack that never came. It was four years after the Battle of Endor that she realized that Ezra meant he was counting on her to find him. To put a timeline on this, the defeat of Thawn at Lorthal occurs one year before the destruction of the first Death Star at the planet Yavin (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope). The Battle of Endor (destruction of the second Death Star in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) occurs 4 years after Yavin. So nine years after he disappears, Sabine Wren accompanied by Ahsoka Tano start to look for Ezra Bridger.
The finale gave closure to many of the Rebel characters. This was something that Dave Filoni didn’t get a chance to give in his Star Wars: The Clone Wars series when it was unexpectedly cancelled. In Clones Wars, we were left wondering about the fate of Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex of the Clone Army. Filoni used Star Wars Rebels to give these characters a proper send-off. We know that Captain Rex makes it to the Battle of Endor and we see Ahsoka leave with Sabine Wren in a search for Ezra Bridger. We also know that Hera is alive and well at the end of the series and has a son named Jacen (also a Timothy Zahn character) who looks a lot like his father who we assume (and is implied) is Kanan Jarrus.
Here’s my bottom line: I enjoyed this series a lot and am sad to see it end even though I knew it must end and that no Jedi could be alive at the end of it. It was a well written and joyful program. That said, there are still more Star Wars stories to be told and I hope Disney will find a way to tell the one of Sabine Wren and Ahsoka Tano’s hunt for Ezra Bridger. The Sabine/Ezra ship is still one I hope will sail someday. That said, it was a good ride and I enjoyed it.
