Star Wars Rebels never shied away from referencing the prequel trilogy, often poking fun at scenes that fans have derided over the years, but one episode actually made Anakin's "I don't like sand" scene less cringe-inducing in retrospect. Despite having an intriguing, galaxy-spanning story that tied the Skywalker saga together, George Lucas' Star Wars prequels are often remembered for their poor dialogue, something the franchise creator also struggled with during the original trilogy. Over time, however, those same scenes became a source of redemption for the prequel films.
From scenes like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn's battle with Darth Maul to Palpatine telling Anakin about his former master, Darth Plagueis, to the execution of Order 66, the Star Wars prequels have quite a few redeeming scenes. But then, on the other hand, there's Anakin telling Padme about why he hates sand, whining about how it "gets everywhere." It was one of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones' memorable moments, but for all the wrong reasons. It's routinely brought up by fans, mostly in a joking manner, but Star Wars Rebels used it appropriately.
In Star Wars Rebels season 3's "Ghosts of Geonosis" two-part storyline, the Ghost crew search for Saw Gerrera on the planet Geonosis, where the Clone Wars truly began. They arrived during a sandstorm, which prevented parts of the ship's systems from working properly, like one of the blaster cannon barrels being clogged. Sabine Wren even says, "Stupid sand. Gets everywhere." It's an obvious reference to Anakin's line from Attack of the Clones, though it actually makes sense here within the context; Zeb was struggling to take out the Imperial bombers because they were down a cannon. Plus, it comes off less as whining and more like explaining - even for an animated series.
Anakin comes from the desert planet Tatooine, and he was a mechanic working on his own podracer when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon found him in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, so he must've been complaining from the perspective of a craftsman. Given that he was on the beautiful planet of Naboo when that conversation took place, looking back on Tatooine probably wasn't something he did fondly - no one would blame him either. Like several other scenes in the prequel movies, the context is key and they could've been played off better if they had better dialogue.
Overall, Sabine's version of Anakin's sand quote was one of many ways Star Wars Rebels referenced and expanded upon prequel elements; even the Clone Wars animated series that preceded (and later, succeeded) it did the same thing. The Clone Wars references, however, were more pointed and on-the-nose since it starred the same characters as the prequel trilogy, like Anakin and Obi-Wan. In some cases, both animated series attempted to recreate key moments themselves.