Star Wars Rebels - Season 2 (Spoilers)

[Jesse James]

I actually liked that aspect of things, but this episode, meh...

But the world isn't a black/white place.  And Star Wars is a very much larger thing than our own world.

Think back to Anakin's statements to Padme...  He wanted to take the galaxy, make it safe...  He's bad, but he has his own intentions too, and they're not all bad.  The Clone Wars made a LOT of people look at the way things were as bad, and that a change was in order.  So I've always felt that the Imperials are probably largely comprised of well-intentioned, or motivated people.

I think the Empire would be filled with people who felt the galaxy, before the Empire, was out of control, in a vast number of ways...  We can see the Empire as the great villain, but it's never that clear or clean-cut to everyone involved in reality.  The Empire maybe promised peace, prosperity, security, expansion, the elimination of some things largely loathed (even though they, themselves, perhaps now controlled this and called it another name perhaps?), and people would flock to it.

Like Padme said, about democracy dying...  Democracy, in Star Wars, was a failure...  And here we are at TFA, and it's failed again (New Republic not supporting the Resistance, who were smart enough to keep eyes open, etc.).

I'm ok with Kallus being a possible turncoat...  He wouldn't be the first character in the saga to do it (Madine and quite a few others).  Sometimes it takes being out in it a while to finally see what's wrong too.  And that means you may have gotten your own hands dirty.

[Dave]

I think the Empire would be filled with people who felt the galaxy, before the Empire, was out of control, in a vast number of ways...  We can see the Empire as the great villain, but it's never that clear or clean-cut to everyone involved in reality.  The Empire maybe promised peace, prosperity, security, expansion, the elimination of some things largely loathed (even though they, themselves, perhaps now controlled this and called it another name perhaps?), and people would flock to it.

Even Luke was going to sign up for the Academy and join the Empire just to get off of Tatooine. It must not have had that bad of a reputation if regular honest farm folk were signing up for it.

[Phrubruh]

Why would Luke want to join the Imperial Academy but not go into the Imperial Star Fleet? Is this a reference to draft dodging? Why would he go to school to be an Imperial officer but not want to go into Star Fleet?  He tells Ben that he hates the Empire but there is nothing he can do about it now.

[GrandMoffNick]

I'm all for people joining the Empire because they think it is doing the right thing. Then realizing the top of the food chain are pretty evil and thus have second thoughts.

That doesn't mean you can just pick any Imperial and make his story that. I have never felt Kallus fit the above description. He seems like the guy that makes someone else fit the above description.

That being said, I'm no Agent Kallus great mind.

[Nicklab]

The Empire was sold as a "safe, secure society" to the people of the Republic in the aftermath of the Clone Wars.  And it wasn't until the Empire's apparatus was fully in place that it revealed itself to be this oppressive regime.  For some people living in the outer rim, the Empire probably seemed like a way out.  Luke certainly seemed to think that.  And Han Solo, according to the previously established backstory, was with the Empire at some point.  The same goes for Biggs Darklighter and General Dodonna.

Fact is, the Rebellion probably would not have had anywhere near as many skilled soldiers or pilots if they hadn't deserted the ranks of the Empire's military forces.  Telling the story of an Imperial who has an epiphany, where they see the light about the true nature of the Empire seems in line with how the Rebellion was built over time.

[Matt_Fury]

Why would Luke want to join the Imperial Academy but not go into the Imperial Star Fleet? Is this a reference to draft dodging? Why would he go to school to be an Imperial officer but not want to go into Star Fleet?  He tells Ben that he hates the Empire but there is nothing he can do about it now.

I don't think Luke was going to go to the Imperial academy.  Biggs went to a different academy and ran off to join the Rebel Alliance before he was conscripted by the Empire.  That was another reason Owen was trying to delay Luke into going to the academy.

[Jesse James]

Yeah I think the Academy has a more complex backstory than maybe they show sometimes...  It's perhaps a place where lots of people go, and maybe even non-humans, but where conscription and possible honest recruitment take place too...

That said, think about this.  The Empire has slavery, but is it slavery of everyone, or is it slavery of select species?  Perhaps under the guise of punishment for "anti-Imperial" behavior, or even anti-Republic (going back to the Clone Wars) actions...  Which these things could be largely considered just punishment, and retribution for their actions.  It could be established that races, such as Wookiees, were seen as a threat via propaganda, manipulation of the facts, etc., and same with the Lasat, or anyone really.

