History YMMV / StarWarsRebels

* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading: Although Ezra and Sabine's relationship is platonic (and sometimes they don't even come close to that), many of the moments they share in the third and fourth seasons can be interpreted as romantic.

* PlayAlongMeme: Ezra is sometimes playfully referred to as "Jabba the Hutt" after he said that was his name to Admiral Titus in the episode "Stealth Strike".

** As of "The Honorable Ones", Zeb/Kallus is now being considered. However, it did become controversial as a romance pairing for obvious reasons similar to Mallus (and was also poked at as a joke by other parts of the Internet), and the fact that it is almost [[VocalMinority vocal]] enough as the Sabezra fanbase ([[ShippingGoggles at least on Tumblr]]) has begun to gain fatigue in fans of the characters due to {{Flanderization}} by the shippers.

* FandomRivalry:
** To the Sequel Trilogy, specifically ''Film/TheLastJedi'' in comparison to ''Rebels'' Season 4. A number of folks have stated that they find the television series's additions to lore more interesting than TLJ's, especially given the controversies over how ''The Last Jedi'' handled character arcs and plot twists. Though this rivalry is largely one-sided, as most TLJ fans tend to also be ''Rebels'' fans.
** In regards to the Mandalorians, there's one between the new canon's fandom and the Karen Traviss (''Legends'', to a lesser extent) fandom. The new canon fandom (mostly composed of fans of ''Legends'' Mandalorian fans that aren't fond of Karen Traviss's depiction of Mandalorians) enjoy that the Mandalorians are being [[DeconReconSwitch deconstructed & reconstructed]] and are also being more inclusive & exploring beyond a ProudWarriorRace, viewing Traviss's depiction of Mandalorians as {{Flanderization}}, AuthorTract, and promoting a toxic mindset. On the other hand, Traviss fans will argue that the new canon Mandalorians are depicted as wimpy and don't like the new nobility system, and lament that the ContinuityReboot means that this is the only depiction of Mandalorians.

** Thrawn gets awfully close to Hera in their first encounter, telling her things near her ear about how he studies the art of war and how the Rebels are foolish to go save their friends. It isn't as touchy as the Seventh Sister or Grand Inquisitor were, but ''still''. Don't Imperials know what personal space is?
** A certain part of the fandom is totally against Sabine and Ezra having anything romantic. Being that the Ghost Crew being a classic substitute family, they consider that any relationship that is not between Kanan and Hera, would be a kind of metaphorical incest.

* CriticalDissonance: For the most part, this is mostly averted. Most fans and critics have agreed that while the show may have flaws, it doesn't take away too much from the show's quality. However, [[Website/AVClub A.V. Club's]] rather consistently negative reviews have not gone unnoticed.

* MagnificentBastard:
** [[StarterVillain The Grand Inquisitor]], from Seasons 1 and 2, was once a [[FallenHero Jedi Knight]] who turned to the Dark Side, becoming the leader of the [[Characters/StarWarsInquisitorius Inquisitorius]], a group dedicated to hunting Jedi who survived Order 66. The Inquisitor used the bones of a deceased Jedi to lure numerous Jedi for him to kill and nearly kills Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger using this tactic. Pursuing the two afterwards, The Inquisitor gathers information on them before entrapping them again and planting a tracking device on their ship to follow them across the galaxy. With the help of Wilhuff Tarkin, the Inquisitor is able to capture Kanan and decides to use him to bait his allies after their attempts to break him fail. Eventually losing to Kanan in a duel, The Inquisitor decides to take his own life rather than suffer a worse punishment for his failures, [[FaceDeathWithDignity facing death with complete dignity]] and returning as a [[DeathEqualsRedemption spirit]] to help Kanan fend off the rest of the Inquisitors.
** [[TheChessmaster Mitth'raw'nuruodo]], aka [[Characters/StarWarsThrawnCharacterSheet Grand Admiral Thrawn]], appears in Seasons 3 and 4, where he manages to be just as brilliant in Canon as he was in ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]''. Thrawn is a genius strategist, who manages to always stay a step ahead of the competition and takes any escapes of them as minor setbacks having planned for victory in the long run. Thrawn is able to figure out that Kallus is TheMole for the rebels and ends up using him to feed the Rebels false information. In "[[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E19ZeroHour Zero Hour]]", his plans come together with the destruction of Chopper Base and the elimination of Phoenix Squadron, and only some incompetence by his allies and ultimately the intervention of an EldritchAbomination prevent his total victory. In "[[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS4E07RebelAssault Rebel Assault]]", he sets up a blockade to stop the Rebel Forces from invading, and despite his best efforts, they manage to get through, with heavy losses; only to run straight into the second blockade he had at the ready, hiding in the planet's atmosphere on the off chance they managed to get through the first one. The rebel fighter squadron is annihilated with the only survivors being Hera, Chopper, and Mart Mattin.

