REBELS REWATCH: Season 1, Episode 11: Idiot’s Array

Kanan, Zeb, and Chopper are hanging out at the cantina on Lothal. Kanan is trying to find a way to make some credits while Zeb is playing Sabacc with a mysterious stranger. Zeb thinks he’s got an unbeatable hand, and Kanan gives him the go ahead to bet Chopper in order to stay in the game. Unfortunately for Zeb, this mysterious stranger is Lando Calrissian; and he’s got something that works every time: the idiot’s array (and a willingness to cheat).



With Chopper now his, he agrees to hire the Ghost and its crew to get him past the Imperial blockade on Lothal with some very important cargo. En route to pick it up, Lando lays the charm on Hera, but to little effect. He also gets pretty chatty with Sabine, much to Ezra’s chagrin. Yeah, Ezra, because the only thing keeping Sabine from throwing herself at you is that Lando Calrissian just came onboard. At one point Sabine, who I will remind everyone is 16 or 17 years old at this point, invites Lando to her room for a private viewing of some of her Impressionistic art.



Eventually, they meet up with Lando’s contact for the cargo he wants to smuggle back onto Lothal. The seller is none other than Azmorigan in his first appearance on the show. Lando, Kanan, and Hera board the ship. After Lando gives a short but very important speech to Hera about this ship’s escape pods, he shocks Kanan by handing her over as payment for his cargo. Back on the Ghost, Ezra and Zeb, as usual, do exactly the opposite of what they were told, and open the cargo container. Meanwhile, Hera assualts her way to the escape pod on Azmorigan’s ship. Kanan swings the Ghost around to pick up Hera, and Lando’s cargo, a puffer pig, gets loose on the ship.



Because Zeb is basically a monster, he scares the puffer pig just as they are coming up on the Imperial blockade at Lothal. It’s okay though, Kanan manages to get them through while Hera is trapped on the other side of the pig (boy if I had a nickel). But then it’s not okay because Zeb stumbles back and de-whatevers their signal. So now the Imperials are after them. One fairly cool chase/dogfight later it’s okay again. The Ghost lands on Lothal, at the property that Lando has purchased from Vizago. Azmorigan and his crew are waiting on them, though; and a heated gunfight erupts. We see for the first time that Ezra has equipped his lightsaber with a blaster of sorts.



Azmorigan is defeated, but runs away so that he might creep another day. Lando admits that he can’t pay the crew but he does give Chopper back; also it’s okay because Chopper stole some fuel from him during the fight. Lando bids goodbye to the Rebels, believing that they will meet again. Unfortunately, Lando will have no more contact with them; unless you count the coquettish "whatcha doin" texts from Sabine.



Rewatch? Of course! This is one of the best episodes of the series. It is by no means a high stakes episode, but it’s got Lando. Billy Dee Williams voice performance is perfect, he honestly sounds no different to me than he did in the early 80’s. I really can’t say the same thing about James Earl Jones’s voicing of Vader in Rebels and Rogue One. It pains me, but it’s true. Lando looks great in this too, I really like his costume design. It looks very different from anything we see him in in the movies; and how cool is that shoulder holster?

All four season of Rebels are currently streaming on the Disney+ service.

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