Prior Episodes | 7974 (3 BBY) | Next Episodes
Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Rebels - Homecoming (2016) [S2E16]
The Ghost crew joins forces with Cham Syndulla, father of Hera and Clone Wars legend. But will
his thirst for revenge - and fractured relationship with his daughter - cost the rebels a victory?
Star Wars: Rebels - The Honorable Ones (2016) [S2E17]
Zeb and Agent Kallus find themselves stranded on an icy moon of Geonosis after a failed
Imperial ambush of the rebels. Bitter enemies, they must put aside their differences and
work together in order to survive.
Star Wars: Rebels - Shroud of Darkness (2016) [S2E18]
Kanan, Ezra, and Ahsoka return to the Jedi Temple on Lothal, seeking to learn how the Inquisitors
continually track them. Each has a different experience, and nothing will ever be the same.




CONTINUITY
These three standalone episodes are all about dealing with the issues of the past. The planet Oosalon is seen for the first time,
as is the moon Bahryn. Geonosis, Ryloth, and an unidentified planet are also seen from space. Six worlds are seen in these episodes:

These episodes take place throughout the second half of 7974 (3 BBY). Some time has passed since 'The Call' (S2E15), probably a month
or more. By the time of 'Shroud of Darkness', it is late in this calendar year, as the events in the remaining four episodes of this
season and calendar year take place in relatively quick sucession. Ezra has now been Kanan's apprentice for almost two years.

- Phoenix Squadron is transferring cargo to another organized Rebel cell with its own small starfleet. The Rebel Alliance is clearly already a united
organization in practice, even if it has not been openly declared, as there are already formal military units in alliance of rebels.

- The Rebel cargo transfer takes place over an unidentified planet located somewhere in the galaxy, probably in the Rim. The planet is probably
uninhabited and seems to be a cold and desolate world from orbit, which is likely why it was chosen for a clandestine rendezvous.


- The Free Ryloth Movement led by General Syndulla is only loosely associated with the organized Rebels. As fellow rebels with a common enemy,
The FRM shares intelligence and may be willing to cooperate on joint missions such as this, however they are not subordinate unit.


Hera calls Cham on Ryloth from a Rebel ship. Who is putting this call through? If the system can locate Cham to put
the call through, why can he not be located by the Empire easily? The communication system has to be able to locate
the intended recipient. In 'Call to Action', it is stated that huge Imperial broadcast towers located on a planet's surface
are capable of reaching a few thousand lightyears on its own, and that is considered impressive. The transmitters on
starships, especially those as small as these Rebel ships, are not capable of calling Ryloth without using the HoloNet
system, which is controlled by the Empire. This means they should be able to locate any ship in the galaxy that has its
communication system turned on, even if just receiving prerecorded messages, and the same goes for Cham and
the rebels on Ryloth. This is never explored in canon, however unlike the Republic, the Empire is certain to be spying
on HoloNet communications. It is possible the Rebels and Cham are both using some technology which allows access
to HoloNet without betraying their location, and this is the only explanation which makes sense to explain all the Rebel
and illegal calls seen made in SW, nevertheless it is difficult to imagine how calls could be completed but untraceable.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication


- Cham Syndulla was last seen 15 years earlier in two episodes of The Bad Batch, where he first found himself at odds with the Empire.
At the time of this episode's release, he has last been seen 18 years earlier, in The Clone Wars 'Liberty on Ryloth' (S1E21), where
he became even more famous amongst the Twi'leks as "the Liberator of Ryloth." Subsequently, his tactics in the Clone Wars are now
taught at the Imperial Academy, and Twi'leks have written songs describing his victory at the capital as "the Hammer of Ryloth."
All of those appearances predate the loss of his wife Eleni at the hands of the Empire.

- Numa was last seen 18 years earlier in The Clone Wars 'Innocents of Ryloth', when she was a child who befriended Waxer and Boil
during the Battle of Ryloth. She now wears armor on her arm with "Boil" written in Aurebesh. Gobi Glee has also been seen during
the Clone Wars, and was last seen in The Bad Batch 'Rescue on Ryloth' (S1E12), 15 years earlier. At that time, he was leading
the Ryloth resistance even while Cham initially tried to work with the Empire.

- Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carriers are a product of SoroSuub Corporation. These were a seen in various legendary material before this first
canon appearance. These ships were designed to be galleons, and principally meant for commercial and official cargo shipping,
but were also utilized by the Imperial military as mobile bases for starfighters.

- All the Imperial ships are once again commanded by Lieutenants. Both of these two ship captains are basically the same person, and are
the same animation template as Lieutenant Lyste. This template was used for virtually every Imperial officer in Season 1 & 2.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia

- Geonosis was last seen in The Clone Wars 'Brain Invaders' (S2E8), 18 years earlier, shortly after its second conquest by the Republic during
the Clone Wars. The planet's central role in the Separatist Alliance made it subject to strict repression under the Republic, which was likely
to have been increased under the Empire. It seems the Empire went further and committed genocide, killing nearly all of Geonosis'
population, which based on Rex's informed statement had formerly numbered in the billions.
Main Article: Galactic Population

- The Ghost does a planetary scan, and within a relatively short period of time determines that there are no lifesigns on or near the surface
of Geonosis. When they return to search for Zeb, they expect their scan to be able to locate him on the planet from orbit. Despite this,
their scanners are unable to detect the transponder signal coming from one of the planet's moon due to a simple wall of ice.
The ease with which solid materials block transmissions is a major limiting factor for both communications and scanning.
Main Articles: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices & Hyperspace Communication

- Bahryn is one of the moons of Geonosis, in the Arkanis Sector of the Slice region of the Outer Rim, with an orbital path that is beyond the outer
edge of the rings of Geonosis. The moon has abundant water but is cold and frozen. It apparently has a native ecosystem of some kind,
however only large creatures called bonzami are seen.


- Kallus tells Zeb, "cooperate, and you will get a trial." This is certainly true, as the Empire maintains the old Republic court system and the formality
of due process. This will, of course, not stop the court from sentencing a rebel like Zeb to hard labor, to be worked to death.


What exactly do the bonzami eat when Zeb and Kallus aren't around? It makes little to no sense for an animal as large as
bomzami to exist in a frozen climate. They are many times larger than polar bears on Earth, and yet they somehow are
being sustained by food sources on this planet sufficient to provide calories to dinosaur-like mega predators. Polar bears
are sustained by seals and other creatures who themselves have access to liquid water oceans with a food chain. There
are no other animals observed on this moon, which makes sense since there is no plant life to eat. Polar bears and seals
are animals who evolved in warm climates where there was plenty of food and a complex food chain, and over time
became specialists in accessing the food which thrives on the boundary between the frozen and unfrozen world.
The food chain they rely on also developed in warmer climates and branched out to conquer peripheral regions of
polar climates. This moon is not seen from space, so it is possible they are in a polar region and there is a more varied
ecosystem in a warmer climate, however no indications of this are shown.
Main Article: Planetology


- Onderon is a independent-minded planet which rebelled against first the Republic and later the Separatist Alliance during the Clone Wars.
It was last seen in The Bad Batch, where Saw Gerrera's Jedi-trained rebel forces were already resisting the Empire days after
it was declared. The first Imperial unit Kallus was assigned to was deployed to Onderon "to bring peace and security to a troubled
world." At that time, Saw Gerrera's rebels were still actively engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Empire.

- The Imperial invasion of Lasan "wasn't supposed to be a massacre" according to Kallus. It is unclear exactly why the Empire came to Lasan,
however it was likely during the Expansion era, when traditionally independent planets and worlds like Lasan which were located in
unincorporated space were frequently seized by the Empire. Kallus also says he "realized the Empire wanted to make an example",
however the specific context in uncertain. Perhaps it was an example of what happens to worlds which resisted the expansion.

- Oosalon is a dark but terrestrial planet located in the Baxel Sector, in the Slice region of the Outer Rim, near the eastern edge of the galaxy.
Although seemingly barren and in hospitable, the planet has a breathable atmosphere, a water cycle, and a native ecosystem, which
includes large flying animals called tibidee. Oosalon is a remote planet which has not been colonized by sentient beings.


- Inquisitors last seen over a half a year prior in 'The Future of the Force' (S2E10). Kanan says, "everywhere we go we run into those guys",
which suggests they have had multiple run-ins in the interim. It has now been about a year and a half since Fifth Brother was
assigned by Vader to hunt Kanan, Ahsoka, and Ezra. The Inquisitors' ability to sort of track them, likely achieved primarily through
the Force, makes them a liability any rebel base they might establish, as Force visions could give away clues to its location.

