Category: Star Wars

With their raids on Imperial cargo flights not going well and supplies running low, the Ghost crew is becoming demoralized. Ezra is doubly frustrated because the repeated attempts to intercept Imperial cargo have left no time for the Jedi training that Kanan promised him. Kanan opts for a straightforward bit of piracy, stealing an Imperial weapons shipment under cover, but when Zeb recognizes the stolen guns as the same kind of banned weapons that killed most of his people, the fight becomes personal. In the meantime, Chopper runs afoul of a pair of droids tagging along with an Imperial dignitary, butting metal heads with the newer-model blue astromech droid and his protocol droid counterpart. But C-3PO and R2-D2 are on a secret mission of their own, one which lands them in trouble again.

written by Greg Weisman
directed by Steward Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Amda Wabo / Stormtrooper Commander), David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), Phil LaMarr (Bail Organa), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Keith Szarabajka (Vizago / Dispatcher / Imperial Officer), Kath Soucie (Minister Maketh Tua), Paul Reubens (RX-24)

Notes: Anthony Daniels continues his hat trick of having played C-3PO in nearly every audiovisual offshoot of the Star Wars universe, including the original films. Phil Lamarr reprises the role of Bail Organa, who he voiced in many Clone Wars episodes (as well as other characters such as Jedi Knight Kit Fisto). Paul Reubens originated the voice of RX-24 in Disneyland’s long-running Star Tours ride in 1987, which was also the source of the passenger vehicle piloted by RX-24 in this episode, marking the first on-screen validation of Star Tours.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

As punishment for scuffling in the cargo bay and leaving it a mess, Zeb and Ezra are sent on a supply procurement mission that’s a bit more like a scavenger hunt. One of the items, an imported fruit, can only be stolen from Imperial supplies, a caper which becomes bigger than either bargained for when Zeb steals a TIE Fighter. Under stritct orders from Kanan to ditch the TIE Fighter and return to the Ghost on foot, Zeb and Ezra make a detour to help some oppressed locals, a task easier said than done unless Ezra can continue to strengthen his prowess in the Force.

written by Kevin Hopps
directed by Steven G. Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Stormtrooper Commander), David Shaughnessy (Vendor 1 / Imperial Transport Driver), Liam O’Brien (Yogar Lyste / Morad Sumar / Stormtrooper 1), Greg Ellis (Baron Valen Rudor)

Notes: The episode’s title is a play on the phrase “fight or flight”, referring to the psychological response to imminent danger. The Imperial prisoner transports are modeled closely upon Kenner’s Imperial Troop Transport toy from 1979, a vintage vehicle which was actually loosely based upon a transport seen in the Rebel base in Star Wars. The only thing missing is the strangely blocky “blinder” devices for the prisoners.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Ezra’s Jedi training has finally begun, but Kanan, not exactly a Jedi Master himself, finds his student to be undisciplined and unfocused. When word reaches the Ghost that Jedi Master Luminara Unduli is still alive and being held captive by the Empire, Kanan sees an answer to his problems, and makes saving her the crew’s next mission. But even with Kanan utilizing the full measure of his Jedi training, the odds are against the Ghost’s crew, and they discover that a trap has been laid for them with a Jedi’s remains. The Grand Inquisitor, having followed Kanan’s prior exploits with interest, appears with his own lightsaber…and takes an interest in luring Ezra to the dark side.

written by Henry Gilroy
directed by Steward Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus / Stormtrooper 1), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Alton Kastle / Stormtrooper Commander), Brent Spiner (Gall Trayvis), Greg Weisman (Stormtrooper 3), Jason Isaacs (The Inquisitor)

Notes: The Inquisitor remarks that Kanan’s reliance on Form III lightsaber combat means he was an apprentice of Jedi Master Depa Bilaba, a fact confirmed both by the Rebels prequel novel A New Dawn and future episodes of the series. Luminara Unduli’s death in Imperial captivity contradicts some earlier accounts of the Jedi Master’s death; those earlier reports of her death on Kashyyyk have been relegated to the “Legends” timeline, along with much of the Expanded Universe predating the Lucasfilm sale to Disney. Guest star Brent Spiner played Lt. Commander Data in every season and movie spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation; this is his first role in a Star Wars production.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Ezra goes undercover as Cadet “Dev Morgan” at an Imperial Academy for young Stormtrooper trainees, where he impresses his superiors with his well-above-average reflexes and agility. His real mission is to intercept Imperial information on a shipment of Kyber crystals being delivered to the Emperor. But he also discovers he’s not the only cadet with no love for the Empire, and Ezra decides to make some very dangerous modifications to the mission plan to help his new fellow Rebels…only to come to the attention of the Inquisitor.

