Five fun references from LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy
Posted by CapnRex101,
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy has arrived on Disney+ this week, featuring a new version of the Star Wars galaxy and reimagining numerous familiar characters and vehicles.
As usual for LEGO animation, the series is packed with neat references and details for LEGO fans to appreciate. I have identified five of my favourites, but before looking at those, I am going to give a brief review of the series as a whole. There are no story spoilers in this article, although I do cover some cameo appearances, most of which have appeared in marketing materials.
Review
In short, I found Rebuild the Galaxy to be a lot of fun. The episodic format was unnecessary because it is really a feature-length animation split into four sections, but I think the story was handled well. The idea is inherently silly, but it is not treated that way by the characters. Seeing some familiar Star Wars characters recast in different roles is a highlight, beyond just the Sith Lords shown in marketing.
I particularly enjoyed disturbingly friendly versions of Ponda Baba and Dr. Evazan, as well as the new Jedi council. However, I also believe there was an opportunity to go further in a few places because many characters were little more than cameos, without really playing into the story. I feel the same about vehicles, as most are relatively lacking in creativity. For example, we see three podracers belonging to unexpected characters, but none are truly original.
However, the final scenes suggest there could be more LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy to come. I would certainly not be opposed to that and I hope any future episodes take the concept even further, entirely embracing the creative potential, which would hopefully be reflected in the accompanying sets.
Of course, there is plenty of meme-based humour, covering most of the major Prequel Trilogy memes in particular. There are also countless references, both to the Star Wars universe and LEGO Star Wars. I have focused on the latter when selecting some of my favourites.
A forgettable Ithorian
Darth Dev is aided by various unexpected Sith Lords, such as Darth Jar Jar, Darth Nubs and Darth Rose Tico. The series' protagonist, Sig Greebling, identifies each character as they emerge from the Dark Falcon, with the notable exception of an Ithorian Sith, whose name he has apparently forgotten.
I imagine this refers back to Rusty, an Ithorian Jedi featured in LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles, whom fellow Jedi always struggled to remember.
The Clone Commander doubles as a pilot
The release of 75309 Republic Gunship was marred with controversy for a number of reasons, including an offhand comment made by the set's designer, Hans Burkhard Schlömer. Replying to a question about the minifigures chosen, he suggested that the Clone Commander could double as a pilot because both have yellow accents on their armour, which provoked some frustration among fans.
Three years later, Rebuild the Galaxy makes good on that suggestion, as the Ackbar Trooper pilots seen during the climactic space battle are commanders!
A part an Ewok would love
Ewoks are reimagined as fearsome bounty hunters, piloting Y-wing starfighters customised with technology from Endor. Beyond the obvious glider wings and leaves, I also spotted an element familiar to fans of LEGO Western, as the tree stump from those sets decorates their vehicles.
It was a pleasant surprise to see a long-retired piece make a return here, especially since most of its five appearances in sets actually predate LEGO Star Wars.
Where is L3-G0?
L3-G0 appears in 75393 TIE Fighter & X-wing Mash-up, making an obvious reference to LEGO through the droid's name and colour scheme. Though the Astromech droid slots into the usual socket aboard the X-wing's fuselage in the set, the X-wings and TIE-wings featured onscreen instead have empty droid sockets.
However, the character is shown briefly in the second episode, trundling around the Mos Eisley Marina Cantina. The unnamed pilot from the set makes a brief appearance in the same episode, visiting a takeaway restaurant inspired by Dex's diner on Coruscant.
Purist custom potential
While the three sets based on the series provide a variety of interesting minifigures, many more characters only appear in animated form. Nevertheless, you can create some of them yourself, as they combine existing parts. I loved Jedi Master Palpatine in the series, fully embracing the memes, naturally, so was pleased to see him re-use Luke's torso and legs from 75200 Ahch-To Island Training.
Have you watched LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy and what did you think of it, if so? Let us know in the comments.
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30 comments on this article
I saw it, I loved it, I want MORE!!
Watched the first 3 episodes so far. It’s been fun. The voice work is exceptionaly well done. Especially with the classic characters that appear. Will finish up some time today. A nice addition to the previous Lego StarWars Disney+ shows. The Tac Pod sequence was a highlight. I really dig that model.
I was pleasantly surprised with Rebuild the Galaxy. I wasn't really looking forward to it, it just wasn't speaking to me, but having seen it, it worked. It's essentially The LEGO Star Wars Movie that we never got, but inexplicably broken up into 4 chunks. I'm sad to see the continuity from 2011-2023 come to an end, yes, there was a continuity, but this is what we're doing now, and it it was a bold move they made to go this direction, I respect the decision. The future can do all kinds of things that the old continuity couldn't, so maybe we can expand on some of the mere cameos that took place. They did tease a future story, so maybe I can get more on board the more time we spend in this new version of the Galaxy. Curious to see what versions of the Freemakers and Graballa the Hutt are out there in this new Galaxy.
