TFN Rebels Review: "The Future Of The Force"

In this episode of Star Wars Rebels, Dave Filoni and the team continued a storyline we saw begin all the way back in The Clone Wars. In season two of The Clone Wars, an episode titled "The Children of the Force" took us on a journey to Mustafar, where Chancellor Palpatine used Cad Bane to capture force-sensitive children and bring them there.

Fast forward to season two of Rebels, and now we see this plot continue when the Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother are attempting to kidnap force-sensitive children for an unknown mission that we are left to assume is a continuation of Cad Bane's mission all those years ago.

Action ensues after Ahsoka joins the Ghost Crew on a mission to stop the inquisitors, and we are left with some of the most jaw-dropping moments in Star Wars animation history.

WHAT WORKED:
Like last week's episode, there is really a lot to love in this one. Not only do we see the return of Ahsoka after a few week absence, but her return felt natural as her role in this season becomes defined. I like how the establish the respect Kanan has for Ahsoka, and their relationship is one that will obviously help shape his future, and the way he trains Ezra moving forward.

The intrigue and story in this episode was executed well. The way the entire crew of the Ghost sprung into action was something that was lacking so far this season due to individual character building. Seeing the crew's chemistry and how far they've come as a team played really well. Having the good guys chase the inqusitors kept you guessing as to when the entire thing would come to fruition, and the pay off was well worth the wait.

The action picked up right where it left off last week, as we were met with a climax that will have people talking for years. On one end, you have Zeb holding his own against the inquisitors alongside Kanan and Ezra, and on the other end you have epic lightsaber battles that have been a key piece of Star Wars lore for decades.

Although Kanan and Ezra get handled, we get the moment we have waited for since Fulcrum came down the ladder at the end of season one. Ahsoka comes to the rescue and the moment she ignites her white lightsabers will go down in Star Wars history. She goes on to own the Seventh Sister, and it is evident how much she has grown since The Clone Wars.

The episode also ended with a great cliffhanger when the inquisitors learn that the rebel base is on Garel thanks to a probe droid.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK:
Although this episode utilized a lot of the main characters, Sabine and Hera were grossly under used. With the show being 22 minutes, it is hard to use multiple characters in each episode due to the risk of bogging down the story. It wouldn't be as harmful if Hera was used more often. But her intro and exit are basically the same in every episode, and it would help the show if she could get off the Ghost more often.

This episode was fantastic, and it is really hard to find flaws. This has been two weeks in a row where the team knocks it out of the park from top to bottom.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
This episode of Rebels will be one that fans should remember for a long time. Seeing a mission being played out by inquisitors in the time of the Empire was something that was both interesting and fun to watch. Having a classic battle between the good guys and bad guys was taken right out of the old school Serials like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. This got to the heart of what Star Wars is about, and had moments that left you picking up your jaw off the floor.


This review was done by Fan of TheForce.net Ryan Donoho. You can contact him at donohonba@gmail.com.

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