Star Wars ‘Rebels’ Press Conference

After seeing the amazing Season 2 trailer for “Star Wars Rebels” at last weekend’s Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, I attended a press conference with the ensemble cast of the show. Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Kanan),  Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Taylor Gray (Ezra), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steve Blum (Zeb), Supervising Director Dave Filoni, and Executive Producer Simon Kinberg all answered questions about the animated series.

Here are some of the (paraphrased) highlights:

Who voiced Darth Vader? The same person who voiced him for the movies—James Earl Jones. Filoni and Kinberg were thrilled to have Jones reprising his iconic role. However, if he coughed or corrected himself during recording sessions, it brought them back to reality and they realized it was a man actually playing Darth Vader instead of the Sith lord himself. 

And is there any added pressure to deliver to the fans? Filoni said it’s fun for him. He’s been at Lucasfilm for ten years now.

And in my own opinion, why should he feel pressure? At Celebration he’s a rock star, if the fans’ cheers are any indication, and it’s clear he loves these stories and characters. He added that if there’s any pressure, it’s that they want everything to be a very high quality.

Kinberg said that their goal is to give kids the experience they had as kids. They wanted the tone of the movies to be present in the show. Fans see the connection tonally and emotionally and thematically between “Rebels” and the films.

Ezra was called a street rat, and fans call him Space Aladdin. Are there any other Disney influences or Easter eggs in the show? Filoni: there was no intention to have him resemble Aladdin, though that was a flattering comparison. Ezra’s design evolved after Filoni’s wife didn’t like the sketch he made at his kitchen table. So he drew from other inspirations and said Ezra actually looks more like Ralph Macchio from the “Karate Kid.” Then Steve Blum added, “Zeb’s a secret Disney Princess.”

Any information on Sarah Michelle Geller’s character? Freddie Prinze, Jr. joked and said she played the Wookiee in Season 1. (laughter) Then he added, “She’s really hairy and has a great low growl . . . she can grunt with the best of them.” Outside of that he can’t tell use anything; it would spoil the surprise.

How much of Kanan’s backstory did Freddie know? Will we find out more in Season 2? Prinze knew about Kanan’s master, Order 66, and how it affected him. Filoni gave the actors detailed information before they started the show, and we’ll learn a lot about why Kanan is the way he is in Season 2.

What do you think are the big lessons being taught in Rebels? Freddie Prinze Jr.: Star Wars teaches that the good guys don’t always win. Star Wars teaches patience, discipline, deals with cultural things and government issues. Teaches a lot more about real life than a lot of other shows do. You can relate to it. You can do your best and still fail.

Vanessa Marshall: I love the idea of a spark of a rebellion. Hope. Love that we’re giving that message to the younger generation and encouraging them to take action on their ideas.

What happened to Ezra’s parents? Filoni: We will be addressing Ezra’s parents to some degree. Kids focus on that. There will also be a broader look at all of the characters, even Chopper and where he’s from.

Season 2 will have more episodes, which will allow more in-depth stories to be told about the characters. There will be different pairings of the crew, and they will go on interesting adventures together.

Prinze talks about how much he loves working on the show. It’s more fun to do a radio show and not have to worry about hair and makeup, and he’s able to spend more time with his family. He also has a lot of Kanan and Zeb and Inquisitor action figures at his house.

The theme for Season 1 was introducing a new character (Ezra) to a family. The general theme for Season 2 is outside challenges to that family.

What to expect from characters in Season 2: We’ll find out a bit more about Sabine, and why she’s  so angry and has so many skills.

Ezra grows up and becomes more powerful and knowledgeable. He’s learning new things every day. He has a scar now, too.

Hera has pulled the Rebel cell together, and now she’ll oversee everyone.

Kanan and Ezra will go through some growing pains, similar to a father/son relationship. Kanan will have to deal with his feelings about Rex.

What was your reaction to the Season 2 trailer? The group loved the reaction from the fans. They watched it from the stage and felt the stage rumbling from the sound system. 

How do you feel seeing kids and adults cosplaying as your character? Filoni gets excited to see characters he drew appear in real life. “It never gets old . . . It’s what it’s all about .” Filoni doesn’t believe the other cast when they said they’ve even seen Filoni cosplays at cons, with his black shirt and hat.

How much of George Lucas’ notes were used for Rebels? George used to tell Filoni that he would retire someday and he was showing him how he cut the movies, preparing him for that moment. But Filoni didn’t believe that George would retire until he actually sold the company.  No one will ever replace George, and they all realize it.

Kinberg said that it was important to share the show with George. They took the pilot to Skywalker Ranch and showed Lucas. He enjoyed it and said, “It’s terrific!” They are channeling him as they work on anything “Star Wars”-related. 

With the blessing of The Maker, the cast and crew of “Rebels” is set to continue their mission to bring “Star Wars” to the small screen for fans of all ages. And based on the first season and the premiere episode of Season 2, the future looks to be in good hands.