Chris Cooper reviews the seventh episode of Star Wars Rebels, ‘Gathering Forces’…
Following on immediately from last week’s episode, we’re thrown right into the Ghost’s attempt to escape from a squad of TIEs, led by the Inquisitor in his shiny new TIE Advanced. With a shot of the Ghost getting hit from the TIEs POV it’s highly reminiscent of the Falcon escaping the Death Star (not the only OT camera angle used this week), and that’s a great start to an episode in my book.
It’s all hands on deck as the ship comes under heavy fire, but that’s not all this episode has in store for us.
With more Jedi teaching Ezra has to deal with his emotions regarding Seebo and the knowledge his enhanced cranium contains, specifically regarding Ezra’s parents. It’s a tough time for him and he is understandably prickly. He has to remember however, that anger leads to hatred etc etc. You know it by now.
There is something I really want to talk about, as it’s something I’ve not seen or read about in the Star Wars universe before. But you need to see it yourself, as I thought it was crazy when it first came up! It is however a trippy experience and very cool to see additional ideas being introduced into old concepts that we’re familiar with.
One of the strongest aspects of this show is the characters and how they interact. You could pair up any two members of the crew and they’d make a good team or story. My favourite though is Kanan and Ezra, and we get a good look at that here. Kana may not be a Master, but he’s learning enough about Ezra to get the best out of him. It’s not without it’s ups and downs though.
On a side note, we hear from the mysterious Fulcrum once again. Who is he/she? Internet rumours suggest Ahsoka, Anakin’s Padawan through the Clone Wars. The voice is modified but it sounds female to me. Could it be? Time will tell I guess.
We get more intrigue regarding Ezra’s past so it’s not as easily wrapped up as I maybe hoped it would be. But whilst I was frustrated slightly with that, it was more than made up for by a blistering final action sequence. It’s always fun to see a Jedi use more than a lightsaber to fight, and if like you one of your favourite EU characters is Kyle Katarn you’ll know what I mean.
Obviously not having real people acting allows more to happen, but if a TV show can show off such exciting action then what can we expect from the new films?
With this two episode arc finished now who knows where the Ghost will end up next. I just want to know who Fulcrum is and what happened to Ezra’s parents! Rebels has got me hooked.
What do you make of it 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 December 2, 2014. Updated November 7, 2019.
