GIVING UP THE GHOST

STAR WARS REBELS

It’s the beginning of the end for these Rebels…

As well as Episode VIII, Celebration brought news of another big ‘Last’: Rebels Season 4 will be the animated show’s final run. “I know it’s tough,” said showrunner Dave Filoni, as fans gasped at the announcement. But calling a wrap now, he added, would allow the story to be “the most meaningful it can be”. Helping soften the blow, Filoni teased a post- Rebels future (“This show by no means represents an end to what we’re doing in animation”). He also treated panel attendees to the first episode of S4 (no spoilers, but it went down a storm) and unveiled the official trailer, promising the return of Rogue One’s Saw Gerrera, Mon Mothma and, for first time on Rebels, X-wing fighters. And was that Yavin IV we saw?

But with the end in sight, the biggest question is… who’s going to cark it? Given the low survival rate of father/mentor figures (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Vader, Han…) in Star Wars, Kanan’s card would appear to be all but marked, but what about his troubled padawan Ezra? Cockney Chewie surrogate Zeb?

Thanks to Rogue One Easter eggs, we know at least two of our heroes will survive the series: stroppy droid Chopper and Ghost captain/driving force Hera Syndulla, who provides the trailer’s foreboding voiceover. “I was originally going to have the trailer be narrated by Kanan, because the Jedi always seem to drive the story,” explained Filoni. “Then I realised it should be Hera, as [ she’s] this powerful woman who’s put this all in play from the beginning. The Rebels are her architecture. Her framework. If anyone’s going to have perspective on what they’re all going through, to the end, it’s her.” ML

Star Wars Rebels returns this year.