Star Wars Rebels: The Protector of Concord Dawn
January 28, 2016 8:14 AM - Season 2, Episode 11 - Subscribe
In dire need of new routes to avoid Imperial detection, the rebels attempt to negotiate safe passage through the region of Concord Dawn. Under the control of a colony of the fierce warriors of Mandalore, the rebels discover that it will take more than simple talks to convince the Mandalorian leader, the Protector of the Concord Dawn, to give the rebels permission.
Trivia!
Additional Post Notes: An added level of timing concerning the introduction of Fenn Rau in the Marvel comic Kanan: The Last Padewan, was that the issue being referenced was released the same day as "The Protector of the Concord Dawn" first aired.
Furthermore, Sabine reveals her family connection to the Death Watch, a group of renegade Mandalorian warriors who rejected the idea of a pacifistic Mandalore and fought against Countess Satine (Obi-Wan's unrequited love interest) in the show Clone Wars.
Trivia!
- Concord Dawn is a world first established in "Legends" storytelling. It was brought into cinematic (canon) storytelling in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as Rako Hardeen, Obi-Wan's undercover alias, was said to be from Concord Dawn.
- The style of the confrontation between Kanan and Fenn Rau is deliberately staged as a Western.
- Fenn Rau was named by Rebels Supervising Director David Filoni after episodic director Brad Rau.
- Fenn Rau was previewed in an issue of Star Wars: Kanan comic, which dramatizes the Third Battle of Mygeeto.
- The markings on the top of Fenn Rau's helmet are from early Joe Johnston artwork exploring Boba Fett for The Empire Strikes Back.
Additional Post Notes: An added level of timing concerning the introduction of Fenn Rau in the Marvel comic Kanan: The Last Padewan, was that the issue being referenced was released the same day as "The Protector of the Concord Dawn" first aired.
Furthermore, Sabine reveals her family connection to the Death Watch, a group of renegade Mandalorian warriors who rejected the idea of a pacifistic Mandalore and fought against Countess Satine (Obi-Wan's unrequited love interest) in the show Clone Wars.
I think this one suffered from having to follow the Princess Leia episode. It was okay, but not a standout to me.
posted by wittgenstein at 10:28 AM on January 28, 2016
posted by wittgenstein at 10:28 AM on January 28, 2016
I enjoyed it about the same, minus a tad less because of the lack of Leia factor. I was irritated at the disposable nature of the other Phoenix Squadron (I assume they were Phoenix Squadron) pilots. Two are killed, raising the stakes, but it'd have been nice if Sabine had felt a little anger over their deaths in addition to Hera being put in the hospital.
I had no idea that Fenn Rau was going to be a major character in the episode tonight, but the name wasn't unknown to me. I had read Kanan earlier in the day and at that point was interested in the fact that here was a militant group of Mandalorians in the comic book. Their role wasn't very big, pretty much as Kanan described it, but I was definitely gawking at the tv when I saw him reappear hours later. I was colored quite impressed.
I'm still completely confused over the state of Mandalore and its warriors. In The Clone Wars there was a conscious portrayal of only the Death Watch carrying on the martial tradition. And in this episode, we even see the Death Watch treated as being quite vile (they did play a role in a coup de tat), but I'm very mixed on whether the pacifistic path is being kind of waved aside in the new canon, even though it happened in the canon recognized Clone Wars. It also places Sabine's character into a new light. Initially, I saw her wearing of Mandalorian armor as an indication she was proud of her people's warrior path, which made her a bit of a rebel in that regard. It helped to infuse her spirit. She wore the armor when it was a thing of the past. Now, however, it's still worn by Mandalorians and those who fight. It changes my conception of her character to a certain degree.
posted by Atreides at 11:45 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
I had no idea that Fenn Rau was going to be a major character in the episode tonight, but the name wasn't unknown to me. I had read Kanan earlier in the day and at that point was interested in the fact that here was a militant group of Mandalorians in the comic book. Their role wasn't very big, pretty much as Kanan described it, but I was definitely gawking at the tv when I saw him reappear hours later. I was colored quite impressed.
