Things have been gearing up for ‘Star Wars: Rebels’ as it’s been in production and now we have more video beyond  the behind the scenes one that was previously released. This one is more along the lines of introducing us to a new droid, Chopper. That’s right! We’re being introduced to the second character on the show after having already met The Inquisitor. Not only that, executive producer Dave Filoni has also spilled on what fans can expect about the tone and setting of the film.

While ‘Clone Wars’ dealt more with the rebellion, fans of the original trilogy are going to be happy here to hear that ”Star Wars Rebels’ is going to strongly focus on the Empire itself. According to Filoni:

“We will see many things that are famous to Star Wars, but have not appeared on screen in a while. Star Destroyers, TIE Fighters, and Stormtroopers – basically the Empire is back and that is a big change, since, for many years, we have only seen the Republic in action. The tone of the series is also different. The Clone Wars got very dark as we headed towards the end of the war and the downfall of the Jedi. Star Wars Rebels brings back the banter and faster pace that the original films were famous for.”

So not only are we going to be seeing the side of the Empire that everyone loves to see, but we’ll get banter too! I’m not sure that’s something we’ve been without if you were still following the ‘Clone Wars‘ series. At the very least, we’ll get an idea of what life in the Outer Rim was like for the more civilized worlds and not just Tatooine as Filoni has stated:

“Rebels takes place in the Outer Rim. The audience typically thinks of Tatooine as the place where Luke Skywalker grew up, when the Outer Rim is mentioned. We are on a more civilized planet, and one that profited from the Empire’s existence in the beginning. Most of the stories take place on the planet Lothal, which is a grass planet with large monolithic stones on the surface. The look comes from some Ralph McQuarrie concept paintings that were done for the original Star Wars films. We tried to make Lothal look and feel like a planet that would have been in the original film trilogy. It’s alien, but you feel like it’s someplace that you could visit on Earth geographically. Hoth, Tatooine, and Endor are all like this, so we think it fits in well.”

I personally think that sounds like a great environment to throw people into. Earthlike and alien mixed together. This is the part of the span between the original trilogy we love and the trilogy timeline wise that came first according to Lucas that I think we’ve all wanted to see. The Empire truly in power and building upon what Emperor Palpatine has created.

Filoni also revealed another droid that will be featured in the series: Chopper. Described as loyal, belligerent and hard-working, the animators have dubbed this character as a “if R2 is your favorite dog, Chopper is the cat”. Take a look at Chopper and watch as the animators describe the process of his creation. And if you look closely, you’ll also get a look foot at some of the footage from the series!

Are you excited for the new series? Looking forward to it’s premiere this Fall? Share your thoughts below!

Synopsis:

‘Star Wars Rebels’ continues the epic tradition of the legendary ‘Star Wars’ saga with all-new exciting, action-packed adventures. It is a dark time in the galaxy, as the evil Galactic Empire tightens its grip of power from world to world. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people. But there are a select few who are brave enough to stand up against the endless Stormtroopers and TIE fighters of the Empire: the clever and motley crew of the starship Ghost. Together, this ragtag group will face threatening new villains, have thrilling adventures, and become heroes.

Source: Screen Crush, Coming Soon