Star Wars Rebels: Idiot’s Array – Why We Should Be Talking About Hera Instead of Lando

Star Wars Rebels: Idiot’s Array aired this week wearing a cape of anticipation. Star Wars fans were ecstatic about the return of Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian and we were not disappointed by his performance. We all got a taste of nostalgia as we drank the Lando goodness. Along with the old school “feels” came a large debate over whether or not Lando was a little over-the-top creepy when it came to the ladies. I’ll address this discussion later. However, in my opinion, the talk this week shouldn’t be about Lando but, instead, about Hera Syndulla.

Hera (Vanessa Marshall) was at the top of her game this week and I believe this was the best Hera episode yet. After Zeb lost Chopper to Lando in a game of Sabacc, everyone was thrown off their game by Lando’s presence on the Ghost. Hera, on the other hand, had his number from the beginning and went toe-to-toe with the “old smoothie” himself.  She was strong, innovative, flexible, smart, and savvy in every part of this episode and I think it is a shame that this great moment for the leader of the Ghost might be overshadowed by fan service. The highlight of the episode may have been when Hera punched Lando because, at that point, everyone wanted someone to punch Lando.

On top of everything else, Hera kept her cool when Lando traded her as a slave to Azmorigan for an illegal puffer pig and she fought her way to freedom. Nothing Lando did seemed to catch Hera off guard and it was her experience and leadership that led to Chopper’s return and the safety of the team. This episode was Hera’s episode and I hope once the novelty of Lando’s presence wore off, everyone else noticed it as well.

Now, about Lando’s creepy factor. There was some talk on Twitter about how Lando seemed a little too smooth toward the women of the Ghost, especially Sabine. Sabine would be much younger than Lando and their interaction sparked some snide comments about Lando making his move on a girl much too young for him.

The truth is, Lando was trying to keep everyone on the Ghost off balance. He is a scoundrel and can spot a person’s weaknesses and use those weaknesses to his advantage. You want to keep Kanan distracted, sweet talk Hera. Need to distract Sabine, get her talking about her art. Want to watch Ezra fume, take Sabine’s attention away from him and put it on yourself. Lando is trying to keep the crew of the Ghost on their heels and he is getting the job done. He has no interest in Sabine or art, he has interest in making sure Ezra and Sabine are distracted from what he is really up to. Lando is playing them the whole time, not being a slimy creeper.

Oh, and by the way, who knew this is what Lando was up to the whole time? That’s right, Hera. This was her episode, and let’s not forget it.

This was a fantastic episode and I hope Hera continues to shine as the leader of this Rebel team.

What did you think Dorksiders? Who was your favorite character in this episode? Was Lando being too creepy for you to enjoy? Was this Hera’s best episode? Leave a comment below and convince me I’m wrong.