Star Wars Rebels Season 3 episodes 17-18 review - Through Imperial Eyes/Secret Cargo

 

Through Imperial Eyes

So, for the first time well really ever we have an episode focused primarily on the side of the Empire. The focus character is Kallus and the opening scene is totally unique as we see a first person perspective. I totally love scenes like that, showing some abstract thinking, or at least trying something a bit different.

As for the rest of the episode, what can I say, it’s good, very very good. Ezra, Chopper and AP-5 are sent to retrieve Kallus when they believe one of his Fulcrum transmissions has been monitored but things go awry when Grand Admiral Thrawn and Colonel Yullaren begin their investigations into the identity of Fulcrum and it’s discovered that Thrawn is getting very close to finding the Rebel base.

The episode is tense, has some decent action, provides a bit of humour and some nice fan references. And it’s good to see Thrawn not fooled by Kallus’ tactic, seeing as he’s supposed to be a master of deductive reasoning.

So, remember Admiral Lyste? No? I can’t say I did either, he was in a Princess on Lothal last season and was the like the stand-in imperial officer since Kallus was… somewhere else at the time. Well, this portrays him I suppose a more sympathetic light since he’s ultimately the victim of the episode, since he takes the fall for Kallus, I kinda sorta feel sorry for him. He clearly had great respect for Kallus and didn’t think he could possibly be Fulcrum, being honest he didn’t show any sign of discontent until the end of season 2 so it’s an honest response to have.

Nice to see Yullaren again, he was that Captain that worked with Anakin during the clone wars and was on the Death Star when it blew up.

There’s nothing I dislike about this episode but it does still fall afoul of the half-point penalty and it doesn’t carry the emotional weight something like Trials of the Darksaber did

Rating 8/10

Secret Cargo

And so, the story of forming the rebellion begins and Darth Maul is erm… is erm… I’m sure it’s a long route to Tatooine, maybe he’s stopped off for a Taco or something, yeah, this consistency is one of the biggest thorns in this show.

So, the story of the formation of the rebellion begins with a very special guest star. Senator Mon Mothma, leader of the rebel alliance and portrayed once again by Genevieve O’Reilly (who also played her in Rogue One). She had a few guest appearances in the Clone Wars, including one of my personal favourite episodes (which you might think is a bit weird) Senate Murders. And it’s nice to see her start to form the rebellion

But Grand Admiral Thrawn is quick on her tail, showing some strategic thought and the first true outing of the TIE defender, a powerhouse juggernaut of an imperial ship that is unfortunately not likely to be seen too often. There’s a reason they haven’t shown up in the movies after all.

It’s also good to Ezra’s piloting skills. The instinct of a jedi in flight is something even Rey demonstrated in the Force Awakens but there’s little to compare with Hera’s training, he’s able to keep up with Gold Leader whilst most of the rest of his squadron prove to be cannon fodder. I wish there was a bit more weight on that, that’s my big issue with this show, an issue that, to an extent, the Clone Wars had too.

Erm, what else is there to say about this episode erm… it’s nice to get a bit more history for Mon Mothma how she remained in the imperial senate trying to fight as much as possible, whilst helping the rebellion in secret, much like Bail Organa but unlike him she decided it wasn’t doing enough and made a grand speech to rile up rebel cells.

The animation of that nebula looked really good, the resolution was interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing that TIE defender in a future episode

Rating 7.5/10