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

Star Wars: Rebels - Warhead (2017) [S3E14]
A new droid arrives at the rebel base, but is not what it appears to be...
Star Wars: Rebels - Trials of the Darksaber (2017) [S3E15]
Sabine begins training with the ancient Darksaber - but in doing so, she must also face her past.
Star Wars: Rebels - Legacy of Mandalore (2017) [S3E16]
Sabine brings the Darksaber to her mother, hoping to recruit Clan Wren to
the rebel cause and unite Mandalore.




CONTINUITY
Warhead is a standalone episode which like the next two episodes is backstory to the events of the Season 3 finale.
'Trials of the Darksaber' and 'Legacy of Mandalore' form a single storyline about Sabine and the Darksaber.
The planet Krownest is seen for the first time. Two worlds are seen in these episodes:

These episodes take place in the middle of 7975 (2 BBY), almost certainly in the second half of the year.
Ezra has now been Kanan's apprentice for more than two and a half years.

- X3-13 tactical infiltration pods are small, hyperdrive-capable craft built by Arakyd Industries. They are principally designed for transit or
reconnaissance within a limited range, and are designed to appear like a typical escape pod, making them useful for clandestine
missions. These Imperial hyperdrive pods are carrying E-XD-series infiltrator droids, designed and built by the Imperial military to
locate and infiltrate enemy facilities. They have two modes, one in which they appear to be harmless protocol droids, and another
which is a combat mode. They feature impressive weapons systems, including a proton warhead as an anti-capture failsafe.


- C1-series astromechs like Chopper are "no longer in production", and are considered to be an "obsolete mechanism" by the standards of
an Imperial droid. The C1-series is a product of Industrial Automoton, who also produces the R-series astromechs still in production.

- When the Imperial droid reboots, it states that its assignment was to investigate Atollon. In this season's finale, Thrawn will state that
Atollon does not appear on Imperial starcharts, apparently having been lost to history. The Rebels had apparently surveyed this
world while searching for a base, and the fact that the Empire did not remember it was part of the reason it was chosen. The fact
that one of these droids were directly assigned by the Empire to go to Atollon suggests that Thrawn's study of art has led him to
rediscover this world, as mentioned in the finale, and that is why it is on his survey list despite not being on the Empire's charts.

- Chopper is unable to detect a relatively nearby, active droid on his scanners, because the power it consumed from another droid "was likely
not enough for its needs", suggesting that it is functioning at a low power. This is consistent with other scans in SW, where insufficiently
strong power signals cannot be discerned from the normal background energy readings. Starships with their main power turned off
can usually avoid detection, despite their gravity and air processing systems still functioning. These systems for a number of reasons
clearly require minimal amounts of power to operate, probably comparable to a droid in a low power mode. On the other hand,
Chopper's sensors are sophisticated enough to determine the droid has no long-range communications equipment, when he is standing
next to it. This may be because a scan can identify known components, or because such equipment has a characteristic energy signature.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices

- Zeb's plan gives AP-5 pause, which he explains by saying, "sorry for my delayed response. I was just rather stunned by the fact that you had
a good idea." This seems to indicate the limits of a droid's processing power, since being "stunned" in an attempt to comprehend
something unexpected, is the result of something not computing to the point of taking up a mind's entire processing ability. This
suggests that a protocol droid's artificial mind has a processing capacity similar to that of a Human mind. The artificial personality of
a droid, as well as the way its intelligence circuits were designed to function, are the product of the purpose of droids, which are
meant to function as part of a community of organic beings, and to be able to interact with them and their personalities. As a result,
the structure of a droid's mind and their though processes mimic those of organic beings, and functionally approximate their reactions.
Main Article: Droid Intelligence

- Thrawn is looking for the Phoenix Cell, which is based in or around the Lothal Sector. His probe survey was searching "a thousand systems"
where the Rebels could have been hiding. Given that the Empire is discounting those starsystems where they have a permanent or
at least current operational presence, as well as those they have already swept or scanned, this suggests there are several thousand
starsystems with usable, terrestrial worlds within them, inside the target search area. This gives a loose measure of the density of
starsystems with worlds within a sector, or at least a subsector like the Lothal Sector.
Main Article: Galactic Population

