#THIS is what we wanted in Ahsoka when Ezra & Hera were reunited

[timetodiverge]

I'm not crying YOU'RE crying

The Bad Batch | How it started (S1E1):

How it's going (S3E4):

[eriexplosion]

One thing I've seen a couple times about Ezra in the Ahsoka series is that the reunions were underwhelming. People really wanted to see crying and desperate hugging, and I get that.

But I absolutely loved that we didn't get it. Because I do think that's what the characters envisioned it like too. They've had a decade to think on it, how they'd react when they get reunited, how happy they'd be.

And that's just the thing. They had a decade. A decade for "when they get reunited" to slowly shift to "if they get reunited" and for the hope of a reunion to turn into just a distant dream that they sometimes reach for when they need a little help sleeping at night, but that they don't really think is going to happen.

Once a hope turns into a dream, it can be really hard to switch it back. So even when actively looking for Ezra, I don't think Sabine could really process what would happen when she actually succeeded. Like a dog that caught the car she didn't really expect to get this far, even as she sacrificed everything for it.

Finding Ezra is no longer a what if, it's now, it's happening, he's standing right there and all the imaginings about what they'd do when reunited that both of them held onto to get through ten years of being away from family suddenly evaporate away in the moment. Because none of it was even close to what they're feeling now with the impossible happening.

So they don't run to each other. They don't hug immediately and cry. They slowly start feeling out the ground between them the same way they always did, with playful snark, to find their feet again, and only when they are actually able to stand on solid ground do they finally hug. They need that solid ground to know it's real, that they won't lose what they just found again.

And if that's what Sabine, who actively went out looking for Ezra, felt... well it's just double as unbelievable for Ezra himself. For Hera who had to stay behind and couldn't let herself get her hopes up because the crash would be too much to handle. So the fact that all Hera could do was stand and stare felt more impactful to me than a full on joyous reunion.

Anyway it's a lot of words to say that the way it played out in show felt very emotionally realistic to me and I loved it. Absolutely got me wailing into a pillow about family reunion when they can't do anything but think about how impossible it feels that something could go so right.

[jainasolo1233]

AHSOKA SPOILERS!!!!

Ok imma be honest..

I love Ahsoka (2023) for the Star Wars Rebels references. I love the lothcats, live action lothal, the ending scene of Rebels recreated, Jacen, and the Clancy Brown cameo, but storywise, it's kinda slow.

I love Dave Filoni, but the story points for Ahsoka really isnt doing anything for me.

My mind might change later, but I don't feel that invested into the show other than seeing where Rebels left off.

warning: LONG RAMBLE

Ahsoka, Hera, and Sabine look great, but they don't act the same. I wish their VAs got to come back and reprise the role. Katee Sackhoff got to.

If the show is called "Ahsoka," I expect it to follow her. I want to get inside her mind. Her character journey. In Kenobi, Obi Wan was dealing with his trauma from ROTS and feel like we should be doing the same for Ahsoka. I want to see her grow and change, but she's just emotionless throughout this whole thing.

Sabine is portrayed as the main character, and if we were just gonna follow her, he might as well call it Ghost Crew.

If we're calling it "Ahsoka," it should've started with a flashback after Twilight of an Apprentice (Rebels s2 finale) and her reuniting with Hera and Sabine, who find out she's alive. I want to see how Ahsoka met Luke. I want to see her reaction when she finds out that basically her best friends had kids together and in maybe helping train Luke she can get over her guilt of leaving the Jedi order and letting Anakin turn to the dark side.

During the years we don't see, Sabine shouldn't have been trained as a jedi. At the end of ep 1, Shin Hati stabs Sabine and leaves her dead. When Sabine heals, she should've told Ahsoka to train her as jedi to help find Ezra and so she could defend herself.

Ahsoka would hesitate in training her, but would do so anyway because it's her way of making it up to Anakin.

We'll see what happens. Something awesome might happen, and I will forgive this show, but so far, I'm only watching to hopefully see more Anakin, Jacen, and the rest of the ghost crew.

