Star Wars Rebels

[NumberWan]

@@Mandalorian

I saw that via an article, which retwitted the news. It was Katee Sackhoff, who said, she is voicing this very same character for Rebels.

[DTIII]

[IrocJeff]

So, did anyone catch the season opener last night? I think its getting better and better as the seasons go on. I just don't understand the point of having a walker on a landing pad that's over a cliff. Other than that it was a great start to season 3.

[NumberWan]

A walker on the cliff isn't an unusual thing for those, who play Dark Forces II AT-ST and even AT-AT were in various very strange places on Ruusan.

 

As for the episode, it's peculiar, that so many things have been put into one episode at once. Almost everything from the trailer made it into it. On the whole, the episode was good, but not as remarkable, as I imagined, and the reason is probably, because for TCW they managed to create diversity in plot, details, designs, etc, which is lacking from Rebels. But it's explainable: we deal with the Galactic Empire era, so it's a logical limit.

 

A few things were cool.

 

Y-Wings – It was never officially confirmed, that Y-Wings in the Clone Wars series and OT were somehow related except for the design, but this episode explains the similarity: the older hull covered ships are disassembled, so the Rebel Alliance gets the lighter version later for Yavin IV.

 

Ugnaughts serve as a humour relief in this somehow dark episode. We also have quite a lot of Imperials, with Admiral Thrawn as the new principal villain. And it was nice to see Governor Pryce at last.

 

[IrocJeff]

A walker on the cliff isn't an unusual thing for those, who play Dark Forces II

 

I had DF2 when it originally came out and was always perplexed why then as well... I'd think a fixed emplacement would be better suited for a landing pad.. oh well.

[JAWSFreelao]

Okay more about the Kanan no eyes thing: Commander wolffe had/has a cybernetic eye so I don't know why he gets the douchey Cyclops like visor.

[NumberWan]

Just read excerpts from the interview with Timothy Zahn, about his thoughts on the return of Thrawn to Star Wars as canon and as part of Rebels series. While he is indeed glad, that the beloved Admiral is now part of greater story and the author is again involved in creating new stories about him, there are a lot of things still unsettled. Zahn says himself, that "it is a problem", in terms, that the fans know quite a lot about Thrawn now, but all this information is disregarded.

 

I think, he somehow regrets, that he made so much for Thrawn previously, and most of these things are sent into trash can (even though they re-release the old novels too).

[Archangel35757]

I've been watching the finale ending of season 2 and season 3, and I must say that the animation sucks-- very blocky and sometimes they look like marionettes on strings.

[the_raven]

I've been watching the finale ending of season 2 and season 3, and I must say that the animation sucks-- very blocky and sometimes they look like marionettes on strings.

yeah, well it's kinda like Clone Wars was

[Archangel35757]

yeah, well it's kinda like Clone Wars was

...no, it's actually worse imo.

[Seven]

So Force Arena just came out for mobile today, and they gave us the first we've seen of a more realistic Ezra

 

 

 

 

I can't find any pics of Kanan in game, but I'm sure it'll be interesting

[the_raven]

...no, it's actually worse imo.

Depends on what we're discussing.

I like the Rebels better, but the saber fighting is indeed a disappointment in the show.

[Archangel35757]

Depends on what we're discussing.

I like the Rebels better, but the saber fighting is indeed a disappointment in the show.

The animation seems like it is done by beginner students... very staccato in movement-- not fluid motion. And some close-ups make you think you're watching Team America marionettes.

[Cerez]

IMHO, TCW had a highly stylized design, but at least it was consistent with it, and as the show went on it became very high quality and cinematic. I've personally found that each exaggeration in the character designs served to resemble a realistic trait well and allowed for a great range of realistic expressions. As I got used to it, I started to forget that I was watching exaggerated features, and eventually grown to love its unique, artistic visual style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I honestly don't see the same level of quality in Rebels.

 

 

 

 

 

[the_raven]

IMHO, TCW had a highly stylized design, but at least it was consistent with it, and as the show went on it became very high quality and cinematic. I've personally found that each exaggeration in the character designs served to resemble a realistic trait well and allowed for a great range of realistic expressions. As I got used to it, I started to forget that I was watching exaggerated features, and eventually grown to love its unique, artistic visual style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I honestly don't see the same level of quality in Rebels.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know. I think the Rebels' models look more realistic, and that's why I find 'em more enjoyable. Unrealistic\ exaggerated characters should be in non-serious cartoons I think. But yeah, animation and models are different things.

[Cerez]

I don't know. I think the Rebels' models look more realistic...

The truth is that Rebels' character designs are just as exaggerated and unrealistic. They appear more realistic to you because they are drawn following the patented Disney cartoon style we're well used to, whereas TCW was trying something new, something original of its own. At least that's the way I see it.

 

However, I wasn't talking just about the character designs, which amount to a personal preference, really, but about the visual quality of the animated series -- the lighting, the details, the environments, the pacing, the cinematography. While I don't doubt that Rebels can be entertaining in its own way, I believe TCW is the more polished work of art, and I definitely don't see them on the same level in terms of production value.

