Star Wars Rebels: Wings of the Master Recap

Synopsis of 2×05: The people of Ibaar are desperate for supplies but an Imperial blockade has kept the Rebellion from making any supply drops. Hera goes in search of a ship with the sort of firepower they’ll need to blast through the blockade and meets an eccentric Mon Calamari engineer who introduces her – and the Star Wars universe – to one of it’s most unique starfighters.

Rating: ★★★★☆

This week our rebels are back with Phoenix squadron on a mercy mission to drop off supplies on Ibaar for overworked, starving laborers ruled by the Empire. Unfortunately, a blockade has surrounded the planet and there is no way for the Ghost or any other ship to get them the supplies. After a disastrous attempt to push their way through the rebel fleet they have to retreat and abandon the people of Ibaar for the time being.

Phoenix Leader is lost and everyone’s pretty much disappointed, wallowing in their defeat and wracking their brains to come up with some sort of solution. The only real solution is that this: they need a ship with way more firepower than they have available.

At Kana’s insistence Hera takes Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper to search for a Mon Calamari engineer and shipbuilder named Quarrie. Yes, his name is Quarrie just like Ralph McQuarrie – the legendary illustrator behind the original Star Wars concept art.

Quarrie is an eccentric who lives on a planet whose atmosphere tends to disable incoming ships. It’s great cover for testing his new designs and keeping them hidden from the Empire. The problem is that most ships that try to make their way to the planet crash. Hera, though, is no ordinary pilot. She manages to land them and they meet up with Quarrie.

After explaining their need, Quarrie introduces them to a prototype that what will become the precursor to the B-Wing. We get to see Hera show off her badass piloting skills and then the team is back in the air with Quarrie along for the ride. They rush to the aid of the rebel fleet as they make a last ditch attempt to run the blockade again knowing full well they will most likely fail.

Hera and Sabine fly the B-Wing prototype into the fray and take out an entire Imperial ship giving Kanan and Ezra time to fly the Ghost in and drop off the supplies. Afterward they all jump to safety leaving Agent Kallus understandably pissed. When they dock with the rebel blockade runner Hera receives a promotion and takes over as Phoenix Leader.

All in all this was a pretty awesome episode even if it was a bit slower than some of the other ones we’ve had recently. Hera has deserved a little one-on-one screen time and it was nice to have an episode that really showcased her awesomeness. She is one of the coolest characters in the series and one of Star Wars‘ strongest female characters but she doesn’t get as much screen time as she deserves. If you’re really looking to see her shine – check out the prequel novel A New Dawn. (But hopefully she’ll get more hardcore moments like in this episode more frequently this season.)

It was also really cool to get some real Star Wars in-universe history built upon in the series. The B-Wing is a crucial part of the rebel fleet and it was nice to see it’s early origins explained through Star Wars Rebels. And Quarrie is a freakin’ gem. I hope we see more of him.

Yet another excellent episode from a season that’s constantly upping the ante with every episode.