Watch Disney's Star Wars Rebels for FREE on iTunes

Disney debuted the newest edition to the Star Wars saga when it aired a one hour special last week on Disney Channel titled "Sparks of Rebellion" to launch its new animated television show titled REBELS.  Half-hour episodes of Rebels will then begin airing on the Disney XD cable channel each week on Mondays at 9pm ET/PT beginning October 13th.  Can't wait until October 13th to watch the show's first new episode "Droids in Distress" or don't have access to Disney XD on your cable lineup?  Then you may want to visit iTunes which is providing FREE downloads of "Droids in Distress" for a limited time to promote Star Wars: Rebels and its iTunes season download passes that are being sold for $29.99.  For the time being though the price for the season's first episode is listed as FREE and you can download it at no charge. 

Disney's Star Wars: Rebels television series is set 5 years before the original 1977 movie (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) and fourteen years after the defeat of the Jedi Order and creation of the Empire (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) in the Star Wars story timeline.  The show focuses on the crew of a space freighter called the Ghost that has banded together to tackle the Empire in an effort to spark a rebellion against it.  CLICK HERE for more details about Disney's Star Wars: Rebels from a previous A Geek Daddy blog post.

While this is a new television show it has many of the features that so many people love from the original trilogy of movies.  There is a focus on the force as a mysterious power (rather than some midi-cholorian over explanation from the prequel movies) with one of the last Jedi taking on a new youthful and rambunctious apprentice; a beat up freighter akin to the Millennium Falcon; a quirky droid named Chopper similar to R2D2 but yet with its own unique personality; and lots of storm troopers and TIE fighters that are the images people most identify with when characterizing "the Empire."  While Disney's Rebels takes a lot of cues from classic Star Wars cannon it also sets itself apart with new characters and locations.  The crew of the Ghost isn't made up of established Star Wars characters but rather are all brand new creations to give the series its own unique identity and the principal villain isn't the figure that is often the face of the Star Wars franchise, Darth Vader, but rather the newly introduced Inquisitor.

Rebels succeeds where the prequel movies failed in that it embraces the heritage and elements of the original movies that my generation loved but still has enough new twists and angles to make it interesting to younger audiences.  I watched the one hour Disney Channel movie with my children and we both enjoyed it but for different reasons.  I enjoyed it for the sense of magic and unknown the show returned to the power of the force, the Ralph McQuarrie inspired touches that the artistic team added to the show, the John Williams Star Wars musical score and seeing TIE fighters and star destroyers flying across a screen again.  Meanwhile my kids enjoyed the comedic elements of the show, loved the baby wookiee rescue scene, appreciated the rebellious youth character Ezra who they could relate to, and were excited to share in something with their dad they know I have a passion and appreciation for.  This show did a nice job of bringing together two generations to mutually enjoy a science fiction space opera together.  Disney has done a nice job with Star Wars: Rebels and this animated series get A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

CLICK HERE to download on  iTunes the #FREE "Droids in Distress" #Disney 's #StarWars Rebels episode.

Droids in Distress Episode Description

The crew of the Ghost intercepts a shipment of weapons intended for the Empire.  Along the way they also inadvertently pick up C-3PO and R2-D2 who are are  on a secret mission sent by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan to prevent the weapons from falling into Imperial hands.  Meanwhile the Ghost continues to be chased by Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau.  The story eventually wraps up with R2-D2 providing Organa with information about this motley crew of rebels that helps keep his faith in becoming one of the founders of the Alliance to Restore the Republic (aka The Rebel Alliance)