Vanessa Marshall Recalls Her Shock at Learning About the ‘Star Wars Rebels’ Conclusion

After voicing Hera Syndulla in Star Wars Rebels for four seasons, actress Vanessa Marshall became as big a fan of the series as anyone, with the events of the final season making a massive emotional impact on the performer. With the events of the final season now public knowledge, Marshall opened up about her reaction to the series’ fate and what took her by surprise. Star Wars Rebels Season Four is on Blu-ray now.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Star Wars Rebels

One of the most surprising moments in the series was Kanan Jarrus’ sacrifice in the episode “Jedi Night,” with the character’s heroism deeply affecting viewers. While one might assume recording the episode would have been a depressing affair, Marshall noted that, while it was an emotional encounter, it brought the cast together.

“We all felt a loss when Kanan passed away, obviously, but even that we were able to grow through together. So, at the end of the day, we were made closer as a cast through that,” the actress shared with ComicBook.com. “It affords us an opportunity to embrace the reality that grief is a part of the human experience, and it is perfectly natural for us to learn and grow together through such things. I don’t think we can turn away from that reality, and it was a wonderful opportunity as an actress to heal any past grief that I’ve had in my own life.”

The actress recorded the dialogue long before she had the opportunity to watch those events unfold, which she had a much different reaction to.

“In the moment, the opportunity to portray that moment in the human experience, or the Twi’lek experience, was a wonderful, delicious acting opportunity and very cathartic,” Marshall noted. “It wasn’t enjoyable to watch, it was devastating, because as a fan, I watch the show, and I am able to grieve for those characters from the outside in.”

The final moments of the last episode jumped forward in time to after the events Return of the Jedi, confirming that Hera survived and had Kanan’s child. With these scenes only having one narrator, Marshall learned her character’s fate during a screening with an audience full of die-hard fans.

“I learned about that, actually live with everyone else. So, I didn’t know that was coming. That was really a shocking experience,” the actress confessed. “The only person in our cast who knew about that was Tiya Sircar, because she recorded the voiceover beneath the epilogue. Nothing could have prepared me for that. It was amazing. What a wonderful way to wrap up the season, with new life and the possibility of possibly having [Sabine Wren] and Ahsoka go and find Ezra, and also, what does it mean for Hera to go from being the sort of mother of the crew, for lack of a better term, to an actual real mom? So, those things excited me. I was curious about what follows, and hopefully, we’ll get some of that at some point in our lifetime.”

The animated series Star Wars Resistance debuts this fall, which could present an opportunity to bring back Hera. Were any chance to reprise her role to present itself, the actress will happily venture back to the galaxy far, far away.

“I think Hera’s so part of me that it’s not possible to put her down, ever,” Marshall admitted. “I learned so much from playing her and she’s definitely just become a part of who I am, that if that opportunity came around, I’d be more than happy to do that.”

You can get the final season of Star Wars Rebels on Blu-ray now.

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