Prior Episodes | 7975 (2 BBY) | Next Episodes
Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Rebels - The Antilles Extraction (2016) [S3E4]
With the rebellion in desperate need of pilots, Sabine goes undercover as an Imperial
cadet to recruit defectors - including the confident and gifted Wedge Antilles.
Star Wars: Rebels - Hera's Heroes (2016) [S3E5]
When the Empire occupies Hera's home, she decides to personally recover a family heirloom.
But a new Imperial commander named Grand Admiral Thrawn is waiting.
Star Wars: Rebels - The Last Battle (2016) [S3E6]
In the search for arms and artillery, Captain Rex brings the rebels to an old abandoned base
from the Clone Wars. They quickly find that they're not alone, however, and must once again
face enemies from the past.




CONTINUITY
These three standalone episodes are all about Rebel resources, as well as Admiral Thrawn's analysis phase.
The planets Montross and Agamar are seen for the first time. Four worlds are seen in these episodes:

These episodes take place in the first quarter of 7975 (2 BBY). Ezra has now been Kanan's apprentice for almost two and a half years.
The stories of these three episodes are also Lucas-style inversions of Season 2 episodes 16, 17, and 18.

- The Rebel transport ship is carrying food supplies to starving civilians on the planet Teralov. This world has not yet been seen in canon or located
in supplementary material. The reasons for the food crisis and lack of Imperial interest can be speculated about but are not known.

- According to interstellar law, unarmed ships are not to be fired upon even during combat situations. Presumably this does not include troop transports
or landing craft in battle, and is almost certainly a very old ethical code instituted long ago in the Republic. Under Imperial rule, this may
still technically be the official state policy, however Imperial military policy is to ignore this and destroy such ships when they are involved
with Rebels or others resisting the Empire. The Empire's two parallel systems of government allow it to easily say one thing and do another.
It is later shown that military policy at this time is to destroy vessel which are disabled even if they surrender. Sabine states that according
to regulations, Imperial protocol is to board the vessel for arrests, search, and seizure. This policy is being actively ignored at this time.

- Fulcrum is a code name given to secret informants for Rebel Intelligence. This was apparently Ahsoka's idea, and it is revealed in later material that she
inherited this network from one created by Anakin and the Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars. The first Fulcrum agent was Saw Gerrera, starting
sometime between The Clone Wars 'Tipping Points' (S5E5) and the episode where this is discussed, 'Old Friends Not Forgotten' (S7E9).
There are other Fulcrum agents in this time period, which until recently included Ahsoka.

- Montross is a habitable planet located in the Truum Sector, in the Trans-Hydian region of the Mid Rim, near to the boundary of the Expansion
Region and the Perlemian Trade Route, one of the most important hyperspace routes in the galaxy. The Montross system is a binary
starsystem, and likely has at least a few uninhabitable planets in addition to Montross. Based on statements from Season 4, it seems
that this planet has a population of some significance, and in this time period is known to have many citizens who harbor anti-Imperial
sentiments. During the reign of the Empire, the Imperial Starfighter Corps maintained a floating training base in the upper atmosphere,
known as Skystrike Academy. The surface of Montross has not yet been seen.


- Skystrike Academy is an Imperial Navy Starfighter Corps training school. The Commandant at this time is Major Goran. Captain Vult Skerris is
currently an instructor and the commander of the fighter squadron. Goran tells the new cadets "you are here because the Empire sees
the potential in you to join the ranks of its most elite pilots", that "most of you will fail", and that "here, only the best survive."

- Scanners are able to detect power readings, and a ship whose reactors are powered down are considered "disabled." This was shown in
a training simulation, which can be assumed to have been intended to accurately mirror real-world conditions.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices

- Captain Skerris' attitude towards the Rebels and his assessment of their goals are typical of those with either nationalist or imperialist points of
view. He describes them as "a desperate group of extremists" and suggests that "they'll fight with any ship, using any means necessary to
undermine our authority." The idea that opposition to the state is an extreme position reflects his belief in the legal right of centralized
authority. His assessment of Rebel tactics are accurate, however his ability to understand Rebel goals is limited by his frame outlook,
seeing them as nothing more than disruptive outlaws bent on anarchy. The idea that their tactics are dishonorable is also implied, as
if they are uncivilized and unwilling to fight fairly. Skerris suggests that this justifies the insistence that "orders must be followed without
question", as any questioning of Imperial actions is in essence an act of rebellion, since it too undermines Imperial authority.


