Prior Episodes | 7976 (1 BBY) | Next Episodes
Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Rebels - Crawler Commandeers (2017) [S4E8]
In need of a long-range transmitter, the rebels look to infiltrate
one of the Empire's massive ore crawlers.
Star Wars: Rebels - Rebel Assault (2017) [S4E9]
Hera leads the rebel attack on the Imperial blockade at Lothal,
with Grand Admiral Thrawn determined to stop her.
Star Wars: Rebels - Jedi Night (2018) [S4E10]
The rebels look to rescue Hera from the clutches of
Governor Pryce and Grand Admiral Thrawn.




CONTINUITY
These three episodes form a single storyline which is the second half of a larger storyline also containing the previous
three episodes about the TIE Defender project on Lothal. Two worlds are seen in these episodes:

Episodes 1 through 13 of Season 4 take place in 7976 (1 BBY). The final three episodes of this series take place in 7977 (0 BBY),
and take place almost immediately after Episode 13. As Episodes 5 through 13 take place in rapid succession, all must take
place near the very end of the calendar year. This storyline, the preceding storyline, and the one which follows take place
in the last quarter of 7976 (1 BBY), almost certainly in the last month or at most the last month and a half.
Ezra has now been Kanan's apprentice for just over four years.

- The Lothal Rebels use a stand-alone transmitter unit to try and transmit a message to the Rebel Alliance. The Empire is employing a "jamming
signal", which is "blocking all non-Imperial transmissions." Sabine suggests that if the transmitter had enough power, it could "overcome
the Empire's jamming signal." As there is no way a small unit could broadcast all the way from Lothal to Yavin 4, it must be that they
were attempting to send a signal off-world on their own, which would then be picked up by a hyperspace relay and retransmitted using
the hypercom network. The jamming signal is therefore in place to prevent any signals which do not utilize the local Imperial transmitters.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication

- Ore crawlers use a process called "strip raking" where the upper layer of soil is superheated such that minerals can be extracted by smelting.
The large vehicles include on-board refineries which can process out valuable material as the crawler works, clearing way for the new
material being continuously collected. These vessels appear to be designed to collect usable material on worlds with moderate or limited
mineral wealth, as they can turn scant traces of material into usable quantities by working their way through vast territory. Their use
on a world like Lothal is unnecessarily detrimental to land otherwise usable for some form of farming, which is primarily the result of
political priorities rather than a pragmatic use of resources. Effectively supplying the Imperial factories on Lothal using this method
requires burning through continent-sized areas of land to obtain sufficient material.


- Analysis by the Alliance of the TIE Defender Elite confirms that its speed, weapons, and shields are superior to any Rebel fighter, and that
it would be difficult to destroy in single ship-to-ship combat. Their analysts had not yet been able to find a weakness in its design.

- The Mining Guild is once again portrayed as a more menacing organization than the Empire, as it is a semi-private entity which also enjoys
the protection of the Empire. Its pursuit of profit, willingness to use violence to further its goals, and its enthusiasm for slavery
in all cases matches or exceeds that of the Empire, and its concerns being limited to resource extraction make its defense of these
interests single-minded. Guild operations of overseen by "Guild control", who monitor and coordinate various Guild units. Seevor,
the captain of Crawler 413-24 which the Spectres steal, calls Imperial troops "suckers", suggesting the Guild is less easy to fool.

- The Spectres intend to steal the ore crawler to gain access to its "long-range communications array." The communications unit on the crawler
is older than Sabine expected, which she suggests will mean it will take her longer to find a way to boost its power "enough to beam out
a long-range transmission." Based on other material, it is clear that this could only reach a short distance, but enough to reach
a hyperspace relay off-world which will forward the signal to the hypercom network. Their message must be encrypted to prevent
the Empire from locating the destination of the transmission, which makes sense but raises questions as to how exactly the system
is able to forward the message while the Empire cannot determine where its own system has sent it. Since a huge Imperial transmission
tower is only capable of reaching a few systems away, it is impossible for the crawler's transmitter to reach anywhere near Yavin 4.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication

