[WARNING - This review contains SPOILERS for Star Wars Rebels season 3, episode 14.]
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Last week's two-part, midseason premiere firmed up many of the connections between Star Wars Rebelsand Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, featuring another appearance from Saw Gerrera and more hints of the superweapon the Empire is secretly building (psst! it's the Death Star). 'Ghosts of Geonosis' was an exciting episode, filled with thrilling action and important character beats - just an all around great start for season 3's back half.
Tonight's episode, 'Warhead' - written by Gary Whitta and directed by Bosco Ng - naturally dials things back just a bit, strictly focusing on a smaller adventure for Zeb, Chopper, and AP-5. While the rest of the Ghost crew are off on a training exercise, Hera leaves Zeb in charge of Chopper base. Everything's quiet (apart from AP-5's complaining) until Zeb comes across a strange droid while investigating some unusual meteor strikes. Bringing it back to the base, the droid is reactivated and quickly begins cataloguing everything in sight. However, a message from Fulcrum informs Zeb that this unassuming logistics droid is actually the Empire's latest weapon - an Imperial Infiltrator Droid, programmed to seek out Rebel bases and report back with intel.
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'Captain Orrelios, At Your Service'
If there's one member of the Star Wars Rebels' ensemble who hasn't received quite as much focus this season as everyone else, it's Zeb Orrelios. (Excuse me, Captain Orrelios.) When it comes to missions, Zeb is more often than not limited in his roles - the grunt work, AP-5 calls it, 'lift heavy things and punch anything in your way.' But in 'Warhead', Hera leaves Zeb in charge, and just as he did in an earlier episode this season, Zeb more than proves himself trustworthy of being given such responsibility.
After bringing the innocent looking droid onto the base, it doesn't take long before it transforms into a murder machine and Zeb, Chopper, and AP-5 are hunting it down like a scene out of Aliens. Zeb takes point, and while AP-5 initially scoffs at his suggestion - 'Grab it? That's your plan!?' - it all ends up working out perfectly, with Chopper acting as bait, Zeb tackling and restraining the droid, allowing AP-5 to shut it down.
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Of course, shutting down the Infiltrator Droid only initiates its Imperial anti-capture fail-safe (AKA a proton warhead embedded within and armed to explode), but again, Zeb has a rather ingenious plan to deal with that, too. (After Chop's quick-thinking to freeze the countdown circuits, that is.) Unable to just move the droid a safe distance from the base and risk the Empire coming to look for it, Zeb instructs AP-5 to reprogram it so that the countdown is only re-initiated when the droid returns to the Empire. Upon arrival back on the Star Destroyer, the droid connects with the Empire's system and just as it begins transmitting all the valuable data it's collected - BOOM. Hey, that Lasat is more than just a pretty face.
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Protocol Mode![]()
Way back in the very early days of pre-production on the original Star Wars, illustrator Ralph McQuarrie worked on several concept designs for the film and was enormously instrumental in nailing down the style of Star Wars. McQuarrrie's work continues to have a strong influence on the look of Star Wars even today, and in fact, his original concepts for both Chewbacca and R2-D2 would later become the designs for Zeb and Chopper on Star Wars Rebels.
In this episode, we're introduced to a new Imperial droid, and wouldn't you know it, but it appears that the Imperial Infiltrator Droid also pulls inspiration from McQuarrie's artwork. While in its unassuming protocol mode, the Infiltrator Droid looks noticeably similar to McQuarrie's initial design for C-3PO (minus the gold paint job, of course). It's a minor detail, but it's only further proof of McQuarrie's enduring influence on the Star Wars universe - something Rebels is always keen to remind us of.
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'But The War Will Be Ours'
The Infiltrator Droid is a wholly new idea for Star Wars and one that no doubt will irritate those who don't like new technology being added to already established eras. Still, it's a brilliant addition to the Empire's arsenal, using the Rebellion's predilection for stealing Imperial droids and reprogramming them (see AP-5 and Rogue One's K-2SO as evidence) against them.
And even though the Infiltrator Droid doesn't work quite as intended when it shows up at Chopper Base, we learn during a scene between Grand Admiral Thrawn and Agent Kallus that this particular failure wasn't a total loss. Ever the tactician, Thrawn finds the silver lining - in sending back the sabotaged Infiltrator Droid, they can now significantly narrow their search for the Rebel's base from thousands of planets to just the 94 planets he deployed the Infiltrators. So while the Rebels may have kept their base a secret this time, it won't be long before the Empire is knocking on their door.
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'Warhead' was, as expected, a smaller episode than the midseason premiere, but it was no less entertaining. The interplay between Zeb, Chopper, and AP-5 was great fun, and the whole scenario with the Infiltrator Droid served as a reminder that Zeb's capable of more than just lifting and punching. Though, even Zeb's (and Chopper's) quick-thinking won't be enough to defeat Thrawn, and for every move the Rebels make, the Grand Admiral remains two steps ahead.
Star Wars Rebels season 3 continues next Saturday with 'Trials of the Darksaber' @8:30pm on Disney XD.