written by Greg Weisman
directed by Steven G. Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus / Stormtrooper 1), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Walker Pilot), David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), David Shaugnessy (Commandant Aresko / Taskmaster Grint), Liam O’Brien (Commander), Dante Basco (Jai Kell), Eric Lopez (Nazhros Oleg / Technician), Jason Isaacs (The Inquisitor), Bryton James (Zare Leonis)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

No sooner have Hera, Sabine and Ezra barely survived their latest mission, another mission beckons, all based on intelligence from a mysterious Rebel source known only as Fulcrum. Sabine, tired of the secrecy, tags along with Hera to find out who Fulcrum is and why their intelligence so often leads the Ghost‘s crew into danger. The payoff for Sabine’s curiosity? More danger, and this time from a source that can’t be reasoned with, as the two are surrounded by wild animals and stranded without fuel.

written by Kevin Hopps
directed by Steward Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus / Stormtrooper 1), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb)

Notes: Despite the mention of the abandoned outpost as a strategic site in the Clone Wars, it had not appeared at any point during the Clone Wars animated series. For the first time, a clear chain of command is in evidence, with Kanan commanding the missions while Hera commands the Ghost. This is the first episode of Rebels to mention Fulcrum, whose identity is revealed in the season finale.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

In the capitol of Lothal, Kanan and the rest of the Ghost crew prepare to spoil the Empire Day parade, celebrating the anniversary of the formation of the Empire from the ashes of the Republic. But Ezra is distant and distracted: Empire Day is his birthday, and the day he lost his family. When the fighting starts, Ezra joins his teammates to help, and he even stumbles upon a Rodian that both the Empire and the Rebels are looking for: his old family friend, Tseebo. Fitted with a cerebral implant as part of his job in the Empire’s information division, Tseebo can access troop and ship movements, blueprints for vehicles still on the drawing board, and other information vital to the Rebels. And when his implant is disconnected and he regains his personality, he claims to know what happened to Ezra’s parents…

written by Henry Gilroy
directed by Steven G. Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Alton Kastle / Stormtrooper Commander), David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), David Shaughnessy (Commandant Aresko/ Stormtrooper / Taskmaster Grint), Dee Bradley Baker (Ephraim Bridger / Old Jho), Brent Spiner (Gall Trayvis), David Acord (Lead TIE Fighter Pilot / Pilot #2), Kath Soucie (Minister Maketh Tua / Mira Bridger), Jason Isaacs (The Inquisitor), Peter MacNicol (Tseebo)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Ghost beats a hasty retreat from Lothal, with the Inquisitor leading Imperial fighters to it. A tracking device is fired toward the Ghost, but instead attaches to its shuttlecraft, the Phantom. Realizing that both the tracker and their sensitivity to the Force are leading the Inquisitor to them, Kanan and Ezra depart in the Phantom to set a trap for their pursuers, a trap that will require Ezra to learn new skills with the Force. But when he finds himself trying to protect the fallen Kanan from the Inquisitor, Ezra takes a step toward the dark side.

written by Greg Weisman
directed by Steward Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Alton Kastle / Stormtrooper Commander), Dee Bradley Baker (Admiral Kassius Konstantine), Matthew Wood (Stormtrooper Squad Leader), Jason Isaacs (The Inquisitor), Peter MacNicol (Tseebo)

Notes: The abandoned Clone-War-era asteroid base, and its current population of carnivores, was first visited by Hera and Sabine in Out Of Darkness. Fulcrum is again heard but not seen, and Hera again refuses to introduce other members of the crew to Fulcrum. The fate of Ezra’s parents is revealed in the second season episode Legacy.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Concerned about Ezra’s fleeting taste of the power of the dark side of the Force during a battle with the Inquisitor, Kanan takes the boy to a hidden Jedi temple buried on Lothal. Kanan doesn’t give Ezra much of a hint of what to expect, and the Jedi-in-training is subjected to a rapid-fire series of terrifying visions, including the death of all of his friends at the hands of the Inquisitor. Only when Ezra realizes that this would simply leave him alone again – a state with which he is well acquainted – does he shed his fear and begin to walk down the path of the Jedi, with the voice of a long-lost Jedi Master as his guide.

