Star Wars Rebels 3x15 "Trials of the Darksaber" - reaction & review
Added 2022-11-07 12:31:29 +0000 UTCHey everyone! Here it is - my reaction to season 3, episode 15 of REBELS!!!! Wow, we are getting a Sabine story and I am here for it!!! We've gotten to know her over the course of this series, but we've never quite opened up like this. I can't imagine what it must feel like living with the kind of burden that Sabine does - doing what you feel is the right and only thing to do, but your family not standing with you.
Her greatest enemy to conquer was within! And, I feel like Kanan learned a little something here too. We're all growing no matter where we're at in our force journey I guess lol. Cannot wait to see what happens next! Great ep! Enjoy!!! ~ MH
Comments
It's amazing! I love that we got more about the darksaber, and about Sabine!! I was dying to know more too!! The details of the family dynamics here are so good too, I couldn't agree more. You're not kidding about the music either!!! This one hits so hard, you're right!!!!
Melissa Moore
2024-02-14 15:33:05 +0000 UTCLike many others have said. This is most definitely one of the best episodes of thee entire series. The history of the darksaber. For most star wars fans, this episode is where we got our first in depth explanation behind the origin of the blade. As well as the what the blade means to the mandalorians, what it represents. Truly intriguing and deep. Then the cherry on top, SABINE lore! She is my second favorite character of this series. I cherished this episode soo much. Cause it's also the first time we got a true back story and deep lore on her. Before this it was mostly small things of somewhat recent events with her, her bonds, and who she is. Then the small things like how training was with ezra, we got parts of it but we never actually saw a lot of the training. And Hera stepping in, being the wise, caring, and insightful mother & partner to Sabine and Kanan. The music too! Lemme tell you, the people behind star wars music department really know how to set the tone and make you feel. There isn't many episode that hit really deep, like REALLY deep! In this show but this one, always hits.
Aleksei
2024-02-12 14:40:43 +0000 UTCThat’s so true and I also hadn’t thought about that with the Darksaber!!! It makes total sense though!!
Melissa Moore
2024-02-01 14:45:21 +0000 UTCThis is one of the best episodes in Rebels imo. The training, the “history lesson” speech, the music is all so good. And it also gives us the reason why Din can’t really use the Darksaber well, cause he’s constantly carrying all this baggage that he never faced because it’s become part of who he is.
Cody
2024-02-01 00:38:18 +0000 UTCOhhh yeah, good point! That's actually a great example of someone tapping into the Force yet not being a Jedi. That's so interesting, I actually never thought about what the inspiration/idea behind the concept was, but that makes sense. Really cool info, thank you!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-11 14:52:05 +0000 UTCOn the force flowing through non-force-wielders, there is a great example in Rogue One with the blind monk Chirrut Imwe. Some have theorised he is force-sensitive but I have my doubts, as he would have been more than old enough to have been taken in by the Jedi before the Clone War. However, because he studies the Whills (basically the in-universe story of the galaxy, that we as observers see the events that transpire through, according to their journals), and he would be open to ideas like the force. Hence with training and practise, he is almost able to do some things that a Jedi would find natural. He is able to take down a TIE fighter, using an explosive bow, all this while blind. We see that parallel with Kanan here, with him being blinded, but as he is a (partially) trained Jedi Knight, he is able to do these incredible feats as he can 'see' into the force itself and fully let it flow through him. When Lucas wrote his ideas for Star Wars, and especially of the force, I think he always wanted to teach kids about being open-minded and try to see things from all angles, to better oneself; and I think this notion is reflected in the idea behind people in his universe, even non-force-users, being able to use elements of the force itself.
