The Star Wars fandom is usually anything but united, but Disney managed to achieve this 11 years ago. Be it opinions about the best Star Wars movies or discussions about wider canon, the franchise’s fanbase is usually divided. Even the best-ranked Star Wars TV show is often hotly debated, despite Andor being regarded as such by many.
George Lucas, the franchise’s creator, knows as much about Star Wars division as anyone. After all, it was ultimately the fan division surrounding the prequel trilogy that caused Lucas to sell Star Wars‘ creative rights to Disney. Since Disney’s acquisition of the franchise in 2012, the controversy has not left it.
Disney’s Star Wars is certainly no stranger to backlash, with the sequel trilogy remaining perhaps the most controversial era in the franchise’s history. All that said, some, increasingly rare Star Wars projects manage to unite the fandom. Despite the overall controversy of Disney’s reign, the House of Mouse released one such Star Wars project 11 years ago.
Star Wars Rebels Was The Story That Bridged The OT & Prequel Eras
That story was Star Wars Rebels. Star Wars Rebels was the spiritual sequel to Star Wars: The Clone Wars and was set during the Empire’s reign, thus bridging the stories of the prequel trilogy and Lucas’ original three films. It told the story of, well, rebels against the Empire. Centered around an orphan named Ezra Bridger, the show outlined the early beginnings of Star Wars’ Rebel Alliance.
While Andor did more legwork in this department, Rebels focused more on individual rebel cells that would eventually come together to form the resistance to the Empire. All of this, as well as elements being carried over from The Clone Wars, allowed Star Wars Rebels to be perfect connective tissue between Lucas’ two distinct Star Wars eras.
However, this was not the case solely for Star Wars’ timeline; Star Wars Rebels was a bridge between the original and prequel eras in tone and style, too. The show featured darker moments that emulated some of the more mature, political storytelling of the prequels, while also having the visual style and whimsical adventure vibe of the original trilogy.
Dave “Clone Wars” Filoni was telling a story in the original trilogy era, meaning Rebels was a link between two parts of the Star Wars timeline, figuratively as well as literally.
Not Everyone Was Happy About Star Wars Rebels In The Beginning
As has been alluded to several times, where there is Star Wars, there is division. Star Wars Rebels, like just about every other Star Wars project in history before it, was not universally loved at first. The show was ordered by Disney after the cancellation of the immensely popular Star Wars: The Clone Wars, meaning fans of the latter were sour on anything new being produced.
Star Wars Rebels, under Disney’s banner, was created using a more cost-effective animation style, thus differing greatly from what audiences were used to with The Clone Wars. Moreover, Rebels was thought to have a more child-friendly tone than The Clone Wars. Although Rebels certainly has its darker, more mature moments, this is true for the most part.
As a result, Star Wars Rebels took a while to win everyone over. Those who were not happy with the prequel era and the direction in which Lucas was taking the franchise were happy to return to the tone and style of the original trilogy. Those who wanted something new for Star Wars, like The Clone Wars, were disappointed.
Star Wars Rebels Knew How To Balance Original Trilogy & Prequel Elements
Slowly but surely, though, Star Wars Rebels began winning over even the naysayers. One of the big reasons for this was that Star Wars Rebels struck the perfect balance between the prequel and original trilogies, again proving it as a bridge between the two in more ways than one.
Yes, Star Wars Rebels is arguably more original trilogy-coded than being grounded in the prequels, but it features its share of connections to The Clone Wars. The inclusion of some of Star Wars‘ greatest ever TV characters, like Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex, who were introduced in The Clone Wars, allowed fans of the prequels to have something to latch onto.
There is a significant difference between the look, style, and tone of the prequel and original trilogies. However, Rebels manages to make both feel organic. The overall designs fit the original trilogy aesthetic, but episodes like “The Last Battle,” “Twilight of the Apprentice,” “Wolves and a Door,” and “A World Between Worlds” embody The Clone Wars completely.
All of this allowed Star Wars Rebels to, eventually, satisfy all kinds of Star Wars fans. The show managed to hit its stride quickly after a debut that some fans found disappointing. In this way, as a bridge between two eras and two groups of fans, Star Wars Rebels united the franchise under Disney.
Rebels Will Go Down In History As One Of The Greatest Star Wars Stories
Star Wars Rebels ended in 2018, and has since been recognized as some of the best Star Wars in history. Many would now rank the show better than Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and a great deal of those who do not would at least agree that it comes mightily close.
Thanks to its lovable characters, expert balance of tone and different Star Wars eras, stellar voice cast, and solid writing, Star Wars Rebels is one of the very best products in the entire franchise. Some would even go as far as saying it is the single greatest piece of media in the Star Wars franchise, such is its quality.
This quality is evident in how important the characters and plot lines introduced in Star Wars Rebels continue to be in Star Wars. Ahsoka is continuing several narrative arcs that were set up in Rebels, with Dave Filoni’s planned Star Wars movie planning to do the same.
Even in 2025, with the division in Star Wars being stronger than ever before, it is difficult to find someone who outright hates Star Wars Rebels. The show is immensely easy to love, and it managed to unite the opinions of the Star Wars fandom in a way not many other stories have.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
