“Droids in Distress” Star Wars Rebels Season One, Episode One

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The crew of the Ghost pick up more than just ion disruptors on a seemingly regular job.

The first regular episode of Rebels picks up in full swing, seemingly weeks after the events of “Spark of Rebellion.” We find our heroes out of cash, out of fuel, out of supplies, and a pawn in a larger game in which they don’t know they’re now taking part.

Droids in Distress is an interesting, if quirky title for this episode, considering the main thrust of action. One could argue that “Zeb Confronts His Past” or “Weapons Redistribution” would be more fitting, because that’s what our main characters are concentrating on. However, what we can glean from the title is consistent with a larger trend in this show–to keep Star Wars in the storytelling style of George Lucas. By keeping the title focused on See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo, Rebels is letting us know they are still the true chroniclers of the saga, the ones whose exploits we are really following. To do so right out of the gate, in the first episode, is sending a big message about where this show is going and what momentum it could eventually have.

Star Wars Rebels is going to evolve. If Bail Organa is not resting on his laurels in the Senate, then you can bet that he will be the hand that offers the crew of the Ghost opportunities to do things bigger than gun-running jobs out of Lothal. Those days are already numbered. I can foresee a time where Vizago is no longer their primary agent for work, and Organa becomes the nexus for clandestine operations.

Maybe that time is already here. In true Lucas fashion, the story does not bog the viewer down with unnecessary exposition. We are responsible for piecing the logic of many situations together by what happens off screen. It’s the mark of a good storyteller who trusts his audience to read deeply, and I give Dave Filoni massive amounts of credit for taking that step. After, it was Bail Organa who orchestrated everything we saw in this episode. He set up the deal between Imperial Minister Maketh Tua and Amda Wabo. He sent the droids as interpreters, to keep track of the T7 ion disruptors so they never made it into the wrong hands. He paid Vizago to hire a crew to steal them. All to draw out the crew of the Ghost, to whom this job would be impossible to ignore based on its proximity to Lothal and its personal importance to Zeb. Apparently, the events of Spark of Rebellion sent ripples through the upper echelons of the Empire, and Senator Organa was waiting for this moment for a Jedi to reveal themselves. Why else would he have offered that Jedi proverb (“The simplest gesture of kindness can fill a galaxy with hope”) to Kanan? In the time of the Empire, such things are not said lightly. He knew who Kanan was, and this was his hint. To make it even clearer, he reaches across and puts his right hand on Kanan’s left shoulder, which would be unnecessarily complex, if he were not reaching for the symbol that rested there–a symbol that looks strikingly like a faded Jedi logo, now reduced to a geometric shape. In one motion, Bail Organa got banned weapons off the black market, got them out of the hands of the Empire, and did reconnaissance work on potential members for a fledgling Rebel Alliance that he must be in the first stages of forming. Not bad! It’s almost like he is taking a cue from Emperor (Sheev) Palpatine with the level of detail he is working into his planning.

While all of this is playing out primarily off screen or through in bits of (seemingly) throwaway dialogue, we are treated to an exciting, straightforward adventure. In true Star Wars style, the show starts yet again in media res, with Hera escaping a Star Destroyer after some run-in or another we know nothing of. The passage of time is implied; for some reason, I’ve settled on about three weeks. Ezra would be pretty impatient to be complaining about his lack of Jedi training after only a few days, and if it were after a few months it would just be way too noticeably long. While only hinted at, it can be inferred that Kanan is hung up about how to teach Ezra at all. Kanan was, after all, only a padawan, and probably still has much to learn himself (unless he’s met up with Obi-Wan at some point, however, which would explain how he got that holocron).

The comparisons to Firefly keep adding up as the impetus for action in this episode is spurred by their need for money, food, and supplies. So, they take a job from a source they’d rather not deal with (Vizago) to do a job they’d rather not do (gun running). It was a typical episode setup on Firefly, and it’s a good way to show just how close to the fringe of society these characters really are. Work or starve, or even worse–run out of fuel and be planet-bound. After brief deliberations, they decide to take the job and are on their way to a Lothal spaceport to carry out the mission. It’s here we get another great glimpse into life in the imperial Star Wars galaxy. The civilian shuttle looks strikingly similar to that of the one on the classic Star Tours attraction, and we are treated to an appearance from the memorable pilot from Star Tours, RX-24, voiced by Paul Reubens, who also provided the voice decades earlier.

After takeoff, the Rebels’ plan is clear: board the vessel as strangers, have the droids sent to the back per regulation (another example of droid racism in the Empire) so Sabine can impersonate a good imperial cadet who will act as a translator. Let’s note that  Sabine is highly gifted in communication. She understands Basic, Wookiee, Droid, and now Aqualish. As translator, Sabine will learn the correct location of the shipment from the arms dealer and feed a wrong location to the imperials. However, it’s only when they arrive on Garel that the crew learns the specific contents of the shipment the are stealing–T7 ion disruptors; banned weapons strong enough to disable an entire ship or wipe out an entire population. Zeb is reviled at the very sight of them, for it is these weapons that wiped out nearly his entire race. At the same time, the Empire catches up to the Rebels.

