Prior Episodes | 7972 (5 BBY) | Next Episodes
Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Rebels - Out of Darkness (2014) [S1E7]
Their relationship strained over trust issues, Hera and Sabine team up for a supply run
but find an unexpected danger waiting.
Star Wars: Rebels - Empire Day (2014) [S1E8]
Ezra struggles with unanswered questions from the past on Empire Day - his birthday -
while the Ghost crew uncovers key Imperial intel.
Star Wars: Rebels - Gathering Forces (2014) [S1E9]
The Inquisitor continues his pursuit of the Ghost crew, while Ezra looks to make
a connection with the Force.




CONTINUITY
These three episodes form a single storyline about the Spectres' dealing with their pasts and an old base in an asteroid field.
An unidentified asteroid field is seen for the first time. Two worlds are seen in these episodes:

According to supplementary material, only 'Out of Darkness' takes place in 7972 (5 BBY), and the other two episodes take place near
the beginning of 7973 (4 BBY). This is incorrect. The episode 'Empire Day' contains the 15th anniversary of the declaration of
the Empire seen in Episode III, which took place very late in 7958 (19 BBY). As both 'Empire Day' and 'Gathering Forces'
take place in the span of a few days, all three episodes take place near the end of 7972 (5 BBY).

- Kanan says, "It's getting harder to anticipate the Empire's moves. That's for sure." The increase in rebel activity throughout the galaxy has already
prompted a response by the Empire, which has adjusted its tactics, in this case by increasing the security around a potential target. While
often accused of underestimating their opponents, their versatility is limited by the massive size of their operations. Increasing the strength
of defensive positions and escorts and varying their tactics are really the only responses they can take without more intelligence.

- The unidentified asteroid field seen in these episodes is presumably in a remote area. Supplementary material originally created for this episode
identified the abandoned Republic base located here as 'Fort Anaxes', as its design was based on a Republic fortress seen in The Clone Wars
Bad Batch storyline, which was created but unfinished before this series was created. This did not mean that this was on Anaxes, only that it
was named after the planet, and at first supplementary material created by disney-Lucasfilm identified Fort Anaxes as having been built on
an asteroid. At some point a confusing and irritating decision was made that these two facilities were in fact the same facility, and that this
was the planet Anaxes, and it has since been completely destroyed, but this base is still more or less intact. This made very little sense,
considering that this is supposed to be a remote and relatively unknown meeting spot, and Anaxes is an historically significant city-world in
the Core. In order to reinforce this pointless decision, after two decades of legendary and supplementary material building up Anaxes'
importance in the Core and Republic history, disney-Lucasfilm decided in 2021 to release a new 'canon reference book' relocating Anaxes to
the Outer Rim, published by Jason Fry, the very person who created Anaxes and helped to develop its history. Since no book or any other
piece of supplementary material is truly canon until it is in a movie or show, and anything created under George Lucas automatically trumps
disney SW, this problematic suggestion should be ignored. Anaxes was well-established as located in the Core when added to The Clone Wars
in 2012-13, and its position is a part of that story. Perhaps this is a different Anaxes in the Outer Rim which was destroyed at some point,
however there is no reason for this non-canon association between Anaxes and this asteroid field. All that is certainly known is that this
asteroid base "was abandoned years ago, after the Clone Wars." Sabine asks, "You don't happen to know why this base was abandoned?",
to which Hera has no answer. Were this a formerly populated planet that recently in history blew up, that would be the kind of thing which
Hera would have known. Kanan calls it "the asteroid field where the old clone base is." Long after Anaxes was created by Lucasfilm and
situated in the Core, this asteroid field was envisioned in 2013 concept art by Amy Beth Christenson, entitled "asteroid belt planetoid."
Since Lucasfilm seems to want this story to take place in grid square R-7 so badly that they tried to move Anaxes there, it is fair to say that
is the location of this asteroid field. This places this starsytem within either the Antemeridian Sector, the Meridian Sector, or the Jospro
Sector. The base is located on a planetoid with a breathable atmosphere, and clearly was constructed during the Clone Wars.



