Star Wars Rebels Officially Returns In 4 Months On Disney+

Published Sep 29, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Lewis is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant and has written for the site since 2022. This has allowed Lewis to explore a vast array of films, TV shows, books, comic books, and games from across the mainstream world of pop culture, reflecting his lifelong love of all media and typifying his experience in the world of fiction storytelling. To top this off, Lewis graduated from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Film & TV Studies, truly exemplifying his experience in the medium. Star Wars Rebels has long been a fan-favorite show, and it officially returns in four months. As far as how Star Wars TV shows are ranked, Rebels is usually placed among the best. Despite being released as Disney's first TV show in the controversial sequel era, Star Wars Rebels has only grown in popularity in the decade since it was released due to its strong characters, exploration of the original trilogy era, and the way it tied into the likes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Although Star Wars Rebels ended in 2018, capping off many story arcs it began, its legacy has endured within the franchise. This is evident in upcoming Star Wars TV shows such as Maul - Shadow Lord, which will undoubtedly explain how the titular character ended up on the planet of Malachor in Star Wars Rebels season 2's finale. Even beyond this big link, Rebels will have even more connections to Star Wars' future outside of upcoming movies. In fact, one such project has such abundant connections to the animated show that Star Wars Rebels will return to Disney+ in four months via Ahsoka season 2. Ahsoka Season 2's Rebels Connections Will Be Even Bigger Than Season 1 When Ahsoka season 1 was released, it was considered a direct sequel to Star Wars Rebels. The links between the two shows were so overt that the former began being dubbed as Star Wars Rebels season 5. Ahsoka season 2 will take this to another level, containing Star Wars Rebels characters, stories, and themes galore. For starters, the main villain of Ahsoka season 2 will be Grand Admiral Thrawn as he seeks to restore Imperial rule across the galaxy, with that character being first introduced to Star Wars TV in Rebels season 3. Also, after Ahsoka season 1 saw Ezra Bridger, Rebels' primary character, return to the main Star Wars galaxy, he is set to reunite with the Ghost Crew; Ezra, Hera, Chopper, and the returning Zeb will lead the fight against Thrawn in Ahsoka season 2, just like they did in Rebels seasons 3 and 4. Moreover, Ezra will finally meet Jacen Syndulla, the son of the former's Jedi Master, Kanan, and Hera. The other Rebels main character, Sabine, will be the co-lead of the show alongside the titular Jedi. Where Ahsoka is concerned, her journey will be linked to the Mortis Gods and the World Between Worlds, two concepts that were vital to Rebels' conclusion. While the former was more connected to The Clone Wars, Rebels further explored the Force deities, with the World Between Worlds being introduced in the latter show. Evidently, Ahsoka season 2 is even more of a fifth season to Star Wars Rebels than season 1 was, officially marking the return of the animated show to Disney+. Star Wars Rebels' Legacy Has Impacted Star Wars For Almost 10 Years Aside from the obvious connections in Ahsoka, it is clear that Star Wars Rebels has left its legacy on the wider franchise over the last decade. One of the primary side characters in The Mandalorian was Bo-Katan Kryze, who was equally important in Star Wars Rebels. The latter explored how she came to rule the planet of Mandalore after her troubles in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with the former tying that into her story in the New Republic timeline. If Dave Filoni's previously announced New Republic movie happens in the future, Thrawn and Star Wars Rebels will impact the franchise on the big screen, solidifying the show's enduring legacy. In The Mandalorian, Bo-Katan's quest centered on reuniting the scattered Mandalorians, reclaiming the Darksaber, which she won in Rebels, and ruling Mandalore once more. Without Rebels, this story thread in Star Wars' most popular TV show of the last decade would not have made sense. Beyond that, even a show so removed from the franchise, like Andor, was laterally impacted by Star Wars Rebels. Andor delved into the story of Mon Mothma in a way other Star Wars projects never have. This came after Rebels explored her leadership of the Rebel Alliance, however, leading Andor to be written specifically to feed directly into the former's storyline. Then there are the obvious ways in which the characters and plot points introduced in Star Wars Rebels will guide Ahsoka season 2. Evidently, there are not many Star Wars TV shows that have impacted the wider franchise as much as Star Wars Rebels has, and January 2027 will only continue that.