- The Darksaber was created by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian ever inducted into the Jedi Order, more than 1000 years prior to these
events. After his death, the Jedi kept the saber in the Temple on Coruscant, until members of House Vizsla stole it from the Temple
during the fall of the Old Republic. This puts the theft around either 6877 (1100 BBY) or 6967 (1010 BBY), depending on how one
defines the "fall." Non-canon material has suggested it is the later date. Based on known history of that era, it is likely that Tarre
Vizsla's creation of the Darksaber took place at latest around 6827 (1150 BBY), possibly even centuries earlier. House Vizsla used
the saber to unify Mandalore, establishing it as a symbol of the true Mand'alor, as like that position it can only be kept by the strongest
warrior. It is therefore "respected by the other clans", and can only be claimed by one who has won it or defended it in combat. It is
one of a kind, and based on its unique blade shape, appearance, and properties, may possibly use a crystal other than a kyber crystal.
In legends material there are at least a few other knds of Force attuned crystals, although they are not as strong with the Force and
are usually considered inferior for sword making. The Darksaber first appeared in The Clone Wars 'The Mandalore Plot' (S2E12),
where it was originally a nondescript vibrosword or similar vibroblade, until George Lucas decided he wanted to avoid depicting
what appeared to be a metal sword standing up to a lightsaber, despite the established canon status of such weapons, as seen in
Episode III. As a result, the Darksaber was created to suit Lucas' request for a previously unseen variety of archaic lightsaber.


- Lightsabers can be used by any living being, since "the Force resides in all living things", however to use one effectively, "you have to be open
to it" to form a direct connection with them through the Force. This can be achieved by anyone, regardless of whether they are strong
enough with the Force to wield it, however lightsabers are very dangerous to operate without the precognitive abilities of Force wielders.
Some warriors of great skill and ability who cannot wield the Force are able to use a lightsaber without hurting themselves. Sabine is
capable of this, but her inability to "find balance within herself" prevents her from effectively connecting with a lightsaber, making it
"far too dangerous" for her to wield one. When she is able to embrace the idea of wielding the saber, she is able to make a connection.
Hera's suggestion that "her family hurt her more than any sword could", referring to her emotional pain, is hardly true since a lightsaber
can do some truly horrid and painful things to a person. Despite her successful lightsaber training, the chances of Sabine cutting herself
with her own saber are far greater than for one who can control the blade along with the Force, such as a Jedi.

- Kanan describes Sabine as "conflicted", and "so expressive and yet so tightly wound", and agrees with Hera that these are typical Mandalorian
personality traits. Obviously, these and other traits vary greatly in each individual, however based on all other Mandalorians previously
seen, these aspects are usually quite pronounced. These traits are reflected in their society's famous artistic and martial priorities.

- Mandalorian vambraces are armbraces with a grappling line, paralyzing darts, and a repulsor, which are "all designed to combat the abilities
of the Jedi. The famous ancient hostility between Mandalorians and the Jedi was not relegated to a specific point in history, as various
Mandalorian groups were important allies of enemies of the Jedi and the Republic at several points in galactic history. Kanan refers to
"the war with Mandalore", which is almost certainly a reference to the Mandalorian Wars, an escalating series of conflicts which took
place from 4001 (3976 BBY) to 4017 (3960 BBY) where Mandalore and its regional domain fought the Old Republic. Vambraces were
designed to give the Mandalorians some Jedi-like abilities, just as their use of jetpacks allows them to leap and even exceed the Jedi by
staying aloft. Mandalorian religion desires to perfect and master the art of war, and their early encounters with the Jedi radically altered
their practices and strategies to counter and even compete with Jedi warriors and their supernatural abilities. This includes their famous
beskar steel, which was developed to protect them against lightsabers. In many ways, Mandalorian and Jedi philosophy are somewhat
at odds, and the Jedi represent Mandalore's historical conquerors as well as a nearly impossible to match standard of martial excellence.
Antagonism against the Jedi has in many ways shaped Mandalorian culture and religion in the later millennia of galactic history, to
the point that even the weapons and armor central to their identity are inherently anti-Jedi.

