By Ciaran Duggan and Dominic Jones,
Today we continue our countdown of the Top Ten moments from Season One of Star Wars Rebels, as chosen by SWU readers! Today we look at the shocking climax from the fourth episode of Season One "Rise of the Old Masters,"
Dominic:
On of the big mysteries going into Season One was how did Jedi Master Luminara Unduli survived. Her return was teased in the San Dieggo Comic Con trailer and it kept fans guessing right up until the reveal. I don't think anyone expected it to be quite so gruesome. The reveal that Luminara was killed years ago and her bones, along with a hologram, were being used to lure Jedi to the prison on Stygeon Prime was one of the first season's darker twists.
If I'm being honest, I'd say that the Inquisitor's entrance left a little to be desired, but once he began sparring with Kanan, verbally and physically we knew he was truly a force to reckoned with. Executive Producer Dave Filoni described the Inquisitor as an evil Sherlock Holmes and in these moments we truly understood what he meant. Seeing the Inquisitor get inside Kanan's head the way he did was truly shocking and the acting from Freddie Prinze Jr and Jason Isaacs was some of the best of the season.
The visuals of this episode were stunning and it was great to get to see them, and experience the Inquisitor's villainy for the first time, with other Star Wars fans at New York Comic Con back in October 2014.
Ciaran:
Shocks, blitzing action sequences, twists and turns, this
scene has it all. The tone of this scene was sinister and haunting, an exemplification
of the contemporary time period in Star Wars which this is occurring in– the Age
of the Empire. We are so used to seeing our plucky heroes triumph and yet this
did not materialise in this scene, as the rebels’ efforts to liberate Luminara
were ultimately fruitless.
The reveal of Luminara Unduli’s death was a big shock at
such an early stage of the season, one of the prominent Prequel Jedi Council
Masters (whose fate passed Order 66 remained a mystery) was unscrupulously unearthed
to the audience. Her dead body was used as an instrument of the empire. The intention
was to lure Jedi to the planet on the premise that Luminara could be rescued,
only to be ensnared by the Inquisitor and no doubt any Jedi survivors were
executed. In addition, this was the audiences’ first introduction to a
lightsaber duel on Star Wars: Rebels and it did not disappoint. The visual
lighting, slickness of the lightsaber action, as well as the application of a
range of force moves combined to make the inaugural lightsaber duel a very
effective aesthetic.
Finally, the scene exhibits the Inquisitors’ inaugural
corporeal appearance in Rebels. Jason
Issac’s voice talent is patently put on display to the audience. The Inquisitor
certainly fits into a hybrid protégée of Darth Vader and Governor Tarkin. The
Inquisitor is cunning, tactical and calculated, which is demonstrated to us
early in this episode, as he grasps Kanan’s fighting style in the initial
stages of the duel between the two characters. Moreover, the gambit to lure the
Jedi to the imperial prison was so effective and showcases the sadistic
disposition of his character, as he wilfully displays his adept lightsaber-fighting
skills.
All in all, a memorable moment in the history of Star Wars: Rebels.
Jump To
