Is Star Wars Rebels Ending After Its Third Season?

Circulating rumors and reports suggest the animated series Star Wars Rebels will end with season three, which it is currently airing on Disney XD.

Say it isn’t so Lucasfilm. Say it isn’t so.

Star Wars Rebels is currently barreling towards its third season finale on March 25th, and we have yet to hear anything about it being renewed beyond this season. Does this mean we are seeing the last of our merry band of Rebel scum and their Imperial opponents like the recently introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn? TVWeb seems to think so.

Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Star Wars Rebels has always been more than just a cartoon show for kids. It often introduces surprisingly adult themes, such as the beheading of Imperial officers in season 1 and an Imperial defector in seasons 2 and 3. Additionally, two characters from the main Rebels cast crossed over to last December’s Rogue One: Chopper the astromech droid and Hera Syndulla’s Ghost as it appeared in the Rebel fleet in the Battle of Scarif.

As TVWeb notes, Rebels was renewed in November of 2015 for season 3. Logically, a renewal for season 4 should have come at a similar time in 2016. But it didn’t.

So, is season 3 Rebels’ s last?

It looks likely. The writing has been on the wall since we first learned that Rebels would be set between Revenge and Hope. That essentially left both Rebels and Rogue One with expiration dates, as you can’t easily begin running shows concurrently with films that have already occurred. If Rebels ends with some sort of showdown with Thrawn, the upcoming Star Wars Celebration in April would be the perfect time to announce both the end of Rebels. SWCO would also be an ideal venue for the announcement of the launch of a new Star Wars animated series, which Rebels creator Dave Filoni is reportedly working on.

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Time will tell, but for now, enjoy your time with Rebels. It might go the way of Alderaan.