What is the project’s status?

Episode 1 released - Episode 2 WIP

What is this edit about?

0 | No “movie” edits

There are a lot of edits that try to make Rebels into a series of movies. I think the structure of the show does not compliment that approach at all. So this edit will clearly be structured like a TV show.

1 | Focus on character journeys

The biggest difference to other fan edits of Rebels is that this one is laser focused on the characters. Anything that is not in service of their development and that is not essential for the overall plot (of not just this show, but the canon in general), will be removed. - Even if it is technically part of a main story arc.

2 | Meant for a chronological rewatch

Firstly, I created an Intro that strongly resembles the one from Andor. This will smoothen the experience a bit when you jump between shows. (see pictures further down) This also means non-essential episodes with Cameos of well known characters will not be completely skipped. There is value in checking in with characters like Saw Gerrera, since it makes the show feel more connected to the overall canon. It also compliments the goal of this edit to focus on the characters. In rare cases, the appearance of elements in the show will be changed to resemble other instances of them appearing in canon. (see the example of Kessel in the pilot episode below)

3 | Make it feel less kiddy - but keep the goof!

This might sound contradictory at first glance, but I honestly do not think it is a bit of goof here and there that really makes this show feel kiddy. For me at least the cause of that are instances where the obvious is spelled out or information is repeated multiple times. Those things will be removed, where possible. The goof will be retained. 😃

4 | No exposition via text

EddieDean used text cards in front of each episode to great effect in “Clone Wars: Refocused”. For Clone Wars, something like it was actually neccessary, since the (often essential) opening narration of the show had to be replaced with something. With Rebels, there is no such inherent need. Introducing an element like it makes it possible to cut down the runtime even more, as Goobs “Rebels Recut” showed. But this cut is committed to give the audience all the relevant information directly onscreen. The use of cold openings allows me to skip a lot of unneccesary fluff regardless.

5 | Overall structure

Any episode will follow this structure:

1. Fanedit info screen
2. Cold Opening
3. Intro
4. Episode
5. Credits

6 | Episode length

The priority of this edit is to tell a complete chapter of the story with every episode. Because of this, the runtime of a given episode will vary greatly.

Detailed Episode Infos

Season 1

• Spark of Rebellion

First Impressions

Intro

The Andor-inspired Intro in a few pictures. In motion it is clearly visible that the planet is Lothal. So the intro combines Sabine’s phoenix with the world that is the main focus of the show.

Kessel

Kessel looked substantially different in “Solo” so I added a bit of mist and lightning.

EddieDean said:

Is this movies or TV-length episodes? How will it differ from g00b’s?

Will absolutely aim for tv length episodes. This actually started out as an alternate Cut to Episode 1 of Rebels Recut, had some talks about that with G00b behind the scenes.

G00b does a great job, he is more focused on plot though, while I really prefer to dig into the characters. For example, I will keep Episode 3 (which is completely skipped by G00b) mostly intact, because it shows the growing pains of the Ghost Crew becoming a unit and them accepting Ezra as a real part of them. Not to forget about the Setup For Zeb and Kallus that happens there. It is all not strictly needed to understand the plot of the show, but deepens the characters and let’s their relationships evolve a bit.
Second big difference will be that I will keep a bit more of the goof. We have Andor as a super serious show in this time frame already.
Lastly, I am probably more willing to radically change how certain scenes are used, if it fits with my goals. G00b tends to stay very close to the source material.

EddieDean said:

Very nice! I hope you guys can bounce off each other nicely to generate some good ideas. Best of luck!

Let’s see how the feedback to these first few changes is. 😃

Intro feedback:
For your intro might I recommend slow-mo or beginning the transitions a bit earlier. It’s a little bit odd (in my opinion) that Sabine just pauses.
Someone on reddit gave me this advice for my edit and now I’ll pass it onto you, to make your logo look more professional when it appears try playing around with the acceleration curves for the start and stop of the zoom.

Skipping Ezra’s capture feedback:
I think the transition to skip Ezra’s capture works quite well! Good thinking! The only thing that doesn’t work (in my opinion) is showing the planet Kessel twice. I don’t think it’s needed in the first appearance, I think you could cut to the planet’s surface and it’d still read, given the crew was just talking about the Wookies.
Does the star destroyer in orbit play a role in the confrontation on Kessel? If not, I find that a bit odd and would recommend taking some space battle footage from an episode you don’t plan on using. That gives more credibility to the job being a trap and setup as well!

Holocron feedback:
Might I suggest showing Ezra opening the holocron at his home after he’s left the Ghost before Kanan appears. I don’t have much problem with where your showing it, it just kind of breaks the moment of that sequence.

Overall feedback:
Great work TheDimitrios! I’m really looking forward to seeing what else you come up with! 😄

Thanks g00b, this is exactly the kind of feedback to get a feel for the whole fan edit thing!

I got worried that the audience would call into question if the wookies are really there once I introduce the ambush, so I tried to make it as clear as possible for the viewer that the Ghost is indeed in the right place. I might have overdone this a bit, will try to see how it flows without the first establishing shot.
As is, the Star Destroyer does not come back yet. I am scouting for fitting footage, but a lot is still in flux and maybe I will not find something fitting. While I think it would probably work (although not very elegantly) without, it would be best to resolve that beat later on, even if it is just by the Ghost flying past a Star Destroyer.
I am still thinking about what to do with that Holocron, because Eura does give it back to Kanan when he leaves the ship. Maybe I will find a more elegant solution.

