Star Wars Rebels: 7 Unanswered Questions

This Star Wars Rebels article contains spoilers.

For all of the surprising, heart-wrenching moments that the Star Wars Rebels finale delivered to fans, something extremely predictable happened by the time it finished. Despite answering several questions that viewers may have had, it also posed so many more questions, several of which will probably not be answered for a long time.

The paths that lead beyond the finale for each of the show’s primary cast (except Kanan Jarrus, Gregor, and a few others) range from completely mysterious to slightly defined, but even the reveal of Hera Syndulla’s son, Jacen, opens up a new story to be told, should anyone at Lucasfilm ever choose to. 

Indeed, the beauty of Star Wars has always been the way it challenges the imagination to consider the paths that characters may take in that seemingly endless galaxy far, far away. The best thing to do while we speculate is acknowledge the endless possibilities of stories yet to come, which will hopefully bring back fan favorites from Rebels.

Here are a just a few of the questions that have made their way across the internet (and this writer’s mind) since the earth-shaking finale:

Did Luke cross paths with Ezra or Ahsoka?

The Force works in mysterious ways, bringing people together only when it needs to. With Sabine and Ahsoka taking to the skies to find Ezra, who may still be alive, one has to wonder what became of ol’ Skips, and whether Luke Skywalker’s training led him to discover Ezra and/or Ahsoka.

We know for a fact that Luke eventually started a new Jedi Academy, but the wide gaps in Luke’s story at the moment leave plenty of room for run-ins. He’s already crossed paths with Poe’s mother and Zay Versio’s father, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him to find other characters along the way. If that’s what the Force wants, of course.

What’s next for Thrawn?

This one might sound a little bizarre, but we never really saw Thrawn die in the finale, and infamous villains tend to return in extraordinary ways within the Star Wars galaxy.

Okay, sure: surviving hyperspace by any means is fairly impossible unless you have the Force on your side, which Ezra probably did since he survived the departure. But consider the fact that Darth Maul was cut in half and practically blown up before he finally perished at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Consider, also, that Darth Vader himself was burned alive against the seething heat of Mustafar’s surface, and had one arm and both of his legs cut off, also by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Thrawn may not be a Sith Lord, but he is popular, and he’s even got a second book by Timothy Zahn out this summer. After the finale, Rebels showrunner Dave Filoni admitted that Thrawn had survived the cold of space.

“I’ll say this much: they’re not dead. Both of them survive, both Ezra and Thrawn I would say survive it,” Filoni said in a Rebels Recon video.

Could Thrawn have somehow escaped to the Unknown Regions and become something more? Could he have helped influence rise of the First Order?

While the new novel might not answer these questions, fans will continue to wonder what happened to one of the Empire’s most brilliant minds while at the mercy of Space Whales.

Will Jacen Syndulla play a part in a future show?

Characters from The Clone Wars, including Jacen’s own grandfather, Cham Syndulla, have returned throughout the course of Rebels and even popped up in big screen stories, like Saw Gerrera, who appeared in the show as well as Rogue One. Jacen’s story is an opportunity for Lucasfilm to explore a new generation of heroes, perhaps in the Sequel era. One recent bit of news, in particular, has this writer raising a brow.

Disney has trademarked the title “Star Wars Resistance,” which means some sort of idea has made its way up the creative ladder high enough to make it to the legal department. While this doesn’t necessarily mean anything with this title will get made, it could also mean a new animated series. If it does, then that opens up the door for cameos again, and Jacen (“born to fly, just like his mother”) may just be the type of guy to want in on the action of Leia Organa’s new rebellion.

Is Sabine Force-sensitive?

Another zinger, sure, but there are quite a few things that stand out about Sabine Wren by the end of Star Wars Rebels. These moments range from extraordinary feats and small ticks that might mean the Mandalorian can sense things beyond her natural abilities.

While training with Kanan Jarrus to master the Darksaber, not only does the Bendu himself look on, but also a small group of Convorees, the tiny owls that seem born of the Force themselves. Just recently, in the episode “Wolves and a Door,” Sabine asks Zeb if he heard voices in the hyperspace tunnel. These voices were recaps of Kanan’s journey with Ezra, presented as a vision to the young Jedi, but Sabine heard them, too.

The Force flows through all living beings, even those who do not wield it or consciously channel the ancient energy. Sabine, if opened up to the Force, could be a formidable Padawan for Ahsoka as they journey to find Ezra.

Just how many Force-sensitives were part of the Rebel Alliance?

Ezra Bridger, Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker, and Leia Organa are only some of the better-known Force-sensitives who joined the Rebellion during the age of the Empire. Darth Vader’s primary job was to find and destroy powerful Force users, but somehow, Ahsoka managed to outlive even Vader himself.

Perhaps the Force was always on the Rebellion’s side, even in small ways, such as when ex-Imperial Academy cadet, Jai Kell, joined the Rebellion. Before defecting, he met the Grand Inquisitor’s criteria for Force sensitivity and was almost ushered into a secret program that trained Imperial agents to use the dark side.

Will any of the Rebels appear in future shows?

Hera Syndulla and Captain Rex were part of the Rebellion through the Battle of Endor and possibly well after, since taking out the second Death Star was only the beginning of the end. With their long legacies in mind, one must wonder if their names might pop up again in future animated shows and comics – or, perhaps, in the new live-action television series helmed by Jon Favreau, who also happens to be the voice of Mandalorian big bad, Pre Visla.

Hera’s devotion to the Rebellion went undeterred even when she became a mother, and one might imagine that if Syndulla was still fight-ready by the time the Resistance or New Republic needed her, she might choose to stay in the air. Perhaps, along with Jacen, Hera might even train a new generation of young pilots with other Rebellion legacies. Young pilots like Poe Dameron…

How and when will the story of Sabine and Ahsoka’s search be told?

Scrubs star Donald Faison attended a special screening of the Star Wars Rebels finale ahead of release, and as the first person up to ask any question, he asked what we all wanted to know: “So, how soon can we expect the Sabine Wren Ahsoka Tano show?”

“Obviously, it’s intriguing,” said Filoni, with a grin that usually means he’s about to tell you nothing. “I have to know what the story’s about before I tell it.”

So, there you have it. It’s a story that certainly can exist, but for now, the “how” and “when” remain as mysterious as Luke’s Jedi training itself. Endless paths lay before us when it comes to the story of the Star Wars saga, so time will tell when, or if, we’ll get to explore them as an audience again.