NYCC 2015: Star Wars Rebels Episodes Review: “The Lost Commanders” and “Relics of the Old Republic”

Joey Sack ‘17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Two episodes of the upcoming Star Wars Rebels second season were screened for fans at New York Comic Con, “The Lost Commanders” and “Relics of the Old Republic.” While the subjects of those stories should be pretty clear for fans of the Star Wars animated series, this review will remain as devoid of spoilers as humanly possible. However, there may be some mild spoilers, so spoiler alert. If these two episodes are any indication, Star Wars Rebels season two will be strong in the Force indeed.

The Lost Commanders

The first episode, “The Lost Commanders,” begins with the crew of the Ghost trying to figure out where the Rebel fleet is going to go to regroup out of sight from the Empire. Ahsoka suggests an old friend who knows of many out-of-the-way places in the Outer Rim where the Rebels can set up a base. She leaves the crew of the Ghost to find them while she goes off on a personal matter involving the Sith Lord they faced, Darth Vader. This will, undoubtedly, play a large part in Ahsoka’s story this season, as she tries to figure out what caused her former master, Anakin Skywalker, to become the iron fist of the Empire.
The team’s search leads them to an old AT-TE walker, previously used by the Galactic Republic, and three clone troopers who fans of The Clone Wars series will instantly recognized: Captain Rex, Commander Wolffe, and Commander Gregor, the former two being from the 501st Clone Battalion, battling alongside General Skywalker during the Clone Wars. Naturally, Kanan does not trust the Clone Troopers, since he watched as soldiers killed his master and tried to kill him upon the activation of Order 66. The crew interacts with the Clones in different ways, with one clone in particular not too happy about having a Jedi in their midst. The way that Kanan interacts with the clones feels natural, and his eventual softening feels like a very natural progression, and it’s made all the more believable thanks to Rex’s attempts to apologize on behalf of the clones who had no choice in Order 66. The episode is mostly set up for the second episode in this little arc, but that’s not a problem at all; it’s just great to see these characters from The Clone Wars series and see how they have grown since then. It’s good as a standalone episode, but definitely works best when in conjunction with the following episode.
Grade: B+/A-

Relics of the Old Republic

The second episode, “Relics of the Old Republic,” sees the Clones and the crew of the Ghost square off against Imperial forces. This episode is great for two reasons in particular: the clone troopers kicking Imperial butt while also showing the strengths and weaknesses of the Empire and Republic way of fighting, and the way Ezra and Kanan play a large role in the battle in the best way they know how. By using the Force.
The Clones all had moments to shine, showing that they really were born to be soldiers and that if any clone troopers would survive 14 years after Order 66, it would be them. Rex still proves himself to be a great military leader, and even Gregor, in his more deranged state, manages to take on the Empire with great success. Wolffe had moments to shine, but not as many as Rex and Gregor, but he had enough to make his role in the battle enjoyable and memorable.
Since this shot was shown in the trailer, it should not come as a surprise that the three Clones on an AT-TE went up against three AT-AT walkers and managed pretty well; but the really funny and interesting thing was how much they admired the technology that went into the advanced walkers (“How many legs?” “Four.” “How is it not falling over?!”). There’s also a game of cat and mouse involving a bit of inclement weather and quite a bit of nail biting, but this review was touted as only having minor spoilers, so that is as far as this review will elaborate.
Suffice it to say, “The Lost Commanders” and “Relics of the Old Republic” are both great episodes of Star Wars Rebels, greatly tying the Clone Wars and Rebels series together.
Grade: A-

General Episode Thoughts

• It may have been the big screens on which they were shown, but the animation in these episodes were really good, very crisp and colorful, with a lot of great cinematic shots.
• Of the three Clones, Rex was the wisest, Wolffe was the most reserved and grumpy, and Gregor was the most unhinged, resulting in the best laughs from the group.
• Zeb’s interactions with one of the clones was pretty amusing, especially considering some of the circumstances of their “friendship.”

The second season of Star Wars Rebels premieres October 14th at 9:30 pm on Disney XD. Be sure to check out these great episodes when they’re on the air, and for all things Star Wars Rebels and New York Comic Con, keep checking back here on Emertainment Monthly.