- Lightsabers are heavier than one might expect for an object of their size, and become even heavier when activated. They become lighter and
easier to wield when a connection is formed through the Force. "Energy constantly flows through the crystal", and a saber wielder is
"not fighting with a simple blade as much as you are directing a current of power. Your thoughts, your actions, they become energy.
They flow through the crystal as well, and become a part of the blade." When combatants duel with lightsabers, the blades are drawn
to each other, and a pull is created when they are in contact. This makes lightsaber dueling in some ways a unique art which is not totally
comparable to any traditional sword fighting approach. Lightsabers will deactivate once dropped due to the loss of their connection to
the one who was wielding them, which is an important feature which prevents the lightsaber from continuously slicing through material,
or injuring a wielder who is unexpectedly hurled about. A lightsaber can remain active when thrown by someone with intention, however
it will soon turn off if a connection is not maintained in the Force.

- Sabine was an Imperial cadet sometime before the second half of 7972 (5 BBY), and although the Spectres were aware of that, she had not
previously told them that she was an advanced weapons designer who devised a unique and powerful weapon for the Empire. Despite
the weapon being specifically designed to defeat Mandalorian armor, Sabine is apparently surprised that the Empire uses it as a threat
to control Mandalore. This is the only thing it can be used for, and the Empire wasn't seeking its development not to use it. She is now
remorseful enough about it not to have shared this information before, suggesting she used to be both brilliant and incredibly naive.

- Krownest is a terrestrial planet located in the Mandalore Sector, in the Trans-Hydian region of the Outer Rim. According to supplementary
material its starsystem is known as the New Kleyman System. It is a cold world which is both rocky and wet, and hosts an ecosystem
which is probably native but possibly imported, based primarily around conifer-like trees which thrive despite the planet's snow cover.
It is unknown if any part of the planet has temperatures above freezing at any point in a year, however based on some indications,
the temperature is at least sometimes not far below freezing, at least in equatorial regions. Krownest was colonized by Mandalorians
from the Wren Clan, part of House Vizsla, who made the planet their familial domain. This was a common historical practice of large
or influential Mandalorian clans, who sought a stronghold within Mandalorian space where they did not have to coexist with rival
clans. Based on Mandalorian tradition, these worlds are essentially independent fiefdoms, despite their connections to the homeworld.



How many guided rockets are in a jetpack? Obviously, not all jetpacks are the same, but these appear to be JT-12s or
similar models, which are a variety of jetpack commonly seen in Republic and Imperial era SW. When the missiles
are fired, the spot on the jetpacks where they were fired from appears empty in the shot, however once the action
shows these troops again several seconds later, they are once again loaded with a missile. This is not the first time this
has been seen in animated SW. This could be a simple animation and continuity error due to lack of attention to detail,
however it could also be that there are more than one rocket inside. This seems unlikely, due to size constraints and
the design of the devices. If there were even one other missile, it would be a tight fit, and the leading missile would
essentially be firing its initial rocket burst directly into the second missile. Given the materials and technology of galactic
civilization in this time period, it is quite possible there is little to no danger of detonating the second missile in such
a scenario, nevertheless there is no canon evidence there is a spare missile at all, unless one wishes to consider these
missile reappearances as the evidence. If this is not the case, this is a reoccurring continuity/animation error.


- As usual, the Jedi are instantly recognized by their lightsabers. This is expected all the more from Mandalorians, who are students of weapons
and have a history and even legends about the Jedi. It would be surprising for any Mandalorian not to know of the Jedi and lightsabers.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith

- Countess Ursa Wren was last seen 17 years earlier on the side of Bo-Katan's government. Sabine's disloyalty compromised her family's "name
and standing", forcing them to compromise politically. In 'Imperial Supercommandos' (S3E7), set about 3 months earlier, Saxon tells
Sabine her mother is looking for her, and yet Ursa now states that she hoped Sabine would stay away because it kept her safe, and
basically states outright that she wasn't really trying to find her, suggesting Ursa has been exaggerating her efforts to find Sabine to
Saxon, in order to emphasize her loyalty. Ursa also seems to have a Mandalorian respect for Saxon's right to rule, which translates as
contempt for Sabine's tactically unsound rebellion against their people's hierarchy, ordering Sabine's arrest and trial. This is probably
a combination of her pragmatic acceptance of political realities and her anger at Sabine for bringing hardship upon her family.

