60 Fun Facts About Star Wars Rebels

Rebels opens five years before which film?

A New Hope: Rebels opens 14 years after Revenge of the Sith, and original-trilogy faces drop in along the way, with Billy Dee Williams back to voice a younger Lando Calrissian.

What is the name of the light freighter that the Star Wars Rebels crew calls home?

The Ghost is Hera's freighter, named for the way it slips past Imperial sensors unseen; it also turns up in the battles over Scarif in Rogue One and Exegol in The Rise of Skywalker.

Which planet is Ezra Bridger's homeworld, where the Rebels crew operates in the early seasons?

Lothal is the remote Outer Rim world where Ezra grew up alone on the streets after the Empire took his parents; the series ends with the crew freeing it from Imperial occupation.

The visual style of Rebels was inspired by the original-trilogy concept art of which artist?

Ralph McQuarrie's 1970s paintings set the look of Rebels: Zeb is built on his abandoned early design for Chewbacca, and Chopper on his first sketches of R2-D2.

Which actor voices Kanan Jarrus?

Freddie Prinze Jr. voices Kanan Jarrus; he reprised the role for The Rise of Skywalker as one of the past Jedi whose voices encourage Rey against Palpatine.

What was Kanan Jarrus's birth name as a Jedi Padawan?

Kanan was born Caleb Dume; as a Padawan he escaped Order 66 when his master died protecting him, a story shown in The Bad Batch's premiere and the comic Kanan: The Last Padawan.

Hera belongs to which species?

Hera is a Twi'lek, a species with head-tails called lekku; her father Cham led his homeworld's resistance in the earlier animated series before returning in Rebels.

Sabine Wren, the Rebels crew's graffiti artist, comes from which culture?

Sabine is a Mandalorian who fled the Imperial Academy on her homeworld once she saw what the Empire planned for the weapons she designed; her starbird tag later inspired the Rebel Alliance's symbol.

Zeb Orrelios is a former honour guard of which near-exterminated species?

Zeb is a Lasat, once captain of the Lasan High Honor Guard; the Empire devastated his homeworld Lasan, but in season two he finds survivors on the hidden world Lira San.

Which expletive of Zeb's does a Rogue One character borrow during the Battle of Scarif?

Karabast! is Zeb's favourite curse; in Rogue One it comes from Pao, an amphibious rebel commando who otherwise charges into battle screaming the war cry 'Sa'kalla!'.

Who voices the droid Chopper in Rebels, credited only as "Himself" until the show's finale?

Dave Filoni, the show's co-creator, kept it quiet for the whole run: Chopper was credited as 'Himself' until the finale's end credits named him, and he voices the droid again in the live-action Ahsoka.

Hera rebuilt Chopper after the droid's Republic bomber crashed on which planet?

Ryloth is Hera's homeworld: as a girl she pulled Chopper from the wreck of a downed Y-wing near her home, and the cranky droid has stayed at her side ever since.

Ezra Bridger was born on the same day as which galactic event?

The inauguration of the Empire fell on the day Ezra was born, so he turns 15 while his home city stages an Empire Day parade; he has been on his own since his parents were taken when he was seven.

Ezra's first lightsaber is unusual because its hilt has what built in?

A stun blaster is built into the hilt of Ezra's first lightsaber, echoing the energy slingshot he used as a street kid.

In the Rebels episode 'Legacy', how did Ezra's parents turn out to have died?

In a prison revolt: a fellow inmate tells Ezra that his parents heard his rebel broadcast, organised the breakout it inspired and were killed as the others got away.

Which actor voices the Grand Inquisitor, the main villain of season one?

Jason Isaacs voices the Grand Inquisitor, a Pau'an former Jedi Temple Guard; Rupert Friend later played the character in live action in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Which British actor voices Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau?

David Oyelowo, the British star of Selma, voices Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau; Kallus turns informant for the rebels in season three and later joins them outright.

Under what codename does Ahsoka Tano feed intelligence to the Rebels crew before revealing herself?

Fulcrum was Ahsoka's codename while she passed intelligence to the crew; Kallus took up the same name once he began spying for the rebellion in season three.

Ahsoka duels her former master in the Rebels season two finale inside a Sith temple on which planet?

Malachor, a Sith world long forbidden to the Jedi, hosts the duel in 'Twilight of the Apprentice'; the temple collapses around the pair and Ahsoka's fate is left unknown.

Who blinds Kanan in the episode 'Twilight of the Apprentice'?

Maul, the former Sith apprentice posing as a frail old hermit, slashes Kanan across the eyes; Kanan remains blind for the rest of the series.

Which Doctor Who actor voices the Bendu, the Force-sensitive being on Atollon?

Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor, voices the Bendu, 'the one in the middle' of the light and the dark; when Kanan calls him a coward for staying neutral, he becomes a storm whose lightning strikes Imperial and rebel ships alike.

