'Star Wars Rebels' shown for free on Star Wars Day

"Star Wars Rebels" is available for free on StarWars.com today, May 4. This is part of the fan-proclaimed "Star Wars Celebration Day" holiday that commemorates the creation of the popular franchise. The date was chosen in honor of an intended pun, "May the Fourth Be with You." 

Star Wars RebelsDisney

The free streaming service was announced via the "Star Wars" Twitter account stating, "Commence #StarWarsRebels binge! The entire 1st season is available on http://StarWars.com now through May the 4th." 

Fans of the series can stream the episodes for free on the "Star Wars" website. This includes the 44-minute premiere titled "Spark of Rebellion." The series then continues with a total of 13 episodes. All episodes are available for avid fans and newcomers alike to binge-watch while they are still available. 

"Star Wars Rebels" is set five years prior to the events of "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" and is mostly set in the outer-rim planet of Lothal. The series revolves around a rag-tag group of rebels, including one Jedi survivor and his new apprentice, fighting against the Empire. 

"Rebels" depicts how the rebellion army came to be and connects to the events of "Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One" and "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope." Fan speculations and the teaser footage for "Rogue One" indicate that the film will be about the rebels stealing the Death Star plans and it is speculated that some of the characters in the film may come from the "Rebels" TV series. 

Following the launch of the free streaming service, fans may look forward to the premiere of "Rebels" season 2 which is scheduled to air on Disney XD this June 20. Season 2 has cast Sarah Michelle Gellar in an unspecified role and will see the return of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" characters such as Ahsoka Tano, Rex, and Hondo Ohnaka.