Dave Filoni behind the scenes of The Mandalorian
By
Lewis Glazebrook
Published Feb 14, 2026, 9:30 PM EST
Lewis is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant and has written for the site since 2022. This has allowed Lewis to explore a vast array of films, TV shows, books, comic books, and games from across the mainstream world of pop culture, reflecting his lifelong love of all media and typifying his experience in the world of fiction storytelling. To top this off, Lewis graduated from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Film & TV Studies, truly exemplifying his experience in the medium.
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Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
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A four-part Star Wars show from Dave Filoni only continues getting better. The story in question is one of Star Wars' animated shows, Star Wars Rebels. Dave Filoni created the show after spending time on another of Star Wars' TV shows, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Alongside Simon Kinberg and Carrie Beck, Filoni concocted Star Wars Rebels.
The show, much like Andor, which is often dubbed Star Wars' best TV show, explores the origins of the Rebel Alliance. This story is told through the lens of Phoenix Squadron, a ragtag group of rebels who become a found family as they navigate the galaxy's changing political climate.
Upon release and throughout its four-season run, Star Wars Rebels received critical acclaim. This was impressive enough on its own, but it is how Star Wars Rebels keeps getting better that solidifies it as a masterpiece.
Star Wars Rebels Has Aged Better Than The Clone Wars
Kanan Jarrus berates Ezra Bridger in Star Wars Rebels season 1 episode 4
Many often compare Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars as the two best animated shows in the franchise. Despite their similarities, though, and the latter's obvious quality, it can be argued that the former has aged better than it. One of the reasons for this is The Clone Wars' reliance on its narrative structure.
The Clone Wars was split into several arcs, jumping around the titular conflict and focusing on different characters, planets, and battles. This allowed for some amazing episodes, some of which stand tall as Star Wars' best stories to this day, but also meant some individual episodes were flat-out bad.
Rebels, on the other hand, is a tight narrative that focuses on the same group of characters for four seasons. This makes every episode compelling, and while some are not as good as others, there is no denying that The Clone Wars has lower lows than Rebels does. Moreover, many would argue Rebels has higher highs.
Why Star Wars Rebels Remains Relevant 8 Years Later
Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) cups Ezra Bridger's (Eman Esfandi) face when they reunite on Peridea.Image via Disney+
What supports the fact that Rebels has aged excellently is that it is still relevant eight years after its final episode. The characters from Rebels reappeared in The Mandalorian, with even bigger roles in 2023's Ahsoka. 2026 will then see Ahsoka season 2's story be released on Disney+, continuing the importance of Rebels.
Characters introduced in the animated show include Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, and Grand Admiral Thrawn, all of whom have central roles to play in Ahsoka season 2's story and the rest of the New Republic era. Ahsoka, too, was part of Rebels after her Clone Wars introduction, proving how vital the former still is to Star Wars in 2026.
Star Wars Rebels Deserves An Animated Sequel
Kanan Jarrus fights Jedi temple guard in Star Wars: Rebels
Due to how well Star Wars Rebels has aged, it deserves an animated sequel more than ever. It was amazing to see the characters again in live-action thanks to Ahsoka, but it was still strange to see them in such a different medium, and with new actors portraying them. Star Wars is a franchise that can be flexible, though, making an animated sequel possible.
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Dive into the world of movies and TV shows with Screen Rant, your source for news, reviews, and exclusive content. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Other stories with these characters could be told in animation alongside Ahsoka season 2, allowing one of the strongest Star Wars shows to continue in the same way it began. If this wish is granted, it would be a gift to those who agree that Star Wars Rebels only keeps getting better.
Star Wars Rebels
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