I had been overseas for most of the fall so I've been catching up on the show lately. I was very unsure about the early episodes. Very wobbly on its new legs. But these last three episodes have really found their stride and tonight was excellent. I actually did three total fanboy 'Yeah's!' in a row - the arrival of the Rebel ships, Ahsoka and Vader. I knew about Vader, but it's Vader. Seeing Ahsoka again was fantastic, and reading the little bit in USA Today gives me a lot of optimism that the character will be well served and that we won't actually see what I think a lot of people expect, which is her demise by Vader. I have a feeling we'll see Ahsoka well into her old age, and these sequel movies they're making. I have tons of thoughts on why that's a great idea, but for now, I'm very excited about the future of Rebels, which I initially viewed as something of a stop gap to get people over until the movie. I never expected them to get into Ahsoka or any CW characters, at least so early, or apparently transition to Vader as a semi-regular antagonist. Couple thoughts on the episode:
* I love the white sabers reflecting her non-allegiance as well. Ahsoka is no longer a Jedi and that's another reason I think her story will and should continue into the ST era, where the restoration of the Jedi Order would seem to be a pivotal plot point.
* I enjoy the little heists and 'distractions' the team pulls off but the ineffectiveness of the Stormtroopers becomes increasingly a liability to the idea of the Empire being any sort of competent threat. I like they've made the troopers a little human ('not again') but it drifts towards the Battle Droid hokeyness that destroyed them as credible antagonists. I get troopers are classically challenged when it comes to their aim, but c'mon man.
* What did Tarkin take Kanan to Mustafar for?
* Hopefully they stick to the Inquisitor being dead. I expect they will (why have one when you can have more). Also like that absolutely ridiculous saber of his got him killed in the end. Bottom line, he needed to die; he couldn't even kill a kid who stood there not knowing what to do with a lightsaber.
* Man, those TIE cockpits sure got smaller by the time we got to ANH, right?