Inside "Fighter Flight"

Overview

Rebels Recon #1.03 features an in-depth look at the Star Wars Rebels episode "Fighter Flight," with a recap, cast and crew interviews, and answers to your Twitter questions -- plus an exclusive preview of next week's installment of Star Wars Rebels, "Rise of the Old Masters!" In "Fighter Flight," Hera sends the ever-bickering Ezra and Zeb on a quality-time supply run -- which includes bringing back an impossible-to-find meiloorun fruit -- and the two have a run-in with some stormtroopers. As a result, Zeb finds himself in the cockpit of a TIE fighter. At New York Comic Con 2014, Vanessa Marshall (voice of Hera), talked about what her character brings to the Ghost crew, which is on display in this episode. "I think what makes Hera so cool," Marshall says, "is that she helps these characters discover things they didn't really know they had inside to get this job done." The plot of "Fighter Flight" comes from a surprising source: Star Wars toys. "The whole idea for "Fighter Flight," executive producer Dave Filoni tells Lucasfilm's Andi Gutierrez, "was based around having a TIE fighter toy as a kid and putting heroes in it instead of villains...I played out that scenario a hundred times as a child." And the dynamic between Zeb and Ezra that's explored in the episode is key to defining their relationship. "It's fun. I think of it as the whole big brother, little brother thing," says Taylor Gray, who plays Ezra. Steve Blum, the voice of Zeb, explains that their friendship is growing -- and that he's fascinated by Ezra. The episode also offers a new, close-up look at TIE fighters, which Blum was especially excited to see -- and Filoni reveals the design inspiration behind Star Wars Rebels' TIEs. Finally, the Lucasfilm Story Group's Pablo Hidalgo addresses a new fan question: why does C-3PO have a silver leg in "Fighter Flight," when last we saw him in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, he was completely gold?