- Protocol 13 is an Imperial procedure implementing the immediate evacuation of all Imperial personnel from an occupied planet. The Rebels are
unsure of the reasoning behind the tactic, indicating they still know little to nothing about the Death Star project. The existence of
the order does suggest the Empire has some new planetary-scale plan to deal with rebellion, which should indeed concern the Rebels.
The shift in policy indicated by Protocol 13 will lead to the Empire temporarily acting with some restraint against rising rebel
activity over the next 7 months. The intent is to avoid political blowback in the short term, allow Imperial opponents to surface
and even take bold action, thus exposing them to the massive reprisals the Empire will undertake once the superweapon is complete.
Main Article: Darth Sidious and The Plan

- The Mining Guild retains a certain amount of independence within the Empire's fascist economy, however like any large concern it has become
increasingly integrated into the state over the years as a by-product of its status as a national entity. Guild operations are still
subject to Imperial authorization, and increasingly are integrated into the Empire's larger operations, such as on Lothal. Guild
vessels and operations require security codes and authorizations, and their ships and output data logs may be subject to inspection.
Guild policy is to report Imperial intrusions to its leadership, who may have some influence with the Empire if raising concerns
which are justified. In most instances, the Empire would probably tell the Guild that Imperial security always takes precedence.



A lightsaber apparently cannot cut through a magnetically-sealed door, a statement which is in keeping with canon, in
particular Episode IV. Why does Kanan not then cut through the wall adjacent to the door? Surely the entire
compartment cannot be magnetically-sealed, as that wouldn't make any sense. A ray shield could be employed to protect
walls, however such a comprehensive system would be energy-intensive, expensive, and is the kind of security system
unlikely to be found on such low-value targets as an ore crawler. The writers needed a reason why Kanan could not get
through with his saber, and although what they chose is consistent with canon, it relies on Kanan failing to think.


- There is a Trandoshan element within the Guild which has existed long enough to become traditional family business for some. Crawler 413-24
has both a Trandoshan slavemaster and captain. Seevor's father worked for the Guild, and he proudly declares his "spawn will after me."

- The Rebel raid on Lothal will be launched "on the next rotation", suggesting Episode 9 takes place the day after Episode 8. It is unclear if
the next rotation refers to Lothal days, Yavin 4 days, or Coruscant standard days, however none are presumed to be significantly
longer or shorter than a standard 24-hour rotation, so it makes minimal difference.

- The Imperial blockade around Lothal is made up of elements of the Lothal Sector Fleet combined with those of the 7th Fleet under Grand Admiral
Thrawn. This armada contains at least 8 Imperial-class star destroyers, 12 Arquitens-class light cruisers, and 9 Gozanti-class Assault
Carriers each with a compliment of TIE-fighters. One of the light cruisers is apparently taking the lead on monitoring for incoming ships.
It is commanded by an unknown officer whose rank insignia indicates he is either a Rear Admiral, Commodore, or Fleet Commander. He is
probably the highest ranking officer in this fleet other than Thrawn, and may be the new commander of the Lothal Sector Fleet after
Admiral Konstantine's death just over a year prior to these events. The flagship of this fleet is Thrawn's destroyer the Chimeara.
His first officer is Fleet Commander Woldar, whose rank insignia is appropriate for his rank and position, however his animation template
is that of 'Sideburns', which is ridiculously overused in this series. The fighter assets of the Navy are commanded by Captain Vult
Skerris, who is commander of Defender Squadron One seen in the previous storyline. Their ships were mostly damaged or destroyed during
recent events, so only Skerris is seen flying a TIE Defender, leading what appear to be fighter squadrons which are attached to the Navy.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia


- The Imperial forces in orbit detect Rebel fighters before they emerged from hyperspace. Sensors have some ability to scan through hyperspace, meaning
that hyperspace for a certain number of lightyears away can be scanned from normal space. As is seen in other SW material, this also means that
there is some warning, at least a few moments but occasionally many minutes, depending on the circumstances of the area and scanning means in
place. This scan appeared to be performed by the naval forces themselves, suggesting that Lothal may not have any standing planetary alert system.
These are more often seen in the Core systems, and usually connect to relay stations which give them a slightly greater warning period.
Main Articles: Hyperspace Travel & Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices


Hera knocks out an Imperial driver wearing a helmet with a single blow, slamming his head into the controls he was
seated at. As mentioned in earlier episodes, this series has long pushed the boundaries of realism concerning how
easily opponents are knocked out when the script calls for it, particularly those wearing helmets. The creators of
this series are apparently unaware 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, to the point that Hera can knock someone in a helmet
out with a single blow, like turning off a droid. It often seems like the creators of SW material think that armor
is just an intimidating outfit, not a functional defence.


- As was somewhat implied but not directly shown in the previous storyline, these loth-wolves which are messengers for the Force are supernatural to
some degree, seen here to mysteriously appear and disappear. They may sometimes be corporeal and at other times manifestations of the Force,
possibly only in the minds of those who they appear to. They want Caleb Dume, because they are in need of a Jedi's assistance.



Why does blasting the door controls, in this case to a sewer hatch, cause it to close and lock? As this series began to
draw to a close, the creators decided to bring back some of their greatest inconsistencies established in early episodes,
including easily knocking out people wearing helmets, and shooting at door controls, which apparently causes them to
either open or close and jam, depending on what the writers need to happen at the time. Blasting the controls, as seen
in Episode IV, should leave a door in whatever position it was in, with no ability to activate the mechanism which
opens or closes it. In this instance, as it was already open, blasting the controls should have left it stuck open. It
could be that this is an example of a safety protocol, designed to close the sewer stuck in the event of any overload or
malfunction. This would at least explain why shooting it might cause it to close, despite this otherwise not making sense.


- The loth-bat-like gliders the Spectres build are able to get through because the "Empire's equipped to counter sophisticated weaponry and targets"
and weren't "looking for something low-tech like a simple glider." This seems consistent with other material, as the scanners seem to focus on
energy signals, primarily thermal scanning and electromagnetic scans, and do not typically engage in sophisticated imaging and image analysis.
It is unclear why this is the case, as droids and other AI could easily and tirelessly comb through visual data to recognize threats, however
the implication is that the Empire sees little need to protect itself against technologically unsophisticated threats.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices

- The TIE Defender program is apparently competing for limited financial and supply resources with Orson Krennic's Project Stardust, which is that
of the Death Star's construction. Krennic has apparently made some recent headway in convincing the Emperor to support his project, despite
the Emperor's assurances to Thrawn that he supports the TIE Defender project. The Rebel intel about Protocol 13, combined with this ongoing
shift towards Stardust suggests that the Krennic believes the main weapon is approaching viability, and there is enough reason to believe
that the Death Star will soon be operational to warrant serious developments in Palpatine's policies. Moff Tarkin remains highly skeptical
of Stardust, calling it "nothing but expenses and excuses for years on end." His position is mostly political, ensuring he does not bear
any fallout if the Death Star does not become fully operational. He will rapidly claim to have been the Death Star's longest supporter once
its main weapon is proven. Thrawn may have secured enough allocated resources in his coming meeting with Palpatine to continue the project,
however the loss of the fuel depot, combined with the new Imperial political climate, suggests that the Defender project was probably at least
partly shelved shortly after these developments, possibly curtailing its implementation until the Civil War was in full swing.
Main Article: Darth Sidious and The Plan

- Kanan dies as a Jedi, giving his life to protect others. Martyrdom is the truest expression of the Jedi's philosophical and spiritual beliefs.

