Well, you can keep the good lines - and you have a bad guy saying things like "BY THE GREAT PARROT OF HADES, YOU SHALL PAY WITH THE LAST *DROP* OF YOUR BLOOD. * EVERY CORPUSCLE *, DO YOU HEAR!!!"

I agree with the sentiment of some that the series is really hitting its stride with this last episode. I particularly like that they are playing up the fact that our Jedi was merely a padawan when Order 66 hit. I like that the Inquisitor points out his heavy reliance on Form III demonstrating that he has had training but is far from mastering his weapon.

I also love his internal struggle. He carries the weight of the deaths of the other Jedi and truly seems to understand how lonely he is. He also understands that he is not as wise as the old masters or as strong as his opponents, and he thus feels inadequate as a teacher. It's a good balance to the standard image of a Jedi as confident and invincible.

I do find Ezra to be grating much of the time. I understand that it's a kid's show but a sling-shot...seriously? At least give him a blaster. I really hope before the show is 1/3 finished that he gets a proper lightsaber and can ditch that thing for the most part.

That being said, I do like the way he was found. They come together not due to unbelievable random chance but because the Force brought them together. Destiny is always a big part of Star Wars and Ezra and Kanan are perfect for each other.

I do find Ezra to be grating much of the time. I understand that it's a kid's show but a sling-shot...seriously? At least give him a blaster. I really hope before the show is 1/3 finished that he gets a proper lightsaber and can ditch that thing for the most part.

According to the weapons and equipment guide for the show, Ezra gets a hybrid blaster pistol/lightsaber weapon system, much like Zeb's Bo-rifle, later in the series. The guide has artwork on the cover showing Ezra using it in saber mode.

I do find Ezra to be grating much of the time. I understand that it's a kid's show but a sling-shot...seriously? At least give him a blaster. I really hope before the show is 1/3 finished that he gets a proper lightsaber and can ditch that thing for the most part.

According to the weapons and equipment guide for the show, Ezra gets a hybrid blaster pistol/lightsaber weapon system, much like Zeb's Bo-rifle, later in the series. The guide has artwork on the cover showing Ezra using it in saber mode.

Later in the series means before the end of season one, so it's not going to be a very long process.

In the case of Ezra and his energy slingshot, I think it bears keeping in mind that for most of the missions he's been on with the crew of the Ghost, needing him as a combatant hasn't been a priority, since they've got Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb to handle that role and they do so quite effectively. With the events in The Spire, it could be that the group decides Ezra does need a more practical weapon. The next episode has him infiltrating an Imperial training academy, so that'd be a good place for him to pick up some basic proficiency with a blaster.

Then again, with the threat of the Inquisitor, Kanan may decide he needs to accelerate Ezra's training and help the boy build a lightsaber a bit sooner than he'd initially been planning to do.

Probably the image of a kid with a real gun was too heavy for the audience. A 14 years old child with a sling-shot seems ok to me

Probably the image of a kid with a real gun was too heavy for the audience. A 14 years old child with a sling-shot seems ok to me

Clearly the target audience isn't from Texas.

Seriously though: I agree that's the reason. I have to write off a lot about that character saying "it's a kids' show" and try not to let it bother me. I just think the slingshot is one of the more egregious examples, and additionally it appears constantly making it harder to ignore.

I'm glad to hear he's getting a lightsaber in relatively short order, and I like the idea of a blaster/lightsaber combo for the ideal of making your lightsaber look like something else.

Well, I guess that besides it being "a kid show" there is actually something to say as to why he carries it. I am pretty sure that among his collection of imperial items (helmets, armor, etc.) there must be a gun of sorts. However, given his chosen profession on an imperial world I do not believe it would be wise to walke around with a blaster but rather carry a hidden "weapon" such as he does.

I agree that a hidden weapon is probably a better choice but there were literally hundreds of options that didn't involve a slingshot. My problem with it is that it just reinforces his role as the disney child protagonist rather than representing a more realistic young person in a harsh situation. But, again, that doesn't stop me from liking the show in general; it just means the main character comes off as kinda stupid in my opinion (which is fine since 29 year old lawyers are not the target demographic).

I do find Ezra to be grating much of the time. I understand that it's a kid's show but a sling-shot...seriously? At least give him a blaster. I really hope before the show is 1/3 finished that he gets a proper lightsaber and can ditch that thing for the most part.

According to the weapons and equipment guide for the show, Ezra gets a hybrid blaster pistol/lightsaber weapon system, much like Zeb's Bo-rifle, later in the series. The guide has artwork on the cover showing Ezra using it in saber mode.

Later in the series means before the end of season one, so it's not going to be a very long process.

Yeah. Since they only have Kanan's saber to train with, it would make sense for Ezra to get his own saber as soon as possible to make training easier.

