Ahsoka is coming, which is why we’re rewatching Star Wars Rebels. The road is coming closer, and we’re almost there, folks. It’s hard to believe we’re about to get these characters in live-action. This post will serve as one of four, one for each season of Rebels, detailing a specific aspect of the show. One of the most essential parts of Ahsoka is the Rebels characters, who play vital roles in the story.
For the first season, we’re looking at the major characters who appear during the first season of Rebels. Don’t expect to see Jacen Syndulla or Quarrie in this particular article. Quarrie does not appear until Season 2, and Jacen doesn’t show up until the epilogue of Season 4. Also, Ahsoka is not included as she was in Star Wars Rebels very little.
Let’s begin with the leading Rebels character, Kanan.
Kanan Jarrus – Partner Of Hera And Father of Jacen
During Ahsoka, Kanan Jarrus has been deceased for nine years. As far as we know, he never knew of Hera’s pregnancy with their son, Jacen. In the final years of his life, he found great purpose. Despite being just over a decade older than they were, he became a paternal figure to the younger members of the Ghost crew, Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger. He even trains them. Ezra becomes his padawan learner, while Sabine becomes his lightsaber trainee.
Kanan dealt with much trauma due to his experiences as a Jedi, and his death shaped Hera in more ways than one. She would go on to raise their son alone. However, Jacen shared more psychical attributes with his father than his mother as he was more human in appearance than he was Twi’lek.
The former Jedi appears in the mural painted by Sabine.
Whether Kanan appears in any form outside of the mural is unclear. Though, there might be a reference to him since he did start teaching Sabine lightsaber combat.
During his time as a Jedi, Kanan’s birth name was Caleb Dume; he was taken on as a student by Depa Billaba. Billaba affectionately called him “My young strategist.”
Hera Syndulla – Partner Of Kanan, Mother Of Jacen And Natural Born Rebel
A Twi’lek, Hera was born to freedom fighters Cham and Eleni Syndulla. By the end of the Clone Wars, she was a preteen. After her mother’s death, Hera fell out with her father, who put their homeworld, Ryloth, before her. They were estranged for many years. Her constant companion during this time was her somewhat faithful yet cantankerous astromech droid, C1-10P or, as he was affectionately dubbed, Chopper. She also had dreams of becoming a pilot.
She would later meet former Jedi Kanan Jarrus, and they would become incredibly close and flirtatious. The pair would form the rebel cell, the Spectres or the Ghost crew.
Hera would become the maternal figure with her honorary family, becoming a mother figure to Sabine and Ezra, who were both teenagers by the time Star Wars Rebels starts. She would have to pull the crew together and tell the boys, mainly Ezra, Chopper and Zeb, to pull their heads in.
Prior to the Battle of Scarif, Hera confessed to Kanan how she felt about him, prompting the conception of a son. However, Kanan is killed, leaving Hera heartbroken and their little family devastated.
Hera would go on to take the military rank of General while raising her son with Kanan, Jacen, alone. Well, she had Chopper as a glorified babysitter. Sabine would act as an aunt to the child as he would call her Aunt Sabine.
Sabine Wren – Mandolarian Rebel
Born on Mandalore but having two homeworlds in Mandalore and Krownest, Sabine Wren is one of those Rebels characters that would be a great ally to have. Once an Imperial sympathiser, Sabine fell out with her parents, Ursa, Alrich, and brother Tristan. She left the Imperial Academy on Mandalore and became caught up with Hera and Kanan.
Sabine became their small operation’s weapons and explosives expert, even known to the Stormtroopers as “The Artist.” She was annoyed by Ezra Bridger’s flirting when he first showed up, but they came as close as siblings.
She also loved getting into Chopper’s tormenting of Ezra and Zeb as she got a kick out of Chopper removing the bolts from Ezra’s bunk in the room he shared with Zeb onboard the Ghost.
Garazeb Orrelios – The Muscle
Don’t cross Zeb. Ever. He could easily rip your arms from their sockets like a Wookiee can. He had a love-hate relationship with Chopper and Ezra. A Lasat, the same species as Jaro Tapal (from the videogame Jedi Fallen Order), Zeb thought he was the last of his kind as his homeworld, Lasan, was razored, and one of the people involved was Agent Alexsandr Kallus, who worked for the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) for a long time.
Zeb is often stuck with doing the heavy lifting, including being forced to room with Ezra when he became a member of the Spectres. However, he and Ezra bonded after Hera became tired of their bickering and sent them on a wild goose chase in search of supplies.
His fierce rivalry with Kallus becomes a driving force throughout Season 1. During Season 2 (which will be addressed in our Season 2 post), Zeb develops an unusual friendship with Kallus after the pair end up trapped together on a moon above Geonosis.
There is no confirmation whether Zeb will appear in Ahsoka outside of Sabine’s mural. Though, he did appear in Mandalorian Season 3.
Ezra Bridger – Missing In Action As Of Ahsoka
Ahsoka is headed to Disney+ because Dave Filoni felt there was more story to tell, and one of those stories is the mystery behind Ezra Bridger’s disappearance. Star Wars Rebels fans will know what happened to him, but where he went is another tale.
Ezra is one of those Rebels characters that grows on you. In Star Wars Rebels Season 1, he starts out as a petty thief after being orphaned as a child when his parents were arrested for speaking out against the Empire.
Upon his first interactions with Kanan, he had no idea he was Force Sensitive. Over time, he became a member of the Ghost team and bunked with Zeb and had a rivalry with him and Chopper.
He formed many enemies during Season 1, including the Grand Inquisitor.
C1-10P “Chopper” – A Real Pain In The Ass
Hera’s faithful astromech, Chopper, is overly annoying and is known to push rival droids out of airlocks. He has a love-hate relationship with Zeb and Ezra and isn’t afraid to argue with Hera.
Agent Alexsandr Kallus – Rival (Later Friend) to Zeb
Like Zeb, we don’t know if Kallus will appear in Ahsoka. However, in Rebels Season 1, he serves as a foil to our favourite Lasat and believes he killed off all of the Lasat people. He may get a reference in Ahsoka, but it’s still a wait-and-see moment.
Kallus was a staunch supporter of the Empire as he was an ISB agent, but after seeing two of his colleagues cut down by the Grand Inquisitor on the orders of Grand Moff Tarkin, he begins questioning his place in the more expansive Empire.
