Like many, I was extremely skeptical of the latest Star Wars animated series. I was worried that this series would seem “juvenile” compared to previous Star Wars properties, especially given that this is the first major media release in the Star Wars universe since the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm.

However, halfway into the first season, I strongly recommend this series for long-time Star Wars fans, as well as those new to the fandom. Here are some reasons to hop on board and start watching Star Wars: Rebels.

The Characters

Star Wars: Rebels has introduced us to a brand new cast of characters. Our main cast consists of five “rebels” (six if you include their ornery R2 droid). In the Firefly-esque setup, the rebels are living on board their ship, the Ghost, as outlaws working together to build a resistance to Emperor Palpatine’s evil empire. Each of the characters has a distinct personality and has a unique backstory and the dynamic between the characters is realistic and familial.

The Voice Actors

The Star Wars: Rebels team managed to assemble an all-star cast of voice actors for the show, including Freddie Prinze Jr. as the rebel team leader, Kanan, voice-acting veteran Steve Blum as Zeb, and infamous Lucius Malfoy actor Jason Isaacs as the series’ main antagonist, The Inquisitor. All voice actors involved bring their characters to life, resulting in a cast of believable, relatable characters.

The ‘Original Trilogy’ Tone

With the upcoming Star Wars sequel films, there has been a lot of talk about returning to the “tone” of the original trilogy. From the perspective of this series, the tone of Star Wars: Rebels feels like that original trilogy, (in the form of an animated TV series, of course). Unlike The Clone Wars TV series, depicting a galaxy-wide war with an inevitably unhappy conclusion, this series tells the beginning of a story that we know has a happy ending. We are watching the formation of the rebel alliance, which will eventually aid Luke, Han, and Leia as they overthrow the empire and rid the galaxy of Emperor Palpatine. Despite the dark overtone and the many dark situations these characters find themselves in, the series keeps things hopeful, adventurous, and fun, much the original films. Furthermore, the animation style of the series is based largely on Ralph McQuarrie concept art from the original Star Wars trilogy.

Expansion of the Universe

While the tone feels familiar, this series also allows us a new look at the galaxy far, far away. Sure, the evil empire is present in the original trilogy, but we never truly see the effects the empire has on the lives of the regular citizenry of the galaxy in their day-to-day lives. In this series, we see exactly that, through the eyes of our new cast of characters. Whether it is the empire intervening in a local farmer’s business, forcing a town to celebrate “empire day,” or maintaining complete control over all broadcast media, we see the empire in a whole new light, adding even more motivation to the goal of the rebels.

The Connection Between Prequel Films and Original Trilogy

Given its placement in the Star Wars chronology, this series forms a connection between the prequel movies (and The Clone Wars TV series) and A New Hope. This show has the potential to tie up loose ends of a number of characters from The Clone Wars. We have already seen what has happened to Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and there is much speculation that the mysterious “Fulcrum” character is Clone Wars fan-favorite Ahsoka (although my personal theory is that this character is actually Lando Calrissian). Bringing these characters into the fold and seeing how, along with our main cast, they create what will ultimately be the Rebel Alliance is a great way to connect the two trilogies. By the end of the series, I expect we will see other characters like Admiral Ackbar, Mon Mothma, and even Princess Leia get involved and build up the Rebellion as we see it in Episode IV.

The Tie-in Material

Lucasfilm has not been holding back with releasing supplemental tie-in material to Star Wars: Rebels. If you are a fan that enjoys a multi-media story, there is no shortage here. In fact, the first Star Wars novel released post-Disney-purchase was an origin story of sorts. A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller details how Kanan and Hera met and has been met with generally positive reviews. A comic book series beginning in April 2015 will focus on Kanan training to be a jedi with his master prior to the execution of Order 66. For the younger audiences, a number of junior novelizations have been released focusing on specific episodes of the series.

The ‘Grand Plan’

Although only rumors at this point, it has been reported that the producers of Star Wars: Rebels only intend for this series to last for four seasons. This indicates that the story they are telling has a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. Knowing the “big picture” from the get-go will aid in telling the best story possible, rather than taking the show season by season. Time and again we have seen good shows dragged on too long or cancelled too soon. If there is a master plan in mind, and Disney is on board, we could be in for a truly well executed series.

Star Wars: Rebels airs on Disney XD and is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes, as well as the Disney XD app. The next episode (featuring the immortal Frank Oz as the voice of Yoda!) is titled “Path of the Jedi” and airs tonight, January 5.