Oh true 😂 he definitely does give it back as he’s dropped off. Maybe the solution is to find a place earlier in the episode. Perhaps he opens it when he initially steals it?
In terms of episode flow (not having seen the whole thing, just the snippets you’ve provided). It’s a bit clunky if he opens it then immediately returns it.

It’d also be a bit for VFX work, but if you don’t have a battle with the star destroyer, it’d make an impact to see it in orbit from the planet. Even if it was just the shot of the ghost coming down to land. Though, that’s easier said then done!

Sounds good. The early seasons definitely suffer a lot from this.

Trying to bring the Look of Kessel to a place where it fits with Solo. (Pics below)

This is how it looked in solo:

This is how it looked in Rebels:

This is how it currently looks in my edit:

What do you guys think?

It’s nice, though I do think the 2nd shot should have more mist if possible.

Gandalf the Cyan said:

It’s nice, though I do think the 2nd shot should have more mist if possible.

Thanks for the feedback!

I will try to add more. Wanted to see if I can get away with this.
More detail: That shot has a Wipe transition on it, which makes multilayer roto work a bit of a pain.

I also have added some colorful glow around the planet and cooked up a new intro, new images will follow soon. Finally got a clear direction for the edit!

Reworked Intro post. Here a few more impressions.

The Andor-inspired Intro in a few pictures. In motion it is clearly visible that the planet is Lothal. So the intro combines Sabine’s phoenix with the world that is the main focus of the show.

Update to the look of Kessel

Shaving off a third of the runtime seems about right. So after wasting a lot of time with trying to make a bonus episode out of the shorts, including TotJ Resolve and whatever, I am now making rapid progress, since the direction is clear. Episode 1 is finished. I basically shaved 3 minutes off and added 3 minutes of new footage. The next 2 episodes will then save a big chunk of meaningless watchtime for the viewer. They will also fundamentally restructure Kanan’s character arc. Excited to see how people will react.

Episode 1 - Spark of Rebellion

Runtime: 44:54 min

Footage from

• Art Attack Promotional Short (03:01 min)
• Spark of Rebellion Part 1 (22:59 min)
• Spark of Rebellion Part 2 (22:05 min)

Changelist (chronological)

• ADDED the “Art Attack” Short as a cold opening, because it establishes Sabine’s phoenix graffity (which is part of the Intro) and it is called back to at the end of the season. It also shows that her methods are evolving. Here she puts an explosive on top of the graffity, later in the episode the graffity IS the explosive.
• REMOVED the opening scene of the Inquisitor talking to Vader. Neither character plays a role in this episode and the ending of this episode functions very well as an introduction for the Inqusitor anyway. It is one of those instances where they spelled it out for the kids, making for a very clunky experience.
• REMOVED the scene of Ezra standing on his tower and leaving for the town. If you remove the Rebels fanfare (and the title screen) there is not much left there and it does not flow very well into the next scene, because we get 2 establishing shots right after each other, but there is nothing really happening in the first location.
• REMOVED the on the nose dialog by the Jogan trader. We do not need a character spelling out that it was better before the empire. He instead gets instantly arrested, without discussion. Makes the empire look even worse, but without having a character basically turning to the camera and saying “The empire is bad, you know?”
• REMOVED the first instances of Kanan Tap-Signalling when Ezra watches them getting ready for their ambush. So instead of him going around and tapping his pockets repeatedly (and suspiciously), Kanan now walks towards Zeb, stops for a moment (WITHOUT tapping), Zeb gets the hint and gets ready, Kanan then continues ahead and taps when reaching Sabine, who confirms via tapping and proceeds to set the plan in motion. This makes the Crew look more discrete and therefore more competent. Another instance of the show spelling it out for the kids.
• REMOVED Zebs on the nose comment when Kanan tells him to fall back with his speeder. We know he is angry at “the kid” (Ezra). It really does not need to be spelled out.
• REMOVED an awkward looking shot (from the side in a weird posture) when Ezra jumps onboard the Ghost with the crate.
• REMOVED the line of Zeb specifying that “throwing out” means “mid flight”. It really does not need to be spelled out.
• REMOVED banter between Hera and Kanan that establishes again how special Ezra is. This has been established enough already at this point. Removing these improves the pacing of the still ongoing chase.
• REMOVED a lot of redundant dialogue to bridge the gap between episodes 1&2.
• ALTERED the appearance of Kessel in an establishing shot to better resemble it’s appearance in SOLO.
• REMOVED the little moment where Ezra emerges proudly between the Wookies after setting them free. We get that this was a heroic action without this shot.
• REMOVED the lines regarding Ezra “passing a test” when he gives back the Holocron. Opening Holocrons was never established as being “a test” anywhere in the lore. Plus we don’t need an explanation here. Ezra opened the Holocron, which can only be done by using the force. No further explanation needed.
• ALTERED the appearance of Kessel again to fit better with SOLO.

If anyone wants to take a look, just shoot me a PM.

Love that Andor type look to the logo and making Kessel look more consistent to it’s depiction in Solo… good stuff