Which Danish actor voices Grand Admiral Thrawn in seasons three and four?

Lars Mikkelsen, older brother of Rogue One's Mads Mikkelsen, voices Thrawn in the final two seasons and carried the blue-skinned Chiss into live action in the 2023 series Ahsoka.

Which author created Thrawn for the 1991 novel Heir to the Empire?

Timothy Zahn created Thrawn for Heir to the Empire; after Rebels brought the character back into canon, Zahn wrote a new Thrawn trilogy starting in 2017.

Sabine helped which future Rogue Squadron pilot defect from the Empire in a season three episode?

Wedge Antilles defects in 'The Antilles Extraction' with fellow cadet Hobbie, waved through at the last moment by Agent Kallus; he goes on to fly against the first Death Star and survive the trench run.

Which weapon does Sabine take from a cave on Dathomir in 'Visions and Voices'?

The Darksaber, an ancient black-bladed lightsaber, is recovered by Sabine from a Nightsister lair on Dathomir; Kanan trains her to wield it, and she later hands it to Bo-Katan Kryze.

Which Battlestar Galactica star voices Bo-Katan Kryze in Rebels?

Katee Sackhoff voices Bo-Katan Kryze in Rebels, having voiced her in the earlier animated series, and later played the character in live action on Disney+.

Which Oscar winner voices Saw Gerrera in Rebels?

Forest Whitaker, an Oscar winner for The Last King of Scotland, reprises Saw Gerrera from Rogue One; in Rebels his Saw grills a surviving Geonosian about what the Empire has built, and gets two circles drawn in the dirt.

Which outlaw, voiced by Jim Cummings, becomes Ezra's unreliable ally from season two of Rebels?

Hondo Ohnaka, a Weequay pirate from the earlier animated series, once held Obi-Wan, Anakin and Count Dooku captive at the same time; in Rebels he becomes Ezra's unreliable but recurring ally.

Which Star Trek actor voices Gall Trayvis, the Imperial senator posing as a dissident in season one?

Brent Spiner, Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, voices Gall Trayvis, whose hijacked broadcasts as the 'Senator-in-Exile' stir up dissent until he is unmasked as bait for rebel cells.

Which Buffy the Vampire Slayer star voiced the Seventh Sister, an Inquisitor in season two?

Sarah Michelle Gellar voices the Seventh Sister, a Mirialan Inquisitor whose tiny probe droids do her spying: one overhears Ezra name the rebels' hideout and brings the Imperial fleet down on it.

Which actor voices Rukh, Thrawn's Noghri assassin, in the final season of Rebels?

Warwick Davis, Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi, voices Rukh; in the 1990s novels the Noghri bodyguard ends up killing Thrawn, but in Rebels he stays loyal and is electrocuted on a shield generator.

Which villain attacks the rebel fleet in the Rebels season two opener?

Darth Vader, voiced as in the films by James Earl Jones, first frames the rebels for a murder, then flies out in a single TIE fighter and tears through their fleet.

In which Rebels episode does Kanan sacrifice himself to save Hera from Governor Pryce?

In 'Jedi Night' Kanan rescues Hera from Pryce's Imperial headquarters, then holds back a fuel-depot explosion with the Force so the others can escape.

Which experimental Imperial starfighter does Thrawn champion in the final season of Rebels?

The TIE Defender, a shielded fighter with a hyperdrive, is Thrawn's pet project; Ezra and Sabine steal a prototype in the episode 'Flight of the Defender'.

In the Rebels episode 'A World Between Worlds', how does Ezra save Ahsoka's life?

He pulled her through a portal: from a void of doorways through time, Ezra reaches into the past and yanks her out of her last duel, but she stops him from saving Kanan the same way.

Which whale-like creatures drag Thrawn's Star Destroyer into hyperspace in the series finale?

Purrgil, introduced in the episode 'The Call', are space whales that jump to hyperspace naturally; Ezra, who can commune with them through the Force, summons them in the finale.

Rebels premiered on October 3, 2014, as a one-hour television film with what title?

Spark of Rebellion, the one-hour premiere film, sends Ezra and the crew to free Wookiee prisoners, where Kanan draws his lightsaber and gives himself away as a Jedi.

Which executive producer left Rebels after its first season?

Greg Weisman, co-creator of Gargoyles, was an executive producer for season one only; he then wrote Marvel's 12-issue comic Kanan: The Last Padawan about Kanan's Order 66 escape.

Which award for Best Animated Series on Television did Rebels win in 2017 and 2018?

The Saturn Award, from an academy devoted to science fiction, fantasy and horror, went to Rebels two years running, both times ahead of The Simpsons and Family Guy.

Which 2014 prequel novel by John Jackson Miller tells how Kanan and Hera met?

A New Dawn finds Kanan drifting between odd jobs and hiding his Jedi past until trouble on the mining world Gorse throws him together with Hera.

In Rogue One, which Rebels character's surname is called over a loudspeaker at the Yavin IV base?