[weirdlotiel]

Watching Ahsoka episode 3 right now (literally, soo all the thoughts were write in chronological order of my thinking, and sometimes they answer each other)

Spoilers ofc.

Start with Sabine’s training after reuniting with Ahsoka.

Seriously, i’m not sure now, is Sabine force sensitive or not. And if not how come she’s Ahsoka’s apprentice?

Funny how Ahsoka just pokes her with a stick and Sabine tries to defend herself. (Until they start “fighting”)

Hera dealing with politics.

And they mentioned Jacen!!!!! Yassssss. But I’m afraid that Chopper may have bad influence on him. 😂

Who is that Xiono guy? I don’t like him. And Hera agrees with me.

The senators clearly don’t understand that just become something seems like it’s… peaceful, fine… whatever, doesn’t mean it is like that in reality. Not the first time this happened.

I still like Mon Mothma though. She’s nice.

We saw Jacen!!! He’s cute!!!! Protect the baby.

He wants to be a jedi, like his dad. I’m not sure what to think about that.

Soooo… Sabine did admit she can’t feel a force.

I’m glad Ahsoka doesn’t exactly want to make Sabine a jedi. She just wants her to be herself. But where will that lead?

I love jammed contact commissions. 😂

And Huyang’s programming makes him funny with his rumbling about jedi protocols.

And he can also be, sometimes, the most reasonable of the three of them. I’m glad Ahsoka listens to him.

Sabine’s cheering when she hit one ship. And then next two.

Aaand they found the eye. (Not me thinking about Sauron’s eye while writing that). It’s a hyperspace ring? Or a ship? I’m confused.

I hope Huyang is gonna be fine. Please.

Ahsoka fighting the ships in the space. That’s new. But her suit was lil bit weird imo.

I love cheering Sabine. She looks soo happy, like a child that is happy with itself because they managed to accomplish something.

Pergills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 I’m crying. (And damn, they are huge, i think even bigger thn in Rebels but I’m not sure)

Fortunately Huyang is fine.

Sabine smiling while talking about Pergills. Even though the last time she saw them was when they lost Ezra.

Ok, they said it’s a hyperspace ring.

And paths between galaxies followed/follow the migration paths of our favorite space whales!

I’m glad that those creatures have bigger role than just being animals.

And that’s how the episode ended.

Nice. Can’t wait for another one.

[hrtiu]

I saw your post about wanting to write for rexsoka! I love your fics btw! I would like to request some fluff involving laughter and maybe teasing someone.

Thank you so much! Here’s what I got. It gets a little sad at the end, but hopefully it still counts?? Thank you for the prompt!

Rex knocked on the durasteel door frame, announcing his presence to the ladies chatting in the Ghost’s mess beyond.

“Ahem, Ahsoka? I could use your help with something.”

“Wait a second, you’re not going to steal her away for the rest of the day, are you?” Hera said from where she sat across from Ahsoka at the table. “She was my spymaster first.”

“It’ll be quick, I promise,” Rex said.

Ahsoka chuckled as she got to her feet, waving her hands in a placating manner. “Alright, alright. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of me to go around. I’ll be right back, Hera, and we can go over those bomber schematics you somehow managed to get your hands on.”

Hera eagerly agreed, waving goodbye before getting distracted by an irate Chopper beeping something about the hyperdrive and teenage boys.

“What is it?” Ahsoka asked as she walked by Rex’s side out into the dusty, organized chaos of Chopper Base. 

Rex scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Well, there’s this broadcasting beacon, see? We use it to communicate with other cells off-planet, but its motivator was damaged in a recent dust storm. I wanted to replace it but it’s really high up and hard to get to, and I figured since you’re here…”

Ahsoka stopped walking, placing a hand on her hip as her eyebrow markings rose into her headdress. “You want me to throw you?”

Rex flushed, turning away from her and shaking his head. “Never mind, it’s a stupid idea.”

“No, no, it’s just not something I ever expected you to ask me to do.”

“Well, I never really liked it, but if you could control the throw and land me on the maintenance platform I wouldn’t have to risk my neck on that sorry piece of scrap we call an extension ladder.”

“I knew it. For as much as you complained about Anakin throwing you around, you liked it when we did that.”