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Tropes with their own subpages:

** Some people had Agent Kallus and Maketh Tua as this back in Season 1. [[spoiler:"The Siege of Lothal" [[ShipSinking completely destroys the pairing]], [[AbandonShip due to how weird it is to ship a victim and her assassin]], [[TeethClenchedTeamwork as well as the two making it clear they were tired of each other by that episode]].]]

** A serious one for the whole Mandalore arc: the arc ends with [[spoiler: Sabine bestowing Bo-Katan with the Darksaber, who uses it to rouse the Mandalorians against the Empire. Sabine's survival post-Endor at the end of Season 4 seemed to imply that this revolution was a success]]... then ''Series/TheMandalorian'' and ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' gave frequent references, including a flashback, to [[spoiler:an event known as the "Great Purge", the near-complete ethnocide of the ''entire Mandalorian people'' at the hands of the Empire. ''Boba Fett'' confirms that it happened ''after'' the events shown in ''Rebels'', likely in retaliation for the events in ''Rebels''. Bo-Katan survived, only for other Mandalorians to blame her violation of a "The Darksaber must be won in combat" rule for bringing about the Purge. She later lost the Darksaber to Moff Gideon, who then loses it to Din Djarin. When Din tries to bestow it to Bo-Katan, without fighting her, she refuses to again violate Mandalorian tradition.]]

