Prior Episodes | 7977 (0 BBY) | Next Episodes
Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: Rebels - A Fool's Hope (2018) [S4E14]
The Ghost crew hatches a plan to free Lothal, though a traitor may be in their midst.
Star Wars: Rebels - Family Reunion - and Farewell (2018) [S4E15-16]
Ezra and the Ghost crew look to complete their ultimate mission:
to liberate Lothal from the clutches of the Empire.




CONTINUITY
These two episodes form a single storyline about the Lothal Rebellion. Two planets are the setting of these episodes:

Lira San is also seen as part of the montage in the epilogue, however none of the events of the story take place there.
The final episodes of this series are the conclusion to the continuous narrative which began with Episode 5 of this season. These three
episodes are the only of this series to take place in 7977 (0 BBY). The year 7977 in the common Republic calendar is the same year as
the Battle of Yavin, seen in Episode IV. The BY dating system places events BBY or ABY depending on whether they occurred before
or after that battle. There is a year 0 BY, as a result, which is unlike any Earth calendar. 0 BY is the same calendar year as 7977 CRC,
with the first 6 months considered 0 BBY, and the last 6 months considered 0 ABY. Episode 14 takes place shortly after episode 13,
placing it very near to the beginning of the calendar year. Due to the circumstances created by events in the series finale, it would
have made most sense if the final episode took place proximal to the events of Rogue One and Episode IV, however there are no
potential time gaps in the sequence of events during this storyline, and thus this series appears to conclude 5 months and 3 weeks
before Rogue One. This storyline takes place in the first week of the calendar year. Ezra has now been a Jedi for more than 4 years.

- Gregor and Wolffe were last seen over 3 and half years earlier in 'Relics of the Old Republic' (S2E4). They have since restored the Imperial walker they
secured during those events, and retrofitted it as their new RV, which they are calling Joopa Base. Hondo last seen over a year and a half
earlier in 'The Wynkahthu Job' (S3E9), where he was working with Melch, who has become his sidekick and joins Hondo in aiding the Rebels.
Hondo aids the Lothal Rebels because of his friendship with Ezra, his dislike of the shape of the galaxy and the hopelessness of a world without
the Jedi, and of course because he has been offered compensation of some kind. Ketsu Onyo was last seen just over 2 years earlier aiding
Phoenix Cell in 'The Forgotten Droid' (S2E19). She is helping because of her friendship with Sabine, her clear sympathies with the Rebel
cause, and because she knows she is far more skilled than the Empire's troops and enjoys putting her abilities to use beating them.


- The Force showed Ezra in a vision that the Emperor had sent Thrawn back to Lothal, leading him to accelerate the Rebel's operational timetable and
to make their move to capture Pryce. In this way, the Force intervened to ensure that events would play out in a certain way, without actually
changing anything about who would attempt to do what, simply triggering the chain of events at the right moment. Ezra was also given insight
into the possible paths which events might take, leading him to give Mart Mattin instructions for a fail-safe plan incase Thrawn returned too early.

- The final incarnation of 'Sideburns' reports to Moff Pryce, presumably the same so-called Lieutenant seen in the previous storyline in 'DUME' (S4E11).
'Sideburns' is a ridiculously overused animation template who appears across the Empire, often in an inappropriate role for his high rank.
Pryce called him "Lieutenant" in the previous storyline, making him a continuity error as his insignia is that of a much higher ranked officer.
His rank is not given here, so this is not a second continuity error, even though he is almost certainly supposed to be the same character.
Governor Pryce is of course still wearing the incorrect insignia for a Moff, which has been a continuity error in every one of her appearances.
This is a compounded error because the creators never fixed it, however this was only highlighted in this chronology in her first appearance.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia


Sabine tells Ezra she has "never understood" the "connection you have with" the loth-wolves. Does Sabine understand
the connection Ezra has with other animals, or truly understand almost anything about a Force-sensitive person's
connection to the Force? Ezra just met these mysterious loth-wolves at most a couple weeks earlier, while Sabine's
statement makes it sound like it is old news. Her tone even implies she is slightly annoyed that she doesn't understand
it, as if Ezra should have explained this to her before. Ezra had already made it clear in previous episodes, set over
the last week or so, that he doesn't understand much about it himself. Her wording seems strange and out of place.