Meanwhile, there was actual slavery going on prior to TCW, which was considered reprehensible and not even believable to some...  Padme's reaction to Anakin's enslavement on Tatooine.  So the Empire comes along, and they basically encroach and reign in "Hutt Space" and all these places that were beyond the Republic's realm or sphere of influence.  The Empire reigns in these "Disruptive Alien Cultures", like Neimoidians, or Geonosians, or anyone else who started to speak up.  Slavery, forced labor, become different things (to people who support the Empire) to rather just punishment...  Now of course, some will see this for what it is, but others won't, especially the further removed they are from it.

I've always enjoyed that view of Star Wars, which didn't have the blinders of the movies on...  The Empire was maybe expanding what the Republic had.  They were exploring wild space, new settlements, making new opportunities for people, regulating things that were unregulated, reigning in the "bad elements" (Piracy, bounty hunting issues, overbearing corporations and conglomerates, etc.), but at the same time you have the obvious BAD things the Empire was doing too, but did everyone always see that? Or did some guys just join up, and have a fairly mundane career?

Regarding Kallus' personal story there, I can take/leave that.  I wouldn't have been hurt if they went the opposite way and he's just a horrible Imperial who hates aliens, commits genocide...  But I'm totally ok with it going the other way.

Matt, you're gonna hate this, but Force Commander's story was the embodiment of this discussion really.  2 troopers, brothers, serve in the Empire...  Time separates them, they learn some about the Empire and their pasts, eventually they're both in the Alliance by the end of the story, realizing the Empire was corrupt (even more than the Old Republic was).

[Nicklab]

Well, rumors are the recurring Imperial antagonist for season 3 will be Thrawn. So they gotta do something will Kallus.

But. yeah. I'd think the type of person who'd be promoted to Imperial Security Agent wouldn't be one with much of a conscience.

Really?  That's the first I've heard of that rumor.  There are rumors of a character similar to Thrawn being in the mix for ROGUE ONE, but I haven't heard anything about Thrawn in REBELS up until now.

Rumor: The largest cameo in Star Wars Rebels’ (C)history?

Thanks for the link.  If it happens, I think it could be very cool.

But I'm taking EVERYTHING I read at MSW with a grain of salt.  I read a good deal of the spoiler reports for THE FORCE AWAKENS that were posted there, and some of them were so far off base that it was laughable.  They got a lot of stuff right, but they also got plenty wrong.

[Scockery]

Shroud of Darkness was good, GUEST STAR OVERLOAD,  though, largely a set-up for what comes next. 

[Jesse James]

Yeah definitely a set-up episode, but interesting.  Seems like a deeper story coming soon.  So far I've not been impressed with how they handle things like that, but this gives a sign that there's more to come, that isn't so superficial.

[Nicklab]

Excellent episode, without a doubt!  From beginning to end it was solid.  The duel with the Inquisitors was pretty intense.  And the revelations in the Jedi Temple on Lothal were major game changers in terms of developing Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka. 

I also like the continuity that's being explored from the movies as well as the CLONE WARS series.  Frank Oz was great as Yoda.  I was left wondering if he did it because it was a one-off, or what?  James Earl Jones voicing Vader is always impressive.  And bringing back Matt Lanter to voice Anakin was excellent, too.

One of the biggest reveals clearly came from Kanan's vision.  Ever since Dave Filoni said that we had seen the Grand Inquisitor in an episode of CLONE WARS, I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out where, when or who he was.  Was he one of the Force sensitive children kidnapped by Darth Sidious?  Was he perhaps one of the Utapauans who was featured in the incomplete episodes that were only realized as storyboards?  Or was he someone else?  The realization that he had been a Temple guard was a big deal.  There had been talk that some Jedi had gone to the Dark side following Order 66.  This confirms that story point.  And it was good to have Jason Isaacs back in his role as the Grand Inquisitor, too.

And then there's the bit that goes WAY BACK to the events of the Knights Of The Old Republic games.  When Yoda tells Ezra to go find Malachor!  For those who didn't play the game, Malachor 5 was the final location of KOTOR 2, where the Jedi Outcast faced off against Darth Traya and Darth Sion.  IIRC, Malachor 5 was destroyed at the end of the game.  But the backstory for that system is incredibly forbidding.  And I have to wonder how this will play out in REBELS.

[Matt_Fury]

I did like the Malachor reference.  When will the next new episodes air?

[Nicklab]

In two weeks.  Rebels Recon covered that.  Not sure why they're taking next week off, but for some reason they are.  I think Malachor will probably get explored around the time of the season finale.

[77Skywalker]

I did like the Malachor reference.  When will the next new episodes air?

Was that by chance maybe just borrowed from the Knights of the Old Republic Games?

[Nicklab]

Malachor dates back to the KOTOR days.  And it's also been referenced in the most recent edition of the Visual Dictionary, specifically regarding the backstory of Kylo Ren's lightsaber.