NYCC 2014: Star Wars Rebels Panel

My friends Christian Blauvelt from BBC Culture and Vanessa Marshall from Star Wars Rebels wowed the crowd at New York Comic Con during their fantastic Rebels panel on Saturday, October 11, 2014. Blauvelt asked a wide-ranging series of questions, including how Marshall saw Hera's role on the Ghost crew, what drives Hera to do what she does, what Marshall thought of female characters in Star Wars, and how Hera's relationship with Kanan Jarrus would evolve over time. Blauvelt also relayed several questions from fans, including Johnamarie Macias from Making Star Wars and yours truly.

Marshall is a dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars nerd, and she proudly flaunts her fandom. She spoke of approaching random people in supermarkets if she saw them wearing Star Wars t-shirts (wives were often suspicious when she would approach their husbands). She also said that it "took a lot of focus" to join the cast of Rebels because she was constantly freaking out about the experience and the quality of the material.

After the bulk of the Q&A, Blauvelt announced that they were going to show an episode of the series. This was "Rise of the Old Masters," which features some scenes that are incredibly important for Kanan and Ezra's evolving relationship. The reaction to the episode, particularly the bold nature of the violence, was very positive.

For a complete recap of everything that happened at the panel, check out my tweets below. I've also included some photos from the end of the session. (Photography was not permitted during the panel.) Immediately after the panel, I spoke exclusively to Blauvelt and Marshall about their experience. You'll hear that interview on this week's ForceCast.

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