by Joe Iconic, Reporter
*** (Caution: Spoilers Ahead!) ***
Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) arrives with his trademark flair in this episode of Star Wars Rebels, but the true star is Twi’lek pilot Hera Syndulla (Vanessa Marshall.)
The force-sensitive characters could easily dominate most of the episodes, so it was nice to see a spotlight on Hera. Hera not only pilots the Ghost, but serves the compassionate center of the crew, guiding the others through inner-crew conflict. In this episodes, she uses her empathy to see through Lando’s schemes. She chastises Zeb and Kanan losing Chopper to Lando in a game of sabacc (a wonderful Star Wars trope familiar to Lando), but keeps her cool to focus on what needs to be done to fix things. Hera reinforces her capability as a strong, savvy captain.
Also, Star Wars Rebels: Idiot’s Array is another good episode for Chopper fans. The droid placed the crew over their betrayal, and ended up making sure they got their payment for services rendered in the end.
Star Wars Rebels continues to provide lessons in teamwork. Loyalty to crew, trust your crew, don’t let external influences divide you, and do not scare the puffer pig unless it helps in a fight. (I’m sure that last one is a good metaphor for some team building principle, right?)
Only a few points of contention with this one. Lothario… I mean, Lando… flirts with anything female, which can be off-putting. Sabine is way younger. Hera sees through this as well as part of Lando’s scheme to keep the crew off balance, but I am not sure if that exonerates him. Yes, he was over-the-top flirting, but it was only because he was a con artist, so it’s alright?
However, Lando was in character with the ambiguous morality and dashing smuggler we remember from the original movies. He could have very easily stole every scene, but instead compliments the crew and the narrative. Possibly because he was not wearing the cape. I missed the cape. Billy Dee Williams rocks a cape.
One potential plot hole was the Ghost evaded two Imperial Star Destroyers so easily. The Imperials find the Rebel ship they were looking for, send out four Tie-Fighters to intercept, and then gave up when the Ghost reached the planet they were near? Maybe all the rest of the Tie-Fighters were away, doing other important Empire business? Maybe there is a reason that Vader could use a choke-hold liberally among Imperial officers? Please feel free to leave your theory in the comments; I’m certain someone smarter can make better sense (or better jokes) than I can.
I also enjoyed the voice work of veteran actor James Hong for Azmorigan, the alien with the Goblin King chin. Geek trivia fact: James Hong competed against George Takei for the role for the role of Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek. George Takei also did the voice for Lok Durd, another alien adversary in Star Wars the Clone Wars: Defenders of the Peace (2009.) Cool, right?
Disney XD continues to pull no punches with this series, giving long-time Star Wars fans a steady diet of awesome as we eagerly await for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters. For those still hungry for more of the crew of the Ghost, Marvel Comics starts a new series, Star Wars: Kanan – The Last Padawan #1 in April. Star Wars Rebels allows for an excellent jumping on point for a new generation of fans.
Rating: 
I give Star Wars Rebels: Idiot’s Array 4 out of 5 cape flourishes. Seriously, I want the cape.
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