Rex rounded on her, unable to resist defending himself in the face of such slander. “I did not! It was terrifying, unnecessary, and demeaning!”

“But you want me to do it again. Just admit it, Rex. You’ve been missing excitement in your life,” Ahsoka said, that smug look she’d perfected in her teens on her face.

Rex couldn’t help but laugh. Since they’d been reunited she’d seemed so changed—so solemn and galaxy-weary. It was good to see her back to her cocky, impertinent self, if only for the moment.

“I’ve been missing you, that’s for sure.”

Ahsoka laughed, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. Rex could have sworn that her lekku shifted to a darker shade of blue, but that had to be his imagination.

“Alright then, where’s this maintenance platform you were talking about?”

Rex led her to the long metal pole several stories tall upon which the broadcasting beacon perched, and she waited while he went to get his repair tools. By the time he came back their little stunt had gained a small audience, Ezra, Zeb, and several pilots gathering round to witness Rex’s embarrassment.

“Now you’ll know what it feels like to be tossed about!” Zeb said, apparently still smarting from his turn as joopa bait.

“Is this even a proper use of the Force?” Ezra asked. “Isn’t it sort of… disrespectful?”

Ahsoka held her head high as she glided over to Rex, her more mature demeanor back now that she was in front of others. “The Force is a tool that is best used to help people. Nothing is beneath the Force, so long as it’s for a good purpose.”

“Hmmm, I guess that makes sense.”

Rex cinched his tool belt around his waist, a little alarmed that he had to loosen a notch further than he used to, then stood at the ready. He bent his knees and braced himself, glowering at Ahsoka as she noticed his nerves and smirked again.

“Ready?” she asked.

“As I’ll ever be.”

Ahsoka raised her hand out to Rex, then jerked it upwards. He flew into the air much faster than he’d envisaged, though just as he feared he’d overshoot the maintenance platform his velocity slowed. He breathed a sigh of relief as, from far below, Ahsoka landed him gently onto the platform.

“All good?” she shouted up at him from the ground.

He leaned over the edge and waved down at her. “Yep! I’ll just be a minute!”

He got to work replacing the motivator, his fingers working quickly from many years of experience holding the rusting AT-TE he called home together. The hot sun beat down on him and he wiped his brow, though he could do nothing about the sweat trickling down his back. Eventually he finished his repairs, taking out his transponder to double-check that the beacon was working before leaning back over the edge and waving to get Ahsoka’s attention.

“All done up here!” he yelled. “Care to lend a hand?”

Ahsoka looked up at him, blessedly alone now that their audience had grown tired of waiting, and waved back. “Just jump down. I’ll catch you!”

Rex had known this was coming, but he still wasn’t looking forward to it. He may have only lived 27 years, but his body was well into his middle age. It wasn’t quite as forgiving to him of dangerous stunts and constant misuse. 

Ahsoka kept waving from down below and Rex dismissed his fears. Ahsoka knew him and she wouldn’t let any harm come to him, even anything as minor as a twisted ankle or a sore knee. He gritted his teeth and took a leap of faith off the platform.

Air rushed past his ears and his beard flattened against his chin, but soon enough his fall slowed. By the time he reached the ground he was floating gently, his feet barely registering when they met solid ground in front of a grinning Ahsoka.

“Enjoy the ride?” she asked.

Rex laughed. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, I guess.”

“See? You can trust me, Rexter.”

Rex’s grin grew at the old nickname. He’d never really liked it, truth be told. What young man with aspirations for martial greatness wanted such a silly nickname? But after not hearing for so long, and coming from the friend he’d thought long lost? He’d take it any day.

“I knew I could trust you, I just wasn’t looking forward to getting thrown around like a rag doll in front of my colleagues. I’m trying to look good in front of them, you know?” he said with a laugh.

Ahsoka started walking back to the Ghost, no doubt to resume her conversation with Hera. She looked back over her shoulder as she walked, her burgundy lips quirked upwards in a devious smile. “I don’t know, I like a man I can toss around.”

She turned her head back around and sauntered off, and Rex’s jaw dropped.

