I am admittedly a mild fan of Rebels, but this last episode was fantastic. Showed good emotion for the characters, and it was not whiny, annoying or overly pouty even when it easily could have been. The light saber training and the

"since when are you my enemy?" line was fantastic, and the lack of a direct reply from Kanan really made you feel the uncertainty Kanan is feeling about Ezra. The uneasiness between Kanan and Ezra was extended in the force push of Sabine where they over shot their target, showing that something is keeping them from being in tune with one another, even in critical situations,.

Ezra's attempts to connect with the spiders, which seem to be a sort of "dark" aligned creature, was interesting and made the viewer think and contemplate his future further. I'm no Star Wars super fanboy, so I'm interested if there are Jedi/Sith who have specialized in connections with creatures in canon or legends.

Hera and Kanan's connection felt real as well. They were adults about having to be separated and showed their feelings in a real, palpable way.

A quips though. Does anyone have a body count on how many A-wings have died now? I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any casualties, because there should be, but it's getting to the point that anytime there are A-wings, My first thought is "How many are we going to see explode this episode?". And not only is it the pilots getting shot down in space, now its pilots just dying whenever they need to show that something is a real threat. It was particularly annoying that they went looking for the pilot and Rex, but once they found Rex, it was "Hiddy Ho! We found our main plot piece! Let's go!", and they didn't even seem to care that the pilot was nowhere to be found... Anyways, I hope they have some sort of story arc where the pilots get better training from a pilot we may know from other Star Wars lore so we don't just watch no-name generic A-wing pilots explode over and over.

I couldn't agree more with all of your sentiments.

While I think Ezra is failing to connect because he's drifting to the dark, in the latest episode of Rebels Recon they seem to imply that the force just doesn't work on these spiders. Or at least in the way Ezra is trying to use it.

Much like Toydarians seem to be immune to mind tricks.

I am admittedly a mild fan of Rebels, but this last episode was fantastic. Showed good emotion for the characters, and it was not whiny, annoying or overly pouty even when it easily could have been. The light saber training and the

"since when are you my enemy?" line was fantastic, and the lack of a direct reply from Kanan really made you feel the uncertainty Kanan is feeling about Ezra. The uneasiness between Kanan and Ezra was extended in the force push of Sabine where they over shot their target, showing that something is keeping them from being in tune with one another, even in critical situations,.

Ezra's attempts to connect with the spiders, which seem to be a sort of "dark" aligned creature, was interesting and made the viewer think and contemplate his future further. I'm no Star Wars super fanboy, so I'm interested if there are Jedi/Sith who have specialized in connections with creatures in canon or legends.

Hera and Kanan's connection felt real as well. They were adults about having to be separated and showed their feelings in a real, palpable way.

A quips though. Does anyone have a body count on how many A-wings have died now? I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any casualties, because there should be, but it's getting to the point that anytime there are A-wings, My first thought is "How many are we going to see explode this episode?". And not only is it the pilots getting shot down in space, now its pilots just dying whenever they need to show that something is a real threat. It was particularly annoying that they went looking for the pilot and Rex, but once they found Rex, it was "Hiddy Ho! We found our main plot piece! Let's go!", and they didn't even seem to care that the pilot was nowhere to be found... Anyways, I hope they have some sort of story arc where the pilots get better training from a pilot we may know from other Star Wars lore so we don't just watch no-name generic A-wing pilots explode over and over.

You do know that not everything filmed/digitally-generated gets put into an episode. Sometimes the recording goes a bit long, other times it could be a plot device that didn't need further explaining so was removed for story flow, there is also points where the shows directors need to tone it down for the viewers because of age.

Case in point, in "Siege of Lothal", when the administrator was defecting and went into the shuttle, it explodes. For a brief half second you see something fly out of the destroyed shuttle and land near the rebels, the scene cut very quickly to the rebels expressing regret at the death of the administrator. It appeared that the editors cut out the visual charred remains of the administrator because it may have been too grafic for young viewers.

I'm just saying that in this latest episode perhaps there was a scene where they found the remains of the pilot just before finding Rex. For whatever the reason the editors decided it wasn't needed for the story so they edit it out. Doing so doesn't destroy the continuity of the story so everything continues on.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

I dunno, the most significant contributions A-Wings make even in the original trilogy was merely "taking a hit and losing control before crashing into the bridge of a super star destroyer".

So...can't say they really come off that impressive in any "canon" source...

