I don’t know why all this Star Wars TV stuff is coming out of Germany lately, but here you have it: Dave Filoni and crew introducing a grumpy new astromech droid from Rebels, Chopper.
Meanwhile, there’s also some toy-based hints we might see Vader on Rebels. Yeah, it was more or less inevitable, but I admit I am a bit surprised that it may happen early enough to be in the first round of toys.
UPDATE: Chopper is now on StarWars.com, with a first look at (of course,) the Hasbro version.
Original comments:
1 jawajames // Jan 27, 2014 at 8:25 pm
Having Vader in the first round of Rebels toys makes sense as a way to get buy-in from toy buyers/movie fans for the show.
also, i’d imagine that we’ll see Vader early on, commissioning the Inquisitor to do villainous stuff.
as for Chopper, i’m digging it.
2 Stooge // Jan 27, 2014 at 9:23 pm
Over/under on how many episodes in until someone screams GET TO THE CHOPPAH?
3 jawajames // Jan 27, 2014 at 9:39 pm
I almost want to unapprove that comment. so bad. well played.
4 Dunc // Jan 27, 2014 at 10:05 pm
Trained punner on a closed course. Do not attempt.
5 Ryan Malin (@BrushYourTeeth) // Jan 28, 2014 at 1:33 am
No one wants to start a rumor in a comments section that Chopper will be in the Sequel Trilogy? I bet we can find some anonymous sources close to production to confirm it!
Woah. That’s how that happens? Scary.
6 jawajames // Jan 28, 2014 at 1:00 pm
I’ll see you, Stooge and raise you with this:
Whose astromech is this?
It’s a Chopper, baby.
Whose Chopper is this?
It’s Zeb’s.
Who’s Zeb?
Zeb’s dead, baby, Zeb’s dead.
7 Stooge // Jan 30, 2014 at 4:29 am
Ohhh, James! Just saw this! ::deep bow::
BTW, I think the reason stuff is breaking out of Germany lately is the current Nuremberg International Toy Fair. Beispielsweise: http://youtu.be/hSteURKwy-Q
8 Aaron // Jan 30, 2014 at 5:21 am
@Stooge: I doubt that. Sure, the Lego stuff came from the Toy Fair, but Nuremberg is having its Toy Fair every year, and this is the first time (at least to my recollection) that any major news came out of Germany.
My guess is that it’s a contractual thing: Either it’s because there no longer is an official US channel for The Clone Wars with CN out of the picture, whereas the international The Clone Wars channels (such as Super RTL in Germany) are still in the game or it’s about Warner being a little more than a mere distributor for the series and thereby able to block the show from airing on a Disney owned channel (and Disney blocking it from being broadcast anywhere else).
Just some random speculation, of course.