The Rebels Revealed!

The Main Characters of Star Wars Rebels
Hera, Sabine, Kanan,Zeb, Chopper, and Ezra

So we now have the lead cast of the newest venture of Star Wars animation - Rebels. I must say I am excited to see it. As Lucasfilm was releasing one character per day, I was concerned that the show would be too much of A New Hope allegory. And, yes, while we do have a Chewbacca type, a Han Solo type, and an Artoo type, there are enough interesting differences to make it interesting.

Kanan Jarrus (Human Jedi) - First off, I love the name. I first thought it was pronounced like my favorite Indycar driver, Tony Kanaan. My wife and I were considering using the Biblical spelling of the name, Canaan, for daughter. I think having this type of character was inevitable considering the era. Is this a fusion of the Luke & Han characters? Perhaps, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. He reminds me of Captain Mal of the Firefly television series.

Ezra Bridger (Human Teenager) - If you are going to have a show on Disney XD, it certainly helps to have a kid in the cast. I like the twist of it being a misfit Force-sensitive boy who, like Jango Fett said, is trying to make his way in the universe.This seems like a scenario of what if a young Boba Fett had Force powers and came under the tutelage of someone more experienced?

Zeb Orrelios (Unknown Alien) - This alien, which is a new race, is obviously derived from early concept drawings of Ralph McQuarrie for Chewbacca. I'm glad he speaks Basic and is apparently very intelligent. Will he be like Beast from X-Men?

Sabine (Mandalorian) - This is the most out-of-box thinking of all the Rebels characters we know about. I love the fact that she is a female Mando and also an artist. I really don't know what to expect from her and that is a good thing!

Hera Syndulla (Twi'lek) - I am very glad we have more than one female character in the main cast.  As the father of not only a son but also a daughter I have become more keenly aware of the lack of strong heroines in the GFFA. Padme had potential, but her strength diminished throughout the prequels and effectively committed suicide with the birth of her children. No thank you. Hera strikes me as the most level-headed of the group and someone you should listen to when she talks.

C1-10P / Chopper (Astromech Droid) - The obligatory droid. I'm glad they didn't include a protocol droid. I like the Ralph McQuarrie style of this character.I just hope that he doesn't become an irritating one.

The Inquisitor (Pau-an) - The Col. Roderick Decker of Rebels? So how does he use that lightsaber without cutting his leg off?

I must admit I was not a huge fan of the Clone Wars. While I did respect the technical brillance of the show, and I very glad they made the series, the stories just did not grab me. Perhaps it is because I am more of a fan of the OT era than the PT era. Rebels looks to be a lot of fun. I am looking forward to it!