- The Ghost is able to arrive at Lothal apparently undetected by dropping out of hyperspace and quickly powering down primary systems. This was
achieved partly by not using a main hyperspace lane into the system, which are most actively scanned, however based on other material
there was still a chance they could have been detected, as even small ships like starfighters can sometimes be detected in hyperspace
while they are still on approach. Maneuvering jets are used to move the ship into position, as they have a minimal power signature. Once
the ship was aligned with the incoming Imperial freighter, it was able to power up enough to magnetically lock onto the hull of the freighter,
which all escaped the notice of the Imperial fleet. The power signature of the freighter was sufficient to mask that of a powered-down ship.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices

- Hyperspace lanes are smaller travel corridors which connect a world or destination to the hyperspace routes which lie in interstellar space between
starsystems. The ability to travel at high speeds across the galaxy depends on having a route which is clear of obstacles or hazards. Major
hyperspace routes run near to major systems, but are far enough from the boundaries of any starsystem that ships can travel at great
speeds with the chances of collision with an object or another ship being astronomically small. These major routes are wide and roomy,
and allow for the speediest travel. Regional hyperspace routes are smaller, but still safe enough for moderately fast speeds, while local
hyperspace routes run from them to any charted system, which are smaller still but safe enough for lower speed travel. None of these
routes actually enter any starsystem, as that is the whole idea of a hyperspace route. In order to facilitate ships coming from or going to
these routes, hyperspace lanes are established to safely take ships into the starsystems themselves, like the ramps leading to and from
a superhighway. These must be carefully determined, as the space within a starsystem is far more likely to contain even small hazards,
which are a lethal concern for an object traveling faster than the speed of light.
Main Article: Hyperspace Travel


Is Rex a Lieutenant in the Rebel Alliance? He was always called Captain, which could be out of respect for the position he
had earned in the Republic's military, but certainly seemed to be also his position in the Alliance. When seen in these
episodes, he is wearing a Rebel army field uniform, with what could be an insignia plaque. If this is indeed a rank insignia,
it indicates that he is a Lieutenant in the Rebel Fleet. This could be the case, as he may have been serving as a Captain in
Phoenix Cell, only to have been reduced in rank to Lieutenant after being integrated into the unified Alliance military.
This would be a commission rather than a demotion, as his rank of Captain would be seen as unofficial, meaning he had
no rank in the organization, thus making him a Lieutenant over official personnel is actually promoting him. This is all
highly speculative, as it is not even certain this uniform decoration is supposed to be a rank insignia. Rex is also called
"Commander" in this storyline, however this is probably a reference to his position rather than an actual rank, as it
is widely used in the SW universe for any officer in command, most of whom do not hold the actual rank of Commander.
It is also possible that this is meant to indicate his rank, and that the Alliance has promoted him from Captain to
Commander. This would mean it is certainly not a rank insignia he is wearing, or if it is, this is a continuity error.
Main Article: Ranks and Rank Insignia


- Imperial forces which are sent out on combat missions must transmit a "victory code" when returning, to prevent the kind of infiltration by enemy
forces pretending to be victorious Imperial troops which is seen in these events. Pryce gives her "landing codes" as "executive code
6-2-7 3-1-1." Ensuring that returning forces have both transmitted a victory code in advance and have proper landing or entry codes
makes it difficult for impostors to gain access. It only works in this instance because Pryce is cooperating, assuming their plans will fail.


How does Ketsu jam the Imperial communications inside the dome? This would seem like it would be impossible unless
one had access to the command center or at least the communications system. She seems to access the systems from
a door control, which should control the door, possibly the lights in the corridor, but probably little else. Apparently,
in a matter of half a minute, she is able to use her access to the Imperial network to lock down all communications
systems. Are we meant to believe the Empire's security systems and procedures are really this poorly designed and
easy to circumvent, or is this supposed to be an indication of how amazing Ketsu is at infiltrating a computer system?
There is no indication Ketsu is a computer expert, but putting that aside, the issue is that this is possible at all, not who
did it. This is like rebels on Earth breaking into a military base, and using the door's security lock or the light switch on
the wall in the first room to jam all radios on the base. Even if the systems on said base were entirely digital and were
all networked together, there should be no way to access vital systems, or even other systems, from a limited control
with a singular function. This shouldn't be possible anywhere because this is not how technology works, but even if it
were for some reason, it makes zero sense that a military installation would allow such a fatal flaw in their security.



The Imperial Dome generates what is called a "planetary shield", which seems to generate a shield around the capital
city. Why it is called a planetary shield and not the city's shield is unclear, as it certainly cannot be projected to protect
the entire planet. This appears to be the standard energy shield seen throughout SW canon, which projects a bubble
around a limited space on a world's surface, and is designed to absorb or reflect energy weapons and projectiles.
The fact that Lothal's capital has one of these creates a continuity error, unless they were installed in the week prior to
these events. These shields could have protected the factory and fuel depot against the recent Rebel fighter attack,
and yet Moff Pryce was seen panicking over the loss of some of her air defense cannons, while simply raising this
shield could have prevented any possible damage. Imperial fighters could have destroyed those forces long before
their fire could have weakened this shield, if they had actually made it into firing range.
Main Article: Shields, Deflectors, and Ray Shields


- Ezra gives Chopper his lightsaber, who later gives it to Sabine. It can be assumed that Sabine still has Ezra's saber when she is next seen, 9 years
later in the series Ahsoka, since at that point Ezra has not yet returned as far as Sabine knows.

