It’s the beginning of the end in trailer for Star Wars Rebels’ fourth season

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Although I haven't warmed up to Star Wars Rebels quite as much as I eventually did with Star Wars Clone Wars, I've got to admire the animated STAR WARS series for electing to go out on top rather than milking the franchise for a few more years. That's right, if you didn't already know, the upcoming fourth season of Star Wars Rebels will also be its last, but judging by its epic trailer, the series will go out with a bang.

Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni told Entertainment Weekly that the fourth and final season of the series will find the crew of the Ghost finally joining up with "the larger Rebellion that [will] be more familiar to what you saw in Rogue One." However, when a new Imperial threat arises on Lothal, Ezra leads the crew back to his home world to defeat the oppressive forces of the Empire under the command of cunning Grand Admiral Thrawn. Old friends are reunited and new alliances are forged as the series builds to its epic conclusion. As seen in the trailer, the fourth season will find several recognizable STAR WARS characters making appearances, including ROGUE ONE's Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), who Filoni says is being pushed further down an extreme path which doesn't include a peaceful resolution with the Empire.

Saw Gerrera is certain that the Empire is up to something evil (that would be the Death Star) and is desperate to find evidence to prove that he's right, but Rebel Alliance leaders such as Mon Mothma and Bail Organa are still holding out hope that "the Senate can find a peaceful way to resolve everything, and it won’t come to all-out war." Gerrera will also be urging the Ghost crew to follow his path, and not the path of politicians like Mon Montha. "He looks at someone like Ezra and Kanan and thinks, ‘What a wasted resource.’ He fought with the Jedi in the Clone Wars, so he knows what they’re capable of," Filoni said.

Star Wars Rebels returns to Disney XD on October 16, 2017.