- Ahsoka is still in denial about Darth Vader being Anakin, over a year and a half after she sensed him through the Force while fighting Vader
in space combat. She states that "the last time I saw him, he was rushing off to save the Chancellor", a reference to events 16 years
earlier which were later shown in The Clone Wars 'Old Friends Not Forgotten' (S7E9). It is seen at that time that she was warned
by Maul that Anakin was about to become Sidious' new apprentice, and during the completion of Anakin's fall, she sensed
something had gone wrong with him. It is possible she had assumed he was killed at that time. The vision she is shown by
the Force at the Jedi Temple confirms for her Vader's identity, which finally leads her to accept the truth.


Ahsoka says that the last time she saw Anakin, "he was rushing off to save the Chancellor." It was difficult to imagine that
to have been the case, since in Clone Wars 'Chapter 25', Anakin and Obi-Wan have just left Nelvaan on their destroyer
when Mace calls to tell both of them that Coruscant is under attack. Nevertheless, when disney-era Lucasfilm created
The Clone Wars Season 7, Dave Filoni's prior assertion that they "won't supersede the events and continuity" of Clone
Wars was ignored, and events were retconned to fit her statement in this episode and to provide a last reunion for these
old friends before the unpleasantness of Order 66. Ordinarily, disney-era material should never take precedence over
Lucas-era canon, however it is possible to fit both stories can fit into canon in the interest of harmony, although it does
make watching the two storylines at the end of Clone Wars a bit confusing, as the events of the two storylines shown
interwoven into each other now take place a week apart. Mace's message in 'Chapter 25' must now be ignored as
non-canon, otherwise the final storyline of Season 7 must be ignored as non-canon, at least all the portions which include
Anakin and Obi-Wan. These additions only fit into canon by splitting up the two storylines, and by ignoring both
Mace's transmission at the very end of that series as well as the original intent of that series' creators. This instance
was the first of significance in disney-Lucasfilm's disturbing and increasing tendency to disregard Lucas canon.


- Ahsoka is definitely a fully realized Jedi Knight at this point in her life. At the same time, she resists the Jedi label often, but never entirely,
seeing herself as an associate to the Jedi rather than a Jedi leader in her own right. This is largely a matter of semantics and
definition, as she clearly still practices all aspects of the Jedi religion. Nevertheless, she suggests "it's probably best" if Kanan
and Ezra open the temple since she is "no longer a Jedi." Considering that the Sith are able to force it open using the dark side,
it seems unlikely Ahsoka wouldn't have been able to help one of them open it just fine, however Jedi temples are focal points
in the Force, and are essentially run by the Force, so the will of the Force is definitely a factor in this instance.

- Ezra last made contact with Yoda through the Lothal Temple over a year and a half prior to these events, seen in 'Path of the Jedi' (S1E10).
As seen during those events and discussed in Episode V, Yoda has great power of vision and communication through the Force
due to Dagobah's strong connection to the Force, and for other Jedi to be in a place of power with the Force makes such vision
and communication much stronger. This is probably only possible in part due to how powerful Master Yoda is with the Force in
the first place. As was discussed in their last conversation, it is clear that the abilities of both parties involved are a major factor
in such communion. Ezra "thought I was dreaming when I first heard Master Yoda's voice", and Kanan was meditating, suggesting
that ability to center on the Force is critical to this process. Yoda tells Ezra that he can see his visage this time because "growing
your abilities are." A Jedi temple also makes any kind of vision through the Force more immersive and poignant.

- The Grand Inquisitor was formerly a Jedi Knight, specifically one of the Temple Guards, a sect of Jedi Sentinels who were committed to
the defense of Jedi temples. They wore masks as part of their sect's devotion to subsuming their individuality to the Jedi collective.


- The Force's vision of the sometime 'Grand Inquisitor' tells Kanan, "try to fight, and you will fail. The Rebellion will be destroyed. You will
die, and your apprentice will become a servant of evil. The first winds up being a matter of interpretation, as they both fail and
succeed against the Sith by fighting them. The Rebellion is not destroyed, however Kanan will die, and Ezra continue to face
the power of the dark side in this era as a reoccurring obstacle to his path. His first most dangerous shift towards the dark side
takes place over the next few months, which is as Yoda observes, "growing your abilities are, and with them, danger." The vision
of the Grand Inquisitor also states, "the dark side. It pulls at him, it calls to him. Eventually, he will be consumed by it." This may
well be the case, as despite his great advancement as a Jedi, it is so far unknown what becomes of Ezra after this series.

