One of the pleasures of the TV series “Rebels” is seeing a small Rebel cell do its thing within the growing Rebellion. Hera knows their contact, code-named Fulcrum (the obvious candidate is Bail Organa), but her underlings on the Ghost – including frustrated Sabine, who wants a bigger role – do not. This is so the information can’t be tortured out of Sabine by the Empire.
While “Rebels” takes place in the early days of the Rebellion, five years before “A New Hope,” this method wherein every Rebel plays a small part in a bigger picture is useful throughout the Rebellion up until the point it becomes the New Republic. The four-issue “Rebel Heist” (now available in trade paperback) is a prime example of how the structure works, with Han, Leia, Chewbacca and Luke as the featured characters.
What sets “Rebel Heist” apart from other yarns in the packed portion of the timeline between Episodes IV and V is that it’s told from the perspectives of three low-level Rebel operatives and one low-level Imperial operative. Writer Matt Kindt explores the four heroes from the perspectives of – as he puts it — “someone like me, a regular guy.”
In Issue 1, nervous Jan is on his first mission, and realizes to his surprise that it’s with the always-confident (much to Jan’s befuddlement) Han Solo. In Issue 2, the Twi’lek Sarin sees Leia as a pampered princess, until she learns otherwise. In Issue 3, an ex-Imperial believes Chewie is just a dumb animal, until he sees him in action. And in Issue 4, a Bothan Imperial agent has Luke and the others dead to rights – but he’s so impressed by their actions and ideals that he surrenders (and a final panel suggests he will go on to be one of the Rebels who acquires the Death Star II plans).
We find out on the final page that the Rebels’ end goal is the acquisition of the shield generator to be used at the Hoth base, which is a neat tie-in to the wider saga. But the hook of “Rebel Heist” is the noir-style narration from the unsung folks who observe our heroes. The Leia story is particularly great, as the princess goes through various wardrobe changes on her “Alias”-style undercover mission.
Enhanced by solid art and a kinetic flow of panels from Marco Castiello, “Rebel Heist” shows that it takes a lot of brave individuals to form a successful Rebellion against an oppressive government, while also reminding us why the main characters are the main characters. This narration from Sarin sums it up:
“Some of us are meant to toil anonymously, furthering the cause. … But we all want the same thing. I could see it in (Leia’s) eyes. She would die before she gave me up to the Imperials.”
As we’ll probably see as “Rebels” moves forward, she learned it from her father.