Moff Pryce is the governor of the Lothal Sector, so why has she traveled to the Truum Sector in the Mid Rim to preside
over a matter of internal security? This is not her jurisdiction, and while her rank confers authority over the military in
any situation, this is not typically the job of a Moff, and if it were it should be handled by the governor of the Truum
Sector, where Skystrike Academy is located. Agent Kallus' participation in this operation is far more likely, as it is an ISB
affair taking place near his regular operating area, involving matters directly related to his regular mandate, and is
significant enough to warrant the attention of an officer of his high rank. Pryce's jurisdiction is the Lothal Sector, which
may or may not make her the authority over the entire Dominus Sector. She should either be there conducting the many
daily affairs of state, or be on Coruscant conferring with the central government. Recent disney-Lucasfilm supplementary
has decided to 'remedy' this issue by suggesting there are only about 20 Moffs in the whole galaxy, in part due to their
tendency to reduce the number of important people in a galaxy with a astronomical population numbering in the trillions
to those seen on screen. This is obviously wrong, as Moff Pryce has been identified since the beginning of this series as
the governor of Lothal, making her one of over 1000 Moffs, each governing a sector. Major Goran does suggest that
the "unscheduled visit" is surprising, but is in no way confused by her involvement in a relatively minor affair outside
of her jurisdiction. For comparison, this is like the Governor of New York showing up at a U.S. Air Force training base
in Indiana with a high-ranking FBI agent to investigate possibly disloyal cadets, and no one there questioning
the presence of the Governor of another state. The paramilitary nature of the Empire's military government does
afford some leeway in explaining this, however Pryce was probably used by creators in order to reduce new characters
and voice actors, without considering the larger implications. The size of galactic civilization and population should
require a massive administration with constant governance duties, not a handful of leaders with endless free time.


- This defecting Imperial cadets are Wedge Antilles, Derek "Hobbie" Klivian, and Rake Gahree. Wedge is a well-known supporting character first
seen in Episode IV and the original trilogy, and is seen here to have joined the Rebellion at this point. He is joined by Hobbie, who was
first seen in Episode V, where he flew an airspeeder in the Battle of Hoth and was killed in action. Rake is killed during these events.

- Kallus began to question remaining loyal to the Empire about 5 or 6 months earlier when Zeb helped to save him in 'The Honorable Ones' (S2E17).
At some point between that episode and these events, Kallus began actively aiding the Rebellion.


How did Kallus become a Fulcrum agent? This is probably a continuity issue, and this series does not attempt to explain
it, although there are several possible explanations, however unlikely. If Kallus learned of the Fulcrum network on his
own, that is both unlikely and suggests that other Imperial agents could do the same. If he somehow found a way to
contact Rebel intelligence networks, why would the Spectres not have been contacted to check his references? It seems
strange that he wouldn't have attempted to make contact through the Spectres, although it is possible that they would
assume it was an obvious trap and thus Kallus chose to become a Rebel agent on his own merits. He then proved his
value by offering the network actionable intel which panned out. The issue with this is that if making contact with
Rebel intelligence is possible for an Imperial soon after he decides to do so, the Alliance would be in a serious trouble.
There are ways to explain how this could have worked, but they would certainly require a complex series of events.


- It has been about a half a year since Rebel theft of the Imperial carrier over Ryloth, seen in 'Homecoming' (S2E16). The Empire's response to
that rebel victory has resulted in a serious intensification of their operations on the surface and their oppression of the Twi'leks.

- Captain Slavin is an officer of the Imperial Navy, who based on this episode seems to be attached to the 7th Fleet under Admiral Thrawn.
He has been placed in charge of counterinsurgency operations on Ryloth, commanding Army and Naval Infantry resources.

