Star Wars Rebels: Call to Action
February 10, 2015 9:57 AM - Season 1, Episode 12 - Subscribe
Grand Moff Tarkin guest stars as an example of the Empire's competent and ruthless branch of might and terror in this week's episode of Rebels! Dismayed at the inability of the local Imperial forces to stop the rebel band, Tarkin takes personal control over operations and lays a trap for the crew of the Ghost. Meanwhile, absent knowledge of the new threat, Kanan proposes an attack on an Imperial broadcasting tower with the purpose of sending their own message of hope to the galaxy in the wake of Senator Trayvis' betrayal.
Trivia!
Trivia!
- The voice of Tarkin is played by Stephen Stanton, who also did the voice for the Clone Wars.
- Tarkin's battlefield armor is based on the armor worn by General Veers in Empire.
- Alton Kastle, a media personality for the Empire wearing an Imperial uniform with media insignia, has made his first appearance on Rebels, wherein previously he was referenced in young adult Star Wars novels.
- The computer spikes used in the show go back to the RPG game of the early 1990s and were also featured in Knights of the Old Republic game.
- The gun placements outside the tower have the same seat and firing array as a TIE fighter.
- The transporter is a makeover of a Republic police transport from Clone Wars.
This episode tells me that they've really learned from Clone Wars that you can do a kids' show with serious and scary plotlines. I thought it would take longer to get to the point they've reached here, where they endanger a lead without assuring the audience of an immediate happy ending. I'm glad I was wrong.
posted by immlass at 8:51 PM on February 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by immlass at 8:51 PM on February 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't know what happened, if it was the decision to introduce Tarkin, but this episode definitely stepped up the quality a number of levels from what we have been dealing with for the last several shows. The Clone Wars, especially as it moved further into its seasons, would have the rare show where I just had to believe that it was a George Lucas required "more kid oriented" episode.
This episode was not that type of episode.
First, we open up with a great homage to the original trilogy with the dramatic opening of the star destroyer approaching the Imperial headquarter building from the top of the screen, which lead into the shuttle with the TIE escorts entering, directly playing up Vader's arrival on the Death Star in Jedi, complete with the TIEs peeling off to the right. In fact, a lot of the directing and animation in this episode was great, I thought.
Second, our instructors from the Academy, the one fellow and "Taskmaster" blah blah, being executed just off screen by the Inquisitor. Tarkin never displayed that type of ruthlessness in the first movie nor in Clone Wars. The years had definitely changed him and I wonder if this change was covered in the novel about Tarkin that was released last fall. (GOD, I don't want to be dragged back into the Star Wars novels again...I just had to toss a number of those books from the 90s cause of water damage!). This type of dark content is exactly what immlass mentioned, part of the lesson of the Clone Wars.
Third, the ending, again, as both of you mentioned, what an ending. Our hero ends up in the hands of the Empire, specifically the hands of the Grand Moff who was quite confident that the Jedi were eradicated. I appreciated how the story didn't go the way of the Rebels, but for the matter that they managed to get their broadcast out (not to mention the efficient manner in which Tarkin took care of that problem), with Ezra's Force critter trick not rendering the droid completely disabled to the trap being sprung generally with success. It was a bittersweet victory at best.
My only thought, did it have to be Ezra who did the talking? I would have assumed Hera could have been much more eloquent given the remaining crew.
I definitely enjoyed this episode and can't wait to see the next.
posted by Atreides at 7:17 AM on February 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
This episode was not that type of episode.
First, we open up with a great homage to the original trilogy with the dramatic opening of the star destroyer approaching the Imperial headquarter building from the top of the screen, which lead into the shuttle with the TIE escorts entering, directly playing up Vader's arrival on the Death Star in Jedi, complete with the TIEs peeling off to the right. In fact, a lot of the directing and animation in this episode was great, I thought.
Second, our instructors from the Academy, the one fellow and "Taskmaster" blah blah, being executed just off screen by the Inquisitor. Tarkin never displayed that type of ruthlessness in the first movie nor in Clone Wars. The years had definitely changed him and I wonder if this change was covered in the novel about Tarkin that was released last fall. (GOD, I don't want to be dragged back into the Star Wars novels again...I just had to toss a number of those books from the 90s cause of water damage!). This type of dark content is exactly what immlass mentioned, part of the lesson of the Clone Wars.
Third, the ending, again, as both of you mentioned, what an ending. Our hero ends up in the hands of the Empire, specifically the hands of the Grand Moff who was quite confident that the Jedi were eradicated. I appreciated how the story didn't go the way of the Rebels, but for the matter that they managed to get their broadcast out (not to mention the efficient manner in which Tarkin took care of that problem), with Ezra's Force critter trick not rendering the droid completely disabled to the trap being sprung generally with success. It was a bittersweet victory at best.
My only thought, did it have to be Ezra who did the talking? I would have assumed Hera could have been much more eloquent given the remaining crew.
I definitely enjoyed this episode and can't wait to see the next.
posted by Atreides at 7:17 AM on February 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
This was good. I like that despite Tarkin's rebuke Kanaan has never been able to stand against the inquisitor, and still can't.
One thing this show has done well is have credible recurring bad guys. Other shows when the hero gets captured it often feels a bit weird, like, they could have won, but for some reason didn't. This show, when Kanaan chose to stand against the inquisitor there was a genuine sense that he probably wouldn't make it. I was wondering for a moment if they were going to kill him off, like, it was a real possibility.
Tarkin is a scary guy.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 9:28 AM on February 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
One thing this show has done well is have credible recurring bad guys. Other shows when the hero gets captured it often feels a bit weird, like, they could have won, but for some reason didn't. This show, when Kanaan chose to stand against the inquisitor there was a genuine sense that he probably wouldn't make it. I was wondering for a moment if they were going to kill him off, like, it was a real possibility.
Tarkin is a scary guy.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 9:28 AM on February 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by Seamus at 7:11 PM on February 10, 2015 [1 favorite]