Fighter Flight (Star Wars Rebels - S01E02) - Animated Series

This week on Star Wars Rebels Ezra and Zeb steal a TIE fighter while shopping for fruit. Yes, we’re only three episodes in and we already have a filler episode. SPOILERS.

Do you remember the episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that was about R2-D2 and C-3PO shopping for fruit? If not then good for you because it was one of the low points of the series. Well, this time it was Ezra and Zeb’s turn to go fruit shopping. Hera sends the Ezra and Zeb, who have been bickering nonstop, on supply run and tells them they must bring back a meiloorun fruit. The “send two people on a simple errand only to have them go on an adventure that brings them closer together” story has been done so many times that this episodes feels far too familiar, and it’s not even well done.

Star Wars Rebels has set up that the crew of the Ghost is like a family, but they took that concept and repeatedly hit you over the head with it in this episode. Ezra and Zeb were bickering like children throughout the episode, which would be fine if they were both children. Frankly, this early on in the show I expect Ezra to be kind of bratty and annoying but why did they all of the sudden decide to write Zeb that way? Zeb has been my favorite character so far and he went through some great character development in the last episode but his portrayal in this episode left a lot to be desired. The overplayed family dynamics in this episode made it feel like a bad ABC sitcom instead of a Star Wars TV show. Kanan actually says, “It’s a lot more peaceful with the kids gone.” We get it. They’re like a family but that doesn’t mean the writers have to be so obvious about it. Ezra and Zeb are the bickering brothers, Sabine is the rebellious sister, Kanan is the deadpan dad, and Hera is the mom the holds it all together. Its fine to portray the crew of the Ghost like a family, but don’t write them like sitcom characters. 

Ezra and Zeb find everything on Hera’s list expect the meiloorun fruit which doesn’t actually grow on Lothal. Hera was just trying to teach them a lesson. It turns out there are some meilooruns on Lothal, but they belong to the Empire. After a failed attempt to steal the fruit, Ezra and Zeb are chased by incompetent Stormtroopers. Yes, the Imperials still make the battle droids from The Clone Wars look good. Zeb manages to steal a TIE fighter and he and Ezra escape in it. When they tell Kanan what has happened he tells them to meet them at a rendezvous point. Kanan is worried that the stolen TIE fighter will draw too much attention. When Ezra’s old friend Sumar refuses to sell his land to the Empire, the Imperials destroy his home and take him prisoner. The Imperial Troop Transport finally made an appearance in Star Wars canon! Based on the design of the Kenner toy, the Imperial Trooper Transport is actually used to hold prisoners. The design of the Imperial Trooper Transport was great and in worked well within the context of the episode. When Ezra sees smoke coming from Sumar’s homestead, he convinces Zeb that they should rescue Sumar and the other prisoners. Ezra frees the prisoners but Stormtroopers emerge from the haul of the ITT. Ezra uses the meiloorun fruit he found in one of the crates to knockout a couple Stormtroopers. In my favorite moment in the entire episode, a Stormtrooper sees the meiloorun fruit and asks Ezra, “Wait, you did this all for fruit?” Which is exactly what I was asking throughout most of the episode. Ezra is outnumbered but Zeb uses the stolen TIE fighter to blast the remaining Stormtroopers and saves Ezra. After their escape, there's a nice moment between Ezra and Zeb where Zeb gives Ezra a TIE pilot's helmet for his collection. Ezra and Zeb return to Ghost with a meiloorun fruit and inform Kanan and Hera that they destroyed the TIE fighter. The less said about Sabine’s graffiti art, the better. After two promising episodes, Rebels stumbled this week with the show’s weakest episode by far.

What Worked

• Imperial Troop Transport appearance
• “Wait, you did this all for fruit?”
• Some good action sequences

What Didn’t Work

• Overplayed family dynamics made it feel like a bad sitcom instead of Star Wars
• Inconsequential story and the return of fruit shopping in the Star Wars galaxy
• Zeb acting like a child
• Will the Empire ever be portrayed as a legitimate threat?
• Sabine the graffiti artist

External Links:

• StarWars.com Episode Guide
• Wookieepedia Episode Summary