Countdown to Ahsoka: Revisiting Star Wars: Rebels Season 3

Welcome back to another installment of Star Wars News Net's 'Countdown to Ahsoka' series. Today, I'm not sure what we're counting down to, in all honesty. The tumultuous season 2 finale of Star Wars: Rebels left us with Ahsoka's spirit, now one with the Sith Temple on Malachor and dead to the Star Wars universe for all intents and purposes. I don't know what all this Ahsoka series chatter is all about, but maybe Dave Filoni will have some answers at some point. Such a weird way to off a character you've poured your life's work into.



But in theory, say Ahsoka was alive, and she got the Ghost crew back into some trouble to find one of their own, revisiting Rebels season 3 would be paramount. Given how much happens in this season that is relevant for the hypothetical Ahsoka show, this recap will be broken up into chapters centered on its most important players.



We will begin with the Empire's new tool. A man brought from Star Wars Legends purgatory to quash the young Rebellion. Enter Grand Admiral Thrawn.



Thrawn



Thrawn confronts Hera in Rebels Season 3



Think back to Star Wars Celebration 2016. Did anyone else feel the earth shake when Thrawn stepped into frame during the Rebels season 3 trailer, or was it just me? First debuting in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, Thrawn became arguably the most influential figure in Legends. Bringing the fan-favorite character to canon was a momentous, committed choice. And as if this wasn't risky enough already, they chose the silver screen as the vehicle. Dave Filoni had to become Thrawn himself to solve the puzzle of bringing the admiral to life.



Thrawn is primarily known for his ability to play the long game. While his introduction in the season 3 premiere signaled a stark shift for the series, his coming out party didn't properly happen until episode 5 Hera's Heroes. In this episode, the Empire took occupancy inside the Syndulla home, where the priceless family heirloom, the Kalikori, that belonged to Hera's mother was located.



Hera and Ezra go in to take it back when they come face-to-face with Thrawn. Filoni wastes no time telling us his Thrawn is ripped right off Zahn's page. Thrawn uses his enemies' art to understand their culture, and who they are so he can most efficiently take them down. It's an area of study and respect that nobody but him really understands. As a result, the growl and subsequent hiss that emanate from Lars Mikkelsen's voice as Thrawn grabs the officer after he foolishly diminished the Kalikori as 'junk' lets everyone know just how seriously he takes every minute detail.



Mikkelsen would make a good live-action Thrawn by the way. Hopefully, he gets to show off his stuff.



You also can't have a proper Thrawn without letting his mind go to work. He had two mysteries to solve before he could take down the rebels. Locating them proved challenging, but solving the Fulcrum riddle was the bigger mystery. However for Thrawn, he always had both well under control. The rebels ultimately lose after seemingly dodging Thrawn's gaze in episode 10, An Inside Man and episode 17, Through Imperial Eyes. Despite the rebels doing everything they could, including wiping Atollon off the map - it didn't matter. Thrawn kills two birds with one stone, simultaneously exposing Kallus as Fulcrum and finding Atollon in one fell swoop. Pure. Unadulterated. Thrawn.



Ezra



Ezra, Zeb, Sabine, and Hondo in Rebels Season 3



Ezra...what have you done? The young Jedi begins season 3 with a Sith holocron guiding his every move. He also begins the season by leading the Ghost crew on a two-part mission. First, they break Hondo Ohnaka out of an Imperial cell. During the escape, he turns an AT-ST on their own and brutally murders every Imperial blocking their path in a disturbing show of strength. Nothing like a bit of flying too close to the proverbial dark side sun in your season premiere.



The second part of the mission leads the crew toward some Y-Wings. This goes awry quickly, and the Phantom is lost, leaving Ezra without a ride home. His quest for power and an easy path to beating the Empire was squashed before it began. Thankfully, he accepts his master's hand and can start anew after giving the Sith holocron to Kanan.