- Jedi Knight is the rank a Jedi must achieve in order to be qualified to teach their own apprentice, and thus the Jedi trial Kanan must face
to have earned this distinction is one which deals with his fears and internal conflict about teaching Ezra. Jedi ranks are conferred
by the Force, which presents trials to Jedi when they are ready for them, and 'judges' their readiness. Not every trial earns a Jedi
a promotion, it is only when one has passed all the trials necessary to move to a higher status that a Jedi advances. Ordinarily,
preparedness to teach is earned before a Jedi's 'great trial', the passing of which usually marks their graduation from Padawan
to Knight. Kanan has passed more than a few 'great trials' since the end of the Clone Wars, but can only be made a knight by
the will of the Force, which now puts his worthiness to teach to the test. Kanan has the wisdom to recognize that "I can't protect
Ezra forever. Not even from himself. All I can do is what I've done, train him the best I could." This passes the test, and the Force
knights Kanan. The knighting ceremony and the language used in the ritual were first seen in Clone Wars 'Chapter 21'.

- Ahsoka says "there's still a way", presumably in reference to the idea of getting to Anakin and turning him away from the dark side.
This is ultimately proved possible by Luke, however Ahsoka will not be successful. Yoda has been watching Ahsoka somewhat
through the Force, and appears to show his approval for her efforts and to give her some comfort and encouragement.

ANALYSIS
The invasion of Ryloth by Sidious' Separatist forces led to the occupation of Ryloth by Sidious' Republic forces, which were soon to become
his Imperial forces, just as intended, for Ryloth was known to be a self-sufficient and proud planet. The reciprocal effect of all of this intervention
was the rise of Cham Syndula's cult of personality, as well as the depth and skill of his resistance army. Imperial governance of Ryloth long ago
deteriorated into an armed occupation. Ryloth was severely damaged by the Clone Wars, and initially cooperated with the Empire despite
unpopular policies and the planet's tradition of independence and sovereignty out of a desire for peace and stability. Nevertheless, hardcore
Twi'lek resistance began immediately after the rise of the Empire, and steadily grew due to the Empire's overbearing and meddlesome policies.
The Imperial reaction to this resistance was to plunder the planet's wealth and sell its people into slavery, which was politically justified by
the actions of 'rebel terrorists', but was the Sith goal for Ryloth all along, as it is for many other homeworlds of races. The Empire has stationed
a starfighter carrier in orbit over Ryloth to conduct regular bombing raids targeting the Twi'lek rebels and locations perceived as sympathetic to
them. The Free Ryloth Movement is connected to the secretive Rebel Alliance only by common enemy, but nonetheless shares intelligence.
Cham states that "I care only about Ryloth", however it is clear that others in the FRM have a more positive view of the Rebel Alliance and its
future potential to actually make a meaningful stand against the larger Empire. Cham wants the Twi'lek people to see an Imperial ship "fall from
the sky in flames, as a symbol of our strength", which he achieves, leading to reports from all over Ryloth that people are rallying against
the Empire, swelling their ranks with those who now believe victory may be possible. As will be seen, the Imperial response to worlds which
rise up before the open rebellion begins in a few years are met with the full attention and force of the Imperial military.

The Rebels face every kind of operational issue, compounding their many strategic disadvantages in their struggle against the Empire. Rebel
fleets are significiantly hampered by fuel supply issue, the loss of starfighters in combats, and losing pilots faster than they can replace them.
Their inability to establish a base due to Imperial pursuit seriously compounds these problems. The opportunity to capture a larger cruiser
which can function as a spacecraft carrier could alleviate some of the issues they are facing. The added bonus is this move will directly strike
at an Imperial occupation in support of the local rebel movement. Once captured, the ship now known as the Liberator and code named
'Phoenix Nest' or 'Phoenix Home' will serve as the command ship of a carrier group, forming Phoenix Squadron into an actual combat fleet,
rather than a wing of escort-class vessels and transports. The ship can carry additional fuel supplies as well as serve as mobile fighter base.

