Chris Cooper reviews the second episode of Star Wars Rebels, ‘Droids in Distress’….
Damn. Stormtroopers are awful shots. Throughout the second episode of Rebels (third if you count the first as a two parter), I was reminded of a sketch I saw on the internet once where a Stormtrooper trips over at a shooting range, and in falling fires a shot that hits the bullseye. He is swiftly praised as a marksman.
If the Empire had a few more of his calibre maybe our new band of rebel scum wouldn’t be so successful.
Whilst Ezra impatiently waits for his Jedi training to begin the crew of the Ghost find themselves with with no food and no money. To keep them going and keep the good ship running they take on a job that has questionable objectives. Zeb in particular has his reasons for disliking their new cargo in what is one of the more adult themes we see in this episode, or most ‘kids’ TV to be honest. This show is deftly balancing entertainment with content that will please adults too.
I had concerns that after the initial high of ‘Spark of Rebellion’, Rebels might fall into more mediocre stories. Not yet! There are more exciting battles, more force assistance, and another appearance of David Oyelowo as the delightfully evil Imperial Agent Kallus. Star Wars has always been strong in the villain department and so far he’s a worthy addition, more than fulfilling the role until the Inquisitor steps in. They’ll make quite a pair I hope.
We don’t have any overly hairy characters this time so I’ve no complaints on the animation. In fact I have nothing but praise. From ears pricking up moments before a ship bursts onto the scene to how the Ghost moves it’s clear a lot of time and thought has been put into it.
Special mention must be made Hera’s ship, the Ghost. I love a turreted freighter that does more than meets the eye. It’s a cool design that fits in perfectly. I’m a big fan of the X-Wing Miniatures game, and would love to see the Ghost appear somewhere along the line.
Kanan may be calling the shots but Hera is the one in charge really, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of their relationship. Hera doesn’t seem like someone to mess about. Zeb gets plenty of the story here whilst Sabine and Ezra both get moments to shine.
I do hope Rebels sustains this level of quality. We are seeing some interactions with classic characters (I won’t spoilt who but it’s ultimately very intriguing), but if they weren’t there it would be OK. This is a good cast of characters that I’m enjoying being with. Rebels has already been confirmed for a second season so Disney must be feeling pretty confident too.
Chris Cooper is a Flickering Myth Staff Writer, and owner of the blog Super Duper Stuff. Follow him on Twitter @SDCCooper or visit the blog’s Facebook page.
Originally published October 15, 2014. Updated November 7, 2019.
