Item: Star Wars Rebels

Language: en-US

Type of Problem: Incorrect_content

Extra Details: Incorrect Episode Listing for Star Wars Rebels Seasons 1 and 2 Premieres Issue Description

The Movie Database (TMDB) currently lists the two-part premiere episodes of Star Wars Rebels Seasons 1 and 2—"Spark of Rebellion" (Season 1) and "The Siege of Lothal" (Season 2)—as special episodes in the "Specials" season (Season 0) rather than as the first two episodes of their respective seasons. This classification does not align with the narrative continuity, DVD/Blu-ray releases, or the episode ordering on platforms like Disney+ and IMDb, where these episodes are correctly placed as S01E01-S01E02 and S02E01-S02E02.

Details Season 1 Premiere: "Spark of Rebellion" was originally aired as a one-hour television movie on Disney Channel on October 3, 2014, but is narratively and structurally the first two episodes of Season 1 (S01E01 and S01E02). It introduces the main characters and sets up the season’s arc.

Season 2 Premiere: "The Siege of Lothal" aired as a one-hour special on Disney XD on June 20, 2015, but serves as the first two episodes of Season 2 (S02E01 and S02E02), continuing the story with critical plot developments.

Current TMDB Listing: Both are listed under Season 0 (Specials), which disrupts the viewing order and confuses users, as these episodes are integral to their seasons’ storylines.

Impact: This misclassification causes issues for media management tools (e.g., Plex, Kodi) that rely on TMDB’s API, leading to incorrect episode ordering in libraries. Scrapers pull these episodes as specials, separating them from the main season, which frustrates users and requires manual metadata overrides (e.g., .nfo files).

Proposed Solution We kindly request that TMDB adjust the episode listings to place "Spark of Rebellion" as S01E01-S01E02 and "The Siege of Lothal" as S02E01-S02E02 in their respective seasons, reflecting the narrative order, DVD releases, and Disney+ listings. This would ensure consistency with how these episodes are presented in official releases and improve the user experience for both manual viewers and automated scrapers. Alternative Ordering via Episode Groups To accommodate users who prefer the original broadcast order (where these episodes were marketed as specials), TMDB could utilize the Episode Groups feature to provide an alternative ordering. For example:

Default Order: List "Spark of Rebellion" as S01E01-S01E02 and "The Siege of Lothal" as S02E01-S02E02 in the main seasons, aligning with narrative and DVD order. Episode Group (Broadcast Order): Create an episode group titled "Broadcast Order" that places these episodes in Season 0 as specials, preserving the aired presentation for users who prefer it.

This approach would: Maintain flexibility for different user preferences. Improve general logic for scrapers by prioritizing the narrative order in the default listing. Reduce confusion for media libraries, as most users expect these episodes to appear in their respective seasons.

Supporting Evidence Disney+: Lists "Spark of Rebellion" as Season 1, Episodes 1-2, and "The Siege of Lothal" as Season 2, Episodes 1-2. IMDb: Similarly places these episodes within their seasons (e.g., S01E01-S01E02 for "Spark of Rebellion"). DVD/Blu-ray Releases: Include these episodes as the first two episodes of Seasons 1 and 2. Community Feedback: Discussions on platforms like Reddit and Plex forums highlight user frustration with TMDB/TheTVDB’s specials classification, noting its impact on media organization.

Benefits of the Change

Improved User Experience: Aligning with narrative and official release orders ensures viewers watch Star Wars Rebels as intended. Enhanced Scraper Compatibility: A default narrative order reduces the need for manual metadata fixes in tools like Plex and Kodi. Flexibility with Episode Groups: Offering a broadcast order as an alternative caters to all use cases without disrupting the primary listing.

Conclusion We urge TMDB to reclassify "Spark of Rebellion" and "The Siege of Lothal" as regular episodes in Seasons 1 and 2, respectively, and consider using the Episode Groups feature to display the broadcast order as an alternative. This change would enhance the database’s accuracy, improve scraper functionality, and better serve the Star Wars Rebels fanbase. Please let us know if additional details or community input are needed to facilitate this update. Thank you for your attention to this matter.