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Rebels Season 3 "The Holocrons of Fate" Review

Discussion in 'Star Wars: Rebels' started by Hermann22, Oct 1, 2016.

  1. Hermann22

    Hermann22 Rebels Host

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    Maul hostage.png
    After the solid outing from last weeks season premiere, Rebels follows up with a smaller scale episode. Now, that doesn't mean that a lot doesn't happen either. What this episodes lacks in pure raw action...it makes up for it in planting MAJOR story threads that are sure to be picked up on later in the season. (Or...even other mediums? I'll get into that later.)

    So how does this episode stack up to previous episodes before it? Let's find out!!!!!!

    SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!!






    What worked for me:

    - Maul (or Darth Maul. I thought the show creators dropped the "Darth" title, but Ezra calls him that in this episode. *sigh*)

    Maul.png

    Years ago, this character was a footnote in the greater Star Wars Saga. Enter the Clone Wars and Rebels and now (Darth) Maul has become something more. Maul doesn't skip a beat from "Twilight of the apprentice" by wanting Holocrons, capturing the Ghost, almost killing Kanan and finding out something gigantic for himself. Seems to me that whenever Maul shows up...it probably means something very substantial is going to happen. He pushes Ezra's character development forward while handling the crew of the Ghost without difficulty. He's such a perfect character for this show by putting Ezra in the middle of him and Kanan and this episode only furthers that point. I have to add as well that Sam Witwer's voice performance is incredible as always.

    Maul mind probe.png
    Maul also does a Kylo Ren like mind probe on Hera and anything that emulates Kylo Ren in any way is fine by me.

    - The Bendu returns!

    Bendu e2.png

    ...ALREADY! For the most part, I stay away from spoilers. I had no idea that Bendu was returning in this episode and I was both surprised and happy he returned so soon. Karan and Ezra go looking for the Sith Holocron that Kanan gave him in the season premiere which is....peculiar the show went back to that story thread so fast, but I'm not complaining either. I LOVE the Bendu. What exactly his purpose is for this season still is a mystery, but he seems to have taken a liking to Kanan. What he does confirm in this episode is that when you combine two Holocrons together, it could unlock Force knowledge which could be devastating. I don't know what to make of his true motive yet, but I think Bendu leans more toward the light than the dark...at this point anyway.

    - The merging of the Holocrons

    Holocron 2.png

    For those who don't know...Holocrons were originally an EU / Legends creation from the comic pages of Dark Empire. George Lucas would later end up using this story device in The Clone Wars series. What was hard to figure out was what exactly makes the Holcrons tick? This episode seems to imply that they are in fact...Force powered? Considering what happens when a Sith and Jedi Holocron are put together, I would think so. Anything diving deeper into Force mythology is a win for me and this episode delivers it.

    Maul seeing.png


    What Maul says while looking into the light of the Holocrons is "I SEE HIM!!!" and later when he runs off "He...LIVES!!!". I think we can all guess what Maul means when he says that....OBI-WAN KENOBI! What does that mean though? Is old Ben going to be making an appearance this season? Does this mean that this story thread could be followed up in OTHER mediums? Comic? Novel? FILM?!?!?!? My money is on Kenobi showing up in Rebels, but I wouldn't be opposed to the other options either.


    What didn't work for me:

    - uh...I got nothing. I really liked this episode.


    Quick hitters-

    - Maul's ship, which probably came from when he ruled the planet for 15 minutes and requested a sweet custom paint job.

    Maul ship.png


    - Love the moment of Kanan telling Ezra that his blindness is not Ezra's fault and Ezra finally accepting that.

    Hug.png

    After the premiere and "The Holocrons of Fate"...I think this season is headed down a stronger path than season 2. The antagonists introduced already seem better equipped to handle the long haul of 20+ episodes. I can't wait to see Thrawn again and what the show does with him. Same goes for Maul as well, but that's obvious.

    As always I look forward to reading all of your reactions and thoughts on the episode.

    PS: I will now know forever that Kitster was the one who said "Wizard" thanks to you all in the comments section from the last review. :)

    Paul

    Follow me on Twitter @Hermann22
    Follow my Star Wars podcast on Twitter @Blastercanonpod
     

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    #1 Hermann22, Oct 1, 2016
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  2. alex

    alex Rebel Official

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    I loved this episode.

