Star Wars Rebels S2E6 Wings of the Master Recap/Review (Spoilers): Hera: God of the Sky

Wings of the Master is a fun filled episode focused primarily on Hera. We get to see her showcase her flying prowess and test fly the prototype B-Wing. It was interesting to see the origins of the Rebel fighter used during the Battle of Endor. Hera had to prove she was worthy to fly the new ship and in doing so showed why she is one of the best pilots in the Rebel fleet.

The story starts with the Rebel fleet trying to drop supplies off to a world that is blockaded by the Imperials. The situation seems dire for the people on the world.  The Rebel task force isn’t strong enough to break through the Imperial ships. This leads to Hera going to a remote world and finding a Mon Calamari who has designed a new prototype fighter ship. The Phantom is damaged on landing, but the point is Hera was able to land when most others would have crashed.

The flying scenes of this episode are top notch. Every scene of Hera flying was excellent. When she test flew the B-Wing the flight animation was some of the best the show has produced. I really enjoyed seeing the sequence of her putting the B-Wing through its paces. We also learn more about Hera and what drove her to become a pilot. I liked learning more of her backstory and why she loves to fly. After they convince Quarrie, the ship maker, to help they fly off to help break the blockade. The end space battle is excellent. The B-Wing in action was fantastic and how the whole battle was setup was extremely well executed.

While getting Hera’s backstory was fantastic, and the flying and battles wonderful; there were a few issues with the episode. The biggest for me was, why were they trying to save this planet and the people on it? I get that they are just trying to help and save the people. Why however where the Imperials blockading the planet? Why is it of importance to the Rebellion? Humanitarian missions are fantastic, and a great reason for the Rebels to help. I wanted more justification as to why this planet was important to both the Empire and the Rebellion. It just didn’t make much sense for the Empire to blockade a planet for no reason other than to starve the people.

The second issue I had with the episode was the introduction of the B-Wing. While it was awesome to see its origins, as a Star Wars geek, it had me nitpicking. If the B-Wing was introduced to the fleet at such an early stage of the Rebellion why was it not used until the Battle of Endor? We should have at least seen in it in Empire. I don’t mind the sheer firepower of the prototype. They stated the hyperdrive didn’t work once it fired, so they could have taken this out of the design to ensure it had light-speed. The B-wing introduction along with the introduction of the A-Wing during this stage of the Rebellion don’t add up for me. We should have seen these ships during Yavin and other battles if they were available. These are nitpicks and shouldn’t affect anyone’s enjoyment who isn’t a supernerd.

The issues were small, and the episode was fun and enjoyable overall. The battle and flight sequences are fantastic. The focus on Hera was well deserved and it was fantastic to see her get most of the screen time during this episode. It was a nice touch for her to be promoted at the end of the episode. A tad bit cheesy, but it was enjoyable cheese.  It was a simple objective and execution episode. Next week it looks like we are getting an episode focused on Sabine, which is fantastic. Hopefully Zeb will get an episode of focus as well. Well executed action and good characters are becoming staples of the show.

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Did you like Hera’s backstory and the flight sequences? Am I being too nitpicky with my criticism tonight? Comment and let me know.