I agree with the sentiment of some that the series is really hitting its stride with this last episode. I particularly like that they are playing up the fact that our Jedi was merely a padawan when Order 66 hit. I like that the Inquisitor points out his heavy reliance on Form III demonstrating that he has had training but is far from mastering his weapon.

So who is the Inquisitor? He's at least as old as Kanan, so in theory would have been around in TCW times. He's had considerable training of his own, so either Palpatine violated the Rule of Two by having Dooku and this guy as his apprentice simultaneously, or he's a fallen Jedi we never heard of. Actually, he kind of looks like the Son from the TCW Mortis arc...

It would be irritating to not get his backstory expounded on at some point.

I agree that a hidden weapon is probably a better choice but there were literally hundreds of options that didn't involve a slingshot. My problem with it is that it just reinforces his role as the disney child protagonist rather than representing a more realistic young person in a harsh situation. But, again, that doesn't stop me from liking the show in general; it just means the main character comes off as kinda stupid in my opinion (which is fine since 29 year old lawyers are not the target demographic).

I think it is mostly to reflect that his "rebellion" is still only in its infancy and he will eventually move to a blaster/saber soon, so I don't see it as a "Disney child protagonist" thing at all.

Disney has a track record of kids/teens carrying weapons in their movies actually. It had children shooting bows in Robin Hood, Aladdin wielding a Scimitar, Hercules holds a sword, Excalibur, Mulan has a Katana, all manner of weapons in The Black Cauldron, etc. I guess you'd be hard pressed to find a childrens studio that shows more kids brandishing arms than the Mouse....

I agree with the sentiment of some that the series is really hitting its stride with this last episode. I particularly like that they are playing up the fact that our Jedi was merely a padawan when Order 66 hit. I like that the Inquisitor points out his heavy reliance on Form III demonstrating that he has had training but is far from mastering his weapon.

So who is the Inquisitor? He's at least as old as Kanan, so in theory would have been around in TCW times. He's had considerable training of his own, so either Palpatine violated the Rule of Two by having Dooku and this guy as his apprentice simultaneously, or he's a fallen Jedi we never heard of. Actually, he kind of looks like the Son from the TCW Mortis arc...

It would be irritating to not get his backstory expounded on at some point.

There is a little backstory here, but it's mostly stuff we already know from just watching the show. To your point, it does mention that, "The individual known as the Inquisitor was a male Pau'an from Utapau, born over fifteen years prior to the Invasion of Naboo. After Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine transformed the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, the Inquisitor came into the service of the Empire and the Sith. Though not a Sith himself, the Inquisitor was tasked with hunting down and eliminating any Jedi who had survived Order 66, the order given to the Grand Army of the Republic by Chancellor Palpatine to destroy the Jedi Order. To accomplish this task, the Inquisitor was trained in the ways of the dark side of the Force and studied the the records of the Jedi Temple in order to defeat his enemies. "

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Inquisitor

The rule of two only applies to a Sith Lord and his Apprentice. The Inquisitor is not Sith; he was merely trained by one. They pull this trick all the time to make the rule of two still a thing but allow for all sorts of dark-side Force-users to be running around during the period. Personally, I'm fine with it because I've never thought the rule of two has made a **** bit of sense.

I agree that a hidden weapon is probably a better choice but there were literally hundreds of options that didn't involve a slingshot. My problem with it is that it just reinforces his role as the disney child protagonist rather than representing a more realistic young person in a harsh situation. But, again, that doesn't stop me from liking the show in general; it just means the main character comes off as kinda stupid in my opinion (which is fine since 29 year old lawyers are not the target demographic).

I think it is mostly to reflect that his "rebellion" is still only in its infancy and he will eventually move to a blaster/saber soon, so I don't see it as a "Disney child protagonist" thing at all.

Disney has a track record of kids/teens carrying weapons in their movies actually. It had children shooting bows in Robin Hood, Aladdin wielding a Scimitar, Hercules holds a sword, Excalibur, Mulan has a Katana, all manner of weapons in The Black Cauldron, etc. I guess you'd be hard pressed to find a childrens studio that shows more kids brandishing arms than the Mouse....

I don't mean that the lack of proper weaponry signifies the traditional child protagonist. I just mean that he comes off, to me at least, as a relatively usual (read: irritating) child protagonist. The current choice of weaponry being a slingshot just reinforces that general feeling about him since a slingshot is, more than any weapon other than perhaps a wooden sword, regarded as a child's weapon.

Now, if they are setting him up as a child to turn around and have him mature and grow in a meaningful way, then that will be fine. We'll just have to see how it goes considering, after all, it's still a kids' show.

The current choice of weaponry being a slingshot just reinforces that general feeling about him since a slingshot is, more than any weapon other than perhaps a wooden sword, regarded as a child's weapon.

