Star Wars Rebels creators share their love for 10 years of the show

Star Wars Rebels is officially ten years old. The series has become one of the most beloved pieces of Star Wars media. The story resonated with fans and had such staying power that many of the characters jumped into live-action with Ahsoka. Looking back on the show, some of the creators of Star Wars Rebels shared their own feelings about the series reaching the decade milestone.

Lucasfilm Animation Director Keith Kellogg shared, "10 years ago today our fans got the first episode of Star Wars Rebels. Appreciate all of you for going on that wonderful journey with us with a new group of exciting characters set around the planet Lothal. I will never forget all the support and love we received from the fans!"

Longtime voice actor Steve Blum, who was the voice of Zeb Orrelios in the show, responded to Kellogg's message, saying, "Thank you for so warmly welcoming all of us into the family. I’ll never forget your kindness. Oh yeah and your genius! What a stunning achievement."

Composers Sean and Dean Kiner, who worked on the show with their father Kevin Kiner and actually wrote Thrawn's theme, added their own feelings on the series. They said, "This feels like yesterday, where did all the time go?? This show is still so close to our hearts, the fact it has been kept alive by the fans after all this time means the world to me."

Lucasfilm Publicist Tracy Cannobbio is having a blast on this anniversary, sharing so many posts by fans with her thoughts on them. "Happy Anniversary, Star Wars Rebels One of my favorite pieces of storytelling ever," was the start of her many lovely retweets. She later added, "Apologies in advance, I'm in my #StarWarsRebels anniversary feels big time today!"

Star Wars Rebels also inspired the next wave of fans, including those who have portrayed these characters in live action. Eman Esfandi, who played Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka, responded to a tweet from Discussing Film. Celebrating the show, Esfandi said, "And we're all better because of it."

Perhaps Kristin Baver said it best on StarWars.com, capturing what makes the show so great:

"From Hera’s wise words about compassion and selflessness —“If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing.” — to Obi-Wan’s prescient warning emanating from Kanan’s holocron that “in time, a new hope will emerge,” Star Wars Rebels beautifully set up a story that would connect the age of the Empire to the dawn of the Rebellion. The first season primarily followed the Ghost’s scrappy rebel cell, but they’d soon join up with Fulcrum agent Ahsoka Tano, and go on to help future leaders of the Rebel Alliance including a teenaged Princess Leia — born on Empire Day just like Ezra! — and Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila as she declared a guerilla war on the Empire.

As Kanan became a Jedi Master to Bridger, they would navigate their connection to the Force with help from the Bendu and take on those looking to hunt down the last remnants of the Jedi, the Inquisitorius, going toe-to-toe and saber-to-saber with the likes of the Grand Inquisitor, Maul (no longer Darth), and Vader (still very much so). Ultimately, it would be their entanglement with Thrawn that would become Ezra’s greatest battle, as each member of the crew had their own harrowing and sometimes heartbreaking arcs over the four seasons of Star Wars Rebels — and later in the Ahsoka series."

"But here is where it all began. Ten years ago, a young man stood at the rusted rail of a watchtower on Lothal, in the shadow of an Imperial Star Destroyer. He was very much alone. Then he found his Ghost family."

- StarWars.com

Happy birthday, Star Wars Rebels. Here's to ten more years.