Star Wars Rebels Review by John Keegan

Star Wars Rebels 3.01: Steps into Shadow

Star Wars Rebels 3.01: Steps into Shadow

Written By:
Steven Melching and Matt Michnovetz
Directed By:
Bosco Ng and Melchior Zwyer

There is a bit of a jump forward in time in this season premiere, and that’s all for the better.  Ezra’s slow slide into the dark side towards the end of the second season has taken some significant leaps in troubling directions, as his need to inflict his own sense of justice on the world takes hold.  With Kanan all but out of the picture as the story resumes, and the Sith Holocron giving Ezra all kinds of ideas, things can only go badly. 

 


 

It doesn’t help that Kanan is blind and running around with a confining helmet on his head.  As metaphors go, that’s a pretty strong one.  Kanan encounters a being called the Bendu (voiced by Tom Baker of Doctor Who fame), which has a lot of potential to play with the strict lines between Jedi and Sith that can be so narratively confining.  The Bendu operates in a space between the two philosophies, and his meditative approach helps Kanan see how the ways of the Old Republic Jedi left him with significant blinders, ones that keep him from moving past his guilt and fear.  I hope the Bendu ends up remaining fairly neutral, because it would be a shame if the penchant for labeling anything non-Jedi as ultimately flawed or sinister took hold.

 

The main mission not only highlights Ezra’s severe leadership deficits, but also gives some opportunity for characters like Captain Rex to shine.  Rex has such a dynamic presence that characters like Hera continue to struggle by comparison.  In fact, I was a little surprised that Hera was relatively unconcerned about Ezra’s choices and actions.  She did take some exception, but not as much as one would anticipate in Kanan’s absence. 

 


 

Of course, the more obvious draw to fans of the non-defunct Expanded Universe was the introduction of Admiral Thrawn.  As others have remarked, Thrawn’s portrayal is almost too perfect.  He is very much like the character from those initial EU novels, right down to his calm demeanor and keen insight, but those are qualities that may make him seem less than impressive to the uninitiated.  But rest assured, the seeds are planted for him to display some of the brilliance that made him such a formidable foe and memorable adversary.


Our Grade:
B
The Good:
  • Ezra’s descent into the dark side of the Force continues
  • Kanan’s lessons with the Bendu are a nice counterpoint to the action
  • Thrawn has a near-pitch-perfect introduction into the New Canon
The Bad:
  • Hera’s reactions to Ezra seem unusually muted

John Keegan aka "criticalmyth", is one of the hosts of the "Critical Myth" podcast heard here on VOG Network's radio feed Monday, Wednesday & Friday. You can follow him on twitter at @criticalmyth

Star Wars Rebels by - 9/27/2016 8:24 AM140 views

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