He *is* a child. He probably didn't walk around carrying a gun before he met the crew because just possibly he didn't want to go around killing people. And they probably didn't thrust a gun into his hands when he ended up on their ship because, well... what would that tell you? That Hera and Kanen expect to be getting a runaway child into gunfights? And what would it tell Ezra if they did? That he was expected to start killing people? And what if Ezra asked for a gun? He'd be saying to Hera and Kanen - "I want to kill people". Arming oneself with a gun means preparing to kill people. It's not a casual thing.

The rule of two only applies to a Sith Lord and his Apprentice. The Inquisitor is not Sith; he was merely trained by one. They pull this trick all the time to make the rule of two still a thing but allow for all sorts of dark-side Force-users to be running around during the period. Personally, I'm fine with it because I've never thought the rule of two has made a **** bit of sense.

I thought the rule of two was a pretty good one, as a concept. The Sith are always striving after more power, so "cooperation" would be difficult. And it served them well while they slowly took control of industry and banking. Of course, once Palpatine made his power play by starting the Clone Wars, loose ends will develop, and pretty soon you have Maul declaring that he is the "true" Sith (...a notion of which he was soon violently disabused... ) and all kinds of Sithy types running around like crows at a battle.

So I wouldn't exactly call it "pulling a trick", more than an acknowledgement that the Rule of Two is only a philosophy, and "rules are made to be broken". It's really more "realistic" than assuming all these Sith wannabes can maintain such a severe level of discipline once the Game of Thrones, Star Wars Edition, is afoot.

The rule of two only applies to a Sith Lord and his Apprentice. The Inquisitor is not Sith; he was merely trained by one. They pull this trick all the time to make the rule of two still a thing but allow for all sorts of dark-side Force-users to be running around during the period. Personally, I'm fine with it because I've never thought the rule of two has made a **** bit of sense.

I thought the rule of two was a pretty good one, as a concept. The Sith are always striving after more power, so "cooperation" would be difficult. And it served them well while they slowly took control of industry and banking. Of course, once Palpatine made his power play by starting the Clone Wars, loose ends will develop, and pretty soon you have Maul declaring that he is the "true" Sith (...a notion of which he was soon violently disabused... ) and all kinds of Sithy types running around like crows at a battle.

So I wouldn't exactly call it "pulling a trick", more than an acknowledgement that the Rule of Two is only a philosophy, and "rules are made to be broken". It's really more "realistic" than assuming all these Sith wannabes can maintain such a severe level of discipline once the Game of Thrones, Star Wars Edition, is afoot.

I agree with the general philosophy of a Sith wanting to limit their possible rivals. I just think that it shouldn't have been presented in so many sources as a hard and fast rule when they break it every 5 minutes.

Though you did just give me a decent idea. I may run a Star Wars campaign that runs through some Game of Thrones material and see if my players notice where I lifted the storyline from.

The current choice of weaponry being a slingshot just reinforces that general feeling about him since a slingshot is, more than any weapon other than perhaps a wooden sword, regarded as a child's weapon.

He *is* a child. He probably didn't walk around carrying a gun before he met the crew because just possibly he didn't want to go around killing people. And they probably didn't thrust a gun into his hands when he ended up on their ship because, well... what would that tell you? That Hera and Kanen expect to be getting a runaway child into gunfights? And what would it tell Ezra if they did? That he was expected to start killing people? And what if Ezra asked for a gun? He'd be saying to Hera and Kanen - "I want to kill people". Arming oneself with a gun means preparing to kill people. It's not a casual thing.

His choice of weaponry alone is not what defines him. The slingshot merely adds to the pile of things that make him come off as a "child protagonist" as in other kids' shows. I'm not saying that he should have immediately picked up a blaster and started killing people in cold blood. I am saying that he comes off as a standard child protagonist and the slingshot is one of the many reasons why. They could have had him using a blaster set to stun to accomplish the same effect that the slingshot seems to have on people, but instead they chose to go with a slingshot to reinforce that general feeling.

I'm not saying that he should act like an adult; I'm just saying that the general feel of the character is similar to other kids' shows and that it's irritating to me as a person far outside the target demographic. It's like I almost expect him to jump into a song and dance routine from time to time.

I'm also not saying this is a bad thing. The target demographic relates to these characters because the creators take such care in making sure the kids know that the characters are also kids. But, that's why these characters can be so annoying; they're overblown. I feel the show does perfectly what it set out to do. I just don't like Ezra because of that, and that's fine.

Sith doing something self-serving despite the rules!? What is the galaxy coming to?

Sith doing something self-serving despite the rules!? What is the galaxy coming to?

Oh come now. Sith can do all sorts of self-serving things while still following the rules. Despite the fact that he may or may not have been orchestrating things behind the scenes, Palpatine's takeover was totally legal.

