Sunday, February 19, 2017

Star Wars Rebels S3E15 Legacy of Mandalore Review (Spoilers): Are Mandalorians Bad Shots Too?



The possibilities episode fifteen of season three of Star Wars Rebels, Legacy of Mandalore, open up are extremely exciting and intriguing. Legacy of Mandalore is a continuation of the last episode, Trials of the Darksaber.  It has Sabine Wren traveling back to her ancestral home to try and convince the Mandalorians to join the Rebellion. Since Sabine betrayed the Empire and ran away from Mandalore going back has consequences. Her return forces her Mother to alert Gar Saxon of her arrival with Kanan and Ezra. The episode ends on an interesting note, with Sabine not returning with Kanan and Ezra. She decides to stay and help take control of Mandalore. This could either signify Sabine is done as a main character in this show or Mandalore might play a bigger role next season.

Overall the episode was good. It wasn’t as emotionally impactful as the previous, but it did provide interesting backstory between Sabine, her mother, and brother. The episode provided information on Sabine’s Father who is being held as a political prisoner on Mandalore. His presence on the main planet was another reason Sabine’s mother was forced to call Gar Saxon when Sabine showed up. It was good to see Sabine stand up to her Mother and Brother. She wanted them to understand why she ran away, and it seemed her mother understood the reasoning.  The story was a good continuation from the previous episode and showed the potential of a new Mandalorian storyline independent of the Rebels show.

Legacy of Mandalore opened up possibilities. Dave Filoni is a big fan of the Mandalore and has done the most to expand their lore and purpose. Having Sabine stay behind to try and unite Mandalore could be the start of a new show. Sabine is one of the most popular characters, so having her exit the crew doesn’t make much sense unless there is going to be a spinoff. Filoni has left being the overall showrunner for Star Wars Rebels to work on other projects, and a new show focused on Sabine and Mandalore would make sense. To hedge my bet next season could also focus more on Sabine and Mandalore and if they get involved with the Rebellion. There may not be enough material for a show to just focus on Mandalore. A new show could focus on the reunification of Mandalore, and on Mandalore after the fall of the Empire. It could focus on Sabine’s role in forming of the New Republic. If Sabine doesn’t come back into the main show it might alienate some fans if another show announcement isn’t upcoming with her as the start.

Many fans could be upset from the implications that Sabine is leaving the show. For me it opens up many possibilities for the character to move forward. My biggest issue with the episode was some of the action. This is surprising since the show usually has fantastic action scenes. The fight in the main room between all the Mandalorians, Ezra, and Kanan was laughable with the amount of close quarters shots not hitting their marks. I’m all for the joke about Stormtroopers not hitting their targets, but Mandalorians too? It’s not a big deal, and is just a small nitpick overall, but it is a bit of a head scratcher. The only other small nitpick was the use of Ezra. When he isn’t the focus in the episode the character falls back on annoying traits and unfunny jokes. If fans are behind Sabine leaving the team, then overall it was a very successful episode.


The big revelation of Sabine not being a part of the main team is the crux of the episode. There might be arc’s in the show just focusing on her, or a new show, but it is a departure. Sabine and Hera might be the two crew members who survive close to the Battle of Yavin. Hopefully we soon see the results of Sabine’s departure from the team. Maybe the Mandalorians will come to the Rebellions aide and help them escape the attack on Lothal, or save them from Thrawn when he attacks Chopper base. Whatever the case the show is entreating a different phase with Sabine leaving the team.  

No comments:

Post a Comment