...Anyways, I hope they have some sort of story arc where the pilots get better training from a pilot we may know from other Star Wars lore so we don't just watch no-name generic A-wing pilots explode over and over.

Would be cool seeing a new 'hot shot' pilot show up and give Hera a run. Let's call that pilot Wedge or Garven. Then let the Phoenix squadron start flying better.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

I dunno, the most significant contributions A-Wings make even in the original trilogy was merely "taking a hit and losing control before crashing into the bridge of a super star destroyer".

So...can't say they really come off that impressive in any "canon" source...

Very true... but the phoenix squadron is quickly becoming the 'red shirts ensign' of star wars. Shoot, at this rate the rebellion will be lost due to lack of funding for new ships.

What I really want to know: What song was Zeb listening to on his radio thing? Cause it almost threw me off, I heard obvious guitar in it

It has to be a song made up for the show. They aren't going to use a real world song.

That said, the style is obviously meant to emulate some kind of sci-fi butt rock.

Looking forward to Maul.

Also, a clip.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

Dengar and Han Solo seem to have manged the transition from Swoop to ship well enough

What I really want to know: What song was Zeb listening to on his radio thing? Cause it almost threw me off, I heard obvious guitar in it

It has to be a song made up for the show. They aren't going to use a real world song.

That said, the style is obviously meant to emulate some kind of sci-fi butt rock.

I really hope they give it a cool name for that genre of music inuniverse. Anything that's cool, hopefully we can get past jizz music...

I really hope they give it a cool name for that genre of music inuniverse. Anything that's cool, hopefully we can get past jizz music...

Skeetrock.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

Dengar and Han Solo seem to have manged the transition from Swoop to ship well enough

Exactly what I'm making a jab at.

That is by far the dumbest reason for anyone to be a good starfighter pilot.

I really hope they give it a cool name for that genre of music inuniverse. Anything that's cool, hopefully we can get past jizz music...

Skeetrock.

Oh god don't give them any ideas.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

Dengar and Han Solo seem to have manged the transition from Swoop to ship well enough

In Legends continuity, Han had a stint in the Imperial academy learning to be a pilot.

in the new canon i don;t know if they ever updated his backstory, but Dengar at least got his start as a bounty hunter during the clone wars, when he was a junior member of Boba Fett's bountyhunter crew (which had the pre-teen Boba, a younger Bossk, the young Dengar, and some others, and temporarily anyway, Asajj Ventress)

he isn't seen piloting (Bossk doees that). but presumably during his career he picked up some training.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

Dengar and Han Solo seem to have manged the transition from Swoop to ship well enough

Exactly what I'm making a jab at.

That is by far the dumbest reason for anyone to be a good starfighter pilot.

I can see how you think going from one ridiculously fast machine to another would have no transferable skills whatsoever. It's like comparing a motorcycle to an airplane, no one ever makes successful transitions there.

A quip though. Does anyone have a body count on how many A-wings have died now?

I want to see a total body count. I want to know how many people Chopper has killed. (That tin can isn't just a jerk. He's a murderous jerk.)

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

Dengar and Han Solo seem to have manged the transition from Swoop to ship well enough

Exactly what I'm making a jab at.

That is by far the dumbest reason for anyone to be a good starfighter pilot.

I can see how you think going from one ridiculously fast machine to another would have no transferable skills whatsoever. It's like comparing a motorcycle to an airplane, no one ever makes successful transitions there.

http://youtu.be/8bLkcCZFKvA

A quip though. Does anyone have a body count on how many A-wings have died now?

I want to see a total body count. I want to know how many people Chopper has killed. (That tin can isn't just a jerk. He's a murderous jerk.)

"If cats looked like lizards, we'd realize what bastards they are."

Though I do prefer describing him as the grumpy grandpa, the developers do describe him as the cat to R2-D2's dog. And yes, he does act just like a cat would.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

Dengar and Han Solo seem to have manged the transition from Swoop to ship well enough

Exactly what I'm making a jab at.

That is by far the dumbest reason for anyone to be a good starfighter pilot.

I can see how you think going from one ridiculously fast machine to another would have no transferable skills whatsoever. It's like comparing a motorcycle to an airplane, no one ever makes successful transitions there.

You're absolutely right. How could I have been so foolish?

Clearly, controlling a floating jet powered bike is so, so amazingly similar to controlling a vehicle capable of incredibly complicated maneuvers with blasters, shielding and heavy weapons attached to it, and a system that can propel it to speeds beyond lightspeed.