I not only watched it and loved it, I went and added 75388 and 75393 (BTW, are we getting a review of that one?) to my wanted list. The only reason I didn't also add 75389 is that I'd need more space. The only minifig-scale Millennium Falcon I have is 4504, so besides my desire for the minifigures, I'd love to get a firsthand look at how MFs have improved since then. I particularly loved two things about Jedi Bob: his description of where he came from, and his full name. Another thing I loved is that no less than six of the characters were voiced by their original actors, although I don't think C3P0 has ever been voiced in anything by anyone other than Anthony Daniels. Finally, I also loved the last changed character revealed (especially the pun in his name), here's hoping he's prominent in the sequel.
Darth Jar Jar was bait, he barely appeared. It would have made much more sense if he'd be the Sith Master of the new galaxy instead of some kid like Dev, and that Dev and Darth Rey would be the apprentices to Jar Jar as suggested on the Dark Falcon box. Overall there were some fun jokes but the storytelling was very lacking, with characters constantly telling how they feel or pointing out what is happening on the screen. I know it's just a Lego special but this one was disappointing, though better than those Lego specials of the last few years which didn't even have any humor.
I noticed a couple other fun references in the series:
At one point during the first episode, Sig says Gonk droids are basically indestructible. I think this is a reference to the Gonk droids in the original LEGO Star Wars video games!
Also, Jedi Bob talks about Force Builders and Alliston Nor, both of which were first introduced in The Freemaker Adventures!
I wish I had Disney+ now :-(
I also think using Yoda's torso from 75358 could work for Jedi Palpatine too... especially given how expensive the TLJ Luke is
@Murdoch17 said:
"I saw it, I loved it, I want MORE!!"
Sign! Also, the Ithorian's name is Rusty! But nobody remembers that =(
The show is about playing Star Was as you want it to be!
My theory is that Disney makes "bad" Star Wars content on putpos, so that toys are bought to replay Star Wars in the appropiate way!
@TheOtherMike said:
"Another thing I loved is that no less than six of the characters were voiced by their original actors, although I don't think C3P0 has ever been voiced in anything by anyone other than Anthony Daniels."
I remember it was a big deal when Billy Dee Williams reprised the role of Lando in JK2. However, Daniels does not, it seems, have a lock on the character. Six actors (including Simon Pegg!) have voiced C-3PO one time, one more has done the voice three times, and still one more has hit double digits with ten performances. But Daniels has voiced the character more than all of them combined with 33 performances (including two commercials):
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Star-Wars/C-3PO/?s=ltm
Surprised no one mentioned Yesi last name is Scala!
@jonah2018wsu Freemaker Adventures was the best LEGO show and nobody can change my mind
(Then again I also haven't watched Rebuild The Galaxy yet)
@WolfpackBricksOfficial said:
" @jonah2018wsu Freemaker Adventures was the best LEGO show and nobody can change my mind
(Then again I also haven't watched Rebuild The Galaxy yet)"
To quote Palpatine: 'Do it!'
I haven't seen it YET. You wanna know why? I cancelled my Disney+ Subscription after the Acolyte. I'll get it back though once the Skeleton crew show releases.
I plan on getting two of the three Rebuild the galaxy sets, those being 75393, and 75388
@PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"Another thing I loved is that no less than six of the characters were voiced by their original actors, although I don't think C3P0 has ever been voiced in anything by anyone other than Anthony Daniels."
I remember it was a big deal when Billy Dee Williams reprised the role of Lando in JK2. However, Daniels does not, it seems, have a lock on the character. Six actors (including Simon Pegg!) have voiced C-3PO one time, one more has done the voice three times, and still one more has hit double digits with ten performances. But Daniels has voiced the character more than all of them combined with 33 performances (including two commercials):
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Star-Wars/C-3PO/?s=ltm"
Everything I'd ever seen or heard with C3P0 had Daniels voice him, so I'd assumed that this extended to the stuff I hadn't. I stand corrected, should have done more research.
We’ve seen the leaked figures of Max Rebo and Salacious Crumb with the demonic eye printing that now appears in this show.. do you think they will release Rebo’s pod ??
Also we were cheated us out of a Darth Kit Fisto mini figure, that would’ve boosted sales even more of the dark falcon if they included him as the 7th figure, and have Darth Tico poly as a GWP with either the purchase of the falcon or the Tie - X mashup
Man, the blocks are strong with this one.
If you check the designer bricklist notes for 75340, you can see that the Commander is a bit of an inside joke now
@StarWarzFan7777 said:
"Darth Jar Jar was bait, he barely appeared. It would have made much more sense if he'd be the Sith Master of the new galaxy instead of some kid like Dev, and that Dev and Darth Rey would be the apprentices to Jar Jar as suggested on the Dark Falcon box. Overall there were some fun jokes but the storytelling was very lacking, with characters constantly telling how they feel or pointing out what is happening on the screen. I know it's just a Lego special but this one was disappointing, though better than those Lego specials of the last few years which didn't even have any humor."