She couldn’t… she couldn’t have meant… Was she flirting with me?

He stared after her retreating form—he could swear her hips were swaying—his brain uncomprehending. They’d known each other for so long, and there was nobody he trusted like Ahsoka. And she was obviously beautiful, and funny, and kind. Was it possible…?

Rex looked down at his hands, the wrinkles and sunspots seeming deeper and darker than normal, the callouses thick and the scars numerous. No, she was just teasing. She was young and vibrant and had her whole life ahead of her, it wouldn’t make sense for her to waste it with an old soldier like Rex. Not to mention he didn’t even know what her stance on the Jedi’s rules was anymore. Any kind of romance might not be an option for her, which was probably why she was so comfortable making silly jokes. No chance they could be misconstrued. Right?

Rex made his way back to his quarters in a daze, his surroundings registering as hyper-realistic even as he barely noticed them. It really didn’t make any difference, since he and Ahsoka would continue as friends just as they’d always been, but now Rex’s interactions with her would be colored by this new knowledge. The knowledge that, if there ever was anyone for Rex, it would be her.

[ncfan-1]

Okay, I know it’s been literally years, but the more time wears on, the less happy I am about what SWR did with Kanan, in the end. It’s not the sacrifice on the roof of the fuel depot, all by itself, that bothers me, so much as the fact that that was declared to be the end of the story. The story feels incomplete.

Kanan dying and staying dead does not work for me. It breaks the central premise of the story, this patchwork family we’ve been following all over the Outer Rim for four seasons, in half, with no way to stitch up the gaping wound left behind. Like, I’m not just talking about the wounds in Hera and Ezra and Sabine and Zeb and Chopper’s hearts—I’m talking about the wound in the story. (I’ve listened to a couple of podcasts that reviewed Rebels episodes while the show was still airing, and a common theme was the podcasters speculating on who was going to die. Not if someone was going to die, but who was going to die, and when, and they’d just speak with complete and total certainty that, of course, someone was eventually going to die. It was absolutely ghoulish to have to listen to, and made all the more so for the fact that this show’s target audience was seven-year-olds. The fact that a member of the main cast did eventually wind up dying does not make it any less ghoulish.) Kanan dying on top of the fuel depot works as a story point, but he shouldn’t have stayed dead.

“But ncfan,” you say, “doesn’t bringing someone back from the dead cheapen the impact of their death?”

And I say in return, “Not if it fits the themes of the show and previously-established concepts and ideas.”

Think back to Season 1, when Ezra and Kanan first visited the Jedi Temple on Lothal. They had to work in concert to open the door, and once they entered together, the only way they could ever leave was together. There were desiccated corpses of Jedi Masters whose apprentices failed to return from the bowels of the Temple all over the place. Only by reuniting could Ezra and Kanan leave the Jedi Temple and return to the planet proper.

The Jedi Temple on Lothal is a place where the Force runs very strong, a nexus for Force energies where reality starts to get a bit… elastic. (Or more than a bit, depending on where in the Temple you go.) As becomes clear in Season 4, the whole planet is a place where the Force runs very strong, and where reality can get a bit elastic depending on where you go, who you have with you, and what you can do. The whole planet has become like the Temple, and just as Ezra and Kanan could only enter it together, that’s the only way they can get back out.

Like, I wish this happened when Ezra returned to the Temple towards the end of S4. Kanan hasn’t died, not exactly, because Lothal is a place where the Force runs very strange, but he’s hanging in the interstice between life and death, waiting in the darkness of the World Between Worlds. A place that, on Lothal, can only be accessed through the Jedi Temple.

Ezra goes to the Temple. Instead of using a proper door (because there’s none left), he gets in through a portal, which is itself a bit of a cheat and causes problems for him when he tries to leave again after rescuing Ahsoka and fleeing from the Emperor. He rushes back to the portal and jumps through, but instead of finding himself back in the excavation site where he started, he’s in the antechamber he and Kanan first entered through back in Season 1.