written by Charles Murray
directed by Dave Filoni
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb), Jason Isaacs (The Inquisitor), Frank Oz (Yoda)

Notes: This is the first “appearance” of Yoda – who communicates by voice only through the Force to both Kanan and Ezra – in Rebels. A vision of the exiled Jedi Master was originally part of the story, but the role was reduced to a voice-over to avoid making viewers think that Yoda had left Dagobah. Yoda is instead represented by floating lights similar to those that he witnessed himself in the Clone Wars episode Voices.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Ghost crew is down on its luck on Lothal, unable to find any paying work. Worse yet, in his own attempt to come up with some money, Zeb takes on a stranger in a game of sabacc…and loses, because his opponent is smuggler and swindler Lando Calrissian. Zeb has bet Chopper away, but Lando is willing to haggle: he needs a ship and a crew to pull off a swindle that he promises will make them all wealthier. But what he hasn’t revealed is that this swindle involves presenting Hera as a slave to Lando’s next victim. The Ghost‘s crew finds itself hanging on for dear life as Lando goes on the run from a crime lord and the Empire…using their ship.

written by Kevin Hopps
directed by Steward Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Scanning Technician), Dee Bradley Baker (Admiral Kassius Konstantine / Old Jho / TIE Pilot #2), James Hong (Azmorigan), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Ben Diskin (TIE Pilot #1)

Notes: Billy Dee Williams reprises the (voice) role of Lando yet again, having done so for everything from the Dark Empire audio dramas to Robot Chicken to the Lego Star Wars animated stories. He would later repay the Ghost crew with a favor in The Siege Of Lothal.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Ezra experiences a powerful premonition while honing his Jedi skills between missions, a vision in which he sees Rebel sympathizer Senator Gall Trayvis on the run alongside the crew of the Ghost. Kanan warns Ezra that this Force vision lacks context, but when Trayvis’ next pirate broadcast makes it clear that he is coming to Lothal, Ezra has to know more. Contacting one of his fellow students from the Stormtrooper cadet academy, Ezra learns that a major Imperial operation is planned at the time of Trayvis’ arrival, and convinces Hera and the others to put everything on the line to save the man they know as the voice of the Rebellion. But when Trayvis finds himself in as much danger as his rescuers, will he stick to his ideals?

written by Henry Gilroy
directed by Steven G. Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Alton Kastle / Stormtrooper Commander), David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), Brent Spiner (Gall Trayvis), Kath Soucie (Minister Maketh Tua), David Acord (Protocol Droid #2), Matthew Wood (Stormtrooper), Bryton James (Zare Leonis)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

With Gall Trayvis revealed as an Imperial collaborator, Kanan decides to borrow a strategy from the playbook of Ezra’s parents, and launch a Rebel pirate broadcast to inform everyone on Lothal and in nearby systems of the truth of Imperial rule. But rather than constructing a crude transmitter in a building, Kanan wants to hijack the Empire’s own communications array – the biggest transmitter on the planet. His move, however, is anticipated by the latest Imperial arrival to Lothal: Grand Moff Tarkin, governor of the outer rim worlds. With a ruthless attitude toward those who have repeatedly failed to capture Kanan and his crew, and cold, calculated strategic thinking, Tarkin allows Kanan to take the transmitter – and then destroys it himself, capturing Kanan in the process.

written by Greg Weisman and Simon Kinberg
directed by Steward Lee
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Alton Kastle / Stormtrooper #1), David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), David Shaughnessy (Commandant Aresko / Taskmaster Grint), Brent Spiner (Gall Trayvis), Stephen Stanton (Grand Moff Tarkin), Kath Soucie (Minister Maketh Tua), Jason Isaacs (The Inquisitor)

Notes: This episode is effectively the beginning of a three-part season finale, and introduces Tarkin to the Rebels storyline. It also sees the exit of incompetent Imperial officers Aresko and Grint, beheaded (offscreen) by the Inquisitor in one of the darkest plot developments of the series to date.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Ezra and the others are nearly obsessed with trying to locate Kanan, even to the point of taking on riskier offensives against the Empire than usual. But Hera receives a message from the mysterious Rebel leader Fulcrum: the search for Kanan is too risky, and has to stop. Undaunted by this, and unimpressed with Fulcrum, Ezra, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper launch their own rescue mission anyway. Kanan, in Imperial custody, refuses to talk even under the Inquisitor’s torture, so Governor Tarkin sets a course for a planet that has spelled the end of Jedi in the past: Mustafar.

