In honor of Comic-Con, Lucasfilm and Disney have released a new trailer and two sneak peek clips from "Star Wars Rebels." These three videos provide your best look at the upcoming series yet, and if they're a true representation of what to expect, this show is going to rock.
The new clips, perhaps intentionally, emphasize the differences between "The Clone Wars" animated series and the new show. Both are made by the same team, and you'll notice similarities in their animation styles, but that's where the parallels end.
"Clone Wars" was set in the middle of said war, in the two-year gap between "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith." "Rebels" is set between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope," putting it some 15 years later at a completely different time in the galaxy. The Empire has seized control, the Jedi have fallen and the Rebellion is just getting organized.
Most of the characters in "Clone Wars" were familiar to us, but "Rebels" features an entirely new cast of characters created specifically for this show. That said, you'll recognize the archetypes as remixes of the heroes' attributes from the original trilogy. "Clone Wars" was confined by the strictures of a somewhat civilized society, while "Rebels" is set in the wild frontier where anything can happen.
Perhaps the biggest thing you'll notice in these clips is the pervasive sense of fun and adventure in "Star Wars Rebels." More than any footage shown off so far, these new shots strike the perfect balance, mixing cool lightsaber battles, great dogfights, character-driven humor and the heroic David-versus-Goliath conflict against overwhelming odds. Best of all, it feels like Star Wars.
The extended trailer reveals that at least two familiar faces will drop by: R2-D2 and C-3PO show up to interact with the Rebels, and there's a cute moment between Artoo and "Rebels"' resident grumpy droid Chopper. One of the clips shows off a snippet of a lightsaber fight between Kanan and the Inquisitor, revealing the unique functions of the Inquisitor's lightsaber. The last clip features a fun action scene on Tatooine shared by Zeb and Ezra, who appear to have quickly sparked a friendly rivalry.
These clips debuted at a special panel at Comic-Con 2014. "Star Wars Rebels" debuts this October on Disney Channel before moving to Disney XD for the weekly series.
Who needs a live-action movie when we're getting a weekly TV series that looks this good?
