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Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Rebels - The Siege of Lothal (2015) [S2E1-2]
The Inquisitor is dead. The Ghost crew has connected with other rebel cells.
And a new ally named Ahsoka Tano has emerged. Despite these successes and developments,
the fight against the Empire takes a deadly turn, as the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader comes to Lothal.




CONTINUITY
These two episodes are a single story about the Siege of Lothal. One world is seen in these episodes:

This episode takes place not long after the end of the first season, as Vader is not one to waste time with getting down to business.
The dialogue suggests that it is at least a week later, perhaps several weeks as Commander Sato says, "You and your crew have
proven invaluable to our fleet, Captain Syndulla. The fuel acquired in your convoy attacks has helped keep us one step ahead
of Imperial patrols." This makes it sound like it may be several weeks later, raising the question of what is taking Vader so long
to execute his plan. Perhaps he has been investigating the situation and figured out Minister Tua is a weak link who could be
used as bait due to her security clearance, if sufficiently scared enough to contact the rebels. This might explain why Vader
has not acted, however if it has only been a week or so since he arrived, there is no real incongruity.

- Phoenix Squadron is a rebel cell led by Commander Jun Sato which primarily operates in the northern sectors of the Slice Region in the Outer
Rim. Based out of a small fleet of escort-sized warships, they are building their resources by raiding the Empire for equipment and supplies.


- Commander Sato is the only rebel officer seen prior to Episode VI who wears the collar rank insignia used on dress uniforms in that film.
Those uniforms were meant to represent the growth and development of the Alliance during the Civil War, however this appearance seems
to suggest the insignia may be a continuation of a tradition other than that used by Massassi Group and other Alderaan-backed rebel forces.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia


Some members of the Ghost's crew are seen falling around in the ship during the battle, seemingly because of Hera's
constant maneuvering. If the inertial dampers are functioning, they shouldn't be experiencing any pull inside the ship from
maneuvering or flight. If the dampers aren't working, the entire crew should be pinned to the back wall of whichever
compartment they are in, or their seats, and are almost certainly being crushed due to the acceleration and extremely high
speeds. While there is sometimes some turbulence on old or poorly maintained ships, it does not cause people or objects
to react to hard turns as if they were in a car, boat, or plane. Only impacts from external objects, waves of energy including
laser blasts against the shields and hull, or explosions near the ship, may cause objects and people within to be tossed
about, since the inertial dampers have no way to instantly compensate for such external forces. What is shown cannot be
interpreted as correct by any logic, and yet this is the fourth occurrence of this failure of the creators to understand how
basic physics works, as this was also shown in one episode of Droids and two different episodes of The Clone Wars.



Where does Tarkin rule the Outer Rim from? No destination is given for Minister Tua, it is only stated that she is to visit
him. It could be that he administers the Outer Rim from Coruscant, and for a number of reasons this seems most likely.
It is also possible that he keeps his flag aboard his personal destroyer, however the amenities and political visibility of
such a headquarters is not at all in keeping with Tarkin's character. It is also possible that he has chosen a significant and
well-populated world in the Outer Rim to serve as regional capital, perhaps even his home planet of Eriadu. The various
sectors of the Outer Rim all had capital planets during the Republic era, however there was no political organization for
the large galactic regions at that time. This change was instituted by the Empire, but it is unknown whether the Grand
Moffs rule their regional territories from Coruscant or from localities located within their jurisdiction.


- A one-way transmission allows two-way audio but "cloaks" the recipient so as not to give away their identity and appearance, and
to prevent visual identification of their location. It is unclear if the transmissions were also somehow encoded, perhaps on Jho's
end, since otherwise the act of responding to the transmission would have made it easy to determine the fleet's position.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication

- Lothal has a space-traffic control system, which monitors and directs incoming civilian traffic. In the Imperial era, this absolutely requires
landing permits and prior clearance, with any unregistered ships likely to be intercepted by Imperial forces. Something similar to Lothal
Control should be in place on every system with a significant population, but is usually ignored or not shown in other SW material.

