Star Wars Rebels in the “Ghost.” Premieres this week on DisneyXD & Disney Channel. Image used with permission.

Last weekend we were treated to a sneak peak of two episodes of the new Disney XD series, “Star Wars Rebels”. I took my three boys who not only love ALL of the Star Wars films, (yes even the Jar Jar scenes) they, along with me, were huge fans of the old series “Star Wars Clone Wars.”

“Clone Wars was amazing because it showed us everything we did not see in the films. The Clone Wars were always mentioned, and we got to see a few minutes of them in “Attack of the Clones,” but the films only left us wanting more. The series and the animation were great and clearly done by a team of fans of the source material. The only thing we didn’t know about after that series was how the Rebellion started. Well now we will.

Star Wars Rebels pilot Hera. Image used with permission.

The new series, “Star Wars Rebels,” continues on with the same quality of “Star Wars Clone Wars,” and will finally answer all of the questions on how Luke, Leia and the rest of the Rebels came to be. The animation is slightly more refined, and you cannot tell the difference between this series and the other. The new characters hit all of the key groups to make kids able to identify with someone on the show, while covering the basics of Star Wars lore. You have the orphan loner that is more than he appears, the frustrated Jedi mixed with Han Solo, the big crazy Chewbacca-like monster who is menacing only to the Empire and the droid who takes the silliness and attitude of R2D2 to the next level. There are also two female characters on the team, a pilot and weapons expert which is great to see since we got a glimpse of that direction in “Star Wars Clone Wars” with Ahsoka Tano.

Images used with permission of the Walt Disney Company.

Jedi Kana and the Inquisitor from Star Wars Rebels. Image used with permission.

The story unfolds during a dark time when the evil Galactic Empire is tightening its grip of power on the galaxy. Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet and are ruining the lives of its people. The crew of the starship Ghost — cowboy Jedi Kanan, ace pilot Hera, street-smart teenager Ezra, the “muscle” Zeb, warrior Sabine, and cantankerous old astromech droid Chopper — are among a select few who are brave enough to stand against the Empire. Together, they will face threatening new villains, encounter colorful adversaries, embark on thrilling adventures and become heroes with the power to ignite a rebellion. Although none of the characters are familiar to us yet, they are all familiar in what they do and say. 


Behind the scenes:

“Star Wars Rebels” concept art. Images used with permission of the Walt Disney Company.

• “Star Wars Rebels” was created by Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Sherlock Holmes), and Carrie Beck. The Lucasfilm Animation production is also executive-produced by Filoni and Kinberg as well as Greg Weisman (Gargoyles).
• The talented voice cast includes Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall as Hera, Steve Blum as Zeb, Tiya Sircar as Sabine, Taylor Gray as Ezra, David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus and Jason Isaacs as the Inquisitor.

Concept art for Zeb. Images used with permission of the Walt Disney Company.

Concept art for Jedi Kanan. Images used with permission of the Walt Disney Company.

What we love most (so far):

The Ghost from Star Wars Rebels. Image used with permission.

• We love seeing the beginning of the Rebellion, glimpses of spacecraft, and hints of people that we are familiar with from “A New Hope” and the rest of the original trilogy.
• I also really like that any adult fan of Star Wars can get “into” this show with their kids and know that the quality from the “Clone Wars” and expanded universe is still intact. 

Don’t miss out on the first episodes:

Sabine from Star Wars Rebels. Image used with permission.

After the screening, we all agreed that we could not wait to continue on with this journey. The Clone Wars are a great memory, but now we have something new to look forward to. From what we saw, we will be upgrading to Disney XD, buying the merchandise, and gathered on the couch for seasons to come to see it all end just where Episode 4 takes off. 

Star Wars Rebels pilot Hera. Image used with permission.

The series premiere one-hour movie “Star  Wars  Rebels: Spark of the Rebellion”  will begin airing on television  Monday, October 13 (9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. In case you miss it, the premiere movie will run Saturday, October 4 (9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel and will be  available on Disney XD VOD and for purchase through Apple iTunes, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play starting Monday, October 6. The regular season episode premiere will take place on Monday, October 13 on Disney XD.

The Inquisitor and Storm Troopers from Star Wars Rebels. Image used with permission.

As a family of three Star Wars-loving boys (and a dad who has read almost everything there is to know about the movies), we are pretty excited about this series. Leave us a comment below or on Facebook page and tell us who is excited to watch the show at your house!


Will Robertson is the husband of Lisa Robertson, the publisher of Babes In Disneyland. Although he really does like Disney, he doesn’t love it as much as she does. His loves include Star Wars, comic books and quoting the movie”Tombstone.” More on him at willrobertsontv.com.

Disclaimer: My kids and I attended a free screening in which we received free popcorn, drinks and some small Star Wars giveaways. All of the opinions here are my own. We have a serious Star Wars obsession.