- Thrawn is the first canon character belonging to the Chiss, a race of red-eyed, blue-colored humanoids from the Unknown Regions. According
to non-canon legends material, the Chiss are among the most advanced of the significant powers in the Unknown Regions, but have
in recent times been threatened by the expansion of another race known as Grysk, who along with their allies have begun to surround
the Chiss. This is likely still considered to be the background of the Chiss, and therefore also still the reason why Thrawn left his
homeworld seeking allies in the fight against the Grysk. According to this same supplementary material, Thrawn is his 'Core name',
which is a contracted form of his full Chiss name, Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Thrawn joined the military of the early Empire, and rapidly
rose through the ranks to become a favorite of the Emperor, who appreciated Thrawn's effectiveness, philosophical outlook, and
ruthless strategic thinking. Thrawn says, "I study the art of war, work to perfect it", and "to defeat an enemy, you must know them.
Not simply their battle tactics, but their history, philosophy, art." Thrawn represents the more noble traits of the Empire and its
inclination to equate order and hierarchical power structure with civilized behavior. Thrawn, and those like him, believe the Empire
will succeed not only because of its material superiority, but also its inherent moral, strategic, and philosophical superiority.

- Kalikoris are peices of Twi'lek art which are family heirlooms which represent a family. They are added to over time as new members are added
to the family, making them something of a family record. Slavin dismisses them as "some primitive native trinket", and suggests "we should
just destroy that piece of Twi'lek trash." Slavin's attitude is somewhat common amongst those who come from the populated Core and
regions dominated by its Human-centric colonial culture. Humans and other 'more sophisticated' races from advanced planets tend to
look down on less technologically advanced species, and to dismiss unique traditional cultures as primitive and backward. These attitudes
were common in even the latest eras of the Republic, and are now encouraged by the Empire's political philosophy, which stresses
creating a single, centralized culture for the galaxy, seeks to eliminate history and traditions, and is openly Human-centric. Thrawn sees
the value in kalikoris and other art, seeing them as both important as culture and as trophies earned and deserved by the Empire.

- Agamar is a habitable planet located in the Lahara Sector, in the New Territories of the Outer Rim, at an important intersection of the Braxant
Run, a large, regionally-significant hyperlane. It is a warm and dry world mostly populated by Humans, featuring large seas, forests,
agricultural land, and substantial barren wastes. During the Clone Wars, Agamar was a key Separatist planet which hosted a major
military supply depot and operational staging point. Agamar's ecology was negatively affected by the Republic's bombardment
during the Battle of Agamar, leading to increased desertification and a contraction of verdant regions.


- The Battle of Agamar was one of the countless 'Outer Rim Sieges' which took place in 7958 (19 BBY), the final year of the Clone Wars. The Republic
had previously contested this planet, but failed to win any lasting control before the world was fortified by Separatist forces, who subsequently
used Agamar as a major base. The Republic assault was likely a significant battle, however it has not been seen or discussed in canon. Agamar
was clearly devastated in some regions as a result, probably because the Republic's primary goal was the elimination of the large Separatist
forces, rather than the liberation of the planet. The pressures of the war had made such tactics common even in missions under Jedi command,
in large part because of the pressing need to preserve ground forces for the many battles to come. The Republic destroyed the Separatist
facilities on the planet, and seem to have shot down General Kalani's DH-Omni support ship trying to evacuate himself and some of his forces
during that battle. Kalani and some of his droids survived, but were stranded in an uninhabited near-polar region for whatever time
remained in the war. It seems likely that this was very near to the end of the war, based on Kalani's brief description of events.