But my point is that they're breaking it all the time. In practice, it's hardly a rule; it's barely even a guideline. It just feels like everyone makes this semantic argument that, despite the training being pretty much the same, they're not a true apprentice but are instead an acolyte or a follower or a weasel or whatever. If they're going to break the rule, just break it! You're a Sith! Hiding behind semantic arguments should be the realm of the Jedi as far as you're concerned! Come on, people (and non-people aliens)!

Not saying that one must, but if one decided to look at the Sith as a religion, then there could be a notion that a the powers and trappings and weapons are not what is important (but do they reveal worthy candidates) but rather a "consecrated" ("desecrated"?) state of being (at least in each other's eyes).

At the risk of making an innocently intended but possibly troublesome metaphor, it could be something akin to the difference between a deacon and a priest.

The current choice of weaponry being a slingshot just reinforces that general feeling about him since a slingshot is, more than any weapon other than perhaps a wooden sword, regarded as a child's weapon.

He *is* a child. He probably didn't walk around carrying a gun before he met the crew because just possibly he didn't want to go around killing people. And they probably didn't thrust a gun into his hands when he ended up on their ship because, well... what would that tell you? That Hera and Kanen expect to be getting a runaway child into gunfights? And what would it tell Ezra if they did? That he was expected to start killing people? And what if Ezra asked for a gun? He'd be saying to Hera and Kanen - "I want to kill people". Arming oneself with a gun means preparing to kill people. It's not a casual thing.

His choice of weaponry alone is not what defines him. The slingshot merely adds to the pile of things that make him come off as a "child protagonist" as in other kids' shows. I'm not saying that he should have immediately picked up a blaster and started killing people in cold blood. I am saying that he comes off as a standard child protagonist and the slingshot is one of the many reasons why.

Okay. I am going to posit that you would see him as "standard child protagonist" no matter what they did, unless they did something really counter-productive (such as having him overtly kill people). He is a child. What is this list of "standard" traits child protagonists are given and which of them fall out naturally from the character being a child - most I should think.

They could have had him using a blaster set to stun to accomplish the same effect that the slingshot seems to have on people, but instead they chose to go with a slingshot to reinforce that general feeling.

I don't think it would be very easy to show them using a blaster set to stun, actually. It's a Star Wars cartoon and thus already low on Tarantino blood fountains and graphic burns resulting from getting shot. Generally people just fall down instead. Thus there isn't a great deal of differentiation between the effects of people shooting to kill and shooting to stun. Is every scene to show groaning storm troopers survived? You can visually distinguish the effects somewhat like they did with the expanding circles in TCW, but only serious students of the setting will pick that up. Everyone else will see him using a GUN. Which we all take to be a device used for killing. In order to avoid that you need to make the weapon visually distinct. Say, like a catapult.

I'm not saying that he should act like an adult; I'm just saying that the general feel of the character is similar to other kids' shows and that it's irritating to me as a person far outside the target demographic. It's like I almost expect him to jump into a song and dance routine from time to time.

That kind of supports my belief that you're seeing what you expect to see rather than what is there. I don't get the feeling that he's going to go Full Annie at any point. I find the whole thing pretty UN-schmaltzy, tbh.

At the risk of making an innocently intended but possibly troublesome metaphor, it could be something akin to the difference between a deacon and a priest.

I like that. And as Kainen says in this last episode - "having a laser sword does not make you a Jedi". By the same token, it presumably does not make one a Sith.

The metaphor that occurs to me is that of Vampire and Ghoul in the old Vampire: The Masquerade game.Maybe the Sith know all the lore, have all the teachings. And maybe they just teach some skills to their servants, such as lightsabre use and some basic Force manipulation.

Or maybe Palpatine is just arrogant enough to think himself above the rules. I find that quite likely.

At the risk of making an innocently intended but possibly troublesome metaphor, it could be something akin to the difference between a deacon and a priest.

I like that. And as Kainen says in this last episode - "having a laser sword does not make you a Jedi". By the same token, it presumably does not make one a Sith.

The metaphor that occurs to me is that of Vampire and Ghoul in the old Vampire: The Masquerade game.Maybe the Sith know all the lore, have all the teachings. And maybe they just teach some skills to their servants, such as lightsabre use and some basic Force manipulation.

Or maybe Palpatine is just arrogant enough to think himself above the rules. I find that quite likely.

Agreed. That makes sense. The Force in Star Wars is heavily laden with pseudo-religious and/or just generally mystical trappings. That's part of why it's cool (screw you midichlorians; we didn't need you to explain the magic!). To grant someone a title as a Sith is to say that they are worthy and are not merely a pawn. They have the ability to not just use the Force as a tool but also to explore and understand the Force. Many of the non-Sith apprentices were taught the ways of the Sith merely so that they might be used as weapons, powerful but ultimately expendable. Perhaps that's closer to what it means to be a true Sith rather than an acolyte.