- The Empire's plan to locate the rebel fleet is intricately layered and well executed. They make vauge but menacing threats to Minister Tua, who
turns to the rebels for expert help to escape the Empire knowing that they might actually care enough to help her, and offers to share
her inside knowledge. This is then presented as the actual trap when Tua is assassinated by a bomb placed on her shuttle by the Empire.
They can now blame the rebels for a terrorist assassination and ensure Tua does not share any information with them. The only other
shuttle available to the rebels to escape the scene has a tracking beacon well-hidden within it, thus ensuring that if the rebels are
sufficiently hounded but allowed to escape, they will lead the Empire straight to the fleet they encountered at Mustafar.

- The Empire has 6 airfields in Lothal City, as shown on Sabine's map, including the main airfield at the Imperial Complex, another two located
in specific city districts, and three others arranged at three opposing points near the capital's outskirts.

- The Spectres steal some 49-v99 deflector shield generators, which are compact, military-grade units manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards. They are
designed to protect moderately sized vessels, or potentially stationary objects. Supplementary material calls them "Colicoid" shield generators,
which implies they are a product of Colicoid Creation Nest, or at least a product of the not-yet canon Colicoid species. There is no known
connection between Kuat Drive Yards and CCN or Colla 4, beyond both KDY and CCN having both been members of the Techno Union in
the later days of the Republic. It is unknown what became of CCN after the Clone Wars, but due to their heavy involvement with the Separatists
it is very possible they were nationalized or disbanded, either of which could have led KDY to absorb their technology or at least expand its
operations to Colla 4 to employ Colicoid manufacturers, scientists, and engineers.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields

- Vader's duel with Kanan, with Ezra occasionally thrown in, is a very one-sided contest wich illustrates Vader's superior power with the Force. Had
it been Vader's intention not to let them escape, he likely could have prevented it. Vader almost does kill Ezra, and had he killed either Kanan
or Ezra, or both, the rest of the Spectres could still have led him to their rebel friends, however Vader is primarily concerned with making his
presence known so that they feel they have no choice but to leave Lothal and return to the fleet. Kanan does quite well against Vader despite
having had less formal training and being notably less naturally strong with the Force, however Vader still defeats him without really using
his full strength. Ezra of course isn't even yet ready or strong enough in the Force to survive fighting Vader on his own, but collectively
the Spectres are able to work together to briefly take advantage of Vader's overconfidence, however they never really pose a threat to him.


- Kanan was able to recognize that Vader was a Sith Lord from his power in the Force and trappings, however Kanan is as close to an expert on
the subject as one is likely to find in the galaxy these days. Ezra didn't seem to know much about the existence of the dark side when they
first met the inquisitor, and even after Ezra didn't seem to know the basics of what the dark side was or how to protect himself from its
lure. This is explained in this series as Kanan failing to teach Ezra what he needed to know, and yet he still doesn't seem to have taught
Ezra very much, if he doesn't seem to know what a Sith Lord is, even on a conceptual level. Putting aside Kanan's irresponsibility about this,
Ezra would be unlikely to know anything about the Sith, as they are not widely known beyond obscure legends unless one is a historian or
someone who had a thorough enough education to be aware of history. Kanan knows enough about the Sith to know that a Sith Lord is
unnaturally powerful, and that they are as likely or perhaps more likely to defeat a Jedi than the other way around.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith

- The Empire's scans indicate that the shuttle the Spectre's stole had not attempted to leave Lothal. Given the number of ships and the ground
based equipment located on the planet, this could be ascertained by monitoring the area around the planet for hyperspace traffic.
It is later stated that the Empire placed a tracker on the shuttle, so this may have also been how this was determined by their scans.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices

- Ships have transponders, which give off identification signals. It was seen in Episode II that these transponders give off signals which can be
detected at great distances, and therefore send their signals through hyperspace. It is possible, with the right knowledge, to "tune"
a transponder's "signature codes" to match a different ship as a form of disguise or subterfuge.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication

- Vader did not know that Ahsoka was still alive, but having learned that she is may not be surprised since evidence of her demise was inconclusive.
They last saw each other 15 years ago. Ahsoka does not know that Anakin survived or that he became Darth Vader. It seems that Ahsoka did
not know of Lord Vader at all, however he is usually presented as a reclusive figure only likely to be well-known in Imperial circles. Neither
Kanan nor Ahsoka has "sensed a presence like that since The Clone Wars", indicating that neither have had prior interactions with Vader,
or even sensed his existence. It is also unclear if either Kanan or Ahsoka are aware that Palpatine is a Sith Lord as well. Ahsoka seems to
have sensed that it is Anakin, however she may not yet have accepted this and certainly doesn't share that speculation. Sidious was also
totally unaware that Ahsoka was alive, once again displaying the many limitations to his great vision through the Force.

