Before ‘Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens’ ignites theaters next year, ‘Star Wars’ fans get the pleasure of digging into the rich—and volatile—time period between Episodes III and IV (aka The Dark Times) in ‘Star Wars Rebels.’ The show spotlights a band of misfits, including one of the few surviving Jedi, battling covertly against the incredible might of the Galactic Empire.

The tale focuses primarily on Ezra (Taylor Gray), a young Force-sensitive orphan with pluck to spare, and Kanan (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), a Jedi who hadn’t finished his training before Order 66 and the revenge of the sith. With stormtroopers abound, lightsabers feeling exotic and mythical as they did in the original trilogy, and a cast of disparate and mostly interesting characters, ‘Star Wars Rebels’ has delivered some pretty great programing for those of us who can’t get enough of the galaxy far, far away.

“Out of Darkness” shines some much needed light on the female crew members of our resident Millennium Falcon, the Ghost, while Ezra’s and Kanan’s stories take a back seat.

Hera (Vanessa Marshall), the Ghost‘s captain and the most faithful Rebel of the bunch, and Sabine (Tiya Sircar), a punky Mandalorian with an axe to grind and a heart as big as a Rancor’s, are off to rendezvous with Fulcrum, a shady Rebel contact that offers some direction to our band of Empire-haters. Hera and Kanan tend to keep most of the crew out of direct affairs with other rebels and Sabine is getting tired of being left in the dark. In a fine bit of direct communication, Sabine confronts Hera, and tells her that she’s going with Hera to meet Fulcrum. From there, we’re treated to a fast-paced ‘Pitch Black’ scenario in which monsters attack our stranded heroes when passing asteroids block the light from a nearby star.

So far, we’ve seen a great deal of Ezra and his smoothing relationship with the crew of the Ghost, namely Kanan and Zeb (Steven Blum), but very little of either Hera or Sabine. This episode changes all of that, putting Sabine and Hera front and center and hurling toothy monsters at them.

We get a closer look at Hera, who seems to have unwavering faith in the rebellion against the Empire—and in Kanan. Dave Filoni, the show’s co-creator, has called Hera the “mothering” character aboard the Ghost, but this episode proves her to be much more than that: a capable warrior, a faithful companion, and a true believer of justice even in the face of the deeply oppressive Empire. I enjoy Vanessa Marshall’s voice work for the most part. Sometimes, though, I can’t tell if it’s in Hera’s character for her to be completely monotone or if it’s the actress’s failing. Which, of course, is not a good place to be. Where’s the panic? The sense of dread? The acting lacks subtlety even as the dialogue attempts to dig a real evocative feelings.

It was great to see more of Sabine, who, in past episodes, has revealed only that she was educated at an Imperial Academy on Mandalore but obviously rejected the Empire. This episode, we see her being inquisitive of her team’s motives, we see her questioning the Rebels’ secrecy just as she questioned the secrecy and subterfuge of the Imperials. Sabine wants to be sure that she’s fighting for a cause that she believes in, and that she’s risking her life for something worthwhile. Seeing this more philosophical, questing side of a character who this far has been a pair of blasters in a nifty set of armor is satisfying and bodes well for the show’s continuing trend of pretty awesome character development.

I hope the acting improves over time, but, so far, the show has been a treat for this Star Wars fan. The characters attempt to buck worn tropes like The Strong Silent Type or The Mother. Though they don’t quite throw them off completely, the gesture is refreshing and generates some good will. That said, there is plenty about these characters that has yet to be revealed as they continue wrecking Imperial plans, causing millions of credits in property damages—and I can’t wait to see more.

Check out this ‘Rebels Recon’ for a behind the scenes look at this episode: