2x10 A Princess on Lothal

8.1/10. Hell yeah, Princess Leia! It makes sense that, given where she is once A New Hope starts, she would run into our little rebel faction sooner or later. And I like how she was used here. Lucas and the Original Trilogy don't get enough credit for how strong of a character Leia is, especially in Episode IV, and it's nice to see that characterization followed up here. As the titular "Princess on Lothal" Leia is sharp, self-possessed, anything but shy, and plenty willing to take charge. That's nice to see as, in the first episode of Rebels to air after the release of The Force Awakens, the franchise continues to give more of a role to its female characters.

It also makes for some interesting conflicts in the episode. The idea that Leia wants to give the rebels support, but needs to make it seem like she's being kidnapped or hoodwinked or robbed at every turn so as not to arouse the Empire's suspicions, creates a lot of interesting incident in the episode. It puts Leia in a precarious position, and gives our rebel squad an excuse to engage in some always entertaining subterfuge and dogfighting. Plus, while a bit forced (no pun intended), Leia's heart-to-heart with Ezra about feeling the responsibility to good, because she can and other cannot, works as a nice character beat for both of them. Even the governor (and I still don't trust any character voiced by Clancy Brown) learns the value of helping when it isn't necessarily his fight. It's a little didactic, but with the fun and adventure of the episode, it works.

Overall, it's a nice way to kick off the second half of the season, and a solid way to integrate one of the biggest figures of the Star Wars mythos into the smaller world of Rebels.