Everything Added To Avengers: Endgame For The Re-Release
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Leave A CommentStar Wars Rebels Season ThreeProduction informationSeriesEpisode countNetwork(s)First aired
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Star Wars Rebels Season Three is the third season of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels. The season premiered with a one-hour television movie, Steps Into Shadow, on September 24, 2016.[2] Regular episodes premiered on October 1, 2016 with the airing of 'The Holocrons of Fate.' For this season, Dave Filoni stepped down as supervising director, replaced by Justin Ridge.[7]
Official descriptionEdit
Having established a secret base on Atollon, the Ghostcrew, now led by a more powerful Ezra, strengthens the rebel fleet by acquiring new resources and recruits eager to stand against the Empire. However, the Imperial efforts to eliminate the rebellion are now being led by the coldly analytical Grand AdmiralThrawn, whose strategic, tactical and cultural insights make him a threat unlike any they have faced before. In season three, Ezra and Sabine take on new roles and challenges as the rebels prepare for their biggest mission yet—a direct assault on the Empire.[8]
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Steps Into Shadow
Season 3, Episode 1
September 24, 2016
Season 3 begins with Ezra's rebel mission going awry due to his reckless leadership, and Thrawn emerging as a new threat.
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The Holocrons of Fate
Season 3, Episode 2
October 1, 2016
When Maul takes the crew of the Ghost hostage, Ezra and Kanan must pass a trial in order to recover an ancient Sith artifact to save them.
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The Antilles Extraction
Season 3, Episode 3
October 8, 2016
Sabine goes undercover as a cadet in the Empire's elite flight academy to help free several young pilots who want to defect to the rebellion.
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Hera's Heroes
Season 3, Episode 4
October 15, 2016
Hera's rebel supply mission to Ryloth becomes personal when she and the Ghost crew brave overwhelming Imperial forces to recover a memento from her ancestral home.
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The Last Battle
Season 3, Episode 5
October 22, 2016
On a salvage mission led by Captain Rex, the Ghost crew is captured by a unit of old battle droids determined to fight one last battle to end the clone wars.
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Imperial Supercommandos
Season 3, Episode 6
November 5, 2016
Having lost contact with the Protectors of Concord Dawn, Sabine, Ezra and Fenn Rau investigate but find the base has been taken over by Imperial Mandalorians.
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Iron Squadron
Season 3, Episode 7
November 19, 2016
Ezra and Sabine try to tame a rogue pilot and his crew who recklessly risk their lives in a fight to defend their home world from Imperial occupation.
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The Wynkahthu Job
Season 3, Episode 8
November 26, 2016
The rebels team with a pair of unscrupulous pirates to salvage a freighter full of weapons for the rebellion, but the mission ends up being far more dangerous than anticipated.
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An Inside Man
Season 3, Episode 9
December 3, 2016
Ezra and Kanan infiltrate the Imperial factory on Lothal to get information on a new weapon, but they must trust an unlikely ally to escape a lockdown of the building.
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Visions and Voices
Season 3, Episode 10
December 10, 2016
Ezra is haunted by visions of Maul and journeys across the galaxy to engage in a strange ritual to sever his connection to Maul.
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Ghosts of Geonosis: Part 1
Season 3, Episode 11
January 7, 2017
Part 1 of 2. The crew returns to Geonosis in search of a missing rebel team sent to investigate suspicious activity there and are surprised by what they find.
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Ghosts of Geonosis: Part 2
Season 3, Episode 12
January 7, 2017
Part 2 of 2. After finding a missing rebel team member, the Ghost crew discovers another surprise on Geonosis and works to conceal it from Imperial Forces.
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Warhead
Season 3, Episode 13
January 14, 2017
Zeb and Chopper bring a damaged droid found in the Atollon wilderness back to base, only to discover that the droid is a new Imperial probe programmed to spy on and destroy rebels.
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Trials of the Darksaber
Season 3, Episode 14
January 21, 2017
Sabine reluctantly agrees to learn to wield an ancient Mandalorian weapon in order to recruit people to join the rebels.
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Legacy of Mandalore
Season 3, Episode 15
February 18, 2017
Sabine returns to her home world with Kanan and Ezra, and becomes embroiled in her family's power struggle for Mandalore.
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Through Imperial Eyes
Season 3, Episode 16
February 25, 2017
The rebels fear the identity of a rebel spy will soon be discovered by the Empire, so they launch a plan to rescue him before he is caught.
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Secret Cargo
Season 3, Episode 17
March 4, 2017
When a routine refueling mission goes awry, the Ghost crew find themselves transporting an important rebel leader across the galaxy, while being pursued by Imperial warships.
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Double Agent Droid
Season 3, Episode 18
March 11, 2017
Chopper and AP-5 team up to infiltrate an Imperial station to steal needed codes, but an Imperial specialist turns the droids against the crew to cause chaos.
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Twin Suns
Season 3, Episode 19
March 18, 2017
Reacting to a vision of Maul, Ezra defies Hera and Kanan to travel to a remote planet in hopes of stopping the former Sith Lord from carrying out his plans.
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Zero Hour: Part 1
Season 3, Episode 20
March 25, 2017
Part 1 of 2. In final preparations for their attack on Lothal, Phoenix Squadron's plans are disrupted when Grand Admiral Thrawn discovers their location.
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Zero Hour: Part 2
Season 3, Episode 21 Call of duty black ops 2.
March 25, 2017
Part 2 of 2. Hera and Kanan, trapped on Atollon with the rebel base under siege, fight to keep the squadron alive, as Ezra attempts to rally help from an unexpected source.
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