Wings of the Master (Star Wars Rebels - S02E07) - Animated Series

Hera is finally given something to do this season. SPOILERS. 

Since the beginning, Star Wars Rebels has struggled with properly developing its characters. Hera has consistently been one of the show’s strongest characters but is often given little to do. More often than not, Hera is stuck aboard the Ghost while the rest of the crew goes on a mission. Thankfully, Hera was given the spotlight in this episode. This was definitely a step in the right direction for her character but I can’t help but feel that the writers only scratched the surface here. Hera’s speech about growing up on Ryloth during the Clone Wars was one of the episode’s standout moments but we didn’t get much else.

“Wings of the Master” began with the Ghost crew and Phoenix Squadron failing to deliver supplies to a planet blockaded by Agent Kallus’ forces. The presence of Agent Kallus was once again a distraction for me. It feels so incredibly lazy for the Ghost crew to run into him on an almost weekly basis. Is he the only Imperial officer in the galaxy? Jumping ahead, the Ghost easily defeats Kallus again at the end of the episode. Shocker, I know. He’s been defeated by them so many times I can’t take him seriously as threat anymore. I wish the writers had used Kallus more sparingly and that they hadn’t completely dropped his connection to Zeb. After the failed supply delivery, Rex told the rest of the rebels that he knows an old ship engineer named Quarrie who has developed a starfighter that might be able to help them break through Kallus’ blockade. After a crash landing, Hera, Sabine, and Zeb discovered Quarrie’s home. The character of Quarrie didn’t bother me, but his design felt too cartoony. Even for Star Wars Rebels. Quarrie showed Hera his latest creation, the Blade Wing. Yes, this is the first chronological appearance of the B-wing. I’ve always really liked the design of the B-wing but this episode actually made me like it even more. Hera’s test flight of the B-wing was my favorite part of the episode. The whole sequence was beautifully directed and Kevin Kiner’s score added a lot to that scene. Seeing the B-wing in action was a lot of fun. After Quarrie gave the rebels permission to use the B-wing, Hera used it to destroy Kallus’ blockade which allowed the rebellion to deliver supplies to the planet below. Hera’s mission was success. Quarrie even agreed to help the Rebellion produce more B-wings. At the end of the episode, Commander Sato promoted Hera to Phoenix leader.

While I wouldn’t call this one of my favorite episodes of Star Wars Rebels, I’m glad Hera was at the center of the mission this time and seeing her pilot the B-wing made the episode even better.

What Worked

• Seeing the B-wing in action
• Hera talking about her childhood on Ryloth
• Hera finally gets the spotlight

What Didn’t Work

• The rebels run into and defeat Kallus. Again.
• Only scratched the surface of Hera’s character
• Quarrie’s design felt too cartoonish, even for Rebels

External Links:

• StarWars.com Episode Guide
• Wookieepedia Episode Summary