Star Wars Rebels: Season 4 Preview

With all the press this week focusing on the official trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the next episode in original Star Wars film series, it would be easy for fans not to notice the fourth and final season of Lucasfilm’s animated series Star Wars Rebels is set to premiere this Monday, October 16, 2017, on Disney’s XD channel. Luckily, we're here to remind you. As well we should because Star War Rebels, and its companion series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, have provided some of the best storytelling in the Star War universe bar none. Moreover, the two series' have provided essential history for all the films to date as Star Wars Rebels details the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

The series focuses on the crew of the Ghost, a Millennium Falcon-like starship, in their efforts to assist the resistance to develop into a rebellion against the Empire. The crew includes Captain Hera Syndulla, a skilled Twi’lek pilot, a member of the resistance since its beginning and Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi who was in training to become a master, when the infamous “Order 66” was implemented, but miraculously survived. There's also Ezra Bridger, a teenage Force wielding orphan, who Jarrus takes under his wing to train as a Jedi. Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian who left her home planet due to the guilt she felt after bombs she built for the Empire were used against her own family and people. Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios, a high ranking member of the Lasat race who joined the resistance after the Empire destroyed his home planet; and C1-10P or “Chopper,” their resident robot.

Initially, there is little in common among the crew members, except an intense hate of the Empire. However, as the years pass, the battles continue, and the time spent together increases, not only does the crew become one of the resistance’s fiercest and most successful teams, but perhaps most importantly, they have also grown together as a family.

After three years and over fifty episodes, there will be many loose ends to tie up, or at least provide connections to Star Wars content elsewhere. This season, the show is likely to chronicle events leading up to Rogue One. There is even a brief reference in Rogue One to General Syndulla, which would seem to suggest that she survives the show's end. In the final episodes of last season, we met Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, on Tatooine and heard reference to 'Luke,' as in Luke Skywalker. It will be interesting to see how, or whether, the show deals with this story-line.

Through three seasons, Star Wars Rebels has been the epitome of consistency in writing, effects, story-line. I am looking forward to watching the new series, though I will do so with a heavy heart knowing that it won’t be around the same time next year.