Five things to watch for in the Rebels S2 premiere

With the premiere of season two of Rebels coming up (sure, it officially happened last week at New York Comic Con, but for most of us it’s next week) it’s time to get psyched for all the goodies we know are coming in season two: The return of some old faces, and the raising of the stakes of this little rebellion against the Empire. We know that Darth Vader, Captain Rex, and Hondo Ohnaka (#TeamHondo) will be showing up this season, and the premiere will focus on the return of the clone troopers, now a bit older. Here’s five things to look for in this two part episode (some spoilers ahead):

→ Kanan reunited with clones: The last time Kanan was around clone troopers was when Order 66 came down, and his master was killed, and he was forced into hiding, as shown in the Kanan: The Last Padawan comics. Now he’s been asked to trust some graying old guys. And that trust doesn’t come easy, and Ezra doesn’t get why Kanan is so reluctant to accept some new allies.

→ Upping the Wow! factor in visuals: When we get establishing shots on Seelos, they look more than just animated – they look cinematic. They look real. Well, as real as shots with completely made up vehicles could look. And the weather effects? Amazing.

→ Submarine warfare with AT-ATs: From the season two trailer, we know that our heroes will tangle with some Imperial walkers. But when visibility drops down to near zero, and scanners are inoperable, both sides will be blind. And this gives us some great submarine movie style drama (or maybe some Mutara Nebula battle scenes from The Wrath of Khan) as walkers lumber around, trying to outflank each other. Plus the clones’ walker is more like Howl’s Moving Castle now.

→ The clones like you’ve never seen them: In The Clone Wars, Rex, Wollfe, and Gregor were some of the most elite soldiers around. Now, they are retired, a little flabbier, and maybe a little bit more eccentric as they’ve been on their own for a while. Hats off to Dee Bradley Baker for bringing a new side to some old favorites. What’s it like to have a purpose and then be done with that? You’ll see!

→ Fish Tales: With the usual if-you-want-my-help-you’ve-gotta-do-this-one-thing-for-me-first plot device, our rebel friends have to help the three old fogeys with a task. Just a little fishing trip that makes for great action and some great comedy.

Part one, ‘The Lost Commanders’, will air on DisneyXD on October 14 at 9:30 PM. The second half, ‘Relics of the Old Republic’, will air the following week on October 21. Want more details? Check out the press conference with Dave Filoni, Vanessa Marshall, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Ashley Eckstein, and Dee Bradley Baker from last week.