Star Wars Rebels (original thread)

[Brandon Rhea]

I have a theory for how Obi-Wan will be in it. At first I thought they'd have him be part of the action, or maybe Kanan seeks him out, but then I realized that won't be it. I think that Kanan is going to have a holographic recording, presumably one he's played a bagillion times in the last 14 years, of the message that Obi-Wan sent out in Episode III warning all Jedi to stay away from the Jedi Temple. That'll be a neat tie-in to Episode III, and a way to include Obi-Wan without actually needing to include him in the flesh. It keeps him around as part of the legacy of the Jedi, even to people unconnected to him, and is an interesting way of showing Kanan deal with Order 66.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Having Obi Wan show up in the flesh would be... interesting. But I LOVE the idea of the Order 66 holigram.

 

[jpchewy01]

I don't really get people's complaints about the show being less dark and serious than TCW. The OT, while it had its darker moments (as this show will undoubtedly have as well), had a fun, bright, and adventurous atmosphere that this show is attempting to tap into and I think if anyone is going to pull it off, Dave Filoni is the man to do it. On top of that, serious and dark doesn't necessarily mean better. Batman fans were horrified when they found out that The Brave and the Bold was a throwback to the 60s camp of the original Batman show but soon realised that the show was just as brilliant as the DCAU shows that preceded it. I have a feeling that people will grow to love Rebels as soon as they give it a chance.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Indeed. The style of Rebels is based on A New Hope, since the show takes place 5 years before that, so they're going for the fun, adventurous atmosphere of that film. Even if it is less "dark" (which is a fairly meaningless buzzword most of the time), that doesn't sacrifice quality. Like JP said, the original trilogy wasn't all that dark. It had dark moments, but it wasn't a dark trilogy. Just because it's a lighter show doesn't mean it won't appeal to a wide audience; there's a difference between appealing to kids and appealing to everyone. The OT was the latter, as I suspect the sequel trilogy and Rebels will be.

 

[Kaeb]

I think people who think they know what storytelling should be online, have a very basic knowledge of the fundamentals and therefore they really know very little at all.

Because of this, I think people have a tendency to confuse a 'dark' movie, with a 'smart' movie', which is really all this and movies in general need to be. A movie doesn't have to be dark and gritty to be interesting, unless it helps illustrate your overall tone, aesthetic and directorial vision, but above all else your movie just needs to approach things cleverly and pragmatically so your audience feels engaged with the narrative.

This is no different.

 

[Cortan]

Another thing is that, well, having the tone shift into something lighter than the Prequels and TCW, but perhaps darker than the OT, fits thematically. This is the Empire in the midst of its reign, subjugating worlds and with no one to stop them...

Except for one small flicker of hope, that sparks into Rebellion. The trailers pretty much mark this point - this is hope returning to a world where there previously wasn't much to go on. Even if the crew of the Ghost don't manage their way through this, the implication is that their actions will start the path towards a brighter future, where a farmboy from Tatooine will then be able to change everything.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

And even if it wasn't about hope returning yet, the fact that the Empire is around doesn't mean the show has to be all dark and Nolan-y. A New Hope had smoldering, fleshy skeletons and the destruction of an entire planet, but it didn't mean the main heroes had to sit around and act all brooding and shit.

 

[EnderM5]

And even if it wasn't about hope returning yet, the fact that the Empire is around doesn't mean the show has to be all dark and Nolan-y. A New Hope had smoldering, fleshy skeletons and the destruction of an entire planet, but it didn't mean the main heroes had to sit around and act all brooding and shit.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Kaeb]

It's a question of tone and mood really.

The PT had an odd overall feeling to it because in terms of tone it what quite inconsistent, until the final film where it suddenly took a sharp turn towards Broodville on the Dark Coast of Sadness. Although Revenge of the Sith did have a consistent tone, it was mostly a result of the colour gradient and Williams' score, because the acting was still rigid and neutral while the dialogue was still laughable. With one or two exceptions.

The OT weirdly suffered from the opposite approach, wherein it was completely tonally consistent throughout the majority of the trilogy, with an overall effective display of mood as well, until the final film. Return of the Jedi had an inconsistent tone, but one that leaned more towards a blissfully ignorant and bubbly optimistic mood despite how nonsensical that was given the events of the war and it's repercussions on the narrative overall.

The ST will likely suffer the same tonal difficulties, wherein it will be tonally consistent until they reach the dreaded ending of the trilogy, which given the track record of the franchise so far, always has a sharp contrast in tone and overall entertainment as a result. Granted, it could really go either way, and as of right now there's really no true way of knowing how it will all pan out, but we do know that the most important thing for the franchise going forward, is consistency.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

http://bit.ly/1qeBudw

A leaked French trailer has shown that Obi-Wan will indeed appear as a hologram.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

http://bit.ly/1yZUrTC

BIG new rumors about the plot of the series premiere.

 

[Kaeb]

I like the more angular/gaunt look to Obi Wan's character in that french trailer. It channels more Guinness than it does McGregor.

I do like those plot elements though, they do seem interesting.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

It does channel Guinness a bit, though - if my theory is correct - then this is still Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan. If the MSW rumors are true and Obi-Wan is saying things like "Palpatine is a Sith Lord who betrayed the Jedi," then that adds credence to my theory as well. The theory being that the recording is the warning message Obi-Wan sent out from the Jedi Temple in Episode III, which is a neat bit of continuity. Like The Clone Wars, it takes something from the prequels and actually makes it interesting. I never imagined a Jedi survivor still having that message, and potentially replaying it over and over again for years.

 

[Kaeb]

Well I won't get into whether or not it's 'this Ben' or 'that Ben', I was just making a visual observation.

That being said, anything that potentially improves upon shitty story elements of the franchise is a good thing obviously.

 

[Cortan]

I like it because, like what Rebels seems to be doing in general, its trying to highlight the transition between the two film eras. Like, tries to create an impression of how Alec McGuinness grew old out of Ewan MaGregor.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Alec McGuinness

:dafuqbro:

 

[Cortan]

...I derped on both of them. How do I even function?