written by Charles Murray and Henry Gilroy
directed by Justin Ridge
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Stormtrooper Commander / Shuttle Trooper #1), David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), Keith Szarabajka (Cikatro Vizago / Shuttle Trooper #2), Stephen Stanton (Grand Moff Tarkin / Imperial Cruiser Officer / Stormtrooper #1), Liam O’Brien (Yogar Lyste / Imperial Technician / Shuttle Pilot), Jason Isaacs (The Inquisitor)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

In the wake of their escape from Mustafar, Hera, Kanan and the Ghost crew have finally joined the larger Rebel Alliance, taking part in numerous space battles with Phoenix Squadron at their sides. But Kanan is uneasy about the militarization of the Rebellion, longing to get back to Lothal to help people one-on-one. A distress signal from Lothal’s governor – a known Imperial sympathizer – shocks the rest of the group into agreeing with him. But Minister Tua is no longer in charge on Lothal: Darth Vader has arrived to take control of the situation, including a plan to trap the Ghost crew. As Kanan and his crew try to leave Lothal in one piece, Vader catches up to them, and Kanan and Ezra have to fight a Sith Lord for the first time, with barely-survivable results. Even once they escape, they’re not free of Vader’s clutches yet – and when Ahsoka reaches out with the Force to try to identify the pursuing Sith, she is horrified by what she finds.

written by Henry Gilroy
directed by Bosco Ng and Brad Rau
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Alton Kastle / Imperial Technician #2 / Stormtrooper Commander), David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano), Keone Young (Commander Sato / Imperial Technician / Imperial Technician #3), James Earl Jones (Darth Vader), Sam Witwer (The Emperor / W1-LE / Imperial Technician), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Dee Bradley Baker (Old Jho / Stormtrooper #3 / Phoenix #3 / Admiral Konstantine / Rebel Technician), Kath Soucie (Minister Maketh Tua), Matthew Wood (Phoenix #1 / Stormtrooper / Stormtrooper #3 / Imperial Captain)

Notes: An hour-long “movie”, The Siege Of Lothal serves as something of a new pilot for Rebels, recasting the Ghost crew as a band of star warriors rather than a group of resistance fighters tied to Lothal. Several more months passed before the rest of the second season began to air, with this adventure being aired as a stand-alone event.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Stinging from the losses incurred by Darth Vader’s attack at Lothal, the Rebel cell including the Ghost and the remnants of Phoenix Squadron limps into hiding, hoping to find a base. Ahsoka sends Kanan, Ezra and the Ghost crew to the outer rim desert planet Seelos to track down a “great military commander” she once knew, who may be able to help the Rebellion. What Kanan and Ezra find there is a leftover AT-TE “walking tank” from the Clone Wars, manned by aged Clone Troopers who want nothing to do with either the Empire or the Rebellion. Kanan, reminded of the horrors of Order 66, doesn’t trust them anyway, but Ezra tries to find middle ground between the two groups. But one of the Clones still feels loyalty toward the Empire, and has sent word that the Rebels are there.

written by Matt Michnovetz
directed by Dave Filoni and Sergio Paez
music by Kevin Kiner
based on original themes and music by John Williams

Cast: Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus), Vanessa Marshall (Hera), Tiya Sircar (Sabine), Steven Blum (Zeb / Imperial Officer / Tactical Droid Head), Dee Bradley Baker (CC-3636 / CC-5576-39 / CT-7567 / Kassius Konstantine) David Oyelowo (Agent Kallus), Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano), Keone Young (Commander Sato)

Notes: Commander Rex was a mainstay of the Clone Wars animated series, appearing in a great many episodes throughout the show’s run as the Clone Trooper Commander assigned to Anakin Skywalker. (Dee Bradley Baker provided the Clone Troopers’ voices in that series too.) Rex says that he and his surviving comrades discovered and removed their control chips before Order 66 was issued, and did not turn against their Jedi compatriots. But this also made them likely targets of the newly formed Empire, hence the Clones’ dropping out of sight on Seelos. The Clone Wars ended 15 years prior to this episode, and Kanan says that Ezra wasn’t born yet, so Ezra was probably 12 or 13 years old when he joined the Ghost‘s crew. The Lost Commanders is part one of a two-part story further tying Rebels in to the Clone Wars animated series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green