We're three seasons into Star Wars Rebels, and in that time, we've seen the entire Ghost crew grow. Take Garazeb Orrelios, a.k.a. Zeb. At first, the Lasat was known for one trait in particular: his penchant for bashing stormtroopers on the head. As he so eloquently put it in the series premiere, "It's just something about the feel of their helmets on my fists." His fists do make a rather satisfying thunk against the plastic buckets.
Zeb's about more than his brawn though. His strength certainly comes in handy considering the high number of times the rebels find themselves in hand-to-hand combat situations, but he brings more to the table -- like a rad weapon and an intriguing past. He's an integral part of the group and missions wouldn't go the same way without him. Here are five reasons Zeb is the bee's knees:
1. His former title.
Before Zeb joined the rebellion, he was part of the Lasan Honor Guard. He served as their captain. That meant he was tasked with protecting the royal family of Lasan. However, he couldn't do much when Lasan was decimated with the Empire's ion disruptor rifles. Because of his past role, Zeb is trained and ready for combat and military operations.
2. That rad weapon.
Zeb's electrifying weapon is known as a bo-rifle -- technically, it's an AB-75 bo-rifle. Its functions combine a blaster rifle and electrostaff because why not have the best of both worlds? Members of the Honor Guard used the rifle, and it was rarely seen outside that group (Kallus has one because he bested a member of the Honor Guard in battle). Besides seeing Zeb wield the obviously valuable weapon in ranged and melee fights, we've watched him use it for an ancient Lasan ritual in "Legends of the Lasat."
3. His colorful language.
I don't know how you can watch Star Wars Rebels and not start saying "karabast!" in place of less exciting words like "Rats!" or "Darn it!" Zeb frequently expresses his annoyances or frustrations with the Lasat exclamation. I've lost track of how many times he's said karabast in the series. Someone should tally them up.
4. Doing what's right.
As mentioned, the Empire used T-7 ion disruptor rifles to harm the Lasan. When Zeb stumbled across the weapons in "Droids in Distress," he was upset by encountering them again. Cikatro Vizago was supposed to get his hands on the rifles via a sale from Kanan, but Zeb shut the transaction down. Because Zeb spoke up about how dangerous the rifles could be, the rebels ultimately ended up destroying them rather than letting them exist to do harm. The credits they got from Vizago probably would have helped the scrappy group, but it wasn't worth it to Zeb.
5. His survival instincts.
Being one of the last of his kind has undoubtedly sharpened Zeb's survival instincts. "The Honorable Ones" proved he could keep the bigger picture in mind even in extreme circumstances -- those circumstances being too much time on an isolated, icy moon above Geonosis with his arch-nemesis, Agent Kallus. We saw the Imperial gloat to Zeb about having a part in the death of Zeb's people in the past, but Zeb didn't automatically exact revenge, despite the plentiful opportunities in front of him. He put up with Kallus, and they helped each other survive and escape the dire scenario. Zeb showed layers of understanding, and I don't know if many of us would do the same if we were in his shoes. (If he wore shoes).
Which traits of Zeb's do you like the best? Tell us in the comments!
Amy Ratcliffe is a writer obsessed with Star Wars, Disney, and coffee. Follow her on Twitter at @amy_geek.