Saltire
2022-11-10 00:25:10 +0000 UTCIt's a great one! I couldn't agree more about the expressiveness of the mosaic! Oh I know, I love that restraint from Chopper, it speaks volumes!! And the PURR!!!!!!! He truly is the cat! Ohhh no kidding, I thought that story sounded familiar! It's so interesting that non-force-wielders can still be open to the force and let it work through them. So true about how she needed a different approach than Ezra. I can see how he's rough around the edges still, but it is great practice for possibly having a padawan one day! I could see how the sticks would be a bit demeaning. And yeah, I think Ezra just meant there's at least still some chance. Oh I know, that quote from Kanan was so powerful!! It rings true in real life!! Oh, I didn't notice that about Kanan's sparring techniques, good call!!! The music was fantastic! Sabine's Theme!!! It was all so well done! AWWWWWWWWW her doodles in her room!!!!!!!!!!!!! They make me so happy and sad all at once - grateful for the times we had with her, and sad that she's gone for now!!!!!!!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-09 13:21:11 +0000 UTCYes!!! And I agree, we got lots of great character interaction here and also a reminder that this family is here for her!! Hera is so wise! You've gotta love the overwhelming amount of emotional rawness and support in this ep! So true, it is about people and not about fighting. But like most wars and rebellions, there are lots of individuals with individual issues going on!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-09 13:15:22 +0000 UTCLol it truly is a box of chocolates, in so many ways! (It's sweet too :P) HAHAHAHA YES!!! Chopper is officially the cat!! I could kinda see the flirting in the training scene! Ezra fumbling around for words is always cute to watch. Hera's wise as heck!! I can totally see the parallel to Weiss!! Exactly, our whole crew knows how damaging this kind of trauma can be and they're all here for her. Good quote! LOL I would fall over in my chair if she said This is the Way!!!!!!!!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-09 13:13:29 +0000 UTCYes!! Hahaha she was sleeping soundly until I finished the next episode! :P So glad the reaction made up for it though haha. She's been hiding it well for sure, I can't imagine carrying that kind of burden silently. It must have been hard to go back and face all that for sure! Applause all around!!!!!!!
Melissa Moore
2022-11-09 13:11:40 +0000 UTCFinally the reveal Sabine was a huge mystery I was waiting for. This reaction had a lack of Buffy but the episode made up for that. The inner struggle was real but not fully seen cause she’s been hiding it well. She knows how to work terrains but that sort of instability she had doesn’t want to go back to is something she isn’t familiar with causes she’s been away from her family for so long. This was a fantastic episode. Applause, just applause 👏
Manny
2022-11-08 10:53:22 +0000 UTCAt this point, I think it’s safe to say this series is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get. It feels kind of like a grab bag. They have all these different plot threads, someone reached in, and finds out, so what should we tackle this time? You’re burying the lead, by the way. Chopper is the family cat, confirmed. He can actually purr. The whole training montage with Sabine and Ezra had an air of, well, for lack of a better word, flirtatiousness about it. Yes, Ezra puts his foot in his mouth a lot, but they do seem to kind of enjoy needling each other. Maybe Hera’s been hanging around Yoda too much, she seems to be a lot more thoughtful than she’s letting on. I don’t want to rehash a lot of things from other series, but the difficulties Sabine is facing reminds me a lot of Weiss in terms of what the character is dealing with. There’s a lot more going on underneath the surface than meets the eye. There’s inherent trust with her comrades, but yet an overall distrust in herself that she’s having to deal with. One thing she needs to realize is that she’s been carrying this burden by herself this whole time, but she doesn’t need to. The others are going to be on her side, just like they were when Hera needed to do something personal. It seems her main problem is her own guilt: even if it’s not her fault, who wouldn’t beat themselves up over something like that? To quote another show, it sounds like “it’s high time you stopped talking about trust… and started showing it.” Everyone’s got their own demons to deal with, but that’s why you’re all in the same boat. So you don’t have to carry the burden of them by yourself. If she starts going “this is the way” however, not sure what I’m gonna do with that. 😅
Tyler Stobbe
2022-11-08 04:41:03 +0000 UTCOne of my favourite episodes in Rebels - exactly because of all the things Saltire and yourself, Mel, have described. We had Kanan’s therapy session with Bendu at the start of season 2, and now it was Sabine’s turn. I love the way this was done, and the interaction between Kanan and Sabine at the end was both intense and moving. It was also very moving to see how her ‘family’ (is there really and need for the quote marks here?!) all came to support her at the end. I also loved Hera’s input to all this through her discussions with Kanan, and the way Kanan listened to, and took on board, what Hera was saying, and was flexible enough to change his approach. I tear up every time I watch this episode, both when Sabine is revealing her past, and then with the loyalty and support everyone displays towards her at the end - it’s so well done and at heart an episode about people (mostly, but not just, Sabine) and not action and fighting.