How does the asteroid/planetoid with the old clone base have a breathable atmosphere? How is it not freezing cold
there? How is there animal life on this world? It is clear from the dialogue and other factors that this is not the remains
of Anaxes, discussed above, however based on the establishing shots of the system it does appear that this asteroid
field was created by the disintegration of a planetary body, possibly from a collision with a planetoid. It may also be that
this was a planet which began to form before the position of a gas giant in the system was altered significantly, moving it
close enough to this forming world to cause its material to splay in the fashion shown. No matter its origins, the main
asteroid/planetoid body is apparently dense and large enough to have an atmosphere, possibly the remnants of one
from before a cataclysm. Even if this were the case, it is extremely unlikely this gas would be close to 20% free oxygen
since that is usually found in an atmosphere as a product of photosynthetic life such as plants. This is possible although
unlikely to occur in an atmosphere from other causes, and equally unlikely is that none of the remaining gasses are
poisonous for Humans and Twi'leks to breathe. The fact that it is warm enough there for people to walk around without
suits suggests this asteroid field must be close enough to this star's unique radiation conditions for water to exist in
a liquid state. This makes it very unlikely this world was habitable before it became fragmented. Just as the base was
certainly not built before the fragmentation, these creatures cannot have been remnants of a prior ecosystem. They
must have been subsequently brought here, perhaps by smugglers or rare animal traders. If they were here during
the Clone Wars, the clones would not have been. Creatures of this size and complexity only arise out of a complex
ecosystem, and they would need a regular source of food, and their food would need a regular source of food.
Ultimately, even predators get their energy through the food chain from plants, which get their energy from a star's
light. If these creatures were native, they absolutely would have all been killed by the destruction of the world and
the dramatic change in environment. They must have been imported, and quite recently, unless they have been
eating each other, since no other life is seen, and there is no reason to believe there is any. It is possible to make sense
of all this if the base was built here on a long-ago formed asteroid field, and these creatures were left here later on.
Main Article: Planetology


- Jhothal is a small settlement on Lothal, built around Old Jho's Pit Stop, and subsequently named for its Ithorian proprietor Old Jho.
He is clearly a republican, as he has the front and wings of an old clone LAAT/c gunship proudly adorning the entrance.
For this reason, Old Jho's cantina is suspected by the Empire of being frequented by those who preferred the Republic.

- Kanan tells Ezra, "You're resisting. He can sense it.", regarding the loth-cat he is truing to connect to. Ezra replies, "He can sense it? What
is he, like, a Padawan cat?" Loth-cats, other animals, and other living things don't need to become Padawans, or anything else, to
be as fully connected to the Force as possible. They are always living their lives in harmony with the Force, and their concentration
on the Force never wavers. Only those with sentient capacity of logic, the power of words within the mind, are distracted from total
oneness with the Force, as they once had when they were infants. Learning to let go of the self without letting go of the mind is
the essential Jedi teaching for achieving greater oneness with the Force. As Kanan tells Ezra, "You're connected to every living
thing in the universe. But to discover that, you have to let your guard down. You have to be willing to attach to others."

- In order to connect with the Force, and to serve its will as the Jedi desire, they must learn to cultivate selflessness. In order to get over one's
self, it is vital to release one's burdens, which is to say come to grips with things one is in denial or conflict about, and to forgive one's self
and others for having flaws. Kanan tells Ezra, "If you hang on to your past, if you always try to protect yourself, you'll never be a Jedi",
and that "you'll never advance as a Jedi if you can't be honest, with yourself, at least."

- Loth-cats first appeared in 'Rise of the Old Masters', and are featured here for the first time, before being seen throughout this series and
in other SW material. They are a kind of tooka cat, a species of cat found on several planets in an apparent case of parallel evolution.
Tooka cats originated in legendary material, and appeared in various artistic forms in The Clone Wars until finally appearing as
a living being in canon for the first time in 'To Catch a Jedi' (S5E19).

- Empire Day is the anniversary celebration of the declaration of the Empire seen in Episode III, which took place very late in 7958 (19 BBY).
This year's Empire Day, in 7972 (5 BBY), is the 15th anniversary of what the Imperial broadcast calls "the galaxy's salvation, when our
great Emperor Palpatine ended the Clone Wars and founded our glorious Empire." If the Common Republic Calendar were used on
Earth it would take place in December, however there are no known months or other standard divisions of a CRC year in canon.