- Sidious dispatch Lord Vader to deal with the Lothal rebels because of a Jedi amongst their leadership, and because the transmission they
sent had made them a far more serious concern than their sabotage and piracy against the Empire. The discovery of Ahsoka presents
an opportunity to discover any other Jedi she may still be in contact with, which is the kind of lead Sidious expects his policies and
plans would eventually turn up regarding all remaining Jedi. Tactful as always, Sidious does not order Vader to pursue, potentially
driving them back underground, instead orders another Inquisitor to be sent to continue the hunt, as it will inevitably lead them to
expose themselves further, and allow more clues to the puzzle of the missing Jedi to come to light. Vader can then move in for the kill.
Main Article: Darth Sidious and The Plan

- Vader still suspects that Obi-Wan is alive. It having been 15 years, Sidious seems doubtful, dismissively remarking "Perhaps, if he lives."
This echoes Moff Tarkin's sentiments 4 years after these events, where he doubts Obi-Wan's return after 19 years, however Vader
has been anxiously awaiting his revenge against Obi-Wan, and sees little reason to believe he has died in less than too decades,
primarily because of how strong Obi-Wan is with the Force. While Tarkin simply feels it is unlikely there are any Jedi left after
Imperial efforts, Sidious believes, "the Jedi are relentless", and assumes that Yoda and Obi-Wan are dead because they haven't tried
to raise an army or otherwise move against himself and Vader. He does not know of either the change in philosophy of the Jedi
leadership, nor does he know of that Obi-Wan is assigned a more important mission, protecting and eventually training Anakin's
powerful offspring.

ANALYSIS
The Empire's multi-tiered command structure requires the participation of administrators who believe that their work is for the public good.
Minister Tua is representative of these kinds of Imperial civilian leaders, who do not usually see what the Empire does as in any way improper.
These people are necessary to the facade of the Empire as a force for good, and for effective governance, in all stages of the Empire, however
their advancement and longevity are limited by how far they are willing to go to secure the Empire's interests. Despite heavy patrols, curfews,
and checkpoints, the local Imperial forces are unable to deal with a small band of insurgents. Governor Tarkin's failure to defeat these Lothal
rebels, compounded by the loss of his flagship, has brought the shortcomings of Lothal's civilian leaders to the forefront, and made Minister
Tua the obligatory scapegoat, as the official in charge during Moff Pryce's absence. Lothal is therefore punished for the actions of a few of its
residents, as is Imperial procedure. Moff Tarkin is the other kind of Imperial administrator, one who is a willing collaborator in the plans of
the Emperor and who cares only about the Empire's interests and nothing about its powerless citizens. In this system, those who "lack
imagination" or simply are judged ineffective, are ultimately removed and replaced, as happens to Tua, Major Aresko, and Captain Grint.
Vader and the ISB intend to "squeeze Lothal", a policy which is not only applied against this specific rebel threat, but will continue over
the next few years as the accelerating Imperial program on the planet increases discontent and subversive activity.

The Empire knows more about various rebel groups and persons than most individual rebel cells do, as they track and compartmentalize this
information. Tarkin had previous revealed to fellow Imperials that their primary concern is coordination between rebels, and thus Tua's
list of rebel sympathizers on Lothal and other nearby systems would be of great benefit to Phoenix Squadron. Those with such sympathies
who have any kind of standing in society are still somewhat protected by the umbrella of the Senate. At this stage of the Empire, the Senate
is even more packed with Palpatine's political allies than it was when he assumed the position of Emperor 15 years prior, however the illusion
of democracy which the Empire still needs to maintain requires that those in the Senate not under his influence be challenged in a seemingly
legitimate fashion. Only the most entrenched and durable members of the Senate, like Senator Organa, are able to withstand Imperial
attempts to have them replaced by a more compliant Senator, but they still hold enough influence over public discourse that their supporters
cannot be easily moved against without open evidence of their anti-Imperial activities. The Empire's factory on Lothal, and their stripping of
the planet's resources to fuel it, seemed to be the Empire's primary mission there, however this was apparently a secondary objective which
was undertaken to support a more primary reason, which Tua says is "known only to a few and ordered by the Emperor himself." This goal,
related to Lothal's unusual connection to the Force, is of greater importance to the Emperor than operating yet another factory planet.