* GrowingTheBeard:
** "Spark of Rebellion" showed promise, but the following Season 1 episodes marked improvements to the overall quality of the show:
*** A lot of fans seem to see "Rise of the Old Masters" as a point in which the series really improved, in no small part due to introducing [[KnightOfCerebus the Inquisitor]]. It also showed CharacterDevelopment between Kanan and Ezra for the first time outside of the premiere.
*** "Empire Day" manages to capture the heart and soul of the OT, especially ''A New Hope''. It also introduces some surprisingly competent Imperial troops, as most of the {{Mooks}} being pushovers was a common point of contention prior to this episode. The follow-up episode, "Gathering Forces", is also well-liked for similar reasons.
*** The final three episodes of the first season: "Call to Action", "Rebel Resolve", and "Fire Across the Galaxy". Some fans were wondering if Disney would allow the show to get as dark as ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' got. Tarkin has informed them they can stop wondering.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** The writers eventually clarified that the escapades of the ''Ghost'' crew aren't necessarily the cause of the formation of the Rebel Alliance (that is, the Alliance to Restore the Republic) as some fans had thought/[[TheyChangedItNowItSucks complained about]], but are instead individuals that inspire others to take action against the Empire -- thus leading to more people joining the "true" Rebel Alliance, something that becomes officially revealed in the first season finale.
--->'''Creator/DaveFiloni:''' I think the way to look at it, Simon said this beautifully. He described UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution as if this was a show that was about five guys that were locked up in a farmhouse somewhere fighting against the local British military and without any real knowledge of the larger political movements or what’s going on. I think that that’s really how you look at the truth of it with the Rebels. How do you get all these people together? We’re looking at one little small group that’s trying to stand on their own and how does that hook up to what you know is a rebel alliance in ''Film/ANewHope''? I think that's one of the things that we’re gonna reveal as this story moves forward.
** In response to the complaints about Sabine's appearance, namely that her armor left her arms exposed and was pink, the Season 2 trailer revealed that her armor will be changing, as it now covers her arms and features an orange paint job.
** Back when [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars "The Lost Missions"]] came to Creator/{{Netflix}}, not everyone was particularly happy about the revelation of Order 66 being a result of [[ManchurianAgent brain-implanted microchips]] instead of a [[JustFollowingOrders contingency order]]. Barring the usual FandomRivalry between ''The Clone Wars'' and Creator/KarenTraviss's [[Literature/RepublicCommando novels]] (and other parts of the ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]'' continuity), some of those against the revelation saw this as diminishing the likelihood of any clones refusing to follow Order 66. With Season 2 revealing that Rex, Wolffe and Gregor had removed their chips and are now allies to ''Ghost'' crew, the show retains the possibility of other clones having faulty chips, or growing suspicious and likewise having their chips removed, thus also refusing to follow the order to turn on their Jedi companions.
** [[CanonImmigrant The reintroduction of the Mandalorian Protectors]] seems to be directed to fans who were displeased over ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars The Clone Wars]]''' depiction of the Mandalorians in that era; not just the [[ActualPacifist New Mandalorian]] government, but the thought that the only remnants of the warrior culture left were [[KnightTemplar Death Watch]]:
*** Here, it is confirmed that Fenn Rau and the Protectors fought for the Republic during that war and some of them served as tutors to the Clone Army, similar to how they were depicted in ''Legends'' (although in that continuity, the Protectors worked for the Separatists, similar to how Death Watch temporarily did), and that they aren't very fond of Death Watch.
*** To some, this is seen as trying to bring some of the more favorable aspects of the Mandalorian culture back into the new canon after the ''Legends'' decision [[CanonDiscontinuity nearly axed them all]].
*** In response to people who found the two extreme portrayals of Mandalorians and [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot lack of exploring beyond it]], ''Rebels'' has introduced {{Revision}}s, including expanding on the clan system (also adding in houses), a nobility to match up with Satine and her father being members of the Duchy to help further the drill in the power relationships even more present on Mandalore, characters with grey morality like Sabine's mother (who is a former Death Watch soldier, but is otherwise a relatively reasonable leader), and et cetera. This might be a benefit in hindsight, as these things had to be set up by ''The Clone Wars'' first.
** ''The Clone Wars'' received complaints for its homogeneous population of mainly blonde Europeans for the Mandalorians. When ''Rebels'' introduced Sabine, that also got complaints, as it seemed to contradict how no Asian Mandalorians were seen in previous series. [[WordOfGod Rebels Recon]] for "Legacy of Mandalore" revealed that because the Mandalorians were conquerors in the past, other Human groups from other worlds were absorbed into their culture, including the predecessors of Clan Wren (who are also Asian) and other clans of non-white ethnicities (such as the AmbiguouslyBrown Clan Rook and the African-descent Clan Eldar). In turn, this revelation also opens the door for the potential return of non-human Mandalorians.
** Several fans complained about the lack of lightsaber duels in the series since they are usually reserved for battles with the Inquisitors, who rarely appear. "Twilight of the Apprentice" has plenty of lightsaber duels to go around, including the granddaddy of them all: ''Darth Vader vs. Ahsoka''.
** Many fans whom were displeased over how some of the more celebrated and acclaimed EU material was made non-canon were very pleased to see a growing number of stories and characters partially or wholly brought back to canon after Season 1, from the return of [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords Malachor]] to the Season 3 trailer's reveal of [[Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy Grand Admiral Thrawn]] and a ship that looks suspiciously like the ''[[Literature/ShadowsOfTheEmpire Outrider]]''.
** Maul finally uses a double-bladed lightsaber as opposed to an {{Expy}} of him.
** A lot of fans were displeased over Disney axing ''WesternAnimation/TheCloneWars'' so that ''Rebels'' could get made (at least until ''The Clone Wars'' was later revived). Season 3's episode "The Last Battle" had the crew discover [[spoiler:a group of battle droids that survived being shut down, thanks to their leader, Kalani, ignoring the order. The episode manages to give a sense of closure to the previous series, and even ends using ''The Clone Wars'' theme rather than the ''Rebels'' theme.]] [[http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/star-wars-rebels-recap-reaction-last-battle This article puts it best:]]
--->"''Rebels'' accomplished something that ''The Clone Wars'' was never able to do thanks to its premature cancellation: [[spoiler:It resolved the Clone Wars.]]"
** Tied to the tendency of ''The Clone Wars'' to make Anakin a lot more fleshed out and reasonable, ''Rebels'' also shows him having created modifications to various fighting styles which he later taught to Ahsoka. In at least ''Legends'' Canon, this was part of the qualifications for a Jedi Master, giving him retroactive weight to his issues with not being named a master in Episode 3.
** In "The Wynkahthu Job", Ezra referring to Zeb as Captain Orrelios was seen as a KickTheDog moment from him as Zeb had previously confided in Ezra why he was uncomfortable with being called that. "Warhead" establishes that he reclaimed the title during the TimeSkip between Seasons 2 and 3 and it no longer bothers him, making the comment disrespectful rather than cruel.
** In response to complaints about how a large part of "Imperial Supercommandos" was [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil spoiled]] through a large number of clips released from Celebration 2016, the Disney XD [=YouTube=] channel, the Star Wars Facebook page, and the Star Wars channel, new clips are no longer shown on Facebook and the Disney XD [=YouTube=] channel. The number of preview clips has since been reduced to two, one from Rebels Recon and the other from the Star Wars [=Youtube=] channel, just like how it was before Season 3.
** Ever since the release of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', the [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Emperor's Royal Guard]] have been something of a [[MemeticLoser fandom punching bag]] for [[CurbStompBattle how pathetically]] they fared against Yoda in ''ROTS'', especially when contrasted against [[EnsembleDarkhorse Snoke's]] [[EvilIsCool Praetorian]] [[MemeticBadass Guard]]. Filoni gives them a brief but memorable scene against Ezra in the final episode to compensate for their weak showing against Yoda.