Ezra asks "what's a ray shield?" shortly before being captured by one. The issue with this is that Ezra sees ray shields
often and has been contained by them on a number of occasions. When this episode was created, it was assumed
that ray shields were a specific type of shields seen in Episode III, the Clone Wars shows, as well as in this instance.
It has since been established by supplementary material that most kinds of shields which are not deflectors or
plasma shields are ray shields, including prison doors and emergency door shields. Does Ezra simply not know
this term, since often times 'shields' is the only descriptive term used? This would be a justification, since there was
no consensus about the use of these terms amongst creators. Generally speaking, shields which prevent physical
matter from passing through them are ray shields. Ezra should know this, as ray shields are still used in the Empire.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields


- General Kalani was last seen almost 18 years earlier, at the end of 7957 (20 BBY), in The Clone Wars 'Tipping Points' (S5E5). He was ordered to
regroup at Agamar by Count Dooku, after the failure of the Separatist government on Onderon. Kalani is an ST-series 'super tactical droid',
which Rex describes as an "extremely intelligent" model. As a battle droid, Kalani 'cares' a great deal about winning, and as an officer droid
programmed for tactics, winning in battle "means a lot to his programming." Rex points out how similar this is to him and his fellow clones,
both because they are programmed organic versions of battle droids, and simply because they are soldiers. Droids and organic beings both
care about things that they decide matter to their self-identity, their way of life, and their sense of purpose.
Main Article: Droid Intelligence

- Kalani states that there were at least 132 examples of 'the Jedi Rescue', the Separatist name for a recurring battle scenario where the Republic forces
would attempt to liberate a captured Jedi being held hostage by the Alliance. These operations were usually led by other Jedi reinforced by
clones. Some examples of this were seen in The Clone Wars, including the rescue of Master Koth in 'Grievous Intrigue' (S2E9), the rescue
of Master Piell in 'The Citadel' (S3E18), and the rescue of Master Gallia in 'Nomad Droids' (S4E6).

- The Phantom 2 is a Sheathipede-class shuttle formerly used by the Separatist Alliance during the Clone Wars. It is too large and improperly
designed to fit into the Ghost as well as the Phantom did, nor is it a serious combat vessel like its predecessor. It is hyperspace
capable by design, however, and thus will effectively replace much of the capacity the Spectres lost along with the orginial Phantom.

- While Rex and the Jedi were busy on Agamar, Hera and the Ghost crew ambushed a fuel depot, and stole enough fuel for the whole Rebel fleet,
before they themselves were ambushed by a task force of three Imperial destroyers, apparently lying in wait in the region to respond in
overwhelming force to such Rebel activity. Moff Pryce is once again leading the mission, neglecting her duties as Governor of the Lothal
Sector to personally chase relatively-minor insurgent activity. At least in this instance, the Ghost could have returned to the Lothal Sector
or somewhere close to Pryce's jurisdiction, making this at less out of place than her visit to Skystrike Academy. Hera's statement that they
won't be "back on Agamar anytime soon" would be consistent with this explanation of her presence on this operation. There is indeed
a great deal of pressure on Pryce from Imperial leadership to stamp out the Rebel group which has been largely operating out of her sector.


- Hyperspace transmissions can be monitored by those in the vicinity of the transmission points. The Empire does have stations and probes along major
lines of travel and transmission, however due to the vastness of space, cannot track them all, or probably even most of them. In this instance,
a transmission to the Ghost is picked up by Imperial ships in pursuit. The Empire was able to determine the source of the transmission, but
was unable to access it due to the use of encryption. This suggests that ordinarily they would have been able to learn the contents of the message,
and that encrypted messages are relatively secure. If an Imperial destroyer had the technology and personnel to decrypt a message in any
reasonable amount of time, they would have attempted it here. It is unknown if long-term analysis could decode such a message. The Empire
was, however, able to intercept the message, suggesting that their receipt of the transmission has prevented the Ghost from receiving it.
This is probably because the message had to use Imperial HoloNet relays to 'locate' the intended recipient in the galaxy and send the message.
This once again raises the question of why the Empire cannot use this method to find any ship in the galaxy with its com system turned on.
It is possible that the Ghost and other outlaw ships change their receiver 'address' regularly, which would protect against that particular tactic.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication

- Pryce orders her officers to "locate the nearest Imperial outpost to Agamar and deploy them", since she is far from that world and busy trying to
capture Rebels. She is almost certainly operating in or around the Lothal Sector where she leads, meaning Agamar is hours of travel away
by hyperspace. An Imperial force dispatched from the Lahara Sector or the immediate vicinity could reach Agamar within an hour, maybe
even within several minutes if their departure point is close enough to that planet.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel

- Imperial military policy is to attack and destroy any Separatist battle droids they come across. This was presumably a more common occurrence
in the earlier years of the Empire, as they "don't see many of these anymore", and the trooper is "surprised its battery hasn't run out." They
are aware that these kind of droids are usually found in a bunch, but incorrectly assume these droids have no leader or power source.