I'm still completely confused over the state of Mandalore and its warriors. In The Clone Wars there was a conscious portrayal of only the Death Watch carrying on the martial tradition. And in this episode, we even see the Death Watch treated as being quite vile (they did play a role in a coup de tat), but I'm very mixed on whether the pacifistic path is being kind of waved aside in the new canon, even though it happened in the canon recognized Clone Wars. It also places Sabine's character into a new light. Initially, I saw her wearing of Mandalorian armor as an indication she was proud of her people's warrior path, which made her a bit of a rebel in that regard. It helped to infuse her spirit. She wore the armor when it was a thing of the past. Now, however, it's still worn by Mandalorians and those who fight. It changes my conception of her character to a certain degree.
posted by Atreides at 11:45 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Fenn Rau was voiced by Lucius Vorenus!
I liked this episode better than the previous, actually, precisely because it didn't have to stand with a towering lore figure like Leia. Sabine rarely fails to surprise me, this time with her family revelation. The other nod to convention from Westerns was the alternating close shots of hands flexing next to holsters, followed by a quick one-shot resolution to the standoff.
The whole Mandalorian thing is a bit messy, maybe in part because they're the premiere non-Force-using badasses. Their part through a lot of these stories is as a third party, spoiling or switching sides constantly. I never got the sense they were very unified politically, and Sabine's comments reinforced that. Perhaps Satine's pacifist experiment on Mandalore itself was the exception that proved the rule, and Death Watch were only the nearest of several (or many?) clans that carried on the warrior tradition. It's difficult to explain, though, why the Concord Dawn troop would regard Death Watch as traitors ... I may need to watch the relevant Clone Wars episodes again.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 2:07 PM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I liked this episode better than the previous, actually, precisely because it didn't have to stand with a towering lore figure like Leia. Sabine rarely fails to surprise me, this time with her family revelation. The other nod to convention from Westerns was the alternating close shots of hands flexing next to holsters, followed by a quick one-shot resolution to the standoff.
The whole Mandalorian thing is a bit messy, maybe in part because they're the premiere non-Force-using badasses. Their part through a lot of these stories is as a third party, spoiling or switching sides constantly. I never got the sense they were very unified politically, and Sabine's comments reinforced that. Perhaps Satine's pacifist experiment on Mandalore itself was the exception that proved the rule, and Death Watch were only the nearest of several (or many?) clans that carried on the warrior tradition. It's difficult to explain, though, why the Concord Dawn troop would regard Death Watch as traitors ... I may need to watch the relevant Clone Wars episodes again.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 2:07 PM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Nutmeg of Consolation, I was re-watching the very opening (after having to ask Amazon to give me credit to buy the episode erroneously listed as Season 3, instead of being free as part of my Season 2 pass), and Sabine does imply that the Mandalorians are a fractured bunch and that 'The Protectors' are their own group of many. I think the current Lucasfilm decision to work within the pacifistic storyline of The Clone Wars has been to broaden the opposition to Duchess Satine's beliefs.
Incidentally, in the only panel featuring Fenn Rau (here's where I placed the comics Fenn Rau with a shot of him in his cockpit in "The Protector of Concord Dawn"), Rau makes this statement after being thanked by Kanan's Jedi Master for coming to their rescue,
Incidentally, in the only panel featuring Fenn Rau (here's where I placed the comics Fenn Rau with a shot of him in his cockpit in "The Protector of Concord Dawn"), Rau makes this statement after being thanked by Kanan's Jedi Master for coming to their rescue,
"Name's Fenn Rau, General. And Skull Squadron is happy to Demonstrate that not all Mandalorians have forgotten their Honor and Obligations."posted by Atreides at 7:13 AM on January 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Amusingly Concord Dawn are an NZ drum/bass crew.
posted by Sebmojo at 1:15 PM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Sebmojo at 1:15 PM on January 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
Mandalorians, as presented in much of star-wars lore are very messy. Which I thought the episode did an OK job of addressing by having the ghost crew totally unaware of their loyalties. Also having them actually kill rebels worked for me, as tie-fighters have been presented as basically harmless up to this point.
But confusion can be a less than compelling narrative device.
For what it's worth, whenever the mandalorians do band together they tend to conquer the galaxy. So maybe it's best that they are so fractured.
posted by French Fry at 9:36 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
But confusion can be a less than compelling narrative device.
For what it's worth, whenever the mandalorians do band together they tend to conquer the galaxy. So maybe it's best that they are so fractured.
posted by French Fry at 9:36 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Recaps
Atreides' Review...
posted by Atreides at 8:15 AM on January 28, 2016