FanExpo 2014: Star Wars REBELS Preview
On the Friday afternoon of FanExpo this year, the Star Wars fandom took the liberty of reminding the world that they are, despite all the retcons and painful prequels, the best fandom in the world. Hundreds of fans lined up eagerly at the convention for the chance to catch a screening of the all-new animated series, Star Wars Rebels. The preview of the new cartoon has so far only been shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2014 to an audience of a few dozen, making the fans at FanExpo especially blessed for being next to see a glimpse at the new series.
In attendance at the special screening was none other than voice acting legend Steve Blum, whom stars in the new series as the alien muscle Zeb (or Garazeb Orrelios, but only his mother calls him that). Blum kicked off the screening event by greeting the adoring crowds and reminiscing about “that night in 1977”, the opening premiere of the original Star Wars film, in which he attended in Northern California as a teenager. Famed for such roles as the English voice of Spike Spiegel and the successor to Scott McNeil as the voice of Wolverine in Marvel’s animated endeavors, I can promise our fans that Blum’s voice is even sexier in person.
A look at some of the new Rebel heroes – Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Zeb (Steve Blum) and Sabine (Tiya Sircar)
After being treated to a couple of episodes from the new series, I can’t spoil much until Rebels makes it’s public TV debut, but I can say that this new series is very deserving of the fans’ love. It might be worrisome that the series bridges the continuity between Episodes III and IV, but it knows hows to combine the best of both worlds. The CGI animation can take full advantage of modern tech in entertainment to create Science Fiction amazement and wonder, while giving us quirky dialogue that actually sounds like it belongs in the classic films, along with the ensemble cast that deliver these lines. Disney’s influence is apparent, but not overbearing: the ‘new-kid’ proto-Luke Skywalker character feels suspiciously like Aladdin transposed into the Star Wars universe, but still like a character that younger fans could understand and sympathize with. Even the sole survivor Jedi Knight character has an odd resemblance to an embittered Flynn Rider of Tangled, but having an older dashing anti-hero is a staple of the Star Wars franchise. Every geek needs a childhood crush, right? And with 90’s hunk turned Sci-Fi voice actor Freddie Prinze Jr. playing said role, there’s bound to be some fangirls and some fanboys for this upcoming hero.
After the announcement of the omission of some of the Expanded Universe earlier this year (met with mixed feelings from fans), this animated series is the first on-screen installment of the new continuity in preparation for the J.J. Abrams sequels coming next year. While I weep for the possible erase of characters like Starkiller from the canon, I also look forward to the introduction and origins of the the Rebels.
Star Wars Rebels will make its debut on Disney XD on October 13th of this year. Will you be siding with the Rebels or supporting The Galactic Empire? Let us know, geeks!