Vader's predictions about the rebels' moves are accurate, and his plan is designed to take advantage of this. He likely did not need the Force to
make these predictions, as the rebels Jedi philosophy and tactical history make their modus operandi fairly clear. Minister Tua's death by Imperial
assassination can be blamed on the rebels, painting them as dangerous and violent terrorists who kill unarmed opponents. This will lead to
some citizens turning against them, with others questioning whether the rebels were as noble as they had believed them to be. In order to
make it difficult for the rebels to continue to operate on the planet, the people are informed that "rebel assassins hide in their midst." Traffic
at the spaceport is locked down, and the Empire gives warning it will destroy any ship attempting to leave. This will turn others on Lothal who
were indifferent to the struggle against the rebels, as the rebel presence is now causing them hardship and hindering economic activity. Burning
the Tarkintown refugee camp not only removes one of the rebel's last resorts, it further emphasizes the importance of leaving Lothal, as
the Empire is punishing others for their disloyalty. This "weakness" of compassion which the rebels and the Jedi have makes them vulnerable to
those with no concern for ethics and the intelligence to use their opponents weaknesses against them, which usually describes the Sith. Vader
is able to use this predictable behavior to entice the rebels into leaving and leading him to the more valuable prize of a small rebel fleet.

The Jedi Knights have always had to maintain a delicate balance between being a Jedi and being a knight. The Jedi are devoted to peace, but also
the protection of those who need protection, which requires them to be able to be a knight. Being a knight requires violence, conflict, and sometimes
killing, which requires them to be accomplished Jedi to handle this dispassionately, lest they become consumed by the dark side. Sidious used
this against the Jedi during the Clone Wars by manipulating them into a constant state of fighting for peace, a contradiction which would lead them
astray, lead them to their deaths, or otherwise envelop them in the growing darkness. The Jedi Council, blinded by their arrogance and political
imperatives, led the Jedi directly into Sidious' trap, and the surviving members of the Council, Obi-Wan and Yoda, have since come to look on their
role in the Clone Wars as flawed in concept. Jedi like Kanan and Ezra must make this same choice, and while Kanan has learned the same lesson from
the Clone Wars, Ezra is most eager to meet evil head on in battle. Kanan wants to return to "rob from the Empire, give to the needy. A noble cause."
His concern about joining a military to fight for good, with the inevitable ethical and political compromises it will bring, is based in his knowledge that
the Jedi lose their purpose if they focus on making the biggest difference that they can rather than helping those who need their help the most.
Just because, as Hera points out, "it's still the right fight", does not mean that participation in war does not inevitably empower the dark side of
nature and the Force. Ezra knows only that the Empire is strong and evil, and that as Jedi who can make a difference for the rebels, they have to
help them given what is at stake. The minor threat posed by the Spectres led the Empire to take revenge upon the innocent, what Kanan explains
as "there's a cost for any action we take now", suggesting that making the choice to fight inevitably puts others in harm's way. This is where Kanan is
still thinking like the Jedi of old, believing that "10,000 Jedi Knights protecting the galaxy" could certainly deal with Dooku, his droid armies, and
his mystery Sith master, and conversely now believes it is next to insanity for two Jedi and a small army to start taking on the Empire. Ezra understands
what Yoda and Obi-Wan have come to see, that the Force will set things right in its own time, and that their duty as Jedi is to continue their work in
the galaxy, and to be there when they are needed most. Two Sith Lords were able to defeat 10,000 Jedi with the resources of a galaxy, and thus
two Jedi could do the same, if they have the wisdom to know when to fight and when not to fight.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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