Chris Cooper reviews the sixth episode of Star Wars Rebels, ‘Empire Day’…
One massive thought jumped out at me through this latest episode. We’re actually rooting for the terrorists! With current events that struck me as a very interesting way to look at it all, adding an extra layer to the story.
We find that the Empire is celebrating the day they were created. The day that the Jedi were almost killed off as their clone armies turned on them. Empire Day is grudgingly accepted by the residents of Lothal, but is has far deeper ramifications for one individual.
We learn that Ezra was in fact born the same day as the Empire (images of him being born as Kanan is betrayed abound in my head), and that he’s been on his own since he was seven. To share such an important day with what the Imperials have turned into a national day of celebration quite rightly sits badly with him.
Parades and displays of military force appear common, but also present themselves as targets. To cheer on the rebels as they cause explosions and panic seems quite odd when I apply that initial thought to it. If we were in that situation would we be rooting for them or would we be against them, with the Imperial media machine in full swing? Very interesting and quite heavy for a kids show, but I’m pleased it had me thinking on a larger scale.
This episode is choc full of not only action (with pretty much every good and bad character showing up) but also kicks off an arc bound to be full of juicy details. It’s also full of references, with future vehicles and characters either shown or quite obviously winked at. There’s also nice use of the phrase ‘Rebel Scum’.
I had to Google it in the end, and now I’ve noticed it I don’t believe I didn’t see it earlier. But is that the Rebel Alliance symbol on Sabine’s chest? It looks awfully similar….
So then, lots of plot and lots of action whilst also leaving me thinking about things on a higher level. Empire Day had it all going on! Maybe it’s because of the time frame and overall feeling of familiarity, but I’m enjoying this series a lot so far.
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 November 18, 2014. Updated November 7, 2019.