The ever-talented Steve Blum delivers a brilliant performance in this episode. He channels Zeb’s anger and desire for revenge perfectly, so we can empathize with him quickly. His cries of “never again” skillfully mixed into the background action of one scene show us he is on a personal mission he cannot be deterred from. Yet, while I love the leitmotif that Kevin Kiner has composed for Zeb, is it too whimsical? It doesn’t strike me as inappropriate for the rough-and-tumble fellow but perhaps the upbeat music played off of the intensely serious action creates a sense that Zeb was fully in control of the situation the entire time he was on the warpath against the stormtroopers.

As the rebels escape, Threepio makes a strange move. Many people have misread his actions as selling the rebels out to Agent Kallus, but they’ve missed something. Threepio sends a distress message to a Governor Price, to explain that they’ve been captured by thieves. Unfortunately, this message was rerouted by the Imperial Security Bureau to Agent Kallus. However, who is this “Governor Price?” It must be none other than Bail Organa! After all, he did confirm with Threepio at the end of the episode that the droids didn’t give his real name. Therefore, Threepio knew about Organa’s plan to retrieve the weapons, but Bail only entrusted Artoo with the secret reconnaissance mission on the rebels. Plans within plans within plans.

In the meantime, Zeb is stewing over the recent revelations, and his cabin-mate Ezra is summoned to the cockpit with Hera to get out of his hair. Vanessa Marshall gets her chance to shine here, and her ability blows me away every episode. She paints Hera’s personality even with the tones of her voice, coming across as friendly, authoritative, and in charge. I don’t want to call her the mom of the group–it’s too reductive. She’s a leader not because of her force, but because of her ability to see exactly what her crew needs. Hera’s reaction to Ezra’s complaints makes it clear that she wants Kanan to pursue training him in the ways of the Jedi. She likely believes it is in both of their best interests. I do find it interesting that, on a consistent basis, the private conversations between Hera and Kanan largely happen off screen. What is it between them that Filoni doesn’t want us to know? Could it be the way Hera rattles off that nickname of hers for Kanan (“Love”)? Or, maybe it’s about a bigger plan the two have for a rebellion.

The Empire is not far behind them when they meet up Vizago at the rendezvous point on Lothal, and while Vizago flees, the rebels decide to put up a fight for the weapons so they don’t fall into imperial control. Kanan gets off a good shot using a T7 to disable a walker, and we see how easily it disables machinery. Of course, the rebels did have the option to use the weapons on Kallus and his squad, but they didn’t choose to–they must be that terrible. The main action in this battle is between Kallus and Zeb, and we learn how just evil Kallus is when he reveals his involvement in the Lasat genocide. Their bo-rifle fight is beautifully animated–fast, fluid, and well choreographed. The hits feel heavy, complemented by realistic sound design and great voice acting. I cannot wait to see this style of animation in a lightsaber fight. Kallus bests Zeb, but he is saved from the killing blow by Ezra, who uses the Force reactively to push Zeb out of the way. Everybody is in awe of this powerful and brazen use of the Force, and Kanan panics for fear of Ezra’s safety. The crew (along with Threepio and Artoo) board the Ghost and escape, but not before Sabine sets the T7s to overload and explode.

What causes Kanan to finally get over his hangups and begin Ezra’s Jedi training? Clearly, Ezra’s use of the Force sparked something inside Kanan. Did he fear for Ezra’s safety? Did he worry Ezra wouldn’t be able to control his ability? Did Kanan just see plainly that Ezra was stronger in the Force than he realized, and deserved training? It’s not clear, but while we wonder, Kanan’s mysteries continue to pile up.

The episode ends on board the Tantive IV in perhaps the most recognizable corridor in all of science fiction. I was thoroughly happy to see Bail Organa make an appearance here, in the first episode of the series, and very excited to see what is in store for these characters.

 

Final Thoughts:

 

• Did you notice the Mon Calamari style ships in background at the Lothal spaceport?
  
  
• Chopper bugging Ezra is hilarious! Their roughhousing is so relatable for any siblings who’ve been on a road trip.
• Where was Captain Antilles?
• Garel is a beautiful looking planet. Wow.
  
  
• I loved the lateral tracking shot of Ezra running across rooftops using the Force to aid his jumps. Beautiful direction.
• Did I notice Zeb do a Street Fighter II-style dragon punch? Yep, I did!
  
  
• The animation is already improving since “Spark of Rebellion.” I’m seeing less waxiness and more consistent textures, which is very exciting.
• The Senate’s power is noticeably weakening if the Empire is ignoring their mandate to legally ban weapons.
• Zebs hatred of these weapons is palpable. Great use of animation to show his emotion through posture and expression alone.
• I know I said it before, but I really miss Hondo Ohnaka every time I see Vizago.
• The T7 has this great early-80s style effect when it hits the walker.
• Artoo gets very excited at the mention of the word “Jedi” by Kanan. Threepio looks to Artoo as if he should remember that.

Next time, we’ll take a look at “Fighter Flight” and see if this fun and rollicking episode reveals more than just a search for fruit. (Hint: it does!)

-JT