The hit Disney XD show, "Star Wars Rebels," begins the last leg of its adventure with a new trailer showcasing the back half of season four. These last six episodes not only signal the end of season four but of “Star Wars Rebels” altogether. With season four confirmed as the show's last, it’s unknown what will come next in terms of new Star Wars TV shows.
Rebels’ past and the return of Palpatine
“Star Wars Rebels” began its run on October 3, 2014, and follows the adventures of a ragtag group of rebels in their fight against the evil Empire. The show is tied heavily to its 2008, animated predecessor, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Both share many of the same characters as well as director and writer Dave Filoni.
An avid fan of Star Wars, Filoni has dropped a few hints as to how the show may end and has also hinted at the return of one fan-favorite character.
Tying in with “The Clone Wars,” there was a quick shot of a mural depicting the Mortis family. How big of an impact Mortis will play is unknown, but it’s nice to see “Rebels” still referencing its sister show even in its last couple of episodes. With the first half of the trailer focusing on the rebels’ past, the second half is where we get some hints as to what's to come. The most exciting of which is the debut of Emperor Palpatine.
This will be the Emperor’s first physical appearance on the show. He previously only appeared as a disembodied voice performed by Sam Witwer.
This time around, the Emperor will be will be voiced by Ian McDiarmid. Ian McDiarmid is best known for portraying Palpatine in “Return of Jedi,” the 2004 re-release of “The Empire Strikes Back,” and lastly in all the Prequel films.
He will join a long list of actors who've reprised their roles from the Original Trilogy on “Star Wars Rebels.” Previous reprisals include Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, Frank Oz as Yoda, James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.
While not reprising his Ewok character from the films, Warwick Davis also plays a part in “Rebels” voicing a recurring antagonist named Rukh.
What the last six episodes will hold
Besides Palpatine, it looks like we’ll finally see the rescue of Hera Syndulla after her capture by the mysterious Rukh last episode. Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus appears to be the one behind the rescue after having cut through the floor beneath her with his lightsaber.
Kanan sports a new look with an interesting new haircut and a freshly shaved face. Grand Admiral Thrawn returns as well and looks as evil as ever as he orders the full-scale bombardment of a city. Lastly, the Loth-Wolfs are back, and they along with Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger look ready for a fight. It's still anybody’s guess as for how the series will end, but one thing for sure is that these last six episodes are sure to go out with a blast.
While we won’t know the fates of most of the rebels until the last episode, it has been confirmed that at least Hera will survive the series. Outside of “Rebels” Hera has been referenced in “Rogue One” and has as appeared in an episode of “Star Wars: Forces of Destiny.” Both occur after the events of “Rebels” and confirms her survival.
According to StarWars.com the first two new episodes titled “Jedi Night” and “DUME” will premier back to back on February 19. The next two episodes “Wolves and a Door” and “A World Between Worlds” will air back to back the following Monday, February 26. Finally, the last two episodes “A Fool’s Hope” and “Family Reunion and Farewell” will air on March 5.
The last episode “Family Reunion and Farewell” will have an extended run of ninety minutes and will serve as both the season four finale and the series finale. Star Wars fans disappointed that there will be no season five can rest assured that there is still plenty more Star Wars content around the corner. “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is expected to air May 25, according to Variety.com.
