Star Wars Rebels Season 3: 10 Most Anticipated Moments

If movie cameos are part of a twin obsession for the makers of Rebels, then the other side of it is re-canonising content from the Legends continuity. Hooray for obsessive fanboys running the show. And while the main event of the season on that front is undoubtedly Grand Admiral Thrawn, a close second is the reintroduction of the TIE Defender.

First seen in the PC game Star Wars: TIE Fighter; the TIE Defender was a heavily armed and shielded fighter designed to counter advanced Rebel starfighters and made available to only the Empire’s best pilots. Which is a narrative excuse for it being content that takes a while to unlock. The Defender went on to appear in the Legends continuity a number of times, and finally made the jump to canon last year in the first half of Season 3.

And after it was revealed in Episode 8 that they were the Empire’s secret manufacturing project on Lothal, the back end of the season will finally see them in action. Just when you thought the show’s writers might be easing up on killing off the nameless Rebel pilots for a bit. Which raises the question of where all those A-Wings are coming from.