Star Wars Rebels

"The tone of the show is action/adventure, but with more elements of fun for the new generation of Star Wars fans and their parents!"

- Athena Portillo, Star Wars Insider 146

Star Wars Rebels is an animated television series set in approximately 5 BBY, during the timespan between the films Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It will begin airing in Fall 2014 on Disney XD.

Plot summary
"The series takes place between Episodes III and IV. By this time, Order 66 has been executed and the Empire's search for the last of the Jedi Knights is in full effect. The events seen in the show take place closer to A New Hope in the Star Wars timeline. However, if you stay tuned, you may be in for some surprises...."

- Athena Portillo, Star Wars Insider 146

Premise
"&hellip;we're going to really show the origins of the rebellion. When our series begins, it's not the Rebel Alliance yet; we start with a group of rebels. It'll be really interesting to show the progress of the Alliance forming&hellip;"

- Executive producer Greg Weisman, Star Wars Insider 146

The series will begin in approximately 5 BBY, fourteen years into the reign of the Galactic Empire. The general premise is described as follows:

"It is a dark time in the galaxy, as the evil Galactic Empire tightens its grip of power from world to world. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. But there are a select few who are brave enough to stand up against the endless Stormtroopers and TIE fighters of the Empire: the clever and motley crew of the starship Ghost. Together, this ragtag group will face threatening new villains, have thrilling adventures, and become heroes."

Characters
"There is a main cast of characters who will be re-occurring throughout the season. However, you will see some familiar faces, too!"

- Athena Portillo, Star Wars Insider 146

There will be a set of main characters, including male heroes and two primary female leads. The same diversity will also extend to the series' villains, including an Inquisitor.

Production
"We're still in the early stages of production on the first season, but things are well underway. We've completed all our development, and have begun animating our very first script."

- Athena Portillo, Star Wars Insider 146

Lucasfilm Ltd. veteran sculptor Darren Marshall, who worked on Star Wars: The Clone Wars prior to its cancellation, developed sculpts for the core characters of Star Wars Rebels before leaving Lucasfilm in June 2013. By December 2013, the production crew had finished developing the series' first season and had begun animating the first script.

Release
Star Wars Rebels was first announced on March 11, 2013, as an unnamed animated series set to replace Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Its name and premiere date were announced in a press release on May 20, 2013. It will premiere in Fall 2014 with a one-hour special on Disney Channel written by Executive Producer Simon Kinberg. Following the premiere, the series will move to Disney XD.

Crew
"It has been great seeing the mind meld between our executive producers Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman during the writers' conferences. [...] Everyone on the team is so passionate about Rebels, and of course it helps that we are all huge fans of Star Wars!"

- Athena Portillo, Star Wars Insider 146

Several crew members from The Clone Wars, which was pulled from the air in 2013, are returning for Rebels:
 * Dave Filoni - Executive producer
 * Joel Aron - CG supervisor
 * Athena Portillo - Line producer
 * Kilian Plunkett - Art director
 * Keith Kellogg - Animation supervisor
 * Paul Zinnes - Asset supervisor