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 a forthcoming animated television series set in approximately 5 BBY, during the time frame between the films Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The premiere episode, a one-hour special, will air on Disney Channel in fall 2014, with the series then shifting to Disney XD.

The series will follow a motley group of rebels&mdash;the crew of the starship Ghost&mdash;and their struggles against the oppressive Galactic Empire. A primary theme of Star Wars Rebels will be exploring the origins of the Rebel Alliance.

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&hellip;"

- 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."

Main 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. Several characters set to debut in the series were revealed at the January 2014 Nuremberg International Toy Fair, which showcased forthcoming LEGO Star Wars Rebels sets. These named characters include Ezra Bridger, Zeb Orretios, Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, and the astromech droid "Chopper."

Development
"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.

As of January 2014, the scripts for Season One were halfway completed. Voice-recording had been finished for five episodes, with three more episodes undergoing storyboarding, two more undergoing animation, and the first episode undergoing lighting. Sound design was also underway, with a theme in place for the series. On January 17, animation supervisor Keith Kellogg announced that the production crew had wrapped up animation on the first episode of the series.

Production
"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

Star Wars Rebels is overseen by three executive producers: Dave Filoni, who served as supervising director on Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Simon Kinberg, who wrote the series' first episode; and Greg Weisman. In addition to Filoni, the Rebels production team includes several crew members returning from Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Athena Portillo as line producer, Kilian Plunkett as art director, Joel Aron as CG effects supervisor, Keith Kellogg as animation supervisor, and Steward Lee as episodic director. Lee, Filoni's longest-running episodic director from The Clone Wars, is joined in directorial duties by brother Steve Lee, a veteran of LucasArts.

Other returning crew members from The Clone Wars include Amy Beth Christenson, Andre Kirk, Pat Presley, and Chris Glenn on the concept art team, managed by Liz Cummings, as well as Paul Zinnes on the development team. Pablo Hidalgo, a member of the Lucasfilm Story Group, also works with the team as a fact-checker.

Release
"Citizens of Lothal: It is by Imperial Decree that you are requested to proudly display these posters on behalf of your Empire. As loyal residents of one of the Empire's most vital stations on the Outer Rim, your compliance is appreciated. Imperial Service is a noble endeavor which paves the way for your freedom and security. Remember, it is the will of Emperor Palpatine to ensure the future of a stable and prosperous galaxy."

- Letter included in the Star Wars Rebels propaganda poster mailing promotion

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.

On February 4, 2014, Lucasfilm distributed six original artwork pieces by Amy Beth Christenson exclusively to six select websites across the Internet&mdash;ET Online, TheForce.net, IGN, Mashable, Omelete, and Empire&mdash;to promote Star Wars Rebels. The artwork, presented in the form of Imperial propaganda posters, was part of an exclusive mailing campaign, in which limited-edition cards featuring the artwork were sent to 2500 people around the world on February 5. The mailings arrived in black-embossed envelopes addressed from the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order on Coruscant and included a letter urging citizens to proudly display the posters in support of the Imperial occupation of Lothal. The six card backs, when combined together, formed the Rebels thunderbird logo.

Continuity
Lucasfilm's Pablo Hidalgo first provided a timeline for Star Wars Rebels of approximately fourteen years after the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which corresponds to around the year 5 BBY, or five years prior to the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Although the official StarWars.com press release announcing the Rebels character Chopper later alternatively stated a timeline of four years prior to the events of A New Hope, or 4 BBY, Hidalgo quickly reaffirmed the original circa 5 BBY date via Twitter.