Vanessa Marshall Hints at Star Wars Rebels Season 2

With the premiere of Star Wars Rebels season 2 just around the corner at Celebration, Lucas Siegel from comicbook.com sat down to talk with Vanessa Marshall about her role as the voice of Hera Syndulla. Syndulla is the pilot and brains behind the Lothal rebel group, and the enthusiastic and lovely Marshall has completely settled in as the Twi’lek character.

Here are some hints that Marshall gave for season 2 in the interview:

Now that you have that information and that experience, and the experience of season one, is there anything you are approaching differently in working on Season 2?

VM: No; again, I think the stakes are so high that we just have to do the next right thing. We’re all looking for close as to what the next move is. Joining forces with a greater network of people will aid us, but I think it’s sort of more of the same. It seems like the personal stuff isn’t as important as the greater issue, this genocide that’s going on. I think it’s going to be more of the same, peppered with some of the personal, revealing moments where Hera demonstrates her affection for her crew. Overall, it’s too much of a life and death situation.

When we talked about this series right after it was announced and you were announced, you said then that Kanan is 100% the leader. Now that you have a season under your belt and you see the way Hera runs missions and even manipulates team members, do you still feel that way?

VM: Well, I do in the sense that – he doesn’t know as much as I do, but he’s sort of the front man, if you will. When captured, he appears to be the leader, and that serves the cause.

So he’s the lead singer, but Hera’s the guitarist who writes all the songs.

VM: Yeah, and I have the green M&Ms clause in the rider to make sure people are reading it! (laughs) I think, she is, of course the getaway driver. But I would still defer to anyone with Force sensibilities. I think he’s the leader, period, but she may be the brass tacks of the operation.

Now that Ahsoka has been revealed – what was that reveal like for you? How early did you know and what is it like to you to have that breakout character from Clone Wars come into the fold here?

VM: It means everything to me! I was thrilled. I believe it was mentioned vaguely at some point, and it couldn’t come soon enough. It was the final moment of Season 1! We whispered about it, but nothing packed more of a wallop than seeing her name in print on the script. And again, the difference between seeing it on page versus seeing it on the screen, I couldn’t even breathe, when she descended that ladder. It took my breath away! I think I said in another interview it “cracked my soul open!” I’m just so happy to know she’s alive, okay, and see her. Before she was asking all the questions, and now she’s giving all the answers and leading! The fact that she’s joining with us, it just means everything.

Do you think Hera and Ahsoka will clash at all, after Hera disobeyed orders?

VM: No, I don’t think so. I really don’t. I think, in a weird way, that was Hera misbehaving on the fly, and I don’t think she’d ever allow that to happen to herself again. I don’t see them disagreeing though, I think Hera will really defer to Ahsoka in all matters going forward. That’s me, personally!

How you apologize for doing what you want when you want is not doing it anymore! Not that Hera is going to be a walking apology, but she’s glad that she didn’t destroy the Rebel Alliance. There are going to be more people around, and with the network increased, it will be easier to do what Ahsoka decrees – it’s not some abstract voice in a hood, so she’ll feel more responsible to her.

I usually like to close out with a tease or a hint, but I know it’s very early and you don’t have a lot you can say. So instead, I’ll ask you this: what do you hope for Hera? What one thing would you like her to achieve that would make her happiest, or make you happy for her?

VM: I would love to see her reunited with Cham! I wish there was a way to get us back on Ryloth, I think that would be so cool.

But I hope for a greater understanding of her backstory and her childhood. I hope that for all our characters! I do think that Season 2 delivers on that front, with each specific character. I think we do learn a lot more about why they sacrifice everything. With Hera specifically, I’d like to see her go back to Ryloth though.

You can read the full interview at comicbook.com.

So, definitely no big spoilers in this interview. But, we did learn some interesting things. We learned that Ahsoka and Hera probably won’t clash, that Kanan still carries the label of “leader,” and that we’ll probably see some more backstory on our heroes.

Stay tuned to Dork Side and follow us on Twitter @dorksideoforce for Star Wars Rebels news from Celebration next month! And be sure and follow the sweet and talented Vanessa Marshall @vanmarshall!