He wanders around, trying to figure out how he got here, why he wound up here, and how exactly he’s supposed to get out. Ezra remembers what Kanan told him back in Season 1, about how two Jedi who entered the Temple together can only leave it together, but he can’t do that, Kanan’s dead, and how is he supposed to get out without—

It’s getting dark. The shadows are closing in and the antechamber is falling away and Ezra is walking through darkness once more, but he doesn’t see stars, or paths, or portals. Just shadows.

And then, he hears a voice.

Ezra can’t see Kanan. The voice is coming from behind him, and after what happened with him and Ahsoka and the portal that showed him Kanan’s death, he doesn’t want to believe that this could be real, doesn’t want to be tempted again with something out of reach, but still…

He’s supposed to have faith in the Force, isn’t he?

So Ezra and Kanan pull off a platonic Orpheus and Eurydice, and they escape from the Temple together, and yes, this is what would have satisfied me a whole lot more than Kanan dying and staying dead. This is what heals the story. What we got left with was a gaping wound in the story, without even a Band-Aid trying to cover it up.

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

First Monday of the month (and year!!), which means it’s time for a Coming Attractions post!

(This has been crossposted to my new Dreamwidth fic archive here.)

So, overall analysis--I didn’t get as much done as I would’ve liked, either over the past month or the year as a whole, but I think I did produce some decent content, so there’s that!

Precipice:

Yep, I’m super behind where I wanted to be, lol…Arc Six took me almost the whole year, damn. Uh. I think what I’ve learned from this experience is next time I plan out an arc, however plot-necessary, that is going to be 99% fluff, I need to re-evaluate my life choices and not do that because this is really super not in my wheelhouse. Not on that kind of sustained level, at least. Saw is also not particularly easy for me to write, so hiding in the other half of the plotline wasn’t really an option either. It probably didn’t help that I changed where I was going with that half partway through (in my original version, he was actually behind the bombing/kidnapping attempt, but then I realized that that made absolutely no sense while he still has custody of Jyn…). Ah, well. At some point, I should probably sit down and reread the entire arc because maybe the finished product, with some distance from the uber-frustrating process, won’t feel as forced/not-good as it does to me now…

Anyway. Now that my whining is out of the way...there’s one more chapter in this arc! It should go up sometime in the next couple days. Featuring the Jedi reuniting and comparing notes; and Padme finally reading her parents and sister in on a few important details. And then we get to Arc Seven, which has had like five working titles over the past month, and I still haven’t settled on one, lol…This arc will pick up roughly three years after Arc Six, and involve more Infernalis, a key turning point with Luke and Lavinia, and Anakin and Leia probably going to Jedha to achieve a specific milestone. (Because I decided to stick closer to canon than Legends on this particular topic and I don’t want to straight-up invent a planet…should be fun!)

As I think I’ve mentioned before, after Arc Seven, (which I’m guessing will be roughly 15 chapters; as amusing as it would be to end these first seven arcs on Chapter 75, there’s way more to cover than I can fit in nine chapters), I’m going to split the fic into another document. Partly for length/convenience--this thing is going to be over 200k by the time I’m done with Arc Seven, I’m 99% sure--and partly because there’s something of a tone/focus shift for arcs 8-14. Also, there’s a longer timeskip than usual--six years between Arcs Seven and Eight. (Which, if you’re counting, you can probably guess what’s behind the shift… :D )

Also, as per usual, I’ll probably do a couple bonus fics this year--not sure when, exactly, or under what context, but I like bonus content.

Other Fanfic Projects:

I’m hoping to actually get back to Distaff and/or Auxiliaries and/or Phoenix!Verse this year. And put out some more Valdemar AU, probably--I do still need to write, at minimum, Hera, Obi-Wan, and Ezra getting Chosen--maybe some more Handler AU, too. Plus an AU outline or two--finishing Let’s Go Steal a Crossover; adding more to Ventress and Her Tiny Time-Travelling Conscience; a few other concepts kicking around in my head...

In terms of other long-form/fulltext projects, I am participating in SWBB again this year, but I’m now finding myself without a plot. I was going to do either our faces like a mirror or the Untitled ObiAniDala AU Epic, but over the past few days I’ve come to the conclusion that these are both massive undertakings and I am vanishingly unlikely to finish even a rough draft of either by the time said rough drafts are due. So, as much as I’d like an extra Incentive to finish OFLAM before the new Clone Wars episodes air and potentially Joss significant chunks of it, this is not going to be it.

