It’s official: Rebels is your new Star Wars cartoon

One of Filoni's TIEsWell, here’s your new animated series: Star Wars: Rebels, set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope just as heavily speculated. It’s helmed by Dave Filoni, Greg Weisman and Simon Kinberg and will be coming in Fall 2014.

The action-filled series is set between the events of Episode III and IV — an era spanning almost two decades never-before explored on-screen. Star Wars Rebels takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy and hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a fledgling rebellion against the Empire is taking shape. Details about the show are a closely guarded secret at this point.

The show will debut with an hour-long special on the Disney Channel before moving to Disney XD for the duration.

Fans will get a first look at the show at Celebration Europe.

20 Replies to “It’s official: Rebels is your new Star Wars cartoon”

  1. So, perhaps we needn’t weep too much for the fate of our TCW characters, there are options to give closure here while opening a brand new era at the same time. The Dark Times era – quite an unusual choice for a Disney show. From what I understand it’s going to look quite different to TCW – can’t wait till Essen to see what that look is.

    1. I hope it does have a new, distinct look… I was never going to be all that interested in TCW so the character design wasn’t a huge deal, but this one is going to be a little more on the fence for me… Even if it doesn’t click it would make by life slightly easier if I’m not wincing at every other screenshot. ;)

      I do love the idea of it being heavily McQuarrie-inspired. I don’t think that jazzes well with the Thunderbirds people, so… ::fingers crossed::

  2. From what they said, I imagine this new show will almost look like a CGI Robotech based off the look and feel of McQuarrie’s paintings. It makes sense as Filoni is into that show and McQuarrie’s work had an influence on the Japanese guys that did that series.

    I’m a “Thunderbirds Guy” but I have to admit it is impossible to hate this idea because it is so aesthetically perfect for this universe. No one has ever had a more fitting idea for how an animated series set in the Star Wars Universe should look.

    We put on The Great Heep before we went to bed last night and woke up to this news, not too shabby!

  3. Since I had issues with all the TV shows (and specials ;-)), I’ll probably have some with Rebels, but after those last couple of Clone Wars episodes I’m more than willing to wait and see. Plus: With a Rebels show, chances are that we’ll see more Alderaan, and that is something I’ve been hoping for for years, so: Yay, a new hope. :-)

  4. OK, dumb question, but didn’t Disney cancel Clone Wars “because” it wanted to set a new direction and focus on the sequel trilogy? I’m excited for a show about the early Rebellion, but I don’t quite get Disney’s plan here.

    1. They’re probably steering clear of the post-ROTJ era until after the ST in order to not step on any movie fingers. Even with Filoni and co in the loop, things with the movies can change so much until they’re out. (Remember how with TPM they cast a dude, not Jimmy Smits, as Bail Organa… And he got cut? Yeah.)

      I suspect they want a series that isn’t the same/a direct continuation of something that aired on a competitor. A new series in a different, more OT connected era insures more new eyeballs, but it’s not far enough away that they can’t bring in some TCW loose strings for the hardcores. (Fans have been mentioning the Zillo thing particularly.) Plus they have access to the most familiar SW figure – Darth Vader. They definitely want the OT on people’s minds as they lead into the sequels.

      Maybe by the time the (first?) sequel trilogy is over – let’s say 2020ish – Rebels will be wrapping up as well. Just in time for the dust to clear for a new series that can take place between the OT and the ST.

      It’s what I would do, anyway.

  5. Well, well, well. This is just delightfully exciting! I’ve been reading the Dark Times comics lately, and I’m kind of in love with the time period right now (even if I do know that there’s going to be a major difference of tone between that and the show).

    The Clone Wars was never particularly my thing, but it DID grow into its own and become a fine show under Mr. Filloni’s hand. He’s clearly already got a lot of love and excitement for this project, too, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing where it goes.

  6. It’s great news, but I don’t understand why they cancelled TCW for the arrival of this new series. They could’ve easily made it as a direct continuation to TCW. A series like this takes around 1-2 years to make, so my guess is they want it to air around the release of Episode 7. They could’ve easily chosen the most important story arcs written for TCW, put them into two seasons so it ends before Episode 7 is released, and then have a transition to this new show. It would’ve been much better for them, and for us; we would get conclusion to TCW characters, and a satisfying end to the show and then, to follow-up, this new show, and they would’ve been happy because they would get money from television with TCW while they aren’t done making the other show, and they would get to exploit another era’s money potential before a transition to the dark times, and they would’ve been spared the fan outrage. Although I’m very happy about this news, I still don’t think the end of TCW was a good idea, for them and us alike. Hopefully we will get to see TCW characters such as Ventress, Ahsoka and Rex; that would truly make-up for the fact Ventress and Rex didn’t get any conclusion, and Ahsoka’s life during the rise of the Empire would be very interesting. Who knows, maybe TCW ended prematurely so the new show could have it’s characters. It would be logical, and it gives me hope, but I don’t want to get my hopes too high
    up.Anyways, I really hope Disney will let this new show get as dark as TCW, and give it as good animation as TCW. I can’t wait to see that clip, et an idea of what it will look like. The fact Lucasfilm Animation is working on it gives me hopes about the animation, though.

  7. I suspect a significant part of the reason for ending TCW and starting a new show was to get rid of any lingering contractual issues with WB, as they still distribute the show on Blu-Ray/DVD.

    This new show would be entirely controlled by Disney without doing any costly renegotiations or buy backs.

  8. Doublesith, you might be right. Still, I agree with Derp – Disney might have been better served telling fans that they’d continue TCW into Dark Times on a new Network. Why the angst?

  9. I definately hope to see Ahsoka on this. It almost makes sense for her to be fermenting rebellion after the fall of the Republic. And she isn’t in the Order, so she escaped Operation Knightfall. This is exciting!!!!

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