- Ezra's analysis of the Clone Wars is terrible, and yet everyone present agrees with it. He states that clones and battle droids "destroyed each other.
And when you were both weak enough, the Empire took over." They did destroy each other, however the clones were the Empire who took
over. The droid army was betrayed, because it was never meant to win. The clones were meant to be expendable, but they were intended to
win, and to then become a galactic police force to solidify Palpatine's rule. Rex and most clones may have been 'good guys' for the most part
with good intentions, but they were also accomplices of the evil behind the war which come to full power under the Empire. The droids were
in the exact same position, no matter how much they were programmed to believe they were fighting for Separatist freedom. The Republic
was the Empire, simply a less tyrannical version, and thus the clones won, and the droids would have to beat the Empire in order to win.
Ezra's only good point is "that none of you were meant to win", as the clones, droids, and everyone else were meant to lose to Palpatine.

ANALYSIS
Teralov is apparently dealing with a food shortage that the Empire welcomes or chooses to do nothing about due to some other policy or objective.
This could be similar to the Imperial response on Ibaar in the prior year, where the Empire was collectively punishing the population for the rebel
activity of some of their citizens becoming too well-organized. Ordinarily, the Empire wants its work force to be moderately well-fed, and doesn't
generally pursue a program of depopulation. Moves such as this are either a sign of fear and weakness in the Empire, or they are a tactic designed
to lure rebels and do-gooders willing to disobey Imperial law into the kind of ambush seen in these events. Rebel efforts to alleviate food and supply
shortages using their scant resources are driven by their central purpose to restore civility and humanitarianism to the galaxy. These kinds of actions
are also political, as they help to preserve the lives of Imperial opponents, and build good will with potential future allies against the Empire.

The ever-increasing need for manpower for the Imperial military has led overtime to an increasingly aggressive recruitment strategy, which at this
point includes both volunteers and conscripts. The need for fighter pilots and naval personnel has led the Empire to actively encourage members
of the merchant marines to join up, such as Wedge, who was a cargo pilot in the private sector before being recruited. This allows the Empire to
meet most of its staffing goals, but also increases the range of backgrounds and attitudes amongst their recruits, many of whom had little reason
to view the Empire as oppressive or cruel prior to joining up. This will help to provide the Rebels with desperately needed skilled manpower over
the coming years, as training in an Imperial Academy becomes a route which many take before joining the ranks of the rebellion. There is no
shortage of potential volunteers for the rebel forces, however what the Rebels really need is trained personnel, particular those with actual
experience. It is possible to train army forces without much equipment or the ability to do so openly, however when it comes to starships, tanks,
walkers, starfighters, and other expensive and specialized material, the rebellion largely lacks the resources and facilities needed to properly train
its crews and pilots. It is therefore essential that the Rebels locate experienced, or at least trained, people who share their priorities and attitude
towards the Empire. The Empire's efforts to ensure loyalty will increasingly fail, and they will end up training many of the Alliance's best fighters.