The Empire built something very large over Geonosis, which was almost certainly the main weapon assembly for the Death Star project. Rebel
intelligence learned of this, but obviously far later than should have been expected, considering that this sort of construction would have been
hard to miss. This suggests that Geonosis was a restricted system and probably off limits to visitors. While Geonosis was never known for its
hospitality, it was an important industrial hub with several large companies engaged in interstellar commerce. Much of that industry was arms
and weapons, and combined with the central role Geonosis played in the Separatist Alliance this was more than enough pretext for the Empire
to shut those industries down and absorb their resources. Geonosian industry on the planet was severely damaged during the Republic invasions,
and the constant rebellion of its population had made it the subject of a strict military occupation even during the Republic with Jedi consent.
The Geonosian scientists and engineers who turned Sidious' plan for a kyber-crystal-based superweapon into a theoretically working system must
have been involved in this project during the development phase. The Empire proceeded to exterminate the population of billions to completely
ensure the secrecy of this project, and because the Imperial leaders placed little value on the lives of an insectoid species like the Geonosians.
While the Emperor, the military leadership, and the Emperor's other allies in the government completely lack of ethics and compassion, and
are racist, they could not not have openly conducted a genocide of this scale without serious political backlash and a blow to their propaganda.
As a result, even an upper-mid-level ISB agent like Kallus is unaware of what transpired despite his access to sensitive intelligence.

Yoda and the Jedi Council had treated Qui-Gon's piety towards the Force as inconvenient to their pragmatic and politically-minded approach,
believing their duty was to steer the galactic ship for the greater good. Sidious used this predictable desire not to lose their power over the galaxy
against them, manipulating the Jedi into choosing to lead an imperialist war of conquest supposedly in the name of 'freedom' and 'justice'.
Yoda states that, "in our arrogance, join the conflict swiftly we did. Fear, anger, hate. Consumed by the dark side the Jedi were." Yoda has since
been able to reflect on their failure, recognizing that the compromise with corruption and tolerance of evil necessary to play the game of politics
left the Jedi susceptible to manipulation by the Sith, whereas a religious devotion to the light side of the Force would have led them to make many
different choices. Yoda has also noted that Sidious was able to figure out what the Jedi fear and present it to them, leading them to betray their
purpose as Jedi and to "bend their fear into anger." The Jedi tried to overcome their enemy with their strength and large numbers, and instead
found themselves playing the Dark Lord's game and falling directly into his trap. Ezra asks if it is wrong for the Jedi to fight, and wrong for him to
protect his friends. Yoda suggests that there are alternatives to fighting, however in answer to his questions, it is right for a Jedi or anyone to
protect others, and it was not wrong for the Jedi to fight, but the manner in which they acted and their reasons for fighting did not live up to
Jedi principles to an unhealthy degree. Ezra also asks, "how are we supposed to win if we don't fight back?" Yoda suggests that "how Jedi
choose to win, the question is", however the implication of his response is also that Jedi must care about what is right, not about winning.

The Sith discovery of the Jedi Temple of Lothal is an important development in Sidious' primary interest in Lothal: its strong connection to
the Force. Sidious may be aware that there is a temple somewhere on the planet, but did not know how to locate it. Nevertheless, the planet
is unusually strong with the Force, and even its ecosystem is allied with the will of the Force, which usually means the light side of the Force.
The Emperor therefore intends to turn the planet into a dreary factory world where nature is destroyed to extract minerals to build artificial
things like machines of war. Growing the dark side on the planet may have also been a means to his ends of locating the temple and accessing
its unique vergence in the Force, as its importance as the guardian of a gateway will later be revealed. This is the purpose "known only to a few
and ordered by the Emperor himself" of which Minister Tua spoke. Fifth Brother seems confident that "the secrets of this temple will be ours",
despite the usual difficulties which dark siders traditionally have at activating Jedi places of power and Force technology like holocrons. Vader
states that Sidious "will be most pleased with this discovery", as this is clearly one of his goals on Lothal. The Inquisitors are concerned that
"the Jedi are growing in their power", as their ability to use this temple's second level is a clear indication. While the Jedi who were young at
the end of the Clone Wars like Ahsoka and Kanan are progressing to the level of power of the Jedi Knights of old, Vader is unconcerned.
Vader is confident that he and Sidious are too powerful for any number of Jedi to deal with, which in most instances is probably true.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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