I agree. I hate it when they dumb down children's programming. Kids are smarter than tv directors believe. Over-explained stories are tedious for everyone.
It's watchable, but barely. Every time the gonk droid speaks, it was difficult not to turn off the tv. He's the most annoying Aussie from every bar, ever!
The SW jokes were fun. I think there was quite a bit more they could have easily done with that. The explanation of Bob's yellow coloring was a fun bit. That also left me wanting more.
Show does NOT come with minifigures
Show is WAY overpriced
Disney plays pickleball with Satan
QED Lego hates fans
@TheOtherMike said:
"Everything I'd ever seen or heard with C3P0 had Daniels voice him, so I'd assumed that this extended to the stuff I hadn't. I stand corrected, should have done more research."
Everything I've seen or heard with C-3PO, I _believed_ to be voiced by Daniels. But I wasn't sure. The problem was, it's hard to find that information. Wikipedia and IMDb don't have lists of acting credits for that specific character, just the voice talent. I stumbled on the page I linked to by doing a regular search and just digging through until I found something that looked like it might list everyone. Turns out, I've seen at least a few things where someone else voiced the character. Two of those are LEGO video games, which generally don't include dialogue. Grunts, moans, and the like probably weren't deemed worth bringing in original cast for. The 2003 Clone Wars shorts didn't feature spoken dialogue, and someone else did the voice work. The 2008 Clone Wars series did feature spoken dialogue, and Daniels was brought back for that. The weird one was finding out that he didn't do the first Robot Chicken special, but he _did_ do the third one. Now I'm curious who approached whom on that one.
@andygott said:
"Show does NOT come with minifigures
Show is WAY overpriced
Disney plays pickleball with Satan
QED Lego hates fans"
Show will have no resale value, either. I won't even be able to watch several copies to army build it, only to leave them collecting dust on a grey baseplate! (;_;) /j
I loved the show. I hope LEGO comes out with sets that have the Black Jawa. WE (collectors), need a few of those in our collection.
@WolfpackBricksOfficial said:
" @jonah2018wsu Freemaker Adventures was the best LEGO show and nobody can change my mind
(Then again I also haven't watched Rebuild The Galaxy yet)"
Have you watched Ninjago yet? (Unless if you are talking about just LEGO Star Wars shows, than yes, Freemakers Adventures was amazing)
if you see an Ewok pilot and your first thought isn't "Lieutenant Kettch", are you even Star Wars-ing?
everyone needs some Aaron Allston Wraith Squadron goodness in their lives
@Ephseb said:
"if you see an Ewok pilot and your first thought isn't "Lieutenant Kettch", are you even Star Wars-ing?
everyone needs some Aaron Allston Wraith Squadron goodness in their lives"
I am ashamed that I didn't think of Kettch until I saw your post. Yub, yub, Commander.
@Ephseb said:
"if you see an Ewok pilot and your first thought isn't "Lieutenant Kettch", are you even Star Wars-ing?
everyone needs some Aaron Allston Wraith Squadron goodness in their lives"
It’s been long enough since I read those that I didn’t remember the name, but Wraith Squadron is always what I think of when I see an Ewok in a starfighter cockpit.
Already got the Dark Falcon, watched it, enjoyed it very much, just waiting a bit to pull the trigger on ordering the two other sets.
@BricksandBoosters said:
"Surprised no one mentioned Yesi last name is Scala!"
Yep, and that Bob's last name is Afol
@StarWarzFan7777 said:
"Darth Jar Jar was bait, he barely appeared. It would have made much more sense if he'd be the Sith Master of the new galaxy instead of some kid like Dev, and that Dev and Darth Rey would be the apprentices to Jar Jar as suggested on the Dark Falcon box. Overall there were some fun jokes but the storytelling was very lacking, with characters constantly telling how they feel or pointing out what is happening on the screen. I know it's just a Lego special but this one was disappointing, though better than those Lego specials of the last few years which didn't even have any humor."
You can't complain about the quality of the storytelling AND complain that they prioritzied good storytelling over a meme character. Pick a lane.
I watched Rebuild the Gallaxy over the weekend and got to say it was a brilliant 4 part series. Not perfect but seeing a lot of bad guys be good guys and good guys be bad was great. Han Solo as a bad guy was something I wasn't expecting but Jabba the Hut as a Jedi was just lol moment. My only question is what has happened to the original Star Wars Galaxy ? Has it been overwritten ? Has it survived somehow and our main character will find his way back or is Jedi Bob not telling the whole truth about not being able to return to the original Galaxy. I'm hopeful more seasons of Rebuild the Galaxy will be made that will answer theses questions and more. May thr force be with you all Je'daii Bob