The following is a recap of the Season 3 premiere of Disney XD's Star Wars Rebels, which our own Perri Nemiroff got to see during her ongoing coverage of Star Wars Celebration. Spoilers obviously follow.

The episode begins mid-mission with Erza leading Zeb, Sabine and Chopper into a prison to rescue Hondo. Hondo gives them intel that there are some old starfighters being dismantled so the group is sent on a mission to recon the junkyard in the hopes that they can go back and steal the Y-wings for the Rebellion. As for Kanan, he’s opted to keep to himself since losing his sight. He does make attempts to keep Ezra on the right path, but without being involved in their missions as much as he once was, it’s tough to keep Ezra from submitting to certain darker temptations.

This is yet another strong start for Star Wars Rebels. Season 3 doesn’t pick up exactly where “Twilight of the Apprentice” left off, but you most certainly feel the reverberations of what went down in the temple in the finale of Season 2. And better yet, the episode gives the impression that the characters won’t be free and clear of the effects of “Twilight of the Apprentice” anytime soon. These aren’t just problems the characters - particularly Ezra and Kanan - will overcome and move past. These are situations that will change them forever, so hopefully this is only the start of new arcs that will be explored evenly throughout Season 3, and maybe even beyond.

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Image via Disney XD

Sabine, Zeb, Hera, Rex and Chopper take a bit of a back seat this episode, but, per usual, it’s still a blast to see them operate as a team and they also provide some outside perspective for what’s going on with Ezra and Kanan, and that’s something that adds some nice layers and gravity to their predicaments without bloating the episode with throwaway moments.

The villain involvement is kept pretty light, but it does successfully tease an extremely calculating and sinister threat that will follow the heroes throughout the season. However, that most certainly doesn’t mean the episode is without action. There are some great shootouts and aerial battles, but the most memorable bit of the bunch is one moment in particular that involves Ezra that’s got a haunting quality to it and comes with some serious implications.

Dave Filoni and co. are definitely taking the show in promising directions and you get a clear sense of the sky high potential of what can be done with Kanan and Ezra in particular from his first episode. As someone who’s enjoyed the show since the very first installment but has been eager to see stronger through-lines and connective tissue from episode to episode, it’s exciting to see that the start of Season 3 puts such a strong focus on the physical and mental repercussions of what the characters have been through and how that can change their paths moving forward.

For more on Star Wars Rebels, be sure to take a look at our most recent coverage below:

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