The Empire typically responds to small scale rebellion on a planet by heavy police tactics utilizing the military. If a rebellion grows larger, they move
on to martial law and special military operations. If a rebellion actually threatens to depose the Empire or its proxies, the Empire responds with
full scale invasion, or in some cases planetary devastation by orbital bombardment. The insurgency on Ryloth had begun to grow to the second
stage when the Empire deployed a bomber carrier as an orbital base, and increased repression on the planet. The loss of that ship to the rebels
led the Empire to significantly increase the scale of the special operation, moving large army resources and personnel to the planet to preempt
a popular revolution, and instituting a full orbital blockade. This has made things more difficult for the Twi'lek resistance, however their decades
of experience in guerrilla warfare on their homeworld have made them more than a match for the superior invading army. As a result, Captain
Slavin's forces have seized the entire Tann Province, seeking to deny the rebels free movement in one of their centers of resistance. General
Syndulla's initial success against Slavin's "clumsy" tactics was soon stymied by Admiral Thrawn taking a more active role in strategic oversight.
His adjustments to the strategy are effective enough place Syndulla in the position of contacting Phoenix Squadron for assistance, knowing
his daughter will come to his aid. This is precisely what Thrawn intends, since he wishes to observe the means and strategies by which these
rebels continue to find small victories against the Empire, even when Imperial strategies and execution are sound. This "experiment" requires
a dense by loyal officer like Slavin to be kept out of the loop, so that his actions and reactions are genuine. Thrawn is less concerned with Ryloth
and its rebels, who the Empire believes are boxed in, making their ultimate defeat inevitable. The threat posed by interstellar rebel groups
with spacefaring resources is far more significant to Imperial security, and is precisely why Thrawn has been assigned to deal with Phoenix Cell.

Kalani is correct to assert that "near the end of the war, Separatist droids significantly outnumbered Republic units", by most estimations,
by a ratio of 10 to 1, which was the approximate difference in total army size throughout the war with occasional deviation in either direction.
He also states that he calculates the probability of Separatist defeat was only 23.6%. Both of these assertions are accurate, however do not
lend themselves to the conclusion that the Separatist military was on a course to victory. While it is true that total defeat of the droid army
would have taken a great deal more time and combat had the war been played out to its natural conclusion, several limiting factors had
already turned the tide inevitably towards a Republic victory. The first was production advantage, as the material resources of the Republic
were exponentially increasing, while Separatist resources, construction facilities, and supply routes were gradually being degraded and
destroyed at an unsustainable rate. This included the production of military warships, and Kalani does not mention that the Republic fleet
had grown from its initial disadvantage to a significant advantage in both number of large warships and overall firepower. The Separatist
ability to use the numerical advantage of their army was predicated on their ability to transport and deploy these forces, and then support
them in combat operations with orbital and air superiority. As this ability was steadily degraded, the Separatists were increasingly on
a defensive footing in the last year of the war. Their large scale offensives became increasingly menacing, but lacked the logistical support
to turn victories into momentum in a campaign. The most important limiting factor was politics, as wars are seldom if ever fought until
the last troops of one side are killed. The droid army may have been able to last years more by concentrating around Separatist strongholds
and remaining production centers, however the economic and political strain on the already decaying Alliance would have certainly led
to a Separatist capitulation sometime in 7759 (18 BBY), the year after their leadership was betrayed leading to a preemptive conclusion.
The 'end of the war' and the droid shut down was accepted by most Separatist planetary leaders because of war wariness, and because
Palpatine had turned on the Jedi and blamed them for stoking the whole conflict, something he himself was responsible for. This made
further organized Separatist resistance futile, and gave a political resolution to the war which could be used as a cover for the unlikely
collapse of a side which "only" had a 23.6% chance of being defeated. Most droids simply followed their orders, but hyper-intelligent
General Kalani, a super tactical droid, figured out that something about this was obviously fishy, and indeed it was "a Republic trick", as
the Republic's leader Palaptine was the one who betrayed the Separatist leaders and had Lord Vader use their own command center
to order the deactivation. Most clones followed their programmed directives as well, as they were the means of the Empire's victory over
the Jedi, and the foot soldiers who imposed and ensured the occupation of the major systems of the galaxy during the transition from
the Republic and Separatist states. Clones like Rex who came to question the Empire are the organic equivalent of Kalani, having realized
something had gone wrong, but only after they were in no position to do anything about it. The outcome of the Clone Wars was as
engineered as its origins and execution, but once the Jedi were out of the way there was no longer a need to artfully cover up the fact
that events were being manipulated by conspiracy. Most in the galaxy were still unaware, and the rest were powerless to stop it.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
Report Pending