Admiral Thrawn To Appear In Rebels Season 3?

A new rumor has surfaced. According to MakingStarWars.net, Admiral Thrawn will appear in the next season of Star Wars Rebels. This would mean that the EU could come into play more than we think. After all, in the new trailer, Ahsoka did say, "There's always a bit of truth in legends." 

Now, if this rumor comes true, I think Benicio del Toro could in fact be Admiral Thrawn in the new trilogy. For now, this is all speculation and has no validity to it. But, Making Star Wars has a fantastic track record when it comes to breaking these stories, so it does have weight to it. Until then, we'll just have to wait and see. 

Here's the article: http://makingstarwars.net/2016/01/rumor-the-largest-cameo-in-star-wars-rebels-chistory/

Clan "Ren" Mentioned In Trailer For Upcoming Star Wars Rebels Episode

In the latest trailer for the upcoming Star Wars Rebels episode we see Sabine going up against fellow Madalorians. We learn that Sabine was a part of House Viszla, and her mother was a part of Death Watch, prominent in the Clone Wars. But, I thought the most interesting and most telling detail we learned was Sabine's clan name: Clan Wren. I know the spelling is different according to Wookiepedia, but it can always be changed by another party. 

After hearing this, I immediately thought of the one Knight of Ren that resembled a Mandalorian, and funny enough, Kylo Ren's mask. I never entertained the thought of his mask mirroring that of a Mandalorian helmet much, but now it seems possible. When you look at the horizontal visor, it resembles that of a Mandalorian helmet, as does the sloping down nature of the mouthpiece. 

I hope Rebels touches on the history of that clan a lot more throughout this season and the next because that could give us a lot more insight into the eventual Knights of Ren. Also, the Madalorians have always aligned themselves more with the Sith. So, we'll see how this all pans out. 

Rebels Trailer: http://youtu.be/ul00CkiNeew

Analyzing Buzzfeed's Theory About Rey Being A Kenobi

Buzzfeed has joined the conversation concerning Rey's parentage. They believe she is a Kenobi. Here's why I think they're wrong. 

1) Sounds like a Kenobi: Since Rey was left with Unkar Plutt on Jakku as a child, it is almost a given that she picked up his accent. Plus, in the Star Wars universe, accents don't really matter (Princess Leia in the beginning of A New Hope.) 

2: Force vision features young and old Obi-Wan: One could make the case that Obi-Wan was a part of Rey's training very early on. I believe she was training with her mother, more so than with Luke. Also, when you hear "Rey!" in the force vision, that could easily be in the future as well. And it really wasn't a big deal, it's just continuity. 

3) Rey's exile mirroring Kenobi as well as Luke: There are too many parallels to Luke's character, as well as Anakin. Rey is a gifted pilot and mechanic, building her own speeder from scratch and fashioning a flight simulator from old parts she found on Jakku. Star Wars is all about rhyming, and so far they are suggesting that Luke is in fact her father. 

4) Mind control: Luke used this technique in Return of the Jedi as well. The Force can obey ones commands. In Episode 4, while Luke is on the Falcon training, he allows the Force to control him and it indeed obeyed his commands. Plus, storm troopers are fairly weak minded, so it isn't too hard. 

5) Lightsaber switching loyalties: This will have to be explained because I don't recall lightsabers having wand-like qualities lol. As for the meaning, in the novel, once she gets the lightsaber, Kylo Ren says, "It is you..." So, right there, he knows who she is. 

6) Jedi vows: In the EU, Luke marries Mara Jade and has Ben Skywalker. Now, since the EU is no longer canon, they can discard that he had a wife and all of that. But, George Lucas always had in mind that the next trilogy would focus on the Skywalker offspring, whether it be of Han and Leia, or Luke. Plus, for Obi-Wan, I don't recall there being many women out beyond the Dune Sea. His only love interest dies in the Clone Wars.

7) Imbalance in the Force: The rule of 2 is what brings balance to the Force, as made true by Darth Bane. Also, if one wants to blame anyone for bringing the Force out of balance, blame Qui-Gon Jinn.  

8) Kanata saying Rey's family is never coming back: This quote is inaccurate. She says "Whoever you're waiting for on Jakku, they're never coming back." I am of the belief that she was either left on Jakku by the Knights of Ren, or by her mother. She resembles that character in a few ways. 

9) Star Wars has always been about Jedi fighting their fathers: Who's to say that Rey won't be fighting her father, Luke? Not physically, but questioning him as to why she was left on Jakku and never given an explanation. That could easily be a rocky relationship. Plus, as Kathleen Kennedy said, this story is about the Skywalker family and making a huge deal about having a female lead just brings more validity to the fact that she'll be a Skywalker. 

