There are few things certain in this world, but one of those few things I'm most excited about is that more Star Wars is coming. Next year sees the release of the first new Star Wars film in a decade and October sees the release of a brand new animated series in the world. Star Wars: Rebels starts in October on the Disney Channel and Disney XD and tells a story during the dark times between the prequel trilogy and the classic trilogy, and documents the formation of the Rebellion.
The above clip is a tease of "Property of Ezra Bridger," the fourth in a series of short films made to give us a taste of the show and the characters on it.
One man has his hands in the world of the cartoon as well as the live-action Star Wars world. Simon Kinberg has had influence in many beloved franchises (from Sherlock Holmes to the X-Men) and he spoke to me about the responsibility he feels in his part in bringing more Star Wars to life. "The only thing I can liken it to is if you were a rabbi or a priest and somebody came to you and said you get to write a new book of the Bible, that's kind of what it's like. So it's really exciting and yet I feel a different responsibility than anything I've worked on before, so it's definitely daunting."
Kinberg's role isn't limited to Rebels, he's working on one of the still hush-hush standalone Star Wars films, as well as acting as a creative consultant on Episode VII. Since he has his influence across so many different facets of Star Wars, I asked him what makes Rebels special. "I think the thing that may be the most unique about Rebels as opposed to the other movies is, everything that Lucasfilm is doing has this connection to the original trilogy I think because of the ages of people that are working on them. It turns out they were kids when they came out so there is a different relationship to those than any other movie that's ever been made. But Rebels, because it takes place right up against A New Hope, it was an opportunity to use a lot of the same designs and like I said ideally the same tone and texture from the original films. And that feels like to me an opportunity, in a way it's kind of like getting a chance to write fan fiction at the highest possible level."
I've seen the premiere of the show and can attest completely to the vibe hearkening back to the original film. It somehow takes the coolest elements you'd expect from the dark time, with Jedi on the run and a truly evil Imperial presence, and matches it with the comedic tone of adventure of the original Star Wars film.
It's going to be bringing back Star Wars (not that it was ever actually gone for many of us fans) in a major way.
The full short, "Property of Ezra Bridger" debuts on Monday. Star Wars: Rebels: Spark of Rebellion is set to premiere Friday, October 3rd on Disney Channels around the world. Then, the show itself starts Monday, October 13 on Disney XD. The series will air in 34 languages across 163 countries in over 400 million households.
For a longer look at the interview with Simon Kinberg, visit Big Shiny Robot!
Bryan Young is the author of "A Children's Illustrated History of Presidential Assassination," the editor-in-chief of the nerd news and review site Big Shiny Robot!, and is the co-host of the Star Wars podcast, "Full of Sith."