Star Wars Rebel merchandise and Hera

Star Wars Rebels is awesome for many reasons, and two of those reasons are named Hera and Sabine. Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren are part of the primary cast, and they're capable, skilled, and valuable members of the team. But, sadly, as was the case with Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy, they're being left out of merchandise. Weirdly enough, Hera is being put aside more than Sabine.

Bria tackled the topic of #whereshera at Tosche Station earlier this week, and I wrote a piece for Comic Book Resources about the frustrations of Hera-less merchandise. I feel like toy companies keep having opportunities to be inclusive and by and large, keep failing. Bandai's Big Hero 6 toys included the entire team, but that's rare and it shouldn't be.

The fact that both Hera and Sabine aren't included on more merch is silly, but putting more of a focus on Sabine seems sillier. Hera is the co-leader of the group. She owns and pilots the ship. She's pulled a number of crazy and impressive flying stunts since the series premiere. She's fought side by side with Sabine and knows her way around a blaster. Hera is the one who has all the secret contacts with other rebels and plans their missions. She has just as much design and toy appeal as Sabine, and while I guess her lekku (she's a Twi'lek) could cause some toy manufacturing challenges, that's no excuse for wearables.

A tiny part of me wonders if Sabine is included because she's Ezra's crush and he's seen as the "main" character for kids since the story follows his journey (mostly).

It's frustrating. For more of my take on the missing Hera, visit CBR.