Cool theory, but it would take too much exposition and it would honestly feel pretty cheap after everything they've done in TFA, especially Luke's reveal at the end. She was also tempted by the dark side while fighting Kylo Ren in the novel of The Force Awakens. Snoke is in her mind and tells her "Kill him." The dark side has plagued the Skywalker family. (I apologize for completely nerding out right now.)

Here's the article: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexisnedd/the-force-is-strong-in-my-family

Did We Hear Snoke In The Rebels Mid-Season Trailer?

The latest Star Wars Rebels trailer was amazing. I think we can all agree on that. But, after about 50 viewings, I have a theory (that didn't take long, right?) about a certain character. At the 2:04 mark, a voice says, "The dark side..." I think that could be character on screen at the time, but who knows. Now, if you listen back to the first teaser trailer for The Force Awakens, at around 0:51 we hear Snoke also say, "The dark side..." When you play both clips at the same time, the voices sound very similar, and have the same kind of tone to them. Now, if the character on screen with Kanan is delivering that line, then I don't think its Snoke. The height wouldn't match up. However, if it's just a voice over and that character is not revealed to us, the possibility remains.

Here's the second part of my theory: What if those Jedi in the ceremonial robes (I believe they were in Clone Wars as well) were the original Knights of Ren? They have already introduced the Kylo Ren-style lightsaber, which is an ancient design, and those characters seem like they would have been around a long time ago as well. I'm probably 100% wrong, but that would be a fantastic way to tie them into the story. Did they create the Knights of Ren to fight the Inquisitors, only to be destroyed and have a more sinister group take their place? 

The new season premiers on January 20th at 9:30 pm EST. I'm sure many of these questions will be answered, but many left to keep the fans guessing.

Thank you, Dave Filoni and the rest of the Rebels cast and crew for making this show as fantastic as it is. May the Force be with you all.

Rebels trailer from Dash Star (check out his videos!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_NscQKb7jk

The Force Awakens teaser #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOVFvcNfvE

Star Wars Rebels Season 2 Mid-Season Trailer!

I honestly have no words after watching this trailer. This will be the shortest blog post I'll ever write, but for good reason. Let's all get ready for more Star Wars! 

Mid-Season trailer: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/15/star-wars-rebels-video-lightsaber

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Action Figures: How Accurate Was The Dialogue?

Leading up to the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there was a lot of clever marketing done by Disney, in terms of the different mediums in which they would release information about the new film. Among those were some action figures, as well as masks, that contained dialogue. Now, a lot of the time, the dialogue that is presented in these action figures are not included in the movie at all. So, I decided to go back and see how much of that dialogue actually made it on screen.

Captain Phasma mask

"Report to my division at once."

After telling Finn to submit his blaster for inspection, Captain Phasma asks him if anyone had instructed him to take off the helmet. Seeing this as an act of insubordination, in my opinion, she tells him to report to her division, which he does. 1/1

"On my command."

In her first on-screen appearance, this is one of the first lines of dialogue that Captain Phasma has. Just after Kylo Ren kills Lor San Tekka, Ren orders her to kill the villagers on Jakku, and she proceeds to say, "On my command..." So far, 2/2

"Fire, FN-2187."

I think this was originally going to be in that same scene when Finn lowers his blaster while the villagers are being killed. Apparently, Phasma was supposed to notice that he wasn't following orders, or in a deleted scene, she specifically ordered him to begin the massacre. After further deliberations, I think they decided to simplify it and leave it as, "On my command....Fire!" One down. 2/3

"Submit your blaster for inspection."

As you all know, this piece of dialogue remained in the film. After the assault on the Jakku village, Finn kind of hangs back and takes off his helmet, only to find Captain Phasma behind him. Now, in the novelization, Finn tells a fellow trooper that his blaster must have jammed, so it adds further context to that piece of dialogue. 3/4

"Ah, to your ships now."

I do not recall this specific line in the film. Personally, I think it would fit at the end of the assault on the Jakku village after all of the carnage had ended. Basically rounding up the troopers. 3/5


Finn

"My name is Finn and I'm in charge now."

This specific line seems to be from the scene on Starkiller Base when Finn comes face-to-face with Captain Phasma again. When I first heard this, I thought this was would be when he runs into Rey for the first time. But, nonetheless, this was included in the film. 1/1

"We go back to Jakku, we die!"

Clearly, this is during Finn's escape with Poe from the Star Destroyer. Finn is reacting to Poe's decision to go back to Jakku in order to rescue BB-8. 2/2

"Stay low and put up the shields!"

I don't remember if this dialogue is word for word, during the chase scene with the Millennium Falcon, but certainly some variation of it. Finn tells Rey to stay low because it confuses the tracking abilities of the TIE-fighters, and asks her if the shields work. Again, maybe the dialogue from the action figure is 100% accurate in this scene, but I'm not positive. 3/3

"We need cover! Quick!"