He isn't out of the woods yet, though. Maul continues to be a thorn in everyone's side, using Ezra as a guinea pig to get what he wants most: Obi-Wan Kenobi. We won't rehash the intricacies of Twin Suns here, but Ezra learns his lesson. Through the first three seasons of Rebels, Ezra is forced to come to grips with losing what he had on Lothal. While his intentions to bring Obi-Wan into the fight were noble, he did so in a way that put everyone at risk.



In the final two episodes, Zero Hour: Part One and Two, Kanan confesses he has nothing left to teach Ezra. However, the young one says he has so much more to learn about life from his master and father figure. It's an admission that he can't save Lothal and the galaxy alone, that he needs those around him to guide him through the storm.



Before we move on, I will just come out and say it. It would be a disservice to his arc this season and the next if Ezra is the Inquisitor in this supposed 'Ahsoka' series, as some have speculated online. Is there justification? Absolutely. Would it ruin the series? No, but Filoni would have serious work to do to make it all blend harmoniously.



Sabine



Sabine holding the Darksaber in Rebels Season 3



When Sabine took the Darksaber from Maul's lair in Visions and Voices, it was clear that something big was coming. I don't know if anyone expected it to be the catalyst for a whole live-action Mandalorian cinematic universe that has kept the heart of Star Wars beating in the absence of cinematic flair, but that's another topic. No, Sabine taking the Darksaber was the beginning of one of the most fulfilling storylines in the entire series. (And might just be taken to the next level in this alleged new show. You kids and your pedaling of unlinkable lies about Ahsoka training Sabine in the future.)



Earlier in the season, Gar Saxon took on the mantle of the Emperor's Hand. His Imperial Super Commandos would then wipe out the Protectors on Concord Dawn. Now, Mandalore is once again caught in the crossfire of another civil war. And the only person who can stop the bloodshed wants no part in it.



Episode 15, Trials of the Darksaber, is my favorite episode of Rebels and might be my favorite piece of Disney Star Wars. We learn what that saber means to the Mandalorians, and it's nothing short of their single-most important symbol. Watching Sabine take on that legacy, face her past, and embrace her destiny is the stuff of legends.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqCYb3fmgEI



The ebbs and flows of Kevin Kiner's score as Sabine gets up and gets knocked back down is magic. If only there were an official soundtrack or something to break down this piece of music further.



Sabine would go on to face Gar Saxon to reclaim her family's honor and win the day. She chooses to stay with her family, leaving the Ghost crew and Phoenix Squadron to plan their attack on Lothal. But as we discussed earlier, Thrawn is the one who's going to beat them to the punch.



The rebels study a holoimage of Thrawn in Rebels season 3

Zero Hour: Part Two is the season 3 finale, and Thrawn shows why he is Him, with a capital 'h.' Launching a ruthless attack on Phoenix Squadron and General Dodonna's fleet, the Rebellion is on the verge of being defeated moments after they began (see episode 18 Secret Cargo). Once upon a time, this finale bothered me because I had bloodlust in my veins. I was desperate to see Thrawn decimate half of our leading players. A boy can dream.



Ultimately, there are no two ways about it. Thrawn had them all dead to rights. Trapped, and without anyone to reach out to for help. Even with Ezra's enlistment of Sabine and Clan Wren after Admiral Konstantine went rogue, Thrawn had won. In the end, he could only be outdone by a mystical Force being he could never have hoped to prepare for, and one that the rebels were not counting on to bail them out. The literal will of the Force allowed the Rebellion to live on that day, and Thrawn was back to square one.



Season 3 closes with our heroes licking their wounds on the way to Yavin. That reference signals the endgame is nigh, and the only hope for a fighting shot against Thrawn and the Empire lies in each other.



That about does it for this entry into our 'Countdown to Ahsoka' series. No Ahsoka to get into, but Rebels season 3 shines a bright light on the supposedly upcoming series. Apparently, it debuts on August 23? I might need to check back here later, just like you should, for our trip down memory lane of the final season of Star Wars: Rebels to shake this sneaking suspicion there's more Ahsoka to come.



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