STAR WARS: BEST OF 2017

For Star Wars, this was a year of new experiments, the release of highly-anticipated sequels, and a few surprises. And porgs, of course. In this special feature, the writers of StarWars.com look back on highlights from throughout 2017.



Star Wars Rebels Ups the Stakes and Barrels Toward Its Conclusion

Between the second half of Season Three and the beginning of Season Four, Star Wars Rebels gave fans some incredible moments. I laughed, I cried, I yelled at executive producer Dave Filoni several times. We saw characters introduced in 2016, like Thrawn and Saw Gererra, become more defined and more terrifying. Thrawn’s domination and eventual defeat of the rebels have brought us to Yavin and closer to the events of Rogue One. Sabine helped put the Darksaber into the hands of Bo-Katan Kryze and give Mandalore its first real leader in years. To the delight of fans (and, of course, myself), 2017 also saw the first on-screen kiss between Hera and Kanan. You could practically hear the fandom shout, “Finally!” This year also brought Agent Aleksandr Kallus, a.k.a. “Hot Kallus,” over to the Rebellion. Whether it’s Loth-wolves or the final battle between Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I think this year of Rebels has definitely been the best so far. – Shana O’Neil



Forces of Destiny and Blips Offer Bite-Size Star Wars Stories with HeartBuy SWTOR credits

Charmingly animated shorts brought even more Star Wars adventures to the screen this year and there was a lot to love.

BB-8 landed a starring role in the series of bite-sized Blips, simple animated sketches that highlight the shenanigans the beloved astromech and his counterparts and friends get into when facing down stormtroopers, pesky porgs, and the enemy of short droids everywhere — the dreaded control panel positioned just out of reach.Buy SWTOR credits

For the heroine-focused Forces of Destiny micro-adventures, the approach is also deceptively simple — beloved heroes, a familiar score and unmistakable sound effects, brief but exhilarating encounters told through a classic medium and compressed into less than three minutes of screen time. And the result is nothing short of magical: a closer inspection of the choices that define us, the minuscule moments that ultimately reveal our true nature.Buy SWTOR credits

Cartoony antics give both a distinctive flair for the absurd (Ewok pulley systems, droids stacked on top of droids, snuggly snow creatures, and slippery porgs among them). But what makes these capsule creations such a departure from the usual episodic story arcs is the focus on the seemingly inconsequential day-to-day vignettes that subtly reveal the importance of compassion, friendship, teamwork, and trust. There are no massive battle sequences teeming with dogfighting spaceships and row upon row of identically armored soldiers marching into combat. These are the quieter, yet no less important, acts of bravery that can have a ripple effect across the galaxy. Or, you know, just a droid discovering that a lightsaber is not a toy. – Kristin Baver

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