Again, this is during the chase scene on Jakku, and while on the turret Finn calls out to Rey for cover. That leads her to perform some crazy maneuvers, one taking her through a Star Destroyer, until our heroes finally escape. 4/4

"FN-2187."

Here we have Finn introducing himself to Poe as they make their escape. The tone is the same, so this dialogue had to be pulled from the film. 5/5

"I don't know what to do!"

This was not in the film, but it did appear in the novelization after the TIE-fighter crashes on Jakku. Not knowing what to do or how to proceed, Finn simply yells it out. So, since it wasn't in the film, I'll say this is the first miss. 5/6

"Listen, I've had a pretty messed up day."

This was during Finn's first interaction with Rey after she knocks him down with her staff. She accuses him of being a thief, and is subsequently shocked by BB-8. Again, the action figure has the same tone as John Boyega does in the film, so I think it was pulled from the film and not a special recording. 6/7


Kylo Ren

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

Here we have the Kylo Ren confronting Han Solo in Starkiller Base. Obviously, when the action figure was released, we didn't know the context of any of these pieces of dialogue, or if they were even going to appear in the film. Now, knowing the exact moment that this takes place, it is pretty cool. 1/1

"Is it true? You're just a scavenger?"

Something similar to this is said during Kylo Ren's interrogation of Rey. After telling her about the map and BB-8, he says. "...and somehow you convinced the droid to show it to you. You...a scavenger." So, I believe this was a different take on what was supposed to be said in the scene, or maybe it was recorded specifically for the action figure. Who knows. However, I'll go ahead and say this is accurate enough. 2/2

'Don't be afraid, I feel it too."

Again, this is from the interrogation scene with Rey as he is probing her mind for information about the map. I noticed the tone from the action figure is much more menacing here. 3/3

"You know what I've come for."

Another word for word line from the film. This was from Kylo Ren's confrontation with Lor San Tekka on Jakku in the beginning of the film. 4/4

"Don't fight it. You know you can't."

I don't remember hearing Ren say this in either interrogation scene, and it seems as if that's where it would have been. 4/5

"I'm immune to the light."

I wish they would have kept this line in the film. It would have fit perfectly during the confrontation between Han Solo and Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base. This would have been a chilling response as Solo tried to appeal to the good in him. Unfortunately, this didn't make it on screen. 4/6

"That weapon is mine!"

A variation of, "That lightsaber...it belongs to me!" We all knew that Ren was referring to one of two weapons: Rey's staff or Anakin's lighstaber. Now, after seeing the film, it makes total sense why he would want that specific weapon. 5/7

"Together, we will destroy the Resistance and the last Jedi."

Another line that I wish would have been left in the film. It reminds me a lot of Darth Maul's, "At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge." I think this was going to be the final thing said between Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke in either meeting. However, I think they ended up changing the dialogue and assigned it to Snoke instead because he says, "We will crush the Resistance, once and for all." 5/8


 Now, for Episode VIII, should we expect the same? Personally, I don't think the film will be as under wraps as it was for The Force Awakens, but they still don't want major plot points to be leaked. I don't think the action figures did that at all, especially now after seeing the movie. What this tells me, at least for now, is that these action figures are pretty reliable if we want some exposure to the actual film. (These action figures had a 70% accuracy, including variations of on-screen dialogue).

Kylo Ren action figure - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4D0wnze6ZI

Finn action figure - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXW8NY1FZFQ

Captain Phasma helmet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCCEmBpKtpg

New "Star Wars Rebels" Trailer Premiers Next Week!

During his Twitch stream on Friday, January 8th, Freddie Prinze, Jr. announced that a new 3-minute long trailer will debut sometime next week, leading up to the second half of season 2 which begins later this month. The first half of season 2 gave us a lot of crucial details regarding our characters, brought back others that we have grown to love in Rex and Ahsoka, and set up the most anticipated confrontation in Star Wars in recent years: Ahsoka Tano and her former master, Darth Vader. There is also a rumor that Princess Leia will appear in the second half of this season, as reported by Making Star Wars.

Along with the trailer announcement, he also said that we would see some of the Ahsoka v. Vader confrontation in the trailer itself, even saying that we may be seeing more than we should. But, the biggest thing I took out of the few minutes that Freddie Prinze, Jr. was talking about Rebels was the fact that he says this season is so much better than the first. That is a great thing to hear because season 1 was absolutely fantastic. We were introduced new characters and a new story, but in a familiar setting and time period in the Star Wars universe. This season will probably be the Empire Strikes Back of Rebels just because of the things I think will happen during the second half of this season. We could be getting pretty dark by the end of the season and have these characters facing some pretty tough obstacles.

Star Wars Rebels returns on January 20th on  Disney XD.

Follow Freddie Prinze, Jr. on Twitch: jrtwitch1