Star Wars Rebels introduced fans to a whole new side of the Star Wars universe. The animated series, set during the formative years of the Rebel Alliance, brought the rebel cell known as the Spectres into Star Wars canon, telling their story through the eyes of young Jedi-to-be, Ezra Bridger.
Rebels also continued several plot threads that had been left hanging at the end of the previous Star Wars animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The series saw the return of Ahsoka Tano and Clone Captain Rex, as well as Darth Maul and the Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze, revealing how their stories continued into the age of the Empire. Now, series such as Ahsoka and The Mandalorian have extended these stories into the era of the New Republic. However, a few characters from Rebels are still waiting for a live-action debut.
10 Iron Squadron
Introduced on a Star Wars Rebels Season 3 episode that shared their name, the Iron Squadron was a small group of three young rebels -- Mart Mattin, Gooti Terez and Jonner Jin, as well as the astromech droid, R3-A3. Mart, the group's leader, was the nephew of Phoenix Cell's Commander Jun Sato.
The squadron flew a YT-2400 freighter, dubbed Sato's Hammer after Commander Sato, its original owner. When their first encounter with the Ghost crew and Phoenix Squadron demonstrated how ill-equipped they were to face the Empire alone, Iron Squadron joined the wider Rebellion, but their story was never continued.
9 Ketsu Onyo
After leaving Mandalore but before joining the crew of the Ghost, Sabine Wren became a bounty hunter for a period. During this time, she worked with the fearless Ketsu Onyo, who had helped Sabine escape the Imperial Academy on Mandalore.
The Rebels Season 2 episode that introduced Ketsu, "Blood Sisters," revealed that since parting ways with Sabine she had joined the Black Sun crime syndicate. However, after reuniting with Sabine, Ketsu later joined the Rebellion and became a key ally during the Liberation of Lothal. It is not yet known what became of her during the New Republic era.
8 Vizago
Introduced early on in Star Wars Rebels, Vizago was a Devaronian who ran the Broken Horn crime syndicate on Lothal. In their struggle against the Empire, the Spectres often found themselves collaborating with Vizago, either for credits or intel. At the end of Rebels Season 1, Vizago proved vital in Ezra Bridger's plan to save Kanan Jarrus from Imperial captivity.
Towards the end of Rebels, Vizago would forsake his selfish ways to aid the Rebellion in liberating Lothal. As a mix of crime lord, roguish smuggler and rebel hero, Vizago embodies many classic Star Wars character types and deserves to make the leap to live action.
7 Fenn Rau
The last of the Mandalorian Protectors, Fenn Rau was initially an enemy to the Rebellion, having allied with the Empire from the Protectors' base on Concord Dawn. He was brought onto the Ghost as a prisoner at first. However, after seeing his fellow Protectors wiped out by Gar Saxon and being inspired by Sabine Wren's example, Fenn Rau joined the Rebellion.
Fenn Rau's fate after the events of Rebels is currently unclear. The Purge of Mandalore saw many Mandalorians wiped out, with Ahsoka confirming Sabine Wren's family were amongst the dead. Bringing back Fenn Rau, either through a flashback or as a survivor, could shine a new light on the Purge.
6 AP-5
The cantankerous C-3PO to Chopper's cantankerous R2-D2, AP-5 started out as an Imperial protocol droid, carrying out inventory duty on an Imperial cargo ship. Tiring of life under the Empire led AP-5 to abandon his Imperial masters in favor of the Rebellion when he first encountered Chopper, who was infiltrating the cargo ship on which AP-5 was stationed.
AP-5 remained a loyal ally to the Rebellion throughout Star Wars Rebels, helping Chopper and Zeb stop an Imperial infiltrator droid from revealing the location of the Rebel base on Atollon. While he and Chopper rarely saw eye to eye, the two became a perfect Star Wars double act.
5 The Loth-Wolves
Long thought extinct, having not been seen for over a hundred years by the time of the Empire, the Loth-Wolves were first encountered by Ezra Bridger on Star Wars Rebels. These giant canine creatures possessed a deep connection to Lothal through the Force and acted as guides and allies to Ezra and the Spectres.
Due to their unique connection to Lothal and the Force, the Loth-Wolves were able to access the World Between Worlds and helped Ezra Bridger access this mysterious Force realm. They also possessed an as-yet unexplained ability to traverse great distances in a manner resembling Hyperspace travel.
4 The Bendu
Awakened from his slumber on the planet Atollon by the conflict within Kanan Jarrus, the Bendu was a vast and ancient Force-wielder. The Bendu described himself as "the one in the middle," between the light and dark sides of the Force, which often made him an unpredictable ally to Kanan and Ezra.
The Bendu helped Kanan learn how to see through the Force after being blinded by Darth Maul on Malachor. He also taught Kanan and Ezra how Sith and Jedi holocrons could be used to illuminate hidden truths. He drove the Rebellion and the Empire away from Atollon, then disappeared before Grand Admiral Thrawn could shoot him, but hasn't been seen since.
3 Alexsandr Kallus
When Star Wars Rebels began, ISB Agent Kallus was one of the most prominent antagonists the Spectres found themselves up against. However, when he and Zeb were forced to work together after ending up stranded on a moon of Geonosis, Kallus' loyalties began to shift. He soon became a Rebel spy in the ISB, adopting the codename Fulcrum, previously used by Ahsoka Tano.
At the end of the Galactic Civil War, Zeb took Kallus to Lira San, the ancient Lasat homeworld where the species had now resettled. Kallus had previously believed that he had wiped out the Lasat, but ended up being accepted by them as one of their own. His life with the Lasat after the war is yet to be explored by any Star Wars media.
2 Hondo Ohnaka
Although he was originally introduced on The Clone Wars, the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka made a triumphant return on Star Wars Rebels. On Rebels, Hondo's comedic stylings and shifting loyalties had more of a chance to shine, as he became a friend and occasional opponent to Ezra Bridger and the Ghost crew.
Hondo's heroic side ultimately shone through at the end of Rebels when he joined Ezra and others in the Liberation of Lothal. Canonically, it has been confirmed Hondo survives until at least the era of the Star Wars sequels, so there is plenty of scope to tell more stories of his adventures after Rebels.
1 Kanan Jarrus
Ezra Bridger's Jedi master and one of the leaders of the Spectres, Kanan Jarrus was a Jedi unlike any other seen in Star Wars. Kanan was only a Padawan when the Clone Wars ended, making him a very different mentor figure for Ezra than other well-known Jedi teachers. As much as he was a master, Kanan was also a student, who had to learn how to become the Jedi he was always meant to be.
Kanan tragically met his demise on Season 4 of Star Wars Rebels, sacrificing himself to save Hera Syndulla, Sabine and Ezra. However, for a brief period, his will lived on in the Loth-Wolf called Dume. Perhaps Kanan could live on in other ways through the Force, or could be revisited in a flashback, but so far he has been sorely missed from live-action Star Wars projects.