[Seven]

Rebels is really not realistic. They use lazy color schemes to force the characters to be memorable to kids, and christ Lando needs help

[Noodle]

IMHO, TCW had a highly stylized design, but at least it was consistent with it, and as the show went on it became very high quality and cinematic. I've personally found that each exaggeration in the character designs served to resemble a realistic trait well and allowed for a great range of realistic expressions. As I got used to it, I started to forget that I was watching exaggerated features, and eventually grown to love its unique, artistic visual style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I honestly don't see the same level of quality in Rebels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those are shots from TCW season 4-5 compared to Rebels 1-2. A fair comparission would be the first seasons of clone wars, which looked just as bad as rebels. 

[Cerez]

Those are shots from TCW season 4-5 compared to Rebels 1-2. A fair comparission would be the first seasons of clone wars, which looked just as bad as rebels.

That's actually not a sensible comparison. The team that worked on The Clone Wars, and all the technology and experience gained in that project was carried over into Rebels. Rebels didn't start from practically nothing, as The Clone Wars did. Also, note that season 2 of TCW had vastly improved level of detail over the first season -- stuff that defined the look of the series as the show went on. I really can't see the same in Rebels.

 

I can see how season one compares, but season one was created with kids in mind, as a children's show. It is only in the later seasons that the TCW team really started to experiment with more serious themes and visuals. (Then they went back to a kiddy-cartoon look with Rebels... )

 

Edit:

 

Also, here's a cinematic screenshot (the best I could find) from season three of Rebels, for comparison, if you like:

 

 

 

 

(Not much has changed from season 1-2 -- visually -- if you ask me...)

[Cerez]

Talking about character design in the art style, here's a direct comparison of TCW versus Rebels against the source material with the character of Tarkin:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebels is undoubtedly closer in the details presented as is, to realism -- due to the time-tested, "realistic", Disney style of drawing it uses -- but, I ask you, which of the two designs brings Tarkin's character and distinct visual features more to life?

 

TCW's visual style was more focused on expressing character than depicting a face for what it is from an objective standpoint. You can personally hate it, but that doesn't make it any less valuable as an art style.

 

However, that's not to say that Rebels does not exaggerate, and cartoon -- it clearly does. It just does it in a way that is not so much focused on expressing the character, but rather presenting the features somewhat closer to their real life shapes (less stylised).

[Noodle]

That's actually not a sensible comparison. The team that worked on The Clone Wars, and all the technology and experience gained in that project was carried over into Rebels. Rebels didn't start from practically nothing, as The Clone Wars did. Also, note that season 2 of TCW had vastly improved level of detail over the first season -- stuff that defined the look of the series as the show went on. I really can't see the same in Rebels.

 

I can see how season one compares, but season one was created with kids in mind, as a children's show. It is only in the later seasons that the TCW team really started to experiment with more serious themes and visuals. (Then they went back to a kiddy-cartoon look with Rebels... )

 

Edit:

 

Also, here's a cinematic screenshot (the best I could find) from season three of Rebels, for comparison, if you like:

 

 

 

 

(Not much has changed from season 1-2 -- visually -- if you ask me...)

 

The Clone Wars had George Lucas' pocket, I think they had a budget of 1 million per episode, while Rebels doesn't have that luxury as far as I know.

 

Still, season 3 has shown a lot of improvement over many things, the most notorious being lightning in my opinion.

 

These are some nice shots, if you ask me:

 

 

 

 

 

 

While seasons 1 looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

[Seven]

The Clone Wars had George Lucas' pocket, I think they had a budget of 1 million per episode, while Rebels doesn't have that luxury as far as I know.

 

Still, season 3 has shown a lot of improvement over many things, the most notorious being lightning in my opinion.

 

These are some nice shots, if you ask me:

 

 

 

 

 

 

While seasons 1 looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry, but you really don't need a million dollars to make your cartoon not look like Chicken Little

[NumberWan]

I must say, that Tarkin is probably the only thing, that both Rebels and The Clone Wars did remarkably. In both cases they are voiced by the same actor (who is an active participant in both shows and voiced multiple characters by now). In TCW era Tarkin was suppressed by many things: rank, Republic rules, the Jedi and public opinion – all of this was no longer during the Empire, where Tarkin had to rely only on one thing (perhaps) - Emperor's approval. Nothing else matters to him, when it comes to dealing with upcoming issues, etc.

 

Season 1 of Rebels was far better. Some parts of Season 2 too, but Season 3 was a disappointment for the most part – well, that's what I could say about the majority of episodes in the first half of the season. Maul is again overused, while Thrawn doesn't show his coolness in any way.

[NumberWan]

Watched the latest episode in Rebels series. It's about my most unfavourite role of the ressurected Darth Maul, but overall the episode was still quite good.

 

 

I can't believe we finally put the old Zabrak Sith to rest! I am so glad, they finally killed him in this episode. Even though the whole scene and dialogues were convincing, I still don't like the new biography for Maul after 32 BBY.

 

 

There is also on more moment, which actually raises questions. It's been a wonder for fans even before the Rebels TV series, to tell the truth – perhaps since the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999. Careful, spoilers ahead:

 

 

When Maul meets Kenobi he feels, the old Jedi is on Tatooine for a reason – guarding something or someone. He then suggests, the guarded person is actually the Chosen One. Does it mean, that it's Luke and not Anakin, who is the true Chosen One? Up until 2014 we all believed that Anakin was the Chosen One even though it was always said, he fulfilled the prophecy through the aid of his son. But is it still the concept?

 

[Barricade24]

I'm honestly still not sure how to feel regarding the outcome of Twin Suns.