The reason for this is that, for OFLAM, I have to do a lot of buildup if I want the ending to pay off. Plus, I have a whole bunch of white space to fill in during the eight years between when Bo comes back to Sundari after the civil war ends and when she leaves to join Death Watch. …most of which would involve that buildup. I mean, I could probably finish the first chunk, which covers Bo-Katan’s experiences while she’s on the run/actually during the civil war, but that doesn’t feel like a complete story to me? (Also, 95% of it would basically be Bo-Katan and miscellaneous OCs, with a brief appearance by Pre Viszla and maybe Jango Fett will turn up? Anyway, I’m not sure that kind of setup is appropriate for challenge purposes.) So I’m reluctant to do that.

(The title for this project, for anyone who’s curious, comes from Vienna Teng’s “Antebellum.” The first verse doesn’t entirely fit, but all the rest…)

As for the Untitled ObiAniDala AU Epic, it, uh. Look, the timeline diverges 25+ years before AOTC. I actually have a lot more of the plot worked out for this one, but it involves a) a crapload of worldbuilding and b) a primary-focus courtship narrative, which is also not super in my wheelhouse. I can do it, I just don’t think I can do it in the couple of months I have, you know? Especially since about half of what I’ve written so far deals with the backstory around the breakpoint, mostly focusing on Bail. The other half does deal with the main plotline, but…yeah.

So, yeah. I’m working to come up with a new concept that is simple enough for me to finish in time but engaging enough to keep me Invested without wandering off into too many recursive AUs, lol. One possibility would be to turn my Bail Unfucks the Timeline AU outline into a fulltext fic, but it doesn’t really have an ending, even in my head…ah, well. I’ll pick something, hopefully soon, and get it done. I do pretty well when I’m working to an externally-imposed deadline, at least…?

Anyway. As a bonus, some teasers for OFLAM and the Untitled AU Epic!

Satine wasn’t in the main audience hall, or our father’s old study. She was, as it turned out, in the little cramped closet of a room she’d always liked, when she was doing homework or writing letters or whatever she decided she needed privacy for.

I took a breath, wondering exactly what I’d find--if she’d changed as much as I had, if she’d…

I shook it off, raised my hand, and tapped on the door four times quickly, then twice slow, just like I always had. To let her know it was me.

I didn’t wait for her to answer, because I couldn’t bear the suspense anymore. (Also, I had never really waited for her to answer, why start now?)

Satine had half risen behind her desk, even paler than usual, and--stars above, her face was a little leaner, her eyes a little darker, but that was my sister. Still my sister, my beautiful, charismatic, powerful older sister.

My Duchess.  -- our faces like a mirror

“Look, you need someone to break into places, I’m your guy. And Ahsoka fits into ventilation shafts,” [Anakin] went on, before Obi-Wan could actually object. “I may not have tried anything as complicated as an Imperial prison, but I can do this. And you’re gonna need all the help you can get.”

“Face it, Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka said. “You don’t get to do the noble lone-wolf Tragic Hero thing on this one. You’re stuck with us.” -- Untitled ObiAniDala AU Epic [based on this prompt from @obianidalasuggestion]

Original Fiction:

Definitely hoping to do more in 2019 than I did in 2018. Starting with writing stuff outside of the big Summer Challenge on rainbowfic…

Goals:

Last year, my goals/New Year’s Resolutions were:

1. Keep up with Precipice updates, complete Arc Seven by the end of September. …yeah, this one, uh. Didn’t happen. 2. Write at least 15k of original fiction Closer to 2k…Lux and Farglass Cycle archives. …nnnnope.

And here are my 2019 goals:

1. Finish Precipice and at least one full arc of Protectors/Precipice II. 2. Write at least 7.5k of origfic content. 3. Start posting OFLAM and/or Untitled ObiAniDala Epic AU. 4. Revive a semi-hiatused fic (Distaff or Auxiliaries or Phoenix!Verse) 5. Update Lux and Farglass Cycle archives, and transfer tumblr archive to DW. 6. At least for AU outline installments of some kind. 7. Complete BB submission, and keep an eye out for other challenges/exchanges/whatever.

