Star Wars - Rebels

Already the first minute of 'Star Wars - Rebels' makes clear that the animation series wants to continue where the 'old' Star Wars trilogy left off. Could this mean a 'New Hope' for the hackneyed Star Wars franchise?(Pun intended).

At the beginning of the pilot, our young hero Ezra Bridger (voiced by Taylor Gray) stands on an antenna mast reminiscent of the Space Needle in Seattle and gazes pensively at a small city on the horizon in front of him, just as Luke Skywalker and Obiwan Kenobi once gazed (or will gaze, since 'Star Wars - Rebels' takes place 15 years before the events of 'Star Wars - A New Hope') at Mos Eisley.Suddenly, a low hum and a dark shadow settles over the boy's face. A massive Imperial Star Destroyer flies overhead. The 'Imperial March' is played. Then the logo of the series is faded in and now the theme of the rebels is quoted musically.Immediately you know what it's about. David against Goliath. Rebels against the Empire. The light against the dark.Finally. A Star War series that you can watch in your mid-forties without getting stomach cramps.If the previously abruptly discontinued series 'Clone Wars' was still the most in-depth analysis of George Lucas prequel blunder, 'Rebels' tries and constantly says: 'Don't panic. We know what you want to see, fans.'Written and dreamed up by producer and writer of the last X-Men box office hit Simon Kinberg, 'Rebels' is already Kinberg's second redemption to a fan base. With 'X-Men - The Last Stand' he delivered a terrible interpretation of the 'Dark Phoenix' saga for many fans, but fans, critics and especially moviegoers were all the more gracious with his last job 'X-Men - Days Of Futures Past'.Now 'Rebels'. The story is quickly told. Orphan teenager Ezra meets a rebel quintet led by former Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus (Freddy Prince Jr.). The alien for the rough Zeb (Steven Blum), The pilot Hera, the explosives expert Sabine and the astromech droid 'Chopper'. As a 'Reluctant Hero' strongly based on the character of 'Aladdin' from the Disney movie of the same name, Ezra first tries to steal from the rebels until he realizes that they really are 'The Good Guys'. After a successful rescue of a couple of Wookies, from the mines of Kessel (!) he joins the Rebels, finding purpose, training as a Jedi and a possible surrogate family.Sounds trite? It is. But that's exactly what the 'Star Wars' universe needed. The 'holes' in the plot provide the necessary openings that had to be filled by the rapt audience in the old Star Wars films. The animated characters perform a puppet show in a positive sense, with a well-constructed plot and crude humor more reminiscent of 'Guardians of the Galaxy' than 'Clone Wars'.Finally, the only question that remains is why this series is coming right now? Maybe it's not just to lay out the red carpet for J.J. Abrams' 'Star Wars VII', but to give a wounded America a fairy tale again, where it can completely side with the good guys.