The cast of Pod of Rebellion including Vanessa Marshall (Hera Syndulla), Tiya Sircar (Sabine Wren) and Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger) have reflected on reuniting in honor of the 10-year anniversary of Star Wars Rebels.
This reunion, far from a one-off convention appearance, is Pod of Rebellion — a rewatch podcast that brings fans on an intimate, humorous, and deeply nostalgic journey back to Lothal and beyond.
ComicBook recently had the distinct pleasure of speaking with the cast of Pod of Rebellion: actors Vanessa Marshall (Hera Syndulla), Tiya Sircar (Sabine Wren), and Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), alongside moderator Jon Lee Brody and producer/keeper of all Star Wars knowledge, JC Reifenberg. The conversation was less a formal interview and more a warm, genuine gathering of friends, a testament to the bonds forged in the recording booth and strengthened over the ensuing decade. And in true Ghost crew fashion, we were welcomed with open arms, given a call code (Spectre 7), and made to feel like one of their own. You know what they say about art imitating life.
The creation of Pod of Rebellion itself speaks volumes about the cast’s connection and their appreciation for the enduring legacy of Star Wars Rebels. Vanessa Marshall vividly recalled the moment the idea took root. While at a convention with fellow actor Dante Basco (Avatar: The Last Airbender), he asked her why the Rebels cast hadn’t explored the possibility of a rewatch podcast.
“We looked at each other and we didn’t have a good answer,” Marshall explained. “We realized it’s also going to be the 10-year anniversary [of Rebels]. It was at that time. And we thought, what better way to celebrate something like that than to put together something where we could go back and really, just enjoy all the episodes in a rewatch and get to hang out with each other and bond with the fans even more?”
This desire to connect with fans on a deeper, more accessible level lit the fire that would ultimately lead to Pod of Rebellion. Though the actors make appearances at conventions, they were all acutely aware of the fact that not everyone has an opportunity to attend a convention.
Speaking to this, Marshall said, “We noticed that when we go to conventions — we do panels, and we just love hanging out with everybody so much — that we wanted to bring that to people who are unable to get to conventions. [The podcast] is just a way for us to all be together, outside of that context. So, it all just worked out.”
For Tiya Sircar (Sabine Wren), the rewatch experience for Pod of Rebellion has been an entirely new experience compared to her initial viewing of the episodes.
“I watched all the other episodes as they aired and then have never seen them since,” she revealed. “So when we started [Pod of Rebellion], it had been 10 years.” Her initial watch through, she admitted, was colored by the self-critical lens of an actor watching her own performance. “Of course, the first time around I was sort of watching with bated breath, because I’m weird about watching my own performances. So I think I watched [Rebels] the first time around far more critical of myself and unsure of what was happening.”
“Now getting to watch it, it’s like a whole new experience,” Sircar explained. “There are episodes that I don’t really remember and I’m like, ‘Oh, this! Oh, yeah.’ So it’s like a walk down memory lane, but also my rewatch is infused with so much more emotion and nostalgia. Also, I know these people so, so intimately. All of that informs my rewatching of these episodes. So it’s like a whole different experience than when I first watched them when they first came out.”
Taylor Gray’s (Ezra Bridger) experience mirrors Sircar’s in many ways, though with a unique twist.
“I’ve been open about this. I had seen episodes that Disney showed us, but I didn’t see the show fully,” he confessed. His initial dive into voice acting with Rebels was a blank slate of opportunity, something can be as exhilarating as it is daunting. “I’d never done voiceover before, so I didn’t really know how. I didn’t have a real gauge on how my performance was. A lot of the references were kind of missing me.”
Read the interview in full at ComicBook.com and listen to Pod of Rebellion on Apple Podcasts and other platforms.
The post Star Wars Rebels Stars Reflect on Reuniting for Pod of Rebellion appeared first on Jedi News.