- The Imperial HoloNet broadcast is broadcast from each sector or perhaps every planet with significant population, as each instance seen
on Lothal contains information specific to the planet. It is Imperial law that holoscreens in public locations must play the Imperial
HoloNet broadcast at all times. In this broadcast the main story and headline on the screen is "Empire Day". The news crawler at
the bottom of the screen reads "Tragedy at Boo Boo Barn... Enrollment", then the scene cuts away briefly before returning to
the screen where it reads, "residents attacked by herd of rabid lothcats..." before the crawl begins again with "Tragedy..."


- The Empire is looking for Tseebo, who is obviously a high-value target. Their procedures include putting TIE pilots on search patrols, locking
down the ports and putting destroyers in orbit, establishing a "full planetary blockade."

- Governor Pryce was invited to Coruscant to celebrate with Emperor Palpatine, an indication of her favor within the Imperial Court and her
high potential for upward mobility. One does not become an Imperial Moff without being both a shrewd politician and an effective
administrator, however there are over 1000 Moffs in the galaxy, and it is unlikely that most were invited to join the Emperor's celebration.
Minister Maketh Tua is still running things in her absence. Commandant Aresko was chosen by Pryce to organize the Empire Day military
parade, which he considers to be a welcome vote of confidence in him. It is unclear exactly who else could have been chosen, as he is
the highest ranking member of the Imperial Army seen on Lothal. The Empire also shows off its latest declassified military hardware,
a typical part of most nationalistic holiday military parades, to demonstrate its might and instill a sense of pride amongst the citizens.

- The TIE/ad v1 advanced starfighter is a product of Sienar Fleet Systems, and is one of the vehicles being manufactured by the Sienar plant
at Lothal's Imperial shipyards. Improvements from the TIE/ln include a more powerful weapons package and fold-up s-foils. They are
described as the "latest" locally produced fighter, and their publicity here suggests they were first completed in the past few years.

- Baron Valen Rudor is described by Minister Tua as "one of the best Imperial pilots on Lothal." Supplementary material has explained that
a Flight Baron is an earned title in recognition of ace status, as in Earth history. This seems to have been the creators' intent, meaning
that Rudor earned the title Baron by shooting down a given number of enemy craft in combat situations. Given how promotions and
ranks for aerospace forces, it's unlikely that an Imperial ace wouldn't have achieved a rank of Lieutenant or Captain, and based on
other SW universe aces, he has likely reached the rank of Major. His actual rank is not established in canon.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia

- The Empire has begun to implant lower-level technicians with cybernetic circuits, in Tseebo's case the AJ^6 cyborg construct first seen in
Episode V. Tseebo's productivity is 19% higher than average Imperial data worker, an example of what Sabine calls "personality
sacrificed for productivity." The Empire encourages these implants, but they are not yet mandatory. Tseebo got his working for
the Imperial Information Office, which is a branch of Imperial Intelligence, the Empire's non-military intelligence organization.

- Ezra was born on the same day as the Empire. His character represents the generation that never knew the Republic, and whose only
experience has been living under the Empire, despite being raised by those who lived in and remember the Republic. Those from this
generation have a different range of motivations for resisting or supporting the Empire, and different expectations about life.


- The XX-23 S-Thread Tracker was developed by Sienar Systems, to trace ships through hyperspace to destination. Many tracking beacons
must be planted on board a ship, however beacons such as this can attach themselves to the hull of ship, not unlike the small beacon
used by Obi-Wan in Episode II to track and follow Jango Fett.

- Fleet Admiral Kassius Konstantine is the commander of the Lothal Sector Fleet, presumably part of the 12th Sector Fleet under some
High Admiral who is not identified in canon or supplementary material, likely operating at Naval HQ on Coruscant. This makes
Admiral Konstantine the highest ranking military officer based out of the Lothal Sector at this time.

- Detaching a ship from another ship which is flying at light speed through hyperspace is "incredibly dangerous." As seen, the separated craft
drops uncontrolled out of hyperspace and experiences physical stresses which threaten the integrity of a ship. It is also shown that a ship's
trajectory through hyperspace can be modified in flight by changing the hyperspace coordinates in the navigational computer. This is
likely a somewhat dangerous thing to do which should not be attempted by those without technical expertise in this matter.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- The Inquisitor tells Ezra, "the darkness is too strong for you, orphan. It is swallowing you up, even now", a prophetic insight considering that
the power of the dark side in this era is a reoccurring obstacle to Ezra's path. His connection to the large creature out of anger and fear
causing it to attack was his first connection to the dark side. Kanan says, "If your will isn't strong enough when you open yourself to
the Force, you become vulnerable to the dark side." This left Ezra with a cold feeling, and caused him to lose consciousness.

