by Laura Janota (Reporter) and Michael Fye (Camera),

Star Wars Rebels celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year, and C2E2 held a panel featuring five talented voice actors from the show: Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Freddie Prince Jr. (Kanan), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steve Blum (Zeb), and Lars Mikkelsen (Thrawn). There was no chance we were missing this one so we got up early to be first in line. 

Going to any cast panel for a Star Wars-related show is bound to be a treat. Star Wars has a way of bringing its artists and fans into a family that loves interacting with each other. While actor panels for other shows may feature actors who haven’t seen each other in years, or even feel awkward attending geek conventions, Star Wars panels almost always feature a group of actors who are friends with each other and appreciate fan conventions. The Star Wars Rebels panel at the C2E2 10th Anniversary Panel was no different. 

As Vanessa Marshall, Freddie Prince Jr., Tiya Sircar, and Steve Blum all pointed out, Star Wars Rebels presented a unique opportunity to record together in the same space. This gave them the chance to get to know each other and form real bonds that translated to their “Space Family” character interactions. They agreed that out of all the voice acting experiences they’d had, working on Star Wars Rebels was the most organic, and was the closest to a live action experience. 

Steve Blum, voice actor of Zeb, pointed out that there are pros and cons to working this way: On one hand you get to interact with other peers and partake in studio shenanigans, but on the other hand you get less work done. While he will always miss goofing off with his Rebels castmates in a studio setting, he prefers working remote. 

Lars Mikkelsen, voice actor of Thrawn in Rebels and live action actor of Thrawn in Ahsoka, was the outlier as he recorded all his lines from Denmark. While he didn’t know the other cast members as intimately, he got along great and showed real appreciation for being a part of the Star Wars Family. 

Vanessa Marshall, voice actor of Hera, may appreciate being a part of the Star Wars family more than the rest of the cast. She shared several stories, including one where she couldn’t find her bag at an airport after hours of traveling and broke down crying. Some Star Wars fans recognized her and said, “Are you Vanessa Marshall? Do you need help?” and they stayed with her and helped her find her bag. 

Siya Sicar, voice of Sabine, brought up how each of the voice actors acted like the “Space Family” members they played in the studio. Just like Hera, Vanessa Marshall was very much the “Space Mom” who always had snacks for everyone, and Freddie Prince Jr. acted like the “Space Dad” to look up to, just like Kanan, and so on. Vanessa Marshall jumped in to defend her snack bag idea saying, “I’m not a mom, I haven’t birthed anything but great ideas” and had the audience crying with laughter. 

Story after story, all five voice actors shared how Dave Filoni incorporated each of their real life personalities into their characters. They also shared how top secret everything was. At every Star Wars panel I attend, actors constantly depict Dave Filoni as a mysterious, story-telling, cowboy-hat wearing, myth of a man, and the Rebels cast continued to paint this image. 

Freddie Prince Jr., voice of Kanan shared how he first figured out he was auditioning for something Star Wars-related when he read in the altered-script that he was wielding a “sunsword”. Others were tricked by the secret script and had no clue they were auditioning for a Star Wars show. FPJ, as us girls used to call him in the 90s, also laughed about how Dave Filoni never told him and Vanessa Marshall that their characters had a son together. They didn’t find out until they watched the last episode with the rest of us. The last episode was filled with Filoni secrets. Siya Sicar had no idea about the last monologue until the very last day of recording. Dave Filoni pulled her aside and handed her a crumpled up, hand-written monologue and told her to stay even after everyone left. With just Filoni, and one technician, she recorded the last monologue in secret. Afterwards she went to a cast party and had to stay tight-lipped and unemotional the whole time, keeping the secret from her “Space Family” cast members.

This “Space Family” had a blast answering serious questions about recording the show, but also didn’t shy away from the goofy questions. For instance, they were asked, “What would your character do on a day off? Thrawn would listen to Mozart, Zeb would get a pedicure, Hera would play sabacc, Sabine would create art, and Kanan… would make a baby with Hera. Freddie Prince Jr. and Vanessa Marshall joked that their baby was made during the commercial break. 

It’s never required for actors to connect deeply with the shows they help create, but boy is it a joy when they do. As a Star Wars Rebels fan I am so happy that the voice actors realize how much fans love the show they helped create, and appreciate the Star Wars family they are forever a part of. 

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