Review: Star Wars Rebels “Steps Into Shadow”

Season Three is here.

Spoilers Below

It seems like years have passed between seasons 2 and 3 of Star Wars Rebels. Ezra looks totally different and he’s throwing around his powers in a completely different way. The show doesn’t tell us exactly how much time has passed but it would be difficult to believe it wasn’t an extended period of time.

Ezra leads a team made up of Sabine (who also has a new look), Zeb, and Chopper to rescue the pirate Hondo from the Empire. While the team does rescue Hondo, it is at the cost of Hondo’s cellmate, Terba’s, life. Ezra is able to save the rest of the group thanks to Ezra mind controlling the pilot of an AT-DP, forcing him to turn on the Stormtroopers on deck. During the trip on the Ghost back to the rebel fleet, Ezra talks to the Sith Holocron from last season. It’s obvious that his new Force tricks are a result of the teachings of the mysterious voice from the artifact. In the end, the mission is considered a success and Ezra is promoted to lieutenant commander.

Hondo was rescued because he had some important information. The Empire is destroying Y-Wing fighters at a station on Yarma. These ships could be valuable to the rebels. Sato sends Ezra and his team on a mission to scout the planet. Before they can move on the ships, they need to know what is going on.

Through all of this, Kanan is nowhere to be found. It turns out that he is meditating by himself outside the base. During his meditation, he hears a voice. Before he can respond, Hera arrives to tell him about Ezra’s promotion. Kanan visits his padawan, only to find out the teen has been using the Sith Holocron. Upset, Kanan takes the Holocron and leaves a rather angry Ezra behind. Now Kanan has the time to seek out the voice he heard earlier, even though the spider-like creatures seem to follow him everywhere.

The voices come from the Bendu, a creature somewhere between the light of the Jedi and the dark of the Sith. Bendu talks to Kanan about an imbalance and being able to see even though he is blind. Kanan thinks the imbalance is from the Sith Holocron, which he gives to Bendu. The rock giant, in an attempt to get Kanan to understand him, breaks the marker that Kanan has been using to keep the spider-creatures at bay. He then teaches Kanan how to use the Force to see without his eyes. Kanan, realizing that the fear and imbalance has been within him the whole time, can feel that Ezra is in danger. The Jedi leaves the Sith Holocron with Bendu and races off to save his student.

How is Ezra in danger? Well, those Y-Wings were being destroyed so Ezra decided the team needed to get the ships now instead of waiting for the rest of the fleet. The Empire is not impressed, of course. A big fight ensues and, while the rebels do get the Y-Wings, Ezra ends up destroying the Phantom and almost killing himself. Thankfully, Hera and Kanan arrive in the Ghost to save his skin.

There was a lot going on in this episode since it was an hour long. (Or two half-hour episodes, however, you want to look at it.) Ezra’s changes are understandable yet still a bit jarring. It would have been nice to know how much time passed since the end of last season. It also would have been nice to see Kanan’s sudden desertion. I find it hard to believe that he just sat outside since they came back or that Ezra didn’t bother to try to talk to him. This made it seem like Kanan just up and left and no one tried to help him. On the empire side of things, there wasn’t a ton of new information. Grand Admiral Thrawn appeared, along with  Governor Pryce of Lothal. They just weren’t very interesting this time around. The story was more about Ezra and whether he is turning Sith or staying a Jedi. That said, I hope that Kanan and Ezra can fix their relationship. But more than that, I’m sad to see the Phantom destroyed. What will they do without their shuttle?