ANALYSIS
The system of Flucrum agents are part of Senator Organa's intelligence network. Their work is enabled by the shield of those with official standing
in the Empire, who provide them with inside information to increase the effectiveness of their operations. As with any intelligence apparatus,
their access and insight lead them to engage in limited scale action to disrupt or counter their opponents. To this end, Fulcrum agents are at
this point in the Imperial era actively involved in the organizing of rebel forces which could one day form the core of a unified resistance. As their
success in disruptive activity increases, the Empire has responded by increasing their security rather than varying their methods. The goal of this
tactic is to ensnare operatives who might reveal the source of the obvious leaks in Imperial security. The importance of the Fulcrum agents goes
far beyond their intelligence gathering ability, since their most valuable role is to be ready and capable to aid Imperial assets seeking to defect
or otherwise fleeing the Empire. Opportunities like the one presented by Tseebo must be seized upon by those resisting the Empire as they are
facing a far more powerful adversary and without intelligence their chances of success are extremely limited. The information gained from this
one limited action may have aided rebel planning and activities for years to come.

The Empire's five-year plan for Lothal, and every other world in the Outer Rim, is part of the third stage of their socioeconomic transformation
of the galaxy. In the first stage, the Reorganization era, the Empire instituted sweeping changes, but gradually transitioned planets politically and
economically while solidifying their rule. Worlds in the Core felt changes more heavily, while remote worlds like Lothal would have seen only minimal
changes. In the Expansion era of the Empire which followed, the Empire increased the nationalization of vital industry and the transformation of
the society to suit the philosophies of the New Order. Core worlds were increasingly dominated entirely by political and economic leaders who were
loyal only to the Empire and not their individual worlds, while more remote planets and regions saw the Empire establish a significantly larger
presence and begin to implement the same methods. In this third, culminating stage of the Imperial program, the right and tradition of Imperial
authority is firmly established in every world and region of consequence for the Empire. There is no longer any legal recourse to resist the Empire's
seizure of property and nationalization of trade, and the notion of planets or citizens as sovereign actors is a thing of the past. Due to this fascist
organization of society, Minister Tua is right to say that "Lothal is just as important to our Empire as any world in the galaxy." A world like Lothal
is relatively easy to control for the Empire, already has industrial infrastructure, and has a large but manageable workforce. It is being transformed
with ease into a military factory world, and its citizens are squeezed out of their prior occupations and directed into factory work. Worlds such
as this are the most valuable to the Empire, as the entire planet can ultimately be devoted to their purposes, including the industrial infrastructure,
the population, and the mineral wealth. Lothal and its people are intended to be used up to increase the power of the Emperor.

Kanan meditates while Ezra is goofing off, since Kanan isn't very good at teaching his disciple to practice their religion. The reason the Jedi prefer
not to teach students as old as Ezra is primarily because of the dangerous attachments they will have picked up from life, to family, friends, things
they care about, which can easily cloud their path and undermine their purpose. Ezra certainly has these issues between his parents, his history,
and his relationship with the Empire, however he also lacks discipline, something which can usually be helped by being raised by monks. Kanan
is compounding the problem by not teaching Ezra that being a Jedi begins and ends with a religious devotion to the Force and to serving its will.
For a student as old as Ezra to be using his abilities and not to have cultivated his personal connection to the Force is not only counterproductive,
it is also dangerous, as his experience connecting to the dark side proved. Kanan says, "Your powers are growing so quickly, you weren't prepared.
I didn't teach you what you needed to know. I'm sorry." The Inquisitor is even able to use Ezra's devotion to Kanan to provoke an emotional response,
illustrating how dangerous it is for undisciplined Jedi students to confront the dark side. Ezra turns down the Inquisitor's offer to teach him the dark
side, and while he has the heart of a Jedi, his inability to let go of his past will continue to leave him vulnerable to the influence of the dark side.
The Inquisitor also proves himself to be a 'failed' student like Ezra, and limited in his progress as a Jedi like Kanan, as he mentions that Lord Vader
will not be pleased that he had a Jedi and his Padwan in his grasp who escaped unscathed.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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