    Good
    * A calmer Kanan solving problems through non-aggression. His bad ass save that left him with an ice beard was a great sequence too. The physicist in me knows it is unrealistic (you can survive in space for a few mins, but you'd have to deal with the explosive decompression of your lungs, eardrums etc), but the little kid in me loved the sequence and didn't care.

    *Maul. He is always a great presence on screen. I liked the callback to him being the ruler of Mandalore (and from Zeb's reaction, maybe this short rule was covered up?). He totally owned most of the ghost crew, but I'm glad they still tried to fight back.

    * That ending. Looks like the season 3 finale might be Kenobi vs Maul. I know they are minor characters from the viewpoint of rebels, but so were Vader and Ashoka in season 2. Do we think Ezra vision will lead him to interact with more OT locations?

    Bad
    * I hated that the holocrons could be connected to give a magic force answer. Maybe I'm bringing too much of my old EU lore into it, wanting them to just be force imbued AIs that aid in training, but I don't think so. Why do the holocrons have this power? Why are they even made to be combined? Does the answer come from the AI programming, or is the force someone bent to the will of anyone that combines two? Are they spent after one use, or can the user keep combining them for omniscience? I think this would lead to very few holocrons being made. The sith would be hellbent on gaining them. The jedi wouldn't risk making them for they could fall into the wrong hands.

    Weird
    I'm still not sold on the Bendu, but I don't dislike him. I'd like to see more of him. What is his deal? He just sits there by himself forever? Is there a race of antisocial Bendu's or is he more like the Mortis groups?
     
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  3. P1B5F

    P1B5F Rebel Official

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    This might of been my favorite episode of Rebels in any season.

    I like how this season it seems like they are driving the story of Ezra and his path between light and dark. Speaking of Ezra, I really didn't like him in the first episode, way to Anakin-ish for me, and this episode helps but he still seems whinny. Kanas and him talk about Ezra blaming himself for Kanan's eyes, so I would like to think that maybe their relationship will get back to Ezra not questioning him so much. I don't like how Ezra outright refused to listen to Kanan in the catacombs and got himself into trouble. If Ezra is going to stay good than those situations can not happen.

    Maul, what can you say about him that hasn't already been said? He is a man on a mission, and he is not mincing words or actions to get what he want. I agree with @alex on the call back to him being the ruler or Mandalore, and it wouldn't surprise me with people like the Mandalore's that they would cover it up. I also enjoy the battle scene in which they use his metal legs against him. I think that might be the creators fleshing out his backstory for new fans that don't know about Maul...if you didn't know he was half robot you really can't tell.

    So I got two take aways on the holocron scene. First, Maul is obsessed with Obi-Wan, I feel like that is the only thing that is keeping him alive right now. Maul talks about all he is looking for is Hope, and IMO I think the hope is knowing Obi-Wan being alive and he can take his revenge. At the end of the episode it looks like Maul knows where to start looking.

    The second take away I got from the holocron scene is Ezra and what he says. Before they start Ezra said he wanted to destroy the Sith. During the vision he says he couldn't figure out what he was seeing, then says I see two suns. I believe that is a direct reference to Tatooine and that Luke is on that planet, which helps destroy the Sith. Ezra doesn't know that the vision answered his question, he tells Kanan that all he saw was a bunch of planets and didn't know if the vision was for him or Maul. I think the vision answered both questions with the same answer.

    Final Thoughts:
    Bendu feels like the ESB Yoda. Ezra is becoming too powerful too fast, he already thinks he can do things that Kanan can't (conversation they have while Kanan keeps the spiders at bay). Maul seems to think that Ezra trust him and do what he wants by calling him his apprentice all the time. It feels like to me that the main story arc this season will be Thrawn, but Maul's arc will be how they move from different planets.

    9/10
     
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  4. AstromechRecords

    AstromechRecords Jedi General

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    I think they could have used Maul so much better .
     
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  5. P1B5F

    P1B5F Rebel Official

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    In what way? I do agree that I would like for him to have a bigger part of the story and we could get the final chapter on Maul that everyone that has been following him has wanted for so long.
     
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  6. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    I can't wait to watch this...
     
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  7. P1B5F

    P1B5F Rebel Official

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    You'll love it. I wanted to wait but just couldn't:confused:
     
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  8. Kyber

    Kyber Rebelscum

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    OBI-WAN V MAUL HYYYYYYYYYYPE!!! HE OUGHT TO AIM FOR HIS NECK THIS TIME.
     
