As we get closer to the premier of Star Wars: Rebels, I get more and more excited about seeing the new series. As I get more and more excited about seeing the new series, I keep wondering why. What is it about the new series that has reignited my fire for new Star Wars? I enjoy Clone Wars very much, but I never really connected with it as much as I have already connected with Rebels, even though I’ve only seen about 9 minutes of footage. I’ve mentioned a couple of times on different podcasts (Assembly of Geeks and Coffee With Kenobi, to be exact), that this somehow feels like “My Star Wars” in a way that the prequels and the Clone Wars cartoon did not.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on why that is. Certainly the “vibe” of the show seems more in-line with the original trilogy, with the same snarky humor, and the colors seem warmer, much like the color palette of the original trilogy. The interplay between the characters seems a bit more mature, a bit more in-line with the relationships we had in the original trilogy. It seems like more of a lark, whereas the prequel era material seems very leaden and burdened. Maybe it’s because we aren’t dealing with established characters, so it seems like there’s less riding on the outcomes here, but I think there’s more to it than that. Along with the color palette seeming warmer, the attitudes around it seem lighter, brighter, less like an emo teenager than the prequel era material. You can look at the color of the costumes, the color of the skies, and even the color of Chopper to see that this corner of the Star Wars universe is going to be a lot more fun to spend time in.

One other thing that makes it feel more like MY Star Wars is the presence of Stormtroopers and TIE fighters. I never really connected with the ship designs in the prequels, they were too sleek for me, I like being able to see how everything is put together. I suppose it’s a result of this series taking place closer to the time of A New Hope that the technology seems to be more in-line with that era, and I am excited to see more from the artists who are designing the ships and characters. The Clone Trooper armor, like the ships, never really clicked with me. We had all manner of variation, but I just never thought it was as interesting as the Stormtrooper armor we got in the OT, from the normal Stormtroopers, through the Snowtroopers, on up to the Biker Scouts. I think it’s because (with the exception of the Snowtroopers), the helmets looked more like faces to me, so it gave them more personality. As for the ships, I may have actually clapped my hands when I saw a TIE fighter flying by the first time. There’s just something about that familiar H-design that makes me feel like a kid again.

Feeling like a kid again is something I think we can all relate to. If you’re like me, there’s no better feeling than flashing back to being younger, without a care in the world, to a time when Star Wars was everywhere and your only concern was when you were going to get to watch it again. I think one reason Star Wars meant so much to so many was that it was a story that was laced with hope. And I think that’s a big reason I’m so excited about Rebels. There’s a sense of hope, a sense that this fight has the possibility of ending well. The truth is, we know it will. Just like we knew how the prequels would end, we KNOW that Rebels will lead us into Episode IV, which, thanks to its subtitle, announces that there IS reason to have HOPE, and that, I think, is what has me so excited. It’s been a long time since we’ve had reason to be hopeful within a storyline, and I think that hope is spilling over into my reaction to the series itself. The prequels and Clone Wars were so cynical, because we knew that none of this would end well. We were watching the downfall of a Jedi, and along with it the downfall of a society, and that’s not fun. Where there is no hope, there is no light, and as much as I enjoyed Cad Bane and Asohka in Clone Wars, ultimately it always felt cold, distant, and dark. It’s hard to hold on to hope when there is no light, and we had very little light during the prequel era. As such, I’m very thankful that we seem to be getting back to the hope that was there in the beginning.

As Andy Dufresne wrote to Red in The Shawshank Redemption, “…hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things,” and I’m inclined to agree. I always say that Marvin lives in constant hope of getting food tossed to him, and he seems to enjoy life more than most of us, so maybe we can learn something from him. Hope IS a good thing. Maybe the best thing. I HOPE that Rebels is great, and I have a strong sense that my hope will be rewarded.

What say you? Are you as excited about Rebels as I am? Let me know in the comments section!

Marvin says hi.

Email Jeff at jeffm@coffeewithkenobi.com

Hear Jeff’s opinions on everything from toys to Zack Snyder at www.marvindogmedia.com and www.assemblyofgeeks.com

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