It's an extremely simple transition. From a horizontal-only manner of controlling something to a no-real-up-or-down way of doing things.

Absolutely comparable and not at all some of the dumbest writing the EU or Episode I hatched.

EDIT: Not to mention the 1-1 completely similar controls. I mean, what difference is there, really? What real difference is there between a twist throttle and some tilting to alter your course, to a pedals, thrust and control stick setup with several control panels and displays?

For real, what difference is there?

Because I'm just not so sure. They seem so damned similar.

You're absolutely right. How could I have been so foolish?

Clearly, controlling a floating jet powered bike is so, so amazingly similar to controlling a vehicle capable of incredibly complicated maneuvers with blasters, shielding and heavy weapons attached to it, and a system that can propel it to speeds beyond lightspeed.

It's an extremely simple transition. From a horizontal-only manner of controlling something to a no-real-up-or-down way of doing things.

Even if the transition is complicated, you act like nobody knows how to ride a motorcycle and fly a plane...

Did you not see Top Gun?

Also, the lightspeed part is kinda irrelevant, cause you don't really steer ships through hyperspace.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

And that's exactly how Empire fans feel about how Imperial troops are portrayed in this cartoon.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

And that's exactly how Empire fans feel about how Imperial troops are portrayed in this cartoon.

Thing is, I don't think there is really much in the way of real armies at this point in galactic history. Let me explain why I think that may be so.

First, some history.

CIS Droid Army: The best army a corporation could ask for; an unending tide of blaster-wielding fodder bought from the lowest bidder for occupations and assaults filled out with mega-weapons and mechanical monstrosities that give even Jedi reason to fear. The cheapest and the best that money can buy all with no family benefits or unions.

Republic Clone Army: Domesticated slave-copies of the finest bounty hunter in the known galaxy, loyal to their designated masters and filled with patriotic dogma from the beginning of their oh-so-brief childhoods to the end of their accelerated lives. Their families are the corps; the only death-benefit they require is another chance for vengeance against their enemy. Add a dash of mind-control, a lifetime of training, and some of the classiest armor seen since Guinevere had second thoughts and: boom! A Grand Army for an Old Republic.

And now to our current era.

Stormtrooper corps: The Emperor's Finest in the same vein as 40k; that is to say one-part military police and two-parts thug with a gun. The Empire has no enemies . No kingdom, alliance, or empire could ever compete with The Empire head-to-head: they don't need soldiers, they need . . . peacekeepers. Any man who can hold a blaster and can pass basic training is suitable for patrolling the streets and going on parade; and with such a large galaxy to dominate, quantity is chosen over quality almost every time. The Republic used to let systems govern themselves, and thus only needed an army of a few million to take key systems and set up defenses. The Empire needs an army of billions working around the clock to keep *every* planet in line; the cost and time would be staggering for just conscripts: unthinkable for soldiers of clone-caliber. And, while they are just as often clumsy kids hopped-up on propaganda than soldiering material, regular run-of-the-mill humans do have three large advantages. One, they live for upwards of ninety years each, so you aren't replacing them for years unless they get killed; two, they are everywhere; and three, they are LEGION . If you want an army on the cheap, and you don't trust droids: human conscripts are the way to go.

Rebels: Not much to say here, not even sure if they have the title Alliance yet. Nerf-herders, wamp-rat hunters, salesmen, fish aliens, pirates. Motley doesn't even begin to describe it. Their good pilots and soldiers are mostly monks and old spaeciet-nam vets. Half of the recruits have never fired a blaster in anger before in their lives, the other half are too angry to hit anything! They are well-funded by secret rich patrons, and they have a general grassroots support, but that's about all they have going for them right now.

Patriots vs Dreamers, Rebels vs Soldier-boys: there hasn't been a real war in years.

TLDR

The stormtrooper corps at this point in time isn't very badass because really, who have they had to sharpen their steel on besides local merchants and petty thugs?

Oh yes, they do become good. When the Empire starts losing systems, it's garrisons become overrun, and the plastic MPs are forced to fend off guerrilla attacks on all sides: the army becomes better. Funding is freed up for better training, the battles create veterans and heroes; combat grinds away the fat, and leaves a solid edge of steel on both sides .

And nothing changes in terms of engagement balance.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

Dengar and Han Solo seem to have manged the transition from Swoop to ship well enough

Exactly what I'm making a jab at.

That is by far the dumbest reason for anyone to be a good starfighter pilot.