ANALYSIS
Although the Rebel Alliance has learned exactly how the TIE Defender can beat them, it is unable to determine an obvious exploitable weakness.
In many ways, the Rebel reaction to attempt to attack the Defender's production was much the same response as to the Death Star, or indeed any
other serious advantage the Empire might gain. Although in the case of the Death Star there was an exploitable weakness discovered, in principle
the Alliance is launching significant portions of its scant resources in unlikely to succeed attacks knowing they will be unable to combat what
the Empire is producing on a level playing field. They are once again pressed into action, as they will be again in the future, by the timetable
created by Imperial production, thus forcing them to commit units which are as ill-equipped to succeed as they are indispensable to the growing
Rebel military. Hera suggests that attacks like the Rebel raid on Lothal factories should be undertaken even being unlikely to succeed, because
of their significance as gestures of Rebel fighting spirit and lack of fear in confronting the Empire. There is merit to this, however it is not
really a good tactic or strategic plan. Using up limited military resources for political messaging is a waste of forces need to strike at
critical points which will undoubtedly emerge, and the move also highlights Imperial strength as much as it does the lack of Rebel fear.
The fact that the Empire's best-equipped and most organized enemies attempted to move against it and were again pasted will discourage
others from standing against the Empire as much or more than it will encourage bravery in others to try the same or similar actions.

The Rebel raid on Lothal may have sought to achieve a strategically important goal, however it was ill-advised considering the Force discrepancy
and most importantly, due to the obviousness of this move. The Rebel force attacked with a large squadron, 24 starfighters which were a mix of
X-wing fighters and Y-wing fighter/bombers, which did at least give this operation some possibility of success. This constituted a significant
allocation of fighters available to Massassi Group at the time, organized here into an ill-fated Phoenix Squadron under the command of General
Hera Syndualla. Despite their numbers, the Rebel force was still significantly outnumbered by Imperial fighters, and also had to contend with
the awesome firepower of the Imperial destroyers. This was an aggressive move by the Rebels which played right into Empire's hands, as Thrawn
was very much expecting such an action after multiple Rebel infiltrations had exposed the particulars of his project. Thrawn's plan was to use
his superior forces in orbit to decimate the attack, preventing any ships from entering the atmosphere. Starfighter Corps squadrons based on
the planet would act as a second line of defense in the atmosphere, and heavy ground-based air defense cannons would provide a third line of
defense if any ships managed to make it through. The Rebel target was the main Imperial factory and the fuel depot in the Capitol, for which
Rebel forces would proceed towards single-mindedly. This allowed the Empire to concentrate its forces, leaving little room for the Rebels to
maneuver once the battle was joined. Although Rebel ground forces were able to compromise much of the Empire's ground-based weapons, and
the Rebels were able to get some fighters through the orbital blockade, the additional waves of Imperial fighters completely eliminated this
assault force before any reached the factory. This would prove to be yet another ill-fated Rebel action which did little to hurt the Empire.

Kanan asks Ezra to lead the mission to recover Hera, because his attachment to his girlfriend will cloud his impartial judgement and possibly
cloud his Jedi path. Ezra also cares for Hera, but as a friend is more likely to be able to keep things in perspective. This does not mean that
Kanan cannot participate, only that he has the wisdom to know its best to have someone with a clearer head in charge of the operation. Kanan
says that "it's what we need if we're going to save Hera, and everyone else", which is also a reference to his encounters with the loth-wolves.
The Force has asked for Caleb Dume's help to save the gateway under the Jedi temple on Lothal, which will require him to do what he must, even
sacrifice himself, to protect the site and therefore everyone due to its importance in the Force. Kanan proceeding to go on a mission to rescue
his friend and lover rather than immediately proceed to that mission is not a departure from his path, as he must stay true to those who are
counting on him to protect them, like Hera. The Force intervened with Kanan at the moment which led him to return to his friends rather than
attempting a rescue himself. The rescue attempt is only successful when Kanan sacrifices himself to save his friends. This fulfills one of his
possible destinies in the Force, and keeps Ezra and the Spectres alive to eventually do what must be done to protect the gateway from Sidious.
The Force used the loth-wolves to get Caleb Dume to sacrifice himself as a true Jedi, which in turn led Ezra to fulfill its larger purpose.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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