Ahead of next week's premiere, new images have arrived for Rebels that show the Ghost crew joining forces with the Mandalorians. When Rebels debuted, it seemed like a small story in a much bigger galaxy. As it grew, however, it was able to explore the culture of Star Wars and dive into the mythos of the Jedi. In that way, it mirrored its predecessor The Clone Wars, fleshing out familiar elements and opening up opportunities for cameos and connections.

When season 4 arrives next week, Rebels will be heading towards its end game. Given the story starts just a few years before A New Hope, the show always had a ticking clock given Lucasfilm's reluctance to have projects overlap. Rogue One came the closest, and Rebels will soon follow suit as it catches up to the Ghost crew's appearance in last year's film. Before that can happen, though, the story seeds that were planted last season will develop. And as the recent trailer for the season teased, the first of those plots will see Sabine take her place as a leader amongst the Mandalorians.

Disney XD released images for the two-part season 4 premiere of Rebels, 'Heroes of Mandalore.' In them, we see Sabine and Ezra join forces with a contingency of Mandalorians as they attempt to rescue Sabine's father. Check them out in the gallery below:

[vn_gallery name="Star Wars Rebels Season 4 Premiere Images" id="1089032"]

It's always exciting to see more Mandarlorians pop up in the Star Wars universe, and these images certainly echo some of the most stellar arcs from The Clone Wars. More than that, they actually bring one of the members of Death Watch back. Alongside Sabine in several of the images is Bo-Katan, a character who has been AWOL for awhile now. She'll once again be voiced by Katee Sackoff (Battlestar Galactica), as the show looks to both the past and future of the Star Wars franchise.

We also see Sabine proudly wielding the Darksaber, fitting as it first appeared in the hands of Death Watch's leader back on The Clone Wars. While Sabine started off as an explosives-loving artist seemingly meant to give Ezra a potential partner, she's evolved over the years into a powerful warrior and leader. Her scenes training with Kanan last season were some of the show's best, and it's no surprise she's being put front and center in the storytelling in the premiere.

NEXT: Star Wars Rebels Season 4 Poster

Rebels season 4 premieres October 16 on Disney XD.

Source: Disney XD