Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels was a big improvement on the previous season, fixing most of my issues and making me like most of the characters. Season 3 does a solid job of keeping up the momentum, even if it ends up being a bit messy.
Unlike Season 2, this season has a lot of storylines, all interweaving throughout the season. The main story arc is about the rebels slowly growing their ranks by traveling the galaxy in search of anyone who can join, while planning an assault to take back Lothal. This storyline is fine, though a bit frustrating when the main cast loses all their progress by the finale, but the real highlight is the villain, Thrawn. A carry-over from the decanonized EU, Thrawn is a terrifying antagonist whose manages to prove his intelligence multiple times throughout the season, especially when it comes to his discovery that Kallus has now turncoated. Speaking of which, this season helped me buy Kallus changing sides way more. Meanwhile, Maul wants to use the Holocrons to find and get his revenge on Obi-Wan. I think Maul is also really threatening this season as he becomes really unhinged, and his final showdown with Obi-Wan is an excellent scene. But the biggest highlight of the season is Sabine, who became hands-down my favorite character in the series. Keeping up the trend of amazing storylines about Mandalore, Sabine finding the Darksaber and having to learn to use it, confront her inner demons, return to Mandalore, and reunite with her family isn't just the highlight of the series, it's the highlight of Rebels as a whole and some of the best Star Wars ever made.
However, I think this season might be a bit too overstuffed, as the show still has to balance between all of its story arcs and the many standalone episodes that are still being implemented. As a result, some storylines don't get too much time, even worse considering they are the most interesting of the bunch: Maul only appears in three episodes throughout the season, Sabine's Mandalore arc is just two episodes, and Thrawn doesn't appear nearly as much as I would've wished (thankfully, he's still around for Season 4). I also found that the amount of character-driven episodes this season weren't nearly as much compared to last time, as many of the episodes were more focused on the recruitment storyline. Thankfully, this is more of an issue in the first half of the season. The second half is far more plot-heavy, but even it has its low points (Double Agent Droid, especially). The final issue I had this season, and probably the most frustrating one, is Ezra, who I still don't quite like. His snarky attitude continues to undercut otherwise emotional moments, but what makes him especially bad this season is the fact that he appears everywhere. Trials Of The Darksaber, Through Imperial Eyes, and Twin Suns are fantastic episodes that are focused around a single person (Sabine, Kallus, and Maul respectively), but Ezra has to play a pretty sizable role in all of them. I know it seems like Ezra needs the most screentime since he's technically the protagonist, but it feels like he steals attention from all the other (and better) characters.
At its best, Season 3 had some phenomenal episodes, especially in its second half:
The Last Battle: This episode was just plain cute. It's a heartwarming resolution to the Clone Wars that has the remaining clones and droids finally make amends and realize they're on the same side. It's a love letter to the series that came before Rebels, and was just such a pleasant watch.
Trials Of The Darksaber: What a perfect episode. Right from the get-go, I knew something was different with this one. The music was somber, the pace was slow, and we got a beautifully animated (yeah, I said it) shadow play detailing the history of the Darksaber. The main storyline is just about Kanan teaching Sabine how to wield the Darksaber, with no subplots or fluff. There's an uncomfortable buildup as she continues to bury the reason she left her family from Kanan, the viewers, and herself, all culminating in that phenomenal final fight where Sabine finally lets loose. It's a powerful moment of catharsis, Tiya Sircar's voice acting is amazing, the score is beautiful, and even Ezra shuts up for a bit. Easily the best episode of the series and rivaling The Phantom Apprentice as one of the best Star Wars TV episodes.
Legacy Of Mandalore: While it doesn't quite live up to Trials Of The Darksaber, this was another strong Mandalore-centric episode that ends up feeling as emotional as it is because of what we learned about Sabine. Seeing her reunite with her family is a really compelling storyline since the empire put both sides in a really difficult situation, and the final fight with Saxon was excellent, from Sabine wielding Ezra's lightsaber, to her mom shooting Saxon for her. I also really liked that Sabine doesn't think she deserves the Darksaber, so she decides to stay behind and give it to someone who does.
Twin Suns: The final seven-or-so minutes of this episode was excellent. It was great to see Obi-Wan Kenobi again, the final scene with Luke was fantastic, and that lightsaber fight! It's such a gutsy move, a fight that ends in only three strikes, but I wouldn't call it anti-climactic. It's packed with symbolism and call backs, references to Star Wars's inspirations, loaded dialogue, and watching Obi-Wan and Darth Maul switch poses to plan for the fight is as tense as any actual lightsaber fight. That ending was so good it makes you forget how much of the episode was just Ezra bumbling around in the desert.
Zero Hour: While it doesn't feel as grand and climactic as the prior two season finales, Zero Hour feels ambitious in its own way, depicting a pretty large scale space battle filled with strategy. If anything, it's one of the most war-like entries in the Star Wars franchise. There are also a lot of great individual moments like Sato's sacrifice, Kallus escaping Thrawn, and Sabine coming in with the Mandalorians to save the day.
Overall, the third season of Star Wars Rebels is a bit more of a mess than the previous season, with high highs and low lows, but it has a strong second half and some of the best episodes in the series.
3/5 Stars
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