New STAR WARS television show debuts in October

 

A brand new Star Wars animated television show titled Rebels will be debuting in October.  Star Wars: Rebels is scheduled to premiere on October 3rd with a one hour special Star Wars: Rebels- Sparks of Rebellion on the Disney Channel.  Half hour episodes will than routinely air on Monday nights each week on the cable channel Disney XD beginning on October 13th.  The premise behind the tv series that is set 5 years before the original Star Wars move "A New Hope" is that a motley crew of a spaceship called the Ghost begins harassing the Empire in an effort to spark a rebellion.

In an attempt to recapture the vibe of the original trilogy of movies the artwork in this animated series will use the Star Wars concept art that was created by artist Ralph McQuarrie in the 1970s & 80s for inspiration.  One specific example of McQuarrie's impact on the show is the character of Zeb Orrelios.  The appearance of this alien who serves as the muscle for the Ghost's crew utilizes McQuarrie's original concept for Chewbacca to create the character.  I remember as a kid spending hours scouring through Ralph McQuarrie art books my aunt had given me and imagining all sorts of adventures inspired by those wonderful sketches; so I'm really looking forward to seeing his influence in Star Wars: Rebels.

Other characters in the show include:

Kanan Jarrus a survivor of the Empire's purge of the Jedi. After barely surviving Order 66 he went underground hiding in obscurity until discovered by the owner of the Ghost, Hera Syndulla.  He is now the leader of the Ghost's crew doing his best to inflict harm against the power of the Empire.

Hera Syndulla is the Twi'lek owner and pilot of the Ghost.

Sabine Wren is a Mandalorian warrior who is an expert in combat, weapons and explosives.  She fancies herself as an artist who loves to tag Imperial facilities with graffiti after an attack.

Ezra Bridger is a 14 year old pickpocket and con artist who the crew of the Ghost find living on an Outer Rim world.  Unknown to him one of the reasons he is able to get out of so many jams is that he is gifted with the ability to use the Force.

To help up the excitement for Rebels, Disney has released four short youtube videos to promote the excitement for this new series:

In “The Machine in the Ghost,” the rebels’ Ghost starship is under attack by a wave of TIE fighters. Hera pilots the craft, while Kanan tries to blast the Imperials from the Ghost’s gunner. While they do evade and shoot down several TIEs, it’s up to astromech droid Chopper to finish the job – even if he’s reluctant to do so.

 In “Art Attack,” Sabine sneaks into an Imperial compound, looking to create a diversion for her friends aboard the Ghost. Spotted by stormtroopers, she proves too quick to be captured – and leaves behind an explosive surprise.

 In “Not What You Think,”  Ezra finds a downed TIE fighter on the plains of Lothal. The young rebel opens the ship’s hatch -- pretending to help the ungrateful Imperial pilot -- and leaves with a few souvenirs.

In “Entanglement,” Zeb fails to meet with Kanan at a specified rendezvous point…and instead finds himself joyfully battling many, many stormtroopers.

 

For more information about Star Wars: Rebels CLICK HERE