Chris Cooper reviews the ninth episode of Star Wars Rebels season 2…
Well that was a change of pace. Legacy still has a fair bit of action in it, but it’s far from the main focus of the episode. In fact, it’s quite a come down. That’s not a bad thing though.
Last week Ezra accidentally gave away the position of his rebel cell in contrived fashion. But the Empire weren’t going to muck around, so they’ve thrown a large amount of force at Garell. On the plus side this opens things up for Ezra to go hunting for his parents. It doesn’t look quite so hot for Hera and the rebels though. At least the story handles the splitting up of the crew in a much more natural way this week.
I’m skirting right along the spoiler line, which doesn’t leave me much to say! I’ve said before that Ezra has come a long way, and it’s shown really well here. Batting laser blasts back at his attackers as he flips through the air, Stormtroopers clearly hold no fear for this Padawan. Even Agent Kallus is no match for him. I just worry if he’s going to let his feelings overpower him. Kanan’s doing his best, but he’s no Jedi Master. He isn’t even a Knight. However, they’re bond is proven throughout this episode as they trust and rely on each other. It’s a great episode for seeing the growth they’ve both been through.
Good things don’t always happen to good people in Star Wars. Legacy is hardly The Empire Strikes Back, but it’s a good reminder that it’s not all zooming around and being a thorn in the Empire’s side. The people in this universe are going through a real struggle. If you’re expecting each episode to be all gung ho and exhilarating then this could disappoint. We do get to see some more awesome flying from Hera (woooo!), and more proof that she’s a great leader, but sometimes it’s good to slow things down a bit, and move the story on in a quieter way.
This week may have more somber moments, but they’re needed to ground the rest. There’s a poignancy and tenderness underpinning it all that really sells these characters and the feeling they are going through. Sure, there some odd points, but these episodes are only 22 minutes long so I can move past things that don’t quite make sense.
This is the last episode of the year, so I’ll be back with Rebels in 2016. We’ve got the small matter of a new Star Wars film to keep us busy in the mean time though.
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 December 11, 2015. Updated November 7, 2019.
