Star Wars is par for the course when it comes to how fiction tends to treat moms. They’re pretty much required to die so that the plucky young hero can go on his quest and realize himself. And even when they live, they do so as kindly supporting characters or wicked witches. There’s little out there to contradict the message that our own lives end when motherhood begins. That’s why the animated series Star Wars Rebels, which concluded its four-season run last week, is such a breath of fresh air.

One of the best parts in “Jedi Night” was Hera Syndulla shouting, “You have no right to hold that, let alone understand it,” to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Even from the interrogation rack, this is Hera Syndulla’s most empowering moment: chiding an Imperial on the appropriation of her family heirloom is classic Hera. But from there, Hera Syndulla is depowered, not by Imperials, but by inattentive writing. The recent Star Wars Rebels episodes demonstrate why Lucasfilm needs to hire more women.

As Star Wars Rebels edges toward its conclusion, I'd like to take a look back at some of the women of the Empire we got to know during its run. Maketh Tua and Governor Arihnda Pryce are two fascinating Imperials.

One of the reasons why comics are an awesome medium is that it's the perfect place for stories from our past to find new life. There is a female protagonist near and dear to many of us from our childhood reading that is getting her own comic later this year. I can't tell you who it is just yet, but Dynamite has provided an awesome, and slightly unnerving teaser image, which you can check out in full after the jump.

As we await the debut of Kelly Marie Tran as Rose in The Last Jedi, another onscreen Asian woman heroine needs her due. In Star Wars Rebels, Mandalorian Sabine Wren (voiced by Tiya Sircar) is an Asian-coded heroine in the Star Wars Universe.

Even if Ahsoka never emerges from the abyss, it is natural that this light side warrior would leave behind a legacy of ellipses, in which we will answer by dreaming of her in a perpetual wander.

The second trailer for Star Wars Rebels points to some big decisions for the crew of the Ghost, as the show approaches the events of Rogue One.

Hot on the heels of the teaser trailer for The Last Jedi, Lucasfilm and Disney have posted the trailer for the fourth and final season of Star Wars Rebels.

In “Twin Suns,” Ben Kenobi drives home the importance of forgiveness as a way of moving forward towards a new hope (#sorrynotsorry).

How Ahsoka (with Kanan following, possibly) outgrew the binary of Jedi and Sith.

Hera Syndulla just deserves a story she can call her own.

Following the sizzle reel released this Monday of Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera on Star Wars Rebels comes this two and a half minute clip of Saw, uh... conversing with a Geonosian resident on board the Ghost.

We've already heard quite a bit about Saw Gerrera's reappearance in Star Wars Rebels, where he'll be played once again, if only in voice, by Forest Whitaker. Now we can see him in action as he was shortly before the time period of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in this clip from his upcoming Rebels episode.

We already know that we'll be getting a ton more Saw Gerrera via Disney XD's Star Wars Rebels and that Forest Whitaker, who played him in Rogue One, will be voicing the character. It's also quite possible that another rebel we got to know in Rogue One could be making their way to the small screen.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy revealed that Saw Gerrera had a much bigger role in Rogue One, and may yet still pop up elsewhere in the greater Star Wars universe.

Star Wars Rebels will be bridging Saw Gerrera's timeline gap between Clone Wars and Rogue One--and Forest Whitaker will be reprising his role as the character.

Star Wars Celebration is proving to be a source for a plethora of exciting news; in addition to the awesome new Rogue One footage we got yesterday, we also have another announcement that a beloved character from the Star Wars Expanded Universe is making his way into the new Star Wars canon.