(you could catch up with the episode atwww.disneynow.com.)
The only problem: Ezra is aboard the ship too.
Can he survive that cosmic leap in a ship with broken windows and a shattered frame?
Credit: Disney
Were led to believe the answer is yes.
In a flash-forward, we see a bit of happily-ever-after for the surviving Ghost crew.
It is years later, after the Empires defeat at Endor inReturn of the Jedi.
Disney
Its a moment of bittersweet redemption and forgiveness for the former Imperial.
She is preparing for a mission to find a lost friend: Ezra Bridger.
There is a promise to keep.
Lucasfilm
And miles to go.
But thats a story to be told another time.
Here are the highlights:
Hera and Kanans Child
They had a kid?
Disney
This was Taylor Grays first exclamation as the panel began.
Yeah, people do that sometimes, Filoni said.
This twist caught even Taylor by surprise.
Disney
Asked about the final sequence, she replied, Oh …baby.
You guys had always asked about that relationship.
I think it wasprettyserious.
Disney
Now we have evidence.
And I had no idea.
Turns out it was Filoni the whole time.
Why did he finally decide to come forward?
So it was kind of then or never, he said.
I absolutely told her the truth, and she never said anything.
Probably because it was disappointing.
It sounds a lot like the muted trombone of a grownup from thePeanutscartoons.
I had a lot of people attempt to do it, Filoni said of the pilot episode.
But none of them were quite what he was looking for.
I said, Guys, guys, Chopper is alikablejerk.
So let me show you what thats like, the producer said.
Im good at that.
I can be likable … but a jerk.
One Last Sacrifice
Even Gray isnt sure what becomes of the young hero now.
But he ended up separated, perhaps lost forever, from the found family he had built since.
I have so many questions.
I dont know where everything lies, he said.
And I got that here.
The point of Ezra vanishing serves a narrative utility.
Hes obviously not featured in the events of the original trilogy, so this explains his absence.
But theres a clear implication he survived and is merely lost in the unknown reaches of space.
I followed Freddies lead with Kanan, Gray said.
He led the way with his selfless act.
I just followed in his footsteps as best as I could.
Hes like, Ive been thinking about that, Filoni said.
I found a good way to do it, and he was very excited about that.
You need commitment on his part.
Filoni deflected about what comes next.
He said he does know if therell be more stories, but cant say anything yet.
(That sounds like a yes, FYI.)
One thing ends and another begins, and the story continues, Filoni added.
Blum said he wouldnt mind seeing Zeb headline his own show too.
I got my man in the end.
That was the greatest gift youve ever given me.
We get our own show now, right?The Kallus and Zeb Adventures!
Saving the World, If Not the Galaxy
Rebelswas never going to be about defeating the Empire.
That was Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solos job.
But Ezra and his found family had another goal liberating the world of Lothal.
In that, they succeeded.
Our story ends, and Scarif and the whole Luke Skywalker thing happens.
The Emperors attention is completely refocused.
He has a series of defeats, Filoni said of the Emperor.
He loses the Death Star when his entire plan of fear is based on having a Death Star.
His effort to subject fear on the galaxy is completely inversed, and now the Emperor is actually afraid.
The secret of every evil character and every real villain is theyre the most afraid.
The reason they accumulate this power and persecute people is because theyre terrified inside.
They cause pain and devastation to compensate for these fears.
Then Luke Skywalkers presence rattles the Emperor even further.
But none of the others knew what would become of their characters.
It was a little disjointed and disconcerting.
We just had to trust, Blum said.
In a twist, it turned out most of them survived.
So many people were obsessed with everybody dying, Filoni said.
It has a rather positive outcome.
Finding the Light
Thats whyRebelshad to end on an upbeat note.
Darkness is about failure and bitterness.
About resentment and contempt.
Even when the good guys lose their lives, there is victory in having done the right thing.
Filoni said its a simple, perhaps obvious, but nonetheless important message.
Stop thinking of the Dark Side as some pathway to power.
Thats the Emperor lying to you, he said.
Darth Vader is miserable.
He has no one in his life.
Absolutely nothing, until his son comes back and says, I love you.
Other than that, his life is a wreck.
You get that power, but at what cost?
The Emperor has no one, nothing around him but fear and hate.
And thats no way to live your life.
Before George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney, he and Filoni collaborated on theClone Warsseries.
Its a huge responsibility.
Im a big believer in his storytelling and his message.
And thats whatRebelspassed on to me.
I have to try my best to remember what I learned, and pass it on to the crew.
Its a special thing,Star Wars.
Its a limitless galaxy of imagination.
Anything is possible there, but there are certain rules that apply.
George always pushed it.
always pushed it farther than anybody else, he went on.
He was never afraid to try things and experiment.
Everyone else would say, We cant do this, and we cant do that.
He used to say to me, Dont be afraid.
And thats the whole key to this.
Then you lash out.
Thats all the Dark Side.