[rebelsofshield]

Ranking Rebels: Episodes 40-31

It’s been several months now since Star Wars Rebels concluded and we learned the fates and futures of the surrogate family that lived in the halls of The Ghost. Rebellions were sparked. Sacrifices were made. There was a lot of critical theory about art. Fruit was stolen. Droids sang. Pufferpigs puffed. It made for a beautiful, if not always perfect, four year story that will become a cherished part of the Star Wars mythology.

With a new animated series on the horizon, what better time to take a look back at Rebels history. Not all episodes were created equal. For every, “World Between Worlds” there is a “Blood Sisters.” Just as I did for The Clone Wars, I plan to rank every episode of Star Wars Rebels from worst to best. As always, feedback and discussion is appreciated!

Previous Installments: 66-61, 60-51, 50-41

40. Rise of the Old Masters

After several relatively light episodes, Rebels offers its first glimpse at the danger and drama of the galaxy in “Rise of the Old Masters.” Famous for both its grim bait and switch regarding Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and for the introduction of Jason Isaac’s delightfully sinister Grand Inquisitor, the fourth episode of the series makes a tonal switch but the fun character work and sharp voice performances keep the first season’s friendly sheen intact. Ultimately, “Rise of the Old Masters” succeeds the most in how it begins to further the dynamic between Kanan and Ezra and how both of their insecurities play into their relationship of master and apprentice.

39. The Lost Commanders

When it was first revealed that Captain Rex would be returning to Star Wars Rebels, the cheers in the Celebration exhibition hall were deafening. One of the most beloved characters from The Clone Wars, Rex seemed like a natural fit for The Ghost crew’s dynamic and offered a fun connective tissue between both series and two different eras of Lucasfilm Animation. While it is relatively low on plot, “The Lost Commanders” delivers on Rex’s return (and the less successful or memorable appearances by Gregor or Wolffe) by delving into character and more specifically the complicated dynamic between Kanan and Rex. Rex respects Kanan almost out of sheer programming and for what the Jedi meant to him in wartime, and Kanan mistrusts Rex for almost the same reason and for the own painful role that clones played in his past. Freddie Prinze Jr and Dee Bradley Baker perform greatly and the lay the groundwork for one of the second season’s stronger character arcs.

38. Gathering Forces

Picking up directly where “Empire Day” let off, Rebels’ first two part story arc concludes in a fast paced and action packed showdown between the Inquisitor’s forces and Kanan and Ezra. While some of the misgivings about “Empire Day” carry over (Tseebo and his relationship with Ezra just never hits the emotional beats that the script seems to want it to), “Gathering Forces” succeeds in providing a tense conclusion to much of the first half of the season’s storylines. The lightsaber duels are well choreographed and brutal and Ezra’s unexpected turn towards the dark hits a tough emotional beat that sets up powerful stories to come.

37. Relics of the Old Republic

While “The Lost Commanders” concerned itself with familiarizing both The Ghost crew and the Rebels viewership with the clones, “Relics of the Old Republic” tests this new relationship by putting it in a sand clouded standoff between walkers. The result is visual engaging and exciting, but is again successful in how it pushes Kanan to explore his prejudice and his past. In the face of heroism and sacrifice Kanan is forced to recognize the personhood of beings he doesn’t trust and comes one step closer to reconciling with his trauma. It’s a great moment and part of what makes him one of the show’s best characters. There is also undeniable power in finally seeing an older Ahsoka and Rex reunite after so long. I’m pretty sure The Clone Wars revival could just be a series of hugs between characters and fans would be satisfied.