- Gar Saxon is described as "the Emperor's Hand", the "acting ruler" of Mandalore, and its "governor." The 'Emperor's Hand' is a designation
from legendary material, describing special agents who report directly to the Emperor. If this is not meant as a colorful metaphor by
Ursa, this could be an indication that Saxon is a favorite of the Emperor with occasional direct communication. "Acting ruler" suggests
that just as Bo-Katan was installed as a Regent by the Republic in place of a new monarch, Saxon was installed by the Empire to rule
without claiming the traditional Mandalorian regal right. This is in keeping with the Empire's fascist philosophies, which seek to erase
local tradition and to assert the legitimacy of a power structure which is disconnected from Mandalorian tradition and law. Claiming
to be a placeholder for the traditional leader of Mandalore helps to ease this transition, and assuage the fears of those who would
choose to stand up to preserve Mandalore's cultural and political independence. "Governor" is both a specific title and a general
category of Imperial administrators. Governors are the administrative leaders of the Empire's military government, in a hierarchy
based on the size of their jurisdictions. Grand Moffs lead huge galactic regions, Moffs lead sectors, and Governors lead planets with
significant enough populations to have a governor. The Empire also employs an irregular system of semi-regal titles for some of these
governors, who occupy positions within the military government's hierarchy but were not promoted from among the ranks of the regular
military. In this instance, Gar Saxon is the 'Viceroy' of Mandalore, seemingly ruling over the entire Mandalore Sector. This makes him
equivalent to a Moff, or a near equivalent with similar powers. This also suggests that Mandalore is still being given a special status as
slightly more autonomous than other regions, just as it was under the Republic, although its actual independence is quite limited.

- This episode contains some new examples of Mando'a, the spoken language of the Mandalorians. There are also several examples
of the alphabet called Mandalorian, usually used to write Mando'a. The Mandalorian script was created by Philip Metschan for
Episode II, where it was seen on Slave One's screens. It was also seen used on Mandalore in The Clone Wars.



Fenn Rau punches a guy wearing armor, then throws him to the floor, and this apparently knocked him out. This series
is even worse than The Clone Wars with how often someone wearing a helmet is easily knocked unconscious. It is
probably used so often to hurry stories along, and because it is a non-lethal takedown which minimizes the amount
of killing on screen. The problem is that helmets are designed to protect heads, and to limit or prevent injuries and
blackouts, which are caused by head trauma. Most of the time, there is some leeway with how this is used, as it is often
Jedi who knock them out, and they can use the Force to hit unnaturally hard. In this series, Zeb does a great deal of
the knocking out of guys with helmets and armor, which again could be possible because he is a Lasat, and far stronger
than a Human. Despite these extenuating circumstances, the ease with which all characters collectively seem to knock
people in armor out becomes less plausible with each instance, especially now that they have regular Humans doing it.
It often seems like the creators of SW material think that armor is just an intimidating outfit, not a functional defence.


- "By Mandalorian custom and law", no one can interfere with two combatants engaged in single combat.

ANALYSIS
The rise in rebel activity was met with an increased security response by the Empire, which subsequently drove Rebel cells off of many
populated worlds, seeking refuge on uninhabited planets. This has several drawbacks from a rebel standpoint, but also makes Imperial
efforts to counter their activity difficult, as the Empire cannot press its massive force advantage if it does not know where to direct it.
The Empire's probe program, which dispatches waves of recon droids to sweep entire regions, is a tactic which large powers have
employed for millennia, and is therefore a predictable response which rebel groups can at least prepare for. What is unusual about
the Empire's efforts are the sheer scale of their probing ability, and the unique abilities of their probes. Historically, organizations like
the Republic employed probes primarily for reconnaissance purposes, which could locate their opponents but posed no other threat.
The Empire, on the other hand, has no qualms about sending armed probe droids, and even more inventive units, such as the battle
droid infiltrators which Thrawn dispatched searching for Phoenix Cell. Disguised as protocol droids, they stand a realistic chance of
entering a rebel facility once it is located and can do some serious damage to a small rebel force, leaving those rebels disoriented and
wounded when the Imperial forces arrive soon after. The success of Phoenix Cell in eliminating this threat before it could reveal their
location shows why this tactic is so effective, as even a rebel success as thorough as this still gives away some information about their
whereabouts. Imperial probe sweeps will be regular procedure on a large scale as the rebellion grows and in the first years of the war.