* RewatchBonus: In "Jedi Night" and "DUME", shippers of Kanan and Hera were understandably baffled by the verbal implications that Hera never told Kanan she loved him. Turns out, [[spoiler: the script was a bit of deliberate misdirection. It was likely Hera was saddened by never telling him about her pregnancy.]] In hindsight, some of hers and Kanan's behavior from as early as the Season 4 premiere also take on a new light.

* TheScrappy:
** Mart Mattin from the Season 3 episode "Iron Squadron" was disliked by many viewers for being a [[FlatCharacter bland]], [[{{Pride}} arrogant]] {{jerkass}} who thinks he can take on the entire Empire, [[BookDumb even though he didn't even know what a Star Destroyer is]] [[note]] something that even people on poor planets like Tatooine or Lothal know about [[/note]]. Throughout the episode, Ezra and Sabine constantly warn Mart and his crew to evacuate to escape a large Imperial fleet, which they constantly ignore. Later, when said fleet attack's Mart's freighter, the crew evacuates to Ezra's dropship while Mart stays behind and tries to attack the fleet all by himself. This incredibly selfish and stupid act results in Mart's ship getting damaged beyond use and himself getting captured, [[TheLoad forcing Phoenix Squadron to risk their lives again to rescue him.]] Needless to say, most viewers wanted Mart to die to save the rest of the cast the trouble.

