Lucasfilm is releasing four brand new "Star Wars Rebels" shorts every Monday night for the next four weeks. The first one aired last night immediately following "Gravity Falls" on Disney XD, and Lucasfilm has posted it online.
The first short, the three-minute-long "The Machine in the Ghost," focuses on astromech droid Chopper, the Ghost crew's loyal-but-grumpy mechanic. The video also shows the playful dynamic between Ghost captain Hera and "cowboy Jedi" Kanan (was that almost a kiss near the end?), while giving a strong taste of just how feisty and irascible Chopper is. Also worth noting is the show's use of classic Star Wars music — something "The Clone Wars" never did.
Here's how Lucasfilm describes the video:
In "The Machine in the Ghost," the rebels' Ghost starship is under attack by a wave of TIE fighters. Hera pilots the craft, while Kanan tries to blast the Imperials from the Ghost's gunner. While they do evade and shoot down several TIEs, it's up to astromech droid Chopper to finish the job — even if he's reluctant to do so.
It's unclear if these four "shorts" are original short films or re-purposed clips from the show, though they appear to be the latter.
"Star Wars Rebels" premieres on Disney Channel in October 2014, and will be followed by the full series airing on Disney XD.
