Star Wars Rebels: Character Spotlight – Kanan Jarrus
BEFORE STAR WARS REBELS
When Disney bought Lucasfilm we found out we were going to be inundated with as much Star Wars as we could handle. Leading up to the release of The Force Awakens the fandom was first treated to an animated series on Disney XD entitled Star Wars Rebels. After a successful first season, Rebels increased its episode run from 15 (if you include the hour long movie) to 22. We have seen ups and downs in 2 seasons and some amazing fights, along with great character development. Season 3 premieres on a new night and new time, Saturday September 24th at 8:30pm. With the excitement of old foes and new foes this season, along with a time jump that will help sync the series up with Rogue One, fans are ready for the continuing journey of the crew of the Ghost. With that in mind over the next few weeks leading up to the premiere we will delve into each individual of the Ghost. Keep in mind that there are potential spoilers from not only the first 2 seasons but also novels and comics. This week we start with the man known as The Last Padawan. He has been a prominent figure in the series and has not only received a novel but his own comic book series as well. He is none other than Kanan Jarrus.
Kanan Jarrus was born Caleb Dume on Coruscant, and was training to be a Jedi under Depa Billaba. Dume felt a connection to Billaba ever since seeing her recovering in a Bacta tank while in the infirmary for an injury of his own. After completing his trials, he waits for a Jedi Knight to choose him as their padawan. He attended classes lead by the likes of Jocasta Nu, Mace Windu, and Obi Wan Kenobi but still was without a master. It wasn’t until after Billaba herself instructed him on the lightsaber fighting style, form III or the Soresu form, that he knew he wanted her as his master. After helping Billaba stop an attempted bombing of the Jedi Temple he was asked by her to be her apprentice. At the age of 13, 5 months before the end of the Clone Wars, Caleb Dume became Depa Billaba’s padawan officially. When Order 66 came down from Palpatine, Dume and Billaba had been on many missions together. He even made friends with some of the Clone Troopers. No Jedi was ready for this betrayal. Depa Billaba sacrificed her life so that Dume could survive. He watched in horror as the Clone troopers he once trusted turned on him and his Master.
After evading capture, he was discovered rummaging through refuse bins by a Kalleran named Janus Kasmir. Kasmir fed him, and clothed him all the while giving him the advice, “You Lie. You Cheat. You Steal. You Survive.” It was a bumpy road for the 2 but eventually they became partners. Dume learned all he could about being a smuggler from Kasmir. After a few run ins with a fledgling Empire, and some daring escapes, Dume decided to part ways with Kasmir. He ceased to be Caleb Dume and began to call himself Kanan Jarrus as he severed all ties to the Jedi Order, concealed his lightsaber, and took up the blaster. He freelanced as a freighter pilot, bounty hunter, and other odd jobs. It got to the point for Kanan that he turned to drowning his problems in alcohol. After flying freight for a while he met Hera Syndulla who at the time was investigating Count Vidian. Hera convinced Kanan to help her. The two went through a lot of dangerous situations together. They eventually began to truly care for one another. Kanan saved Hera from the destruction of the Forager using the Force and giving away his secret to her. After landing on the planet Gorse, Kanan covered his trail of his involvement in the destruction of the Forager and also agreed to become a crew member of the Ghost.
DURING STAR WARS REBELS
In Star Wars Rebels Season 1 we see Kanan and Hera leading the Ghost crew of Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper. Kanan runs into Ezra Bridger during a mission to gain supplies from the Empire. Kanan could sense the Force in Ezra and convinced him to join the Ghost crew. In a mission that involved helping some Wookies the crew is surrounded and Kanan has no choice but to reveal his secret. “Kid I am about to let everyone in on the secret,” claims Kanan as he pulls his lightsaber out and ignites it. Once news gets back to the Emperor that a Jedi was spotted, he orders Vader to handle it. Vader sends the Grand Inquisitor to investigate and potentially destroy what is left of the Jedi. As the season wears on Kanan begins to teach Ezra the ways of the Force. A final duel between the Grand Inquisitor and the 2 takes place as the Inquisitor seemingly kills Ezra. This moment forces Kanan to face his fear and rely completely on the Force as his ally as he has nothing to lose. In a great show of skill Kanan defeats the Inquisitor, but not without being first warned that there are far more powerful and scarier things they will now face. To Kanan’s relief Ezra is still alive. To everyone’s surprise Fulcrum, who had been giving Hera orders to help the fledgling rebellion, is revealed to be Ahsoka Tano who was long thought dead.
Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels starts us off with a bang as Kanan and Ezra square off against Darth Vader, barely escaping with their lives. Kanan faced his past as Ahsoka recruited old Clone troopers to the cause. Rex joined the Ghost crew, even though Kanan protested it. Those two butted heads many times, which also started to wear on Ezra. It seemed as if Kanan and Ezra’s relationship started to take a hit which made Kanan doubt himself as a teacher. More Inquisitors began to come after the group which forced Kanan, Ahsoka, and Ezra to leave the group for a while as they knew they were the ones being hunted. The trio eventually made their way to the hidden Jedi temple on Lothal where each received their own vision. Kanan had the rank of Jedi Knight bestowed upon him from the Temple Guardian who turned out to be the Force Ghost of the Grand Inquisitor before he joined the Dark Side. With this new found confidence in himself and the information given to Ezra from Master Yoda the trio set off for the planet of Malachor. Not only did the Inquisitors find the trio…but Ezra discovered former Sith Apprentice, Darth Maul, on the planet as well. In a fierce duel Maul and Ezra fight the 5th brother while Ahsoka and Kanan fight the 7th Sister and 8th Brother. During the duel Maul kills the 7th Sister and 5th Brother while Kanan damages the 8th Brother’s lightsaber where it’s roto function fails and he falls to his death. Kanan sends Ahsoka after Ezra, who has ascended to the top of the temple to place the Holocron into the control panel. Maul uses this distraction and blinds Kanan with his lightsaber. Kanan finds his lightsaber and an old helmet and utilizes the Force to be his eyes as he duels Maul and eventually tosses him off the temple. Chopper then helps Kanan to the top. Unbeknownst to Kanan Darth Vader has arrived and begins a duel with Ahsoka. Kanan and Ezra worked together to pull the Sith Holocron from the control panel which forced the temple to begin to seal itself up again. Ezra helps Kanan to the ship as Ahsoka tells them to leave and continues her duel with Vader as the area crumbles around them.
With Season 3 Rebels starting soon, here are some potential expectations for Kanan. First off with the time jump not only should we see an increase in Kanan’s Force abilities but we should also see him be able to move around as if he wasn’t blinded at all. Also I believe we are going to see Kanan and Ezra’s relationship get very strained as Ezra potentially seeks the power to protect his friends from danger while having Maul in his ear tempting him. I believe that we could see more of a relationship between Hera and Kanan. With barely escaping Malachor and losing his sight it is possible Kanan will see that nothing is guaranteed and should act on his feelings. Lastly I expect to see a duel or 2 between Maul and Kanan.
This wraps up this week’s Rebels Character Spotlight. I know I left a lot out but feel free to check out the novel, A New Dawn, and the 12 issue Comic Series Star Wars: Kanan, to fill in the blanks. Also can’t forget seasons 1 and 2 of Rebels. Next week we will have a character spotlight on Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger. Until then may the Force be with you.
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