Now this is a bit better. In "Rise of the Old Masters," Star Wars Rebels gives us no rising and only one master. It also ties in perfectly with the bonus scene featuring Darth Vader, and aligns nicely with this week's Halloween holiday. You get some cool cameos, but still a very sparse episode - it is, however, more fun to watch and a little ghoulish to dwell upon.

Spoilers await you after the break, but let me tell you this: you get to se a new villain in action, a possible new recurring character voiced by a Star Trek alumnus, and the Phantom in action. Read on for more!

Shut up and eat your Q&A! This week: let's talk semantics. What is Hasbro really celebrating with its action figures this year? It's such a scream. And ReAction - you kids love this stuff, but how much more Alien can we hope for? Or will we just get bored and bury it under dirt in the ground? And finally, I'll shoot the moon with 2015 and the recent Toys R Us Walter White vs. Florida Mom Kerfuffle? Don't make this the part you throw away. If you're into toy stuff, it's your lucky day - so heave away!

As always, send in your questions for next time. Read on!

A very McQuarrieish Darth Vader's disembodied helmet floats above the Inquisitor in a Star Wars Rebels scene airing on ABC earlier tonight.  In it, exposition takes place.   Did you miss it? We embedded a crude copy of the 1-minute sequence from the YouTubes after the break.

As Fake Shemp was unavailable, James Earl Jones will voice Darth Vader on en encore of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion airing on ABC Sunday before the Disney Princess Live Action Mom Placation Hour.  (You can read our review of the original DisneyXD airing here.)

Star Wars Rebels goes back to square one, and gives us a shopping trip in Fighter Flight. In case you forgot you were watching a kid's show that isn't exactly being given a ton of thought, well, here we are. The good guys go grocery shopping and come home with a new toy. And you'll see some old toys off in the distance.

Bringing things back to the Star Trek spin-offs, Rebels is somewhat consistent. The first seasons of those shows had some pretty bumpy times as we watched Tom Paris and Harry Kim hang out. Zeb and Ezra are this show's bickering buddies, and their rivalry continues with a trip to go do the shopping.

It's time for Q&A, as it has been before, and ever shall be. This week: let's talk Mosep and other great new amazing things to make this line interesting for us old-timers. And big fans versus big small fans - is large in charge now? And Rebels is on the air, but for the first time in decades we're dealing with a major new media property and Star Wars figures are not widely available. What gives?

As always, send in your questions for next time. Read on!

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The 6-inch Biker Scout from Hasbro is very OK.   It's not great.  It's actually on the border of good.  Smudges on the chest seem unnecessary, the gun is too small and the grip splits easily, and on the two I was examining close-up the visors on the helmet were both off-center in different directions.   The mold is OK, the bike is good, but the execution needs some help. Read on!

Star Wars Revo No. 002 Storm Trooper is a thing that's happening.  NCS has the scoop and a few pictures of this 160mm (6.65-inch) figure with a ton of articulation.  Click here to see it, pre-orders are $52.90.

Since the idea was introduced to fans, the idea of a Walgreens-exclusive Boba Fett Concept Armor brought about much anxiety to fans.  Would he be made in big enough numbers to cover all 5,000 locations? Would the pre-sale online cover people?  Would you have to drive around with a bunch of sick people sneezing on you while you hunt toys because of your crippling toy addiction?  Let's just look at the figure - he's pretty good.  Read on!

The 6-inch Luke Skywalker in his Jedi gear may not be perfect, but it's one of my favorites.  It does not exceed its mandate, but it works - hands hold weapons. Belt fits.  Lightsaber hangs on hook.  Figure stands, sits.  It's rare that a figure can do pretty much anything you expect it to and not have severe balance issues - his joints are nice and tight.  I've been talking all day so I'm exhausted.  Read on!

Check out the Shadow Scout in today's Figure of the Day! It's similar to some 3 3/4-inch figures, but it's 6-inches tall.  The blaster, however, is basically the same size for some reason.  Read on for more!

Star Wars Rebels returns to a normal, shorter format with Droids in Distress. Is fan service enough?

If you know your sci-fi history, it's not uncommon to trot out guest stars early on a spin-off. Star Trek: The Next Generation's first regular episode was basically a remake of the original series' second episode - crazy drunk sickness crew, swapping the super-cool Sulu fencing for the super-creepy Data nailing Tasha Yar. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had guest stars Lursa and B'Etor on its first regular installment, and The Clone Wars' first real installment? Yoda reenacts (preenacts?) Luke's Jedi training from The Empire Strikes Back. What Rebels does is bring back R2-D2 and C-3PO! The snappier exposition dump has more interesting battles than the pilot movie, and manages to do some more worldbuilding while having a bit more fun. Read on for more - and download the episode for free on iTunes until Apple changes their mind!

I got this swell Shadow Stormtrooper Commander 6-inch action figure in the mail over the weekend, and it is indeed swell.  Essentially a black, backpack-free Sandtrooper, it's basically exactly what you would want in such a thing.  3 guns cast in dark grey. Pauldron.   Glossy helmet lenses.  Read on!

Welcome to Q&A, which happens pretty much every Sunday night or Monday morning. Take your pick. Let's talk 31-inch action figures some more because they're so sexy. And 6-inch figure displays - now that we're about 20ish figures in, what all are we doing? And do kids matter with action figures? Well, yes.

As always, send in your questions for next time. Read on!