The page for "General Syndulla" confirms Hera's promotion; Chopper is also briefly visible at the base.

Zeb made his live-action debut in which Disney+ series?

The Mandalorian brought Zeb into live action as a New Republic pilot in a base bar, wishing a fellow flyer luck with the bureaucrats; Steve Blum again provides his voice.

Who plays Sabine Wren in live action in the 2023 series Ahsoka?

Natasha Liu Bordizzo plays Sabine Wren in Ahsoka, where Sabine trains as Ahsoka's Jedi apprentice despite showing no gift for the Force, and at last calls a lightsaber to her hand in the season's final battle.

Which original-trilogy hero turns up in Rebels as a teenager to hand three starships to the rebels?

Princess Leia arrives on a relief mission and has the crew 'steal' her three cruisers, so that Alderaan's help to the rebels stays hidden from the Empire.

What is the name of Zeb's signature weapon, carried by his people's honour guard?

The Bo-rifle switches between a rifle and an electrified staff; Agent Kallus carries one too, not as a trophy but as a gift from a guardsman he beat in battle, as the warrior code of Zeb's people demands.

Which clone veteran comes out of retirement to join the Rebels crew in season two?

Captain Rex is found living in a converted walker, hunting giant burrowing beasts with two old comrades; Kanan, a survivor of Order 66, stays wary of the clones even after Rex says they cut out their control chips.

On which channel did Rebels air weekly after its one-hour premiere film?

Disney XD became the show's weekly home ten days after the opener aired on Disney Channel; its predecessor had run on Cartoon Network, an outside channel, before Disney bought Lucasfilm.

Which one-hour television film launched the second season of Rebels in June 2015?

The Siege of Lothal opens season two as a one-hour film: framed for a minister's murder, the rebels have to smuggle themselves out with Lando Calrissian's help.

Which animated Star Wars show directly followed Rebels?

Star Wars Resistance began in October 2018, months after the Rebels finale, with a young pilot spying on the First Order; Rebels' own story, left open after four seasons, was picked up by the live-action Ahsoka.

Grand Admiral Thrawn studies which part of an enemy's culture to predict how they will fight?

Its art: Thrawn believes a people's art reveals how they think, so he pores over artwork tied to each of the rebels and keeps Hera's family heirloom for himself.

Which actress voices Hera, the Rebels crew's pilot and captain?

Vanessa Marshall, a lifelong Star Wars fan, auditioned for a secret project code-named 'Wolf' and guessed what it was from a pilot who wanted 'tyranny' to fall; she voices Hera in every season.

Which Firefly star voices Ketsu Onyo, Sabine's old bounty-hunting partner?

Gina Torres, Zoe in Firefly, voices Ketsu Onyo, who broke out of the Imperial Academy with Sabine; hunting for the Black Sun syndicate, she meets her old friend again as a rival and ends up back on her side.

Which actor voices Ryder Azadi, the former governor who leads a local rebel cell?

Clancy Brown, Mr. Krabs in SpongeBob, voices Ryder Azadi, who fakes a betrayal in the finale to lure Governor Pryce into a trap; Brown then played him on screen in the live-action Ahsoka.

Which actress voices Mon Mothma in Rebels?

Genevieve O'Reilly voices Mon Mothma in Rebels; she first played the Rebel leader in a scene cut from Revenge of the Sith, then in Rogue One and Andor.

Which actor voices Veris Hydan, the Emperor's minister, in the final season of Rebels?

Malcolm McDowell, star of A Clockwork Orange, voices Minister Veris Hydan, who oversees the Emperor's excavation of the Jedi Temple in the 'World Between Worlds' storyline.

Rebels was announced in May 2013, two months after which series was cancelled following five seasons on air?

The Clone Wars was cancelled in March 2013, months after Disney bought Lucasfilm; Rebels later brought back its heroine Ahsoka Tano, and the cancelled show itself returned for a last season in 2020.

What colour is the blade of the replacement lightsaber Ezra carries from season three?

Green is the blade of the lightsaber Ezra builds after his first is destroyed in the Sith temple duel; years later Sabine carries it as her own in the live-action Ahsoka.

Who plays Ezra Bridger in live action in the 2023 series Ahsoka?

Eman Esfandi plays Ezra in Ahsoka; he first appears as a pre-recorded hologram message to Sabine before turning up in the flesh on Peridea in the sixth episode.

Who was Kanan Jarrus's Jedi master, who died saving him during Order 66?

Depa Billaba, once Mace Windu's Padawan, was Kanan's master; The Bad Batch shows clones gunning her down on Kaller as she orders her young Padawan to run.

What is the name of Hera and Kanan's son, first seen in the epilogue of the Rebels finale?

Jacen is born after Kanan's death and never meets his father, but he inherits his gift: in the live-action Ahsoka the boy senses a distant duel through the Force and leads the rescuers to it.