Mandalorian society is inherently self-destructive, and despite the many historical achievements of their civilization, their essential nature
has inevitably led them to a point of no return. Their philosophy of conflict which emphasizes combat and warfare, rigid traditions, and
hierarchical social structure were all significant factors in the rise of Mandalorian society and their golden ages of power and influence.
They are, of course, also the primary reasons for their society's slow but steady decay. Millennia of warfare, mostly with each other, has
devastated the ecosystems and even the physical structure of many of their historically significant worlds. This has also tended to decrease
their population through attrition, leaving their society a mere fraction of its former size. Adherence to tradition makes adapting to such
civilizational realities difficult, and inevitably leads to countercultural responses to attempts at modifying the direction of Mandalorian
society. The addition of the Darksaber to Mandalorian tradition late in their history only served to expedite this decline, and the saber
itself became the focal point of their destruction. The Darksaber is a fitting symbol which crystalizes all the Mandalorians stand for into
a combination weapon and crown. Its very nature is of war, it is advanced beyond an ordinary weapon, to possess it indicates one is
both the greatest warrior and has the right of leadership, and it reduces the goal of Mandalorian internal fighting to an object, rather
than more abstract concepts like honor, family politics, and personal glory. House Vizsla initially used the Darksaber to unify Mandalore,
however a thousand years bottled up by the Republic, who worked to discourage their regular cycles of civil wars and internal conflict,
was the only thing which kept this process in check. Since the beginning of the Clone Wars, the final stages of Mandalore's collapse have
been hastened, and the Darksaber is the center of all of it. Pre Vizsla used it to stage a coup, Maul "used it to divide and conquer", and
now its return instigates a final Mandalorian civil war, one which will ultimately lead to the destruction of civilization on Mandalore itself.

The final Mandalorian civil war prior to the diaspora of their people was like hundreds of other Mandalorian internal conflicts, and was
treated as such by the leaders of the various houses. They failed to see that this civil war would destroy much of what little remained of
their society, and that the existence of the Empire had made the victory of an anti-Imperial camp impossible. Many Mandalorian leaders
like Ursa saw this, but were ultimately too blinded by their history with the other clans and their family pride to avoid a conflict. The idea
of being subservient to a foreign power, or even a distasteful domestic one, is antithetical to the Mandalorian way, making their resistance
to the Empire inevitable, something Sidious had been aware of since before the Clone Wars. Having failed to use the war to destroy or
occupy Mandalore, Sidious goals were achieved for him in the last year of the war by his former apprentice, Maul, leading to a Mandalorian
internal war and an occupation by troops loyal to him. The government the Jedi installed was resistant to the Empire, which required him
to use political means to replace it. Ursa Wren was on the side of Bo-Katan's government, which had replaced Maul's government of which
Gar Saxon was a key figure. At some point, the Emperor was able to bring enough pressure on Bo-Katan's regime to orchestrate its downfall,
and was able to rehabilitate disgraced figures like Saxon as the new leaders. Clan Wren was now on the outs with the new government,
however as a respected and law-abiding clan, their limited autonomy had to be respected at first, as was likely the case with most of those
clans which had been on the winning side of the latest Mandalorian civil war. Ursa and Clan Wren would prefer to stand in opposition to
Saxon's government, both because of Clan Vizsla's treachery during the Clone Wars, and because it is a proxy regime subordinated to
the Empire and is thus the enemy of a free Mandalore. Sabine's 'betrayal' has undermined Clan Wren's standing, forcing them into
the pro-Empire camp as a means of self-preservation. This is how Sidious and the Empire always work, keeping opponents in line by
blackmail, and bringing them into the fold where they can be monitored, corrupted, and ultimately eliminated when they are no longer
useful. As the Imperial program in the galaxy progressed, more brazen moves were sanctioned, and independent threats to central power
like the Protectors were directly moved against. This ultimately leaves those who cannot tolerate the escalating oppression with few allies
but also no choice but to act, thus exposing them to the Empire and its allies for elimination. The Empire expects that this process will lead
to a Mandalore safely under its control with few dissenting elements. The unlikely success of the rebel side would prove an even worse fate.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
Report Pending