Star Wars Rebels

Wow, okay. This was way better than expected. Not only are the characters well developed, but the story paints a colourful tapestry of a strange and interesting universe. Season 1 will probably disappoint, but stick with it. What it builds up to is excellent serialized storytelling, and the Big Bads are fascinating.

Seasons 1-4: I have to rate this just slightly below Clone Wars, but inso I have to acknowledge that this show had a lot more leg work. It forced you to care about new characters and by the end you were in. The disparity between the first and fourth season is pretty big, with the fourth being legitimately great tv for all ages, but nothing's terrible either. A solid addition to Star Wars canon.

Almost as great as Clone Wars, the season 2 finale was head and shoulders the best part of the show as well as one of the best bits of Star Wars anything ever! My only complaint is that the main characters (Ezra & Kanan) were overshadowed by the supporting cast, notably Hera and the grumpy droid (the episode where he makes a friend is super touching). Would watch again!

Rebels matures through its 4 season run more than most live-action shows, granted it was more childish to begin with. While the animation isn't as good as in The Clone Wars, the growth of the characters both new and old more than make up for it. Kevin Kiner's score is great. The season 2 finale cemented it as great SW material, but the show's final season pushes boundaries in the canon of SW more than the recent Episode films. The finale is great, leaving lots of scope for future adventures.

Few animated series have managed to expand the Star Wars universe as successfully as Rebels. At first glance, it might seem aimed only at a younger audience, but it quickly becomes essential for any fan who wants to truly understand the fate of many key characters seen later in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, or even the classic movies. It takes a little time to get into it, especially if you're coming from The Clone Wars, as the tone feels lighter and the designs are more stylized. But once you get t

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Like Clone Wars, it has a jumpy start, but benefits from being less episodic and having more direction from the start. Nowhere near as focused and cinematic as the ending of Clone Wars that came after this series, though.

For as much as Disney botches Star Wars in live action, they really nailed Rebels. It has all the right elements from the Clone Wars, and doesn't overly rely on OT characters. The Ahsoka / Vadar fight gives me fucking chills when I watch it ("I am no jedi"). I hope to fuck that they don't butcher Ahsoka or other characters in her live action series. (They did. Have to rank this lower now.)

Despite being more geared for kids, Rebels knows how to tell stories well.

Mediocre first season, but the show grows on you so much that in only four seasons I care about these plasticky characters more than many in live action. If the animation wasn't so awful and the dialogue less kidsy this would have been 100 times more popular.