”I don’t like your father anymore.”
By Eric Goldman
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Earlier this season, Hera got a spotlight episode with “Wings of the Master”, but while it was a strong episode, it wasn’t truly about Hera in the way other character-centric episodes have been on Rebels. That being the case, “Homecoming” was especially gratifying, as the Ghost’s pilot took center stage, in an episode that also managed to tie into The Clone Wars in a very satisfying manner.
We already knew Hera was the daughter of Cham Syndulla from The Clone Wars, but it was great to see Cham finally return here (well, in animation, since he was in the Lords of the Sith novel last year). Having him accompanied by Gobi and, most especially, Numa – the little girl from one of The Clone Wars’ early triumphs, “Innocents of Ryloth” – was also really cool, and I love how The Clone Wars and Rebels have this whole, interconnected sub-universe within Star Wars
It was also a fun touch to have The Clone Wars’ Padme, Catherine Taber, voice Numa here as another connective tissue, while Robin Atkin Downes and Corey Burton returned as Cham and Gobi.
Kanan’s hero worship of Cham – who was more than happy to share his war stories, including recounting Mace Windu’s astounding actions in The Clone Wars’ “Liberty on Ryloth” – contrasting with Hera’s issues with her father was well done. All of these early scenes set up a legitimately shocking moment, as it turned out Cham, Numa and Gobi were all betraying the Ghost crew, intent to destroy, not steal, the imperial carrier they were targeting.
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
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Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
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Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
Star Wars Rebels: “Homecoming” Images
That being the case, I do sort of wish all three of them hadn’t changed their point of view and agreed to help Hera by the end. Cham, sure – this is his daughter, after all. But what if Numa had become the most militant of them all? That aside, it still was quite effective to jump from that adorable little girl, to her stoically saying, “Sorry, my friends,” as she stunned the Ghost crew.
In the midst of this, we got some nice little tidbits on Hera’s past, including how she found Chopper during the Clone Wars, and some engaging confrontations between Hera and Cham. Hera falling into her natural, French-influenced Twi’lek accent when fighting with Cham was a great, very realistic touch, and done so well by Vanessa Marshall, who gave a terrific performance throughout the episode, as Hera had to deal with her father’s return.
The end of “Homecoming” also included some really strong action, most especially the sequence where Kanan and Ezra each used the Force to fling each other forward through those blast doors before they shut.
Oh, and that one Stormtrooper absolutely booking it past the others when the evacuation order was given? Hysterical.
Like other recent episodes have, “Homecoming” continued to make up for the early episodes of Season 2 that seemed to focus on Ezra and Kanan so much, to the detriment of the rest of the characters. Hera got her most noteworthy episode yet, while the inclusion of Cham, Gobi and Numa offered a compelling connection to The Clone Wars that also didn’t completely take over the episode and still let Hera and the others have their due.
