Review: Star Wars Rebels “Kindred” ; “Crawler Commanders”

When in doubt, follow the Lothcat.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Kindred, the first of the two-parter, sees the return of the legendary Lothwolves and an introduction to a creepy killer on Thrawn’s payroll. While attempting to retrieve the hyperdrive hidden in last week’s episodes, Ezra and Zeb come face to face with Thrawn’s new assassin. (Rukh is voiced by Warwick Davis, who has been wanting to voice a character on Rebels for some time now!) They manage to escape, and Sabine has just enough time to install the hyperdrive so that Hera can take off for Yavin base with the TIE defender intel onboard. Cornered by Admiral Pryce’s forces, the rest of the crew decide to follow the mysterious Lothwolf in hopes of finding safety. Just before they’re bombed into oblivion, the Lothwolves open some kind of force portal through which to escape.

In Crawler Commanders, the group discovers they’ve been transported all the way to the planet through the portal. In an effort to contact Hera, they commandeer a gigantic mining clan vehicle, but they didn’t count on having to fight off the laser lasso-wielding foreman. Meanwhile, at Yavin base, Hera is waging her own battle – against Mon Mothma and the rebellion leader’s tendency to take things slow. Though they admit the new TIE defender poses a significant threat, they aren’t sure they have the resources needed to mount a proper assault. (And frankly, I see their point.) After barely squeaking through a surprise stormtrooper inspection, the gang manages to reach Hera through the mining vehicles long-range antennas. The episode ends with Hera delivering the news that the attack has been approved – and she’ll be counting on them to make it happen!

Our Take:

After last week’s slightly disappointing episodes, Kindred and Crawler Commander were a welcome return to the show’s final season. I love that the show seems to be building on its own history, from the continued portrayal of Ezra’s connection with animals to the Lothwolves lair reminding the crew of the Jedi temple they encountered on Lothal in a prior season. These episodes seemed to capture the crew’s past history in a way that their return to Lothal didn’t.

Hera and Kanaan’s relationship has been taking a front seat this season, and it culminates in a goodbye kiss. While it feels a little rushed, since the previous seasons only hinted at their bond, it makes more sense if you’ve read the prequel novel where they first meet. I wonder if they’ll ever meet again after the events of these episodes separate them – we know Hera survives past the end of the show, but as far as I’m aware Kanaan’s fate is still unclear.

Letting the Rebels face the mining guild – an enemy who isn’t the Empire – is a good move. Watching our heroes take down stormtrooper after stormtrooper can get old quickly, so introducing some more dynamic antagonistic forces breathes life into Crawler Commanders. (Visago’s return also makes for a fun episode, even if he usually ends up sounding like a discount Hondo.)

Season four has been pretty decent so far, and this week’s episodes prove that Rebels still has plenty of gas in the tank. We’ve only got about eight episodes left before the show ends. Let’s just hope it can finish off strong.