I can see how you think going from one ridiculously fast machine to another would have no transferable skills whatsoever. It's like comparing a motorcycle to an airplane, no one ever makes successful transitions there.

You're absolutely right. How could I have been so foolish?

Clearly, controlling a floating jet powered bike is so, so amazingly similar to controlling a vehicle capable of incredibly complicated maneuvers with blasters, shielding and heavy weapons attached to it, and a system that can propel it to speeds beyond lightspeed.

It's an extremely simple transition. From a horizontal-only manner of controlling something to a no-real-up-or-down way of doing things.

Absolutely comparable and not at all some of the dumbest writing the EU or Episode I hatched.

EDIT: Not to mention the 1-1 completely similar controls. I mean, what difference is there, really? What real difference is there between a twist throttle and some tilting to alter your course, to a pedals, thrust and control stick setup with several control panels and displays?

For real, what difference is there?

Because I'm just not so sure. They seem so damned similar.

I'm not saying it's an easy transition or that they have 1:1 controls. I'm saying that if you went from one to the other you would get a little know how at some point. I'll simplify for you. If you play with duplo (swoop racing) then one day you switch to lego (spaceships), you might notice that they don't fit together so well. You could however take what you learned from duplo and apply it to lego because they have similar properties (stacking together vs going real fast) even if lego is more complex.

They really need to make Phoenix Squadron better though.

With a name like that, I expect Star Fox levels of badass. Not these... Fools who think their swoop racing experience actually translates very well to controlling a starfighter- a sophisticated machine of war.

It's also making the A-Wing look REALLY BAD.

Dengar and Han Solo seem to have manged the transition from Swoop to ship well enough

Exactly what I'm making a jab at.

That is by far the dumbest reason for anyone to be a good starfighter pilot.

I can see how you think going from one ridiculously fast machine to another would have no transferable skills whatsoever. It's like comparing a motorcycle to an airplane, no one ever makes successful transitions there.

You're absolutely right. How could I have been so foolish?

Clearly, controlling a floating jet powered bike is so, so amazingly similar to controlling a vehicle capable of incredibly complicated maneuvers with blasters, shielding and heavy weapons attached to it, and a system that can propel it to speeds beyond lightspeed.

It's an extremely simple transition. From a horizontal-only manner of controlling something to a no-real-up-or-down way of doing things.

Absolutely comparable and not at all some of the dumbest writing the EU or Episode I hatched.

EDIT: Not to mention the 1-1 completely similar controls. I mean, what difference is there, really? What real difference is there between a twist throttle and some tilting to alter your course, to a pedals, thrust and control stick setup with several control panels and displays?

For real, what difference is there?

Because I'm just not so sure. They seem so damned similar.

I'm not saying it's an easy transition or that they have 1:1 controls. I'm saying that if you went from one to the other you would get a little know how at some point. I'll simplify for you. If you play with duplo (swoop racing) then one day you switch to lego (spaceships), you might notice that they don't fit together so well. You could however take what you learned from duplo and apply it to lego because they have similar properties (stacking together vs going real fast) even if lego is more complex.

Certainly someone good at swoop racing could well developed into a good pilot. Just because the controls are different doesn't mean the core skills are incompatible.

Spacial awareness, extreamly fast reflexes, and a basic understanding of how engines work (thrust mass differentials etc) will be a massive benefit in both. Why would it be unreadable for someone to be good at both, or graduate from one to another?

Growing up I did a lot of martial arts, historical fencing (hema) and the like. When I was about 22 I started playing badminton in university and was quite good, able to hold my own against the best in the club. Why? Because basic hand eye coordination and practice of deflecting one object with another object are skills which applied to both.

I'd just thought I'd point it out, and I'm not sure if it would help but...

The Legends says that Swoops are to Speeders are as Airspeeders are to Landspeeders, so movement on a Swoop is along all three axis up to several kilometers in the air. Swoops are what a biker would used in Coruscanti skylanes as opposed to vanilla speeders.

If a pilot had to be selected for fighter use you could do worse than a Swoop jockey; the high reflexes and contempt for death might make for a fast learner.

And it was established back in 1977 that in SW universe a very good airspeeder pilot = at least decent starfighter pilot, you may think it's stupid, but that is just how space combat works in the galaxy far far away.

T-16s aren't just airspeeders, they can achieve suborbital altitudes and even make orbit with the proper modifications.

At any rate, why are humans piloting fighters when droids would be far superior and probably mush cheaper? (If we are getting technical with realism in a space opera fantasy saga)