All told, 2018 was a great year to be a Star Wars fan, with a new movie, a new TV show, big surprises, huge news, and answers to old questions. There’s been a lot going on in the galaxy, far, far away. Here are our favourite moments of the year — barring a last-minute trailer and title reveal for Episode IX.

Before Lucasfilm decided to make a whole movie out of stealing the plans for the first Death Star, there was a brief moment when we could have seen that on TV.

Solo: A Star Wars Story offers a shadier look into the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, removed from stories of the Rebellion vs. the Empire, and Jedi vs. Sith ... mostly. But if you've only kept up with the Star Wars movies, and not the entirety of the multimedia behemoth that the franchise has become, one of Solo's greatest surprises is likely also its most baffling. If you were confused, then here's what you need to know.

Star Wars Rebels came to an end this week, tying up the story of the Ghost crew while also giving us a glimpse at their futures. One moment in particular had Rebels fans playing matchmaker for two members of the team - and while executive producer Dave Filoni wouldn't give us a concrete answer about them, he was happy that it was being interpreted as such.

[image url="https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_original/v6ilynhx1eqltr7avfpo.jpg" link="lightbox" size="xlarge" align="center" nocrop="true" clear="true" caption="The legacy of Hera Syndulla has already begun. Photo: Disney XD
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In Star Wars, a new child usually means something big is about to happen. Luke and Leia brought the return of the Jedi and the fall of the Empire. Ben Solo almost restored the Jedi, before bringing back the dark side. So one moment at the end of the Star Wars Rebels finale definitely stood out above the rest.

My favourite moment with Ahsoka Tano is in the second season of Star Wars Rebels. In it, Kanan and Ezra are being pursued by two of the Empire's Inquisitors, Force users trained by Vader himself to hunt down and eliminate the remaining Jedi. With brutal efficiency, the two villains take the young Jedi down, placing Kanan and Ezra at their mercy in seconds.

The fourth and final season of Star Wars Rebels is now on the air and it promises to answer a lot of questions. Some of those questions could even link to the two live-action movies set in the same timeline as the show: Rogue One and Solo.

Starkiller, the fabulously ridiculous antihero of The Force Unleashed, almost featured in Star Wars: Rebels. This would have been bonkers.

Ever since popular Star Wars: The Clone Wars character Captain Rex appeared in Star Wars Rebels sporting a lush white beard, some fans have clung to one simple theory: Rex was at the Battle of Endor. Steven Melching, writer on the show, got some of us excited yesterday with a tweet that seemed to confirm the theory. But sadly, that's not the case... at least, not yet.

Disney and Lucasfilm just announced Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, a series of animated shorts showcasing heroic women from a galaxy far, far away. Hasbro compliments the shorts with a lovely line of 28cm "Adventure Figures." It's ok to say dolls. They're very nice dolls.

Perhaps the best thing to come out of Disney's acquisition of the Star Wars franchise is Star Wars Rebels - and it's getting a fourth season later this year.

Star Wars Rebels' third season is building towards a do-or-die standoff between Darth Maul and the opponent he's been hunting for nearly two decades: Old Ben Kenobi. It's the first time we'll have seen something like it told in Disney's new canon... but it isn't the first time Star Wars has ever pondered such this fight.

With Disney recanonising elements of the old Star Wars Expanded Universe left and right lately, there's one huge element that fans of the EU are dying to have back: Bioware and Obsidian's beloved Knights of the Old Republic RPGs. And while it's not quite official yet, the newest episode of Rebels just added a lore more of it to the canon.

Yup, that's right. Obi-Wan Kenobi is coming to Star Wars Rebels in his final form, Alec Guinness. But that's just one of many face-melting things in this new mid-season trailer for Star Wars Rebels season three.

If you haven't seen the Star Wars Rebels animated series yet, let me give you a tip. It's probably the best narrative going around in the Star Wars universe since the Disney buyout, and that includes Rogue One and The Force Awakens. But if you're still on the fence, and you've seen Rogue One, here's the perfect introduction.

Rogue One is billed as a standalone Star Wars movie, but it's far more entrenched in the story of the saga than many of us had thought. That's not just in terms of its setting, though - it's because it's jam-packed with references and hints to the Star Wars stories that came before it. Here are all the major ones we spotted.

Last year Hasbro let Star Wars fans vote for which character they'd like to see join The Black Series of premium figures. Mandalorian explosives expert and graffiti artist Sabine Wren got second place. Second place is looking pretty good.

Today Disney announced an August 30 release date for the Star Wars-themed Infinity 3.0 starter pack, but anyone who has invested in one of the annual toys-meet-games titles knows that the starter pack is just the beginning.

The finest band of Rebel scum since Luke and Pals get their due in this fall's Disney Infinity 3.0. That's right, my favourite Star Wars is currently an animated series.