** Creator/StephenStanton confirmed that he based his voice for AP-5 on Creator/AlanRickman - specifically, his take on [[Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy2005 Marvin]]. Thanks to the AnimationLeadTime, the episode featuring AP-5's debut ended up airing a few months after the death of Rickman in January 2016, functioning as a sort of unintended tribute to the late actor.

** Creator/StephenStanton confirmed that he based his voice for AP-5 on Creator/AlanRickman - specifically, his take on [[Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy Marvin]]. Thanks to the AnimationLeadTime, the episode featuring AP-5's debut ended up airing a few months after the death of Rickman in January 2016, functioning as a sort of unintended tribute to the late actor.

** [[spoiler:Obi-Wan kills Maul once and for all at the end of "Twin Suns".]] The fact the encounter was heavily advertised and the former is SavedByCanon while the latter was unlikely to have lived during the Original Trilogy, the end result was pretty obvious.

** Kallus and AP-5 (featuring [[LickedByTheDog Chopper]]) getting along famously because they're both {{Grumpy Bear}}s and sound similar.

** The theory that Chopper is actually an assassin droid rebuilt as an astromech became a lot funnier after ''ComicBook/StarWarsDarthVader'' revealed that there's an assassin droid that can be disguised as an astromech, and that said assassin droid was decommissioned for being [[UpToEleven too homicidal]].

* UncannyValley:
** A number of viewers of the show have noted that the Wookiees look off-putting compared to other characters in the show's art style.
** With the final Season 2 trailer, many have noted that Yoda looks rather off too. Anakin also, to a lesser extent. Yoda can be attributed to him being a vision by Ezra, who has never met him, while Anakin is probably a lot younger than when he fought in the Clone Wars when this recording was made.
** Some seem to find Ezra's ears in Season 3 to be a bit weird, though this might just be because we've been used to seeing him with long hair, thus hiding his ears.
** [[spoiler:Palpatine's illusion of his ''Clone Wars'' self is deeply disturbing.]] Likely deliberate in this case.
** Some have found the young [[spoiler:Jacen Syndulla]] to be this, likely due to the combination of his odd hair color, round face, large ears, strange triangular eyebrows, and deep blue eyes.

** [[spoiler:Obi-Wan kills Maul once and for all at the end of "Twin Suns".]] The fact the encounter was heavily advertised and the former is SavedByCanon while the latter not showing up in the Original Trilogy was too convenient to simply explain away, the end result was pretty obvious.

** [[spoiler:Kanan dying]] in Season 4, along with [[spoiler:Ahsoka being revealed to have survived "Twilight of the Apprentice" via Force shenanigans]], as both were popular fan theories regarding the show's main characters.

** Following the finale together, some people have started shipping [[FoeYay Thrawn/Ezra]] or Thrawn/[[spoiler:Purrgil]] thanks to [[spoiler: them being trapped in space somewhere together after the Purrgil jump the entire ''Chimaera'' into hyperspace.]] Some people have even gone so far as to start shipping one or both of them with [[Film/TheForceAwakens Snoke]] based on the theory that Snoke originated from the [[PartsUnknown Unknown Regions]], where [[spoiler: Thrawn and Ezra are possibly trapped.]] Adding fuel to the fire is the second season of ''Series/TheMandalorian'', which reveals that [[spoiler:Thrawn has agents active nine years later, and Ahsoka is hunting them to track him down.]]

* FoeYay: A minor one, but by the time of [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E15TheHonorableOnes "The Honorable Ones"]], the ''Ghost''[='s=] crew is positively ''gleeful'' to see Kallus again.

** "Spectre Seven" for [[RealLifeRelative Kanan]]/[[FoeYay the Seventh Sister]].

** "Kalluzeb" for [[FoeYay Kallus/Zeb]].

* AbandonShipping: Subverted with the Ezrabine. Although they had nothing throughout the series, and Filoni mentioned that Sabine only saw Ezra as a younger brother, this Ship still has many fans. Only being rivaled by the people who consider that Sabine should be a lesbian.