Now that the “Star Wars Celebration” panel for Disney XD’sStar Wars Rebelshas wrapped and fans' excitement has settled back down from hitting maximum freak-out levels, let’s take a look at what we learned about the upcoming season.Warwick Davishosted the panel along with Executive Producer and Supervising DirectorDave Filoni,Sam Witwer(Darth Maul) andTiya Sircar(Sabine). Their chat encompassed the continuity of the sharedStar Warsuniverse, further developing existing heroes and villains, and even introducing some new characters on both sides of the fight.
For the uninitiated,Star Wars Rebelsfeatures the title characters Ezra (Taylor Gray), Hera (Vanessa Marshall), Kanan (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), Sabine (Sircar), Zeb (Steve Blum), and the droid Chopper, who viewers get to follow in their rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire. In Season 2, Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein),Darth Maul (Witwer) and Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker). Season 3’s about to add some very interesting characters, so let’s get into it.
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SinceStar Wars Rebelsfollowed after theRogue Onepanel the day before, the question of continuity throughout theStar Warsuniverse was raised. In order to bridge the fashion gap betweenStar Wars RebelsandRogue One, all of the main characters got a bit of a redesign. From their hair and clothes, to their armor and weapons, the design tweaks are meant to keep visual continuity throughout the shared stories.
While Darth Maul was confirmed by Witwer to be returning for Season 3, the biggest news to come out of the panel was the announcement of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s debut on the show. Thrawn, created byTimothy Zahnand acting as the central villain in the “Heir to the Empire” novel, is of theChissspecies and an Imperial officer renowned for his intelligence and ruthlessness. SinceStar WarsRebelsand Thrawn, who will be voiced byLars Mikkelsen, clearly exist in the same time period, and since the series is considered canon, Thrawn is now canon as well. The Grand Admiral will also be appearing in his own novel from Zahn and publisher Del Rey in April 2017.
Other new additions include the ancient and powerful Bendu, a new type of creature tied into the Force mythology; he’ll be voiced byTom Baker. Also, Wedge Antilles will be making his appearance on the show! If the clips and trailers shown at the panel are any indication, Sabine Wren’s Mandalorian roots will be further explored.
Some other interesting developments that came out of the fan Q&A include the revelations that Ahsoka probably doesn’t know how to turn into a Force spirit/ghost should she die, that Mara Jade will definitivelynotbe showing up on the series, but that Maz Kanata showing up would be an intriguing idea, said Filoni. Take a look at some of the reveals from the panel below:
