Star Wars Rebels is the latest entry in the expanding Star Wars universe and is on track to be another Lucasfilm hit. The animated series was introduced on the Disney Channel this summer with a collection of shorts, leading up to a television movie pilot that aired October 3. Audiences got to preview an episode of the first 16-episode season October 11 at New York Comic Con.

The series, which began October 13 on Disney XD, is set five years before Luke Skywalker leaves Tattooine and documents the rise of the Rebellion while focusing on the ragtag crew of the spaceship The Ghost. Rebels is guaranteed to be another strong chapter in the overarching saga, and while the Star Wars universe has been greatly expanded in books and comics before, Rebels has the unique opportunity to fulfill George Lucas’ original vision for the Star Wars movies.

When Lucas first conceived of the Star Wars world, he had planned to create a series of movies that would pay homage to the adventure comic strips of his youth — namely, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Lucas’ small group of heroes would face easily defined villains and take part in swashbuckling adventures across unknown worlds, full of alien species and languages incomprehensible to viewers. Each story, brought to life in either nine or 12 films, would be unique, with only a common threat binding the episodes together.

But as the films evolved, their premise did as well. As explained in The Secret History of Star Wars by Michael Kaminski, the movies changed from a collection of unique adventures into a larger epic about a single family, with only casual glimpses of the original, episodic nature Lucas had planned. Specifically, the movies became The Ballad of Anakin Skywalker, as he grew into a hero, fell to the Dark Side, and was redeemed in his final hours.

While the original Star Wars can still be viewed as a simple adventure movie, the release of Empire Strikes Back and the prequel trilogy changed the tone of the movies into one defined by moral ambiguities, political intrigue, and an interconnected world. Each installment had to have meaning in the larger story, rather than be like Lucas’ other creation, Indiana Jones, whose adventures are all distinct.

In order to create his grand epic, Lucas made the decision to abandon his strictly serial premise, and his original stories were left to history. Until recently.

With the recent acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, it was only a matter of time before the series’ publishing license for comic books was moved from Dark Horse to another Disney subsidiary, Marvel. Before losing the license, however, Dark Horse paid homage to the man who had built the galaxy far, far away with a new graphic novel.

The Star Wars is an adaptation of Lucas’ original 1970s screenplay — a story much more in line with the adventure serial Lucas originally hoped to film. The comic feels like what would happen if all six Star Wars movies so far were squashed into one, nearly incoherent, story. All of the signature traits of the movies are there, but it feels as though the entire story is just a single, complex mission, with many more to come later.

The Star Wars, however, is a one-off story, and the adventures won’t continue, despite the comic’s final page claiming otherwise. The exploits of Annikin Starkiller, General Luke Skywalker, and the six-foot-tall lizard, Han Solo, are finished.

Nonetheless, Star Wars comics have existed for decades and will continue next year at Marvel, with titles following Darth Vader and Rebels’ protagonist Kanan.

Comics did a lot to inspire Lucas to create the world he did, but he was a filmmaker above all else. It was always his dream to bring the excitement and intrigue he experienced on the pages of comics to the screen.

The Clone Wars cartoon series came closest to fulfilling Lucas’ vision. The successful show, which followed the heroes of the Galactic Republic as they faced the forces of the Separatists, utilized numerous characters and told as many stories. Some were complex, political thrillers, while others were classic, swashbuckling missions. Every story, however, felt like part of the larger whole; each entry mattered to the progression of the Clone Wars.

The new series, Rebels, however, follows Lucas’ original concept much more closely and delivers a satisfying, episodic ride that doesn’t always have to feed the larger story. Conceptually, Rebels is meant to bridge the gap between film Episodes III and IV by showing the strengthening of the Empire and the rise of the Rebellion. But the show is undoubtedly more in line with the spirit of the original trilogy. Rebels does not focus on politics like Clone Wars, but it revisits the philosophy of the Force, the nature of loneliness and teamwork, the tragedy of losing an entire culture, and the heroism of the unlikely. Whereas the prequels and Clone Wars brought to life villains whose motives could be seen as just, the original trilogy — and now Rebels — emphasizes flawed heroes whose actions are questionable but whose end goal is usually noble.

The spirit of Lucas’ original vision goes deeper than just antiheroism and the serial nature. The visuals and the individual characters or Rebels closely mirror early work on the Star Wars movies as well. The look of Rebels is based on the original concept art of Ralph McQuarrie. This includes protocol droids that more closely resemble the robots of Metropolis than C-3PO, and Zeb, the alien companion, whose species, the Lasat, is based on the original design for Wookiees.

Kanan leaps straight off of the pages of Lucas’ original screenplay. Halfway between Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, Kanan is identified as a cowboy Jedi, a man who was trained as a peacekeeper but finds himself on the other side of an open rebellion. His uncertainty in his abilities, coupled with his unconvincing brashness, makes him eerily similar to Annikin Starkiller and the movies’ Luke Skywalker.

Joining Kanan is the pilot of The Ghost, Hera, whose voice actress, Vanessa Marshall, said at NYCC that Hera is second only to Han Solo as the best pilot in the galaxy. Marshall sees Hera as the cross between Han and Princess Leia: she’s brash, powerful, and extremely dedicated to her crew and her mission.

Rounding out the cast are the younglings, Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren. Ezra will fulfill the role that the Skywalkers held in the movies: the young student working to get past his arrogance and become something greater. Sabine, however, appears to be unique to Rebels. She is a Mandalorian artist who uses her skills to paint anti-Empire propaganda across the galaxy. Where Sabine goes in the future will be one of the show’s most intriguing questions.

Rebels has infinite potential to be something special in the Star Wars galaxy. It will be the first on-screen story not to focus on the Skywalker family but on the regular folks who have been impacted by the Empire’s tightening grip. It will feature swashbuckling excitement and flawed heroes, and it will examine what it takes to turn quiet dissent into open rebellion.

But, perhaps most importantly of all, the show will be a fun adventure that can stoke the imagination of child and adult alike — which is what Lucas has wanted out of his creation all along.

Day 4. I can’t believe my very first Comic Con is nearly over already! It’s been a whirlwind of a weekend, but I have had so many great experiences and am taking away some really great memories.

I’m usually the kind of person who avoids crowds as much as possible, so one would think New York Comic Con is a place I shouldn’t go near, but it didn’t bother me to be surrounded by thousands of people all day. Sure, there were times when I really needed to just seek out the quieter atmosphere of the press area, but being in the crowd of NYCC was much easier than I anticipated. Maybe it’s because these people are all like me. In this crowd, a nerdy fangirl doesn’t have to worry about being judged; everyone is accepted here (except maybe Hydra — no one likes those guys).

I took my time getting to the Javits Center this morning, knowing the line wouldn’t be as crazy as it had been yesterday with The Walking Dead panel happening. I was right, as it was easy to walk in and get in line for this afternoon’s Sleepy Hollow panel. Then, my morning of waiting in lines began.

As soon as I had my wristband for Sleepy Hollow, I went over to the autograph hall and purchased a copy of Cary Elwes‘ new book, As You Wish, which chronicles the making of The Princess Bride. I then got in line to have Elwes sign the book.

The line seemed long but moved quickly and, before long, I was face-to-face with a man whose image I’ve known my entire life. I was young when The Princess Bride was released in 1987, and I honestly can’t remember a time before its existence. It has been my favorite movie my entire life. I still can’t believe I’ve now met Westley in person.

Following my brief encounter with Elwes, it was time to prepare for several great hours of Sleepy Hollow scoop. First up was interviews with several cast members and writers of the show, then the actual Sleepy Hollow panel. Everyone was tight-lipped on details of what to expect in the rest of season 2, but they promised they’re doing everything they can to build on the success of the first season. The panel included a screening of the first half of Monday’s episode, featuring a Sleepy Hollow version of the Pied Piper, which, from what we’ve seen so far, looks super creepy.

After the Sleepy Hollow panel, it was time to get in line for not only my last panel of the day, but the last panel of New York Comic Con 2014. I decided seeing Elwes was a good way for me to both start and end the day. The actor took the stage to enormous applause and regaled the audience for an hour with stories from the set of The Princess Bride, most involving Andre the Giant. Elwes was emotional discussing the professional-wrestler-turned-actor who died in 1993.

Elwes shared many humorous anecdotes and was a great storyteller, performing voices for each person he talked about: from the gruff voice of Andre, to the New York accent of Rob Reiner. Elwes had the audience roaring in laughter with a story of how Andre unexpectedly (and loudly) broke wind during their very first scene together, the scene where they give Westley the pill they procured from Miracle Max. Elwes was wonderful to listen to, and I can’t wait to sit down and read his book, which contains even more reminiscences from the filming of The Princess Bride.

And then, all too soon, it was over. The long weekend seems like it flew by too quickly. But I would say my first every Comic Con was definitely a success: I was able to see and do everything I had set out to, and to experience as many aspects of the Con as possible. I was able to meet people I’ve admired for years, and I even managed to control my fangirl urges while doing so.

I had no idea what to expect going into this weekend. I have friends who go to San Diego Comic Con every year, but I didn’t know how this would compare to their experiences. I still don’t, but the weekend was even more fun that I had hoped it would be. I already have my calendar marked for next year!

He’s the best one ever. He’s worn Green, White, Red, and Black. He’s Tommy Oliver, the original Green Ranger. His real name is Jason David Frank, and he’s as good of a person as his starring role would make you believe.

All of us who have seen Power Rangers have questioned the characterization of the Rangers. There’s no real conflict among them. They’re all perfect, wonderful human beings, who always do the right thing in the end, while still living an incredibly eventful, action-packed life even when they aren’t fighting evil space aliens. They are, in a word, unbelievable.

But this weekend at New York Comic Con, I was fortunate enough to meet Frank, who has been a personal hero of mine for most of my life. He proved himself to me and every other fan there that he is just as good as the character he made famous, albeit much funnier. The Tommy Oliver character could always be relied on to use his fighting prowess to save the day, even when the other Rangers were down. And Frank’s incredible martial arts skills were often on full display, inspiring me and many others to take lessons. My years in martial arts — learning not only how to defend myself, but how to live — shaped who I am today. Frank himself teaches martial arts at his Rising Sun Karate school and helps to shape hundreds of young martial artists.

But Frank understands he isn’t known for being a martial arts black belt. He gets that Power Rangers is what made him famous, and he counts it as a blessing.

There is no resentment from Frank about his career being defined by the Power Rangers. In fact, he embraces it, wearing a white tiger power coin as a necklace and often putting a green streak in his hair to symbolize his character’s most famous incarnation. Frank has even returned to the show several times, including an anniversary episode, “Forever Red,” on Power Rangers Wild Force, and in a regular turn as a mentor on Power Rangers Dino Thunder, where he gained new powers as the Black Dino Ranger. In fact, Frank is set to return to the show again in the finale of its current season, Super Megaforce, this time as the Green Ranger. The actor is well aware of his status as the face of the franchise, and he loves the responsibility. Frank has even been pushing to be more involved in Saban’s Golden Goose going forward.

Frank has hinted in the past that he and Saban were working together on a series exclusively following the Green Ranger. In his NYCC panel Friday, Frank announced that these talks were on hold until Lionsgate determines how to handle the cinematic reboot of the series. But Frank also admitted that discussions were ongoing about further involvement in Power Rangers projects. With the next season’s theme, Dino Charge, being a return to dinosaurs, could Tommy Oliver return as a series regular? Devoted fans will remember that Tommy received his doctorate in paleontology and has a history of working alongside dino-themed Ranger teams.

The man known as Tommy has even been utilizing his fame as a Power Ranger to run a show on YouTube, hosted by Bat in the Sun, that follows his everyday life. My Morphin Life takes fans into the day-to-day activities of everybody’s favorite Ranger as he teaches his martial arts classes, sets world records, and travels the world to attend conventions.

Like we would expect from Tommy Oliver, Frank lives his life fearlessly, fighting in mixed martial arts matches and skydiving regularly. In My Morphin Life, Frank admits he fears two things: clowns and, believe it or not, hot air balloons. And as if the episode were written by the good people at Saban, Frank confronted his fears in an incredible way: by diving out of a hot air balloon, dressed as a clown.

Everywhere he goes, Frank is greeted as a hero, and he treats his fans with complete respect. In his YouTube show, Frank travels to Brazil and attends a convention, where he is blown away by the love he receives. It’s not just an act for a show either; in New York last week, Tommy Oliver’s kind personality was hard to miss.

The Green Ranger’s autograph line appeared to be the longest in the room, despite hefty competition from William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, and the voice of Batman himself, Kevin Conroy. The wait was worth it. Meeting my hero for the first time, I was profusely thankful to the man and told him how much his simple role in a kids’ show influenced by life. He was incredibly respectful and thankful in return, which is to be expected, but he rose above and beyond soon after.

I was on my way out of the convention center when I heard my name being shouted. It was Frank, who followed me to give me the autographs I had forgotten on my way out. It was an incredible moment that felt like it came straight out of an episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Frank explained during his panel the next day his philosophy on life. Simply put: treat everyone equally, and treat them all well. As a celebrity, he thinks every interview has value, whether it’s on CNN or with an upstart website. Frank doesn’t expect appearance fees and isn’t looking for a big studio to produce My Morphin Life. He simply wants to have fun and keep his fans updated.

Jason David Frank is a man who loves his fans, loves his craft, and enjoys sharing it all. His autograph lines were long and the audience for his panel was huge, but he made sure that everybody got his or her money’s worth. He is thankful for his fame and will continue to give his heart and soul in everything he does. I know this fan looks forward to seeing him on television again.