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| Children of the revolution! The young cast of STAR WARS: REBELS. All images: LUCASFILM/DISNEY/DORLING KINDERSLEY. |
STAR WARS REBELS:
THE VISUAL GUIDE
Written by Adam
Bray
With a Foreword by Dave Filoni
Published by
DORLING KINDERSLEY
Available in the
UK from August 1st, 2014. Price: £12.99
Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Sabine
Wren, Chopper, Zeb Orelios…
Names that may seem
unfamiliar now but ones that will soon become feared and hated by their enemies
in the tyrannical Galactic Empire. Names whose spark will light an expansive,
consuming touch paper to an eventual rebellion against evil, corruption and injustice
in the dark times that have since enslaved a universe. The heroes, and villains,
of the freshly minted STAR WARS REBELS animated series arrive this October on
the worldwide Disney XD channel, of
which enthused author Adam Bray, Lucas Books and the dedicated custodians of
the STAR WARS visual history flame based at DORLING KINDERSLEY now bring soon-to-be
enraptured younger readers an evocative and exciting Visual Guide to the hotly
anticipated next phase of the STAR WARS legend on television.
Specially designed to capture the adventurous spirit and galaxy traversing tone of that Original Trilogy which first exploded on to cinematic screens in 1977, set in the STAR WARS universe timeline five years before former farmboy Luke Skywalker changed the galaxy forever in destroying the behemoth Death Star space station, REBELS gives us a new young warrior to root for- Ezra Bridger. Almost the ultimate definition of a street urchin with a cocky but also vulnerable side to his nature, the isolated Ezra has survived on his wits, instincts and unusual latent abilities since he was very small on the far-off frontier world of Lothal. Talents for survival against an often harsh backdrop of oppression and violence that will lead him to uniquely joining a new “family” recognizing and helping him awaken his potential as a Jedi Knight-one of a rare breed seemingly exterminated from the universe for the most part by the evil Sith Lord duo of Emperor Palpatine and his ruthless servant, Darth Vader.
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| A new destiny awaits loner Ezra Bridger. |
Ezra’s destiny,
within this time frame of oppression dominated by dark-deeded spies, legions of
same-faced Imperial Stormtroopers and their overall technological superiority
in the suppression of peoples and worlds, soon emerges as a shining beacon to
raw heroism, changed for the better alongside his new compatriots, who
themselves change for the better in his company. A group of hardened, capable,
quirky and very diverse resistance
fighters from all corners of the universe, and of all shapes and sizes- a
veritable STAR WARS version of Robin Hood and his Merry Men- led by pony-tailed
Kanan Jarrus, soon out of hiding to reveal his own powerful status as a Jedi,
now that he has witnessed Ezra’s future potential in the Force. Together, will
they be powerful enough to defeat the Sith reign?
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| Familiar Imperial technology returns to the saga. |
Its tone
established right from the hour-long opener, from then on its fast-paced
action, humour and STAR WARS history-making/ icon celebrating all the way, as
author Bray enlightens readers with this new/old universe, giving us the full
lowdown on our rebel cadre- their backstories, capabilities and idiosyncrasies,
alongside their intriguing weapons and technology, travelling the distant
realms together from Lothal to Kessel in their unique Corellian-made, blockade
running, armament-packed, TIE fighter battling ship, Ghost. Charting the journey so far, the book details some of the
new and familiar faces on hand, plus some of the shady, other side of the coin
partners Kanan and co. will have no choice but to ally themselves with in order
to survive and fight on.
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| Touched by evil- the determined Inquisitor. |
And then there’s
the Empire, of whom Ezra and co. soon make an impact against, especially once Kanan’s Jedi skills are finally revealed after years of being deliberately
hidden or subdued, soon putting them firmly in the targeting sights of the most sinister
and dangerously effective forces in dedicated service to the Sith: notably the Utapau-born
Inquisitor- intelligent, unpredictably cunning and, though not quite a Jedi, a
truly demonic warrior certainly bearing the necessary lightsaber skills to take
out anyone who stands in his way. Backed
up by the dedicated human Agent Kallus, commanding his Stormtroopers with an
in-the-thick-of-it fighting style, fearsome might and ambitious, unparalleled
ruthlessness, evil has never been more prescient or generated more fear. One
thing’s for sure, our heroes, and the viewing audience, are in for a thrill-packed,
eventful ride from their building conflicts, of which this book is an exemplary primer- showing us the wonder
and excitement that only the STAR WARS franchise can deliver. As REBELS boldly fuses
the visuals and universes of EPISODEs III and IV together in all their rich
detail, Bray opens the door to the pilot episode and then goes beyond it,
examining several further future key episodes that look just as intriguing, his info-revealing text clear, concise and appealing, indicating a series that will
likely grow ever-more depthful as it goes on. The colourful book’s
designers, their love affair with STAR WARS happily contagious, additionally
enhance the enterprise with beautiful spreads promoting standout key action and
character moments that will surely become indelible over time within the
overall franchise's modern canon status. In that galaxy far, far away, the wind to shake
the stars is gathering momentum anew…
AFICIONADO
RATING. The first phase of DISNEY’s inheritance of the STAR WARS franchise
begins.Backed
up with a worthy, part-nostalgic foreword to the series by co-creator Dave Filoni,
who also previously help mastermind THE CLONE WARS to animated acclaim, this Visual
Guide to the all-new STAR WARS REBELS, particularly designed for a more
youthful reading style and viewing base, will surely be the first of many
volumes! 3.5 out of 5
Get hold of the
book here:
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| "There's one! Set for stun!" |
Catch the new seven-minute preview for STAR WARS: REBELS here: ▶ First Look at Star Wars Rebels - YouTube
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