Nick
2022-11-07 21:32:12 +0000 UTCOne of my favourite episodes of Rebels, easily in the top 10, perhaps top 5. And there is no spectacle or action, its just pure character focus. We've seen (and heard from Ezra) Sabine be the most introspective and solitary figure amongst our crew, and the way she expresses herself through her art, tells us there is a fun and brilliantly talented person inside her. That amazing mosaic of the crew above her bed bunk tells us something of this. Note Chopper doesn't barge into her room, like he would do with Ezra and Zeb. He respects Sabine and her privacy (and I think knows not to mess with her too much!). When she touches him, he purrs like the crew 'cat'. :D The tale of Tarre Vizsla is kind of told in the episode of Book Of Boba Fett when Din is wielding the Darksabre, and like Sabine, doesn't want all that comes with being the holder of that special lightsabre. Sabine later notes that the blade is heavy, and again in that Book Of Boba episode, because Din is in conflict about the blade, and moreso about Grogu, the Darksabre gets heavier and heavier, almost to the point of being unwieldable. This is also related to the force itself as Kanan mentions. Obviously Din and Sabine are not force-wielders, but if they can open themselves up to it, the kyber crystal will sense it, and the user can become one with the blade, as we saw with another non-force-user in Pre Vizsla, who wielded the Darksabre very well indeed. Sabine here has to work through her issues with her family and her guilt about helping the Empire stomp all over Mandalore; and Hera is brilliant with Kanan, as he has been trying to teach Sabine as a Jedi would - like he did with Ezra - yet thats not what she needs. She needs a more direct 'Mandalorian' approach to get the guilt and shame out of her, and Kanan is unsure about doing that, but Hera sees this is what Sabine needs to move forward. Ezra is a bit too overconfident in his abilities this episode, still showing he has much to learn about having humbleness and humility as a true Jedi would. Still, while Sabine thinks Ezra teaching her the forms with the sticks, is a bit demeaning; this is good for Ezra, if he is to become a mentor of his own some day to another Padawan. He does also bring out the line about 'at least you have parents to go back to'. This I don't think is a put down to Sabine, or to try to make her feel guilty; I think its just him saying she still has a chance to make it up with them. I love the line Kanan uses when trying to bring out the guilt of Sabine : "You are fighting yourself... and losing." That is such a powerful message. We all do that to ourselves occasionally, or most of the time if you suffer from a mental illness. To get out of that you need to accept yourself, which is what Sabine must do if she is to become a wielder of the Darksabre, and have clans back her. As a side-note, Kanan is using the one-handed sparring form 2, which is what Dooku was the undisputed master of. This is showing he is becoming a very good swordsman now, able to adapt and be good in many lightsabre forms. The music in this entire episode is wonderful. Rebels music is always good (and we have spoken recently about the series composer's work over this, Clone Wars, Tales Of The Jedi etc); but here in this episode in particular, it is phenomenal. From the opening scenes, through to even the journey towards the camp, and finally Sabine's Theme in all its glory, as her story unfolds, is par excellence. Here is Sabine's room on The Ghost, I love the nods to other episodes, with Lando, the Purgil, the puffer pig, Ketsu, and the best of all, showing Zeb and Kallus as besties!! :D https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/images/315-bts-05_2c68bdc8.jpeg
Saltire
2022-11-07 15:36:30 +0000 UTC