36. Stealth Strike

Even if Kanan did gain a grudging respect for Rex at the start of the second season, the two didn’t fully come to appreciate one another until the incredibly fun, undercover, buddy comedy that is “Stealth Strike.” While it may be uneven in tone and recalls a little too easily visual cues from classic Star Wars media, seeing Rex and Kanan go undercover as Stormtroopers to rescue their allies makes for a very fun conceit that lends itself well to character driven humor and smart action scenes. While Ezra and Zeb’s reconciliation maybe felt rushed in the first season, “Stealth Strike” offers an earned conclusion to an in-ship rivalry that feels natural and cathartic.

35. Path of the Jedi

After the traumatic events of “Gathering Forces,” the decision to step away from the action and offer an episode that is fully steeped in character and Jedi philosophy is a smart creative move that benefited Rebels greatly in its first season. Allowing the at the time seemingly convenient (Filoni really loves the long game) Jedi Temple to act as a catalyst for Kanan and Ezra to explore their fears and insecurities about exploring their future as Jedi and as mentor and pupil works well and is benefited by sharp direction by Dave Filoni. There is also a certain pleasure in hearing Frank Oz return to the role of Yoda after decades of absence.

34. The Future of the Force

While much of the story concerning Ezra, Zeb, and Kanan’s attempts to rescue Force-sensitive children from the claws of the Inquisitorius feels like an unnecessary retread of The Clone Wars’ “Children of the Force,” “The Future of the Force” delivered on something that fans were demanding for years. That something? An adult Ahsoka Tano kicking Dark-Side butt. Ahsoka Tano’s late minute rescue of a beaten Ghost Crew is the sort of thrilling character reveal that creates instant excitement and the joyfully choreographed duel that followed was a visualization of years of fandom dreaming.

33. Spark of Rebellion

Rebels arrived with high expectations and more than its fair share of skepticism. The Clone Wars had been cancelled at its creative peak and seemingly replaced with a show that in its first glimpses appeared to lack both the budget and edge of the fan favorite series. Luckily, “Spark of Rebellion” quickly assuaged fans fears. While it was still struggling to find a visual style that benefited its resources and definitely played things fast and light, writer Simon Kinberg quickly establishes a playful sense of adventure and populates it with an ensemble that by episode’s end is already starting to come into focus. It makes for a well-paced and refreshingly upbeat premiere that promised good stories to come and one can’t ask for much more out of a pilot.

32. Steps into Shadow

In the face of the events of season two’s grim finale, “Twilight of the Apprentice,” it only makes sense that Rebels would take the time to explore the emotional impact that it would have on its male leads. Kanan had lost his sight and Ezra was being tempted by the Dark Side. Both deserved time and reflection. While “Steps into Shadow” does a good job of exploring the fallout of both of these events, especially in consideration with Kanan’s unique dynamic with the mysterious Bendu, it feels like the beginning of a longer story arc for both characters. However, it would ultimately serve as the bulk of both of these storylines as both Kanan’s disability and Ezra’s flirtations with the dark would quickly fade into the background. It makes for the most frustrating aspect of Rebels’ third season and it is hard not to judge “Steps into Shadow” more harshly with this added context. However, this doesn’t fully rob what is all in all and emotionally engaging and exciting premier for a strong season of television.

31. Hera’s Heroes

Returning to the surface of Ryloth for the first time since The Clone Wars’ third season, “Hera’s Heroes” offers an intriguing story of family legacy and the importance of culture in the face of colonial/imperial regimes. While Hera’s arc here may not conclude in a manner that fully capitalizes off the rich emotional and textual landscape that writer Nicole Dubuc establishes, the personal story created is an intriguing one. Forcing Hera to reclaim a part of her past from a home that has been literally repurposed by a fascist regime carries with it its own weight, but pairing it with a character like Thrawn who sees her culture as both tool and a curiosity catapults it into even more weighty territory. It also helps that Thrawn himself is an outsider in the humano-centric ranks of the Imperial military and for once we see a snap in his cold exterior as the Empire’s xenophobia and ignorance slips through. It’s a fascinating moment and one that should have been further explored in later episodes of the series. On a different note, what happened to Cham Syndulla? This episode marks the last time that Hera’s more extremist father would make an appearance inStar Wars Rebels, which feels odd considering how it closes and also like a missed opportunity. I would have loved to see Cham and Saw Gerrera talk about their opinions of the larger Alliance.