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  9. Minch Yoda

    Minch Yoda Force Sensitive

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    Finished the episode moments ago and I think that this is a good follow up to last week's episode.
    It's nice to see Maul so early in the season and nice to see Bendu again so quickly.
    First thing Maul wanted the Jedi and Sith Holocron so he could combine them both, so he could find hope.
    Twin suns, as Ezra said. Can only mean Tatooine. Maul left the end of the episode happy that
    Obi-Wan is alive, so this season could end on a Maul vs Obi-Wan battle.
    I cant remember if they had said Kanan's real name in the show before but it's nice that they did so. But Caleb Dume is his full name, if you didn't know. This was found out in the the Kanan comic.
    I did like this episode and I would give it a 9.25 out of 10.
     
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  10. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    Old Wounds was the original inspiration for Maul's return, I can only hope that Rebels will be wise enough to complete the circle. The fanboy in me wants Vader vs Maul, but the saga fan wants Kenobi to finish Maul once and for all.
     
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  11. Bandini

    Bandini Jedi Commander

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    Good episode.

    BTW, I don't like Maul, I don't like evil characters.
     
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  12. LadyMusashi

    LadyMusashi Archwizard Woo-Woo-in-Chief
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    This was a great episode. I like Bendu more and more, that little smirk when Kanan and Ezra hugged, awww, that was a great moment. I like how Kanan is proving he deserved that knighthood by his calm actions and calming Ezra through the episode. It's interesting how both Ezra and Maul got what they wanted: by learning of Tatooine, Ezra was shown the weapon for Sith destruction and by learning that Obi-Wan is alive, Maul got - hope. Brilliant.

    I don't think holocrons have this power, but the Force does. The Force isn't light or dark, it's everything, it wants to be whole. Also, think how likely is to have a Jedi and Sith working together - and they have to. You can force - pun intended - someone to open the holocron, but to willingly invest into it, by doing it yourself on the other side? And, as we saw, it's not easy to get much even with willing participants.

    I am very excited by the possibility of Maul/Obi-Wan rematch or with our heroes meeting Obi-Wan because Kanan said they ill find out what Ezra's visions mean. And this will likely be a C or D plot line, because we have Thrawn, building Rebellion and Mandalorian story line. This season will ROCK!
     
    #12 LadyMusashi, Oct 1, 2016
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  13. Kekstarter

    Kekstarter Rebel General

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    So, now Maul knows, that Obi-Wan's alive, and if he saw what Ezra saw (twin suns that is) he might find out where Kenobi is (He has been to Tatooine before, duh). The question is - will the Kenobi v Maul fight be featured in this season of Rebels or will Disney make a Kenobi anthology movie of this? (MOM PLEASE)
     
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  14. Minch Yoda

    Minch Yoda Force Sensitive

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    Now a movie on the fight would be cool but I dont think they would use it as part of the film. Don't get me wrong a Kenobi anthology is something i am looking forward to.
    So my answer is during this season, more exact, the mid season finale, where Obi-Wan most likely will kill Maul. So the rest of the season can go full throttle on Thrawn.
     
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  15. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    Epic. All I need to say about it for the time being. Deserves a second and third viewing before I can objectively review this eppy.
     
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  16. alex

    alex Rebel Official

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    I think the grand inquisitor said it in episode 4 of season 1, but ive only seen it once a few years ago, so don't hold me to that.
     
    #16 alex, Oct 1, 2016
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  17. Boushhdisguise

    Boushhdisguise Jedi General

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    Just watched it on the app!!! IT WAS SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!
     
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  18. JeffG.

    JeffG. Ewok Hunter
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    We first learned of Kanan's real name in the book A New Dawn. A decent book to read if you haven't already.
     
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  19. PrincessLeiaCB3

    PrincessLeiaCB3 The Princess that was Promised
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    Amazing episode! Just saw it!

    I gotta say that when Maul says "I SEE HIM!" and Ezra mentioned the Twin Suns I thought of Kenobi and wondered if Obi-Wan would be the one to finish Maul. It would be awesome from the point of view that Kenobi was the one who caused his downfall from the graces of Darth Sidious.

    After watching the Season 2 finale, I wondered if Vader would be the one to finish Maul but... What if Kenobi did it? Pleeeeease LFL!

    I don't think that in the show his real name was mentioned before. As mentioned above, both the "Kanan The Last Padawan" comic and the "A New Dawn" book mentioned it.
     
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  20. AstromechRecords

    AstromechRecords Jedi General

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    iii meant in terma of screen time .
     
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