- The Imperial Dome has some turbolaser cannons, but not nearly the firepower to contend with a star destroyer, let alone three. As it is a mobile
installation, which can function as a starship for purposes of relocation, it presumably also has a hyperdrive. Its shield and defense cannons
do make it centerpiece of Imperial defenses wherever it is landed, which is the whole idea of these prefabricated Imperial bases.


- Thrawn describes the remaining Jedi in the galaxy as "a scattered, frightened lot, mostly beaten and in hiding, or poorly trained children." This
appears to be a largely accurate assessment, as every Jedi that has been seen fits one of those descriptions, at least in part. Kanan and
Ahsoka were the least afraid and least hidden of the Jedi of old that had been seen, and they were still constantly on the run and very
cautious to act out of fear of the Empire's reach and power. Thrawn's statement does imply that there are more Jedi out there than
those we have seen, which is indeed what George Lucas had outlined. There may in fact still be dozens of the old Jedi still at large in
this time, and certainly more than a few survived the coming Civil War.

- Frequency zero is a hyperspace signal which presumably does not repeat, and thus is a constant signal with no modulation. This means it cannot
be used to send a message or information of any kind, but it can function as a beacon. Wolffe says that "nobody uses that anymore", which
implies that at some point it was used. Exactly how a signal with zero frequency was used is hard to imagine, unless it was used simply as
a beacon. In this case, it is used to contact purrgil, who as hyperspace traveling creatures can apparently hear frequency zero signals.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communication

- Palpatine tells Ezra, "I apologize for not being there in person, but governing the galaxy takes up much of my time." In addition to keeping fully
informed and issuing directives requiring his authorization, Palpatine needs to sleep at times, and presumably to eat, to oversee his
functionaries and Ministers as they handle the bulk of the administrative work of managing the Empire, attend to his secretive Sith
projects, as well as to receive pressing information about developments in any previously mentioned area. In addition, he is remiss if
he doesn't spend some time meditating through the Force, as the potential to learn about the future, peer into the present, or receive
revelation from the Force is far too valuable a resource not to take advantage of. It is clear that Sidious makes this a priority, and relies
heavily on this vision. Ezra tells Palpatine, "I know who you are, and what you are." This is not impossible, especially after his encounter
with Sidious in the World Between Worlds, however there was no time for Ahsoka to explain it to him then, and it is unclear if Ahsoka
knows who Palpatine really is. The implication is that she probably did know, as based on what Maul told her at the end of the Clone
Wars, she should have been able to figure out that Palpatine was Sidious. Kanan didn't even seem to know who Vader was, so it seems
unlikely that he knew about Palpatine, as indeed there are assumed to be few in the galaxy even now who know that the Emperor is
also a Sith Lord. The fact that Ahsoka probably knows means she could have filled Kanan and Ezra in after meeting them.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith


What exactly is the Emperor offering Ezra by showing him a gateway to his parents? Is teenage Ezra supposed to go
back in time and live with his parents? Wouldn't there be a young Ezra there? Wouldn't his parents wonder why he
was so much older, and wouldn't the Empire still exist and threaten the whole family? The Emperor tells him that it is
"possible to change fate", seeming to imply that he is offering Ezra time travel, however the implication of the scene
seems to also be that Ezra will go to some pocket universe or alternate timeline where he can live safely with his
family, telling Ezra, "there are infinite paths and infinite possibilities." Obviously, Sidious does not care how, or even if,
this would work for Ezra, as he simply wishes the gate open so that he can use the WBW to manipulate the past and
future, but it is unclear exactly what Ezra is meant to think will happen. The implication that he will have to abandon
his friends lends support to the idea of some kind of alternate universe, however the existence of other dimensions,
or the ability to reach them with the WBW has not been established in canon. The Emperor also suggests there is
a time component, where Ezra must do this soon or lose the chance, however he is probably just trying to rush
Ezra to prevent him from thinking about this clearly, and possibly from considering why this doesn't make sense.


- The bridges in the shield generator room can be extended by means of a control panel, or from the command center. High security systems like
those related to the shield generator room have protected circuits, meaning that droids trying to access them without authorization will
be subjected to a power surge intended to disable them. The bridges can also be extended manually from an override panel.

- Imperial Royal Guards, first seen in Episode VI, are the elite security force who protect the Emperor, and his Imperial Council. As Sith loyalists,
they are aware that their master is a Sith and can be present while Sith business is discussed. They are also assigned to protect Vader,
and sometimes projects or artifacts related to the Force, such as the gateway on Thrawn's ship. Their presence here probably has more
to do with containing Ezra than it does protecting the gateway. As always, they are armed with force pikes, which despite their unassuming
appearance, are versatile and deadly weapons. They are widely seen used by personal security forces, as they are most often used to stun
or painfully incapacitate, however they are capable of cutting through metal at higher settings. According to supplementary material,
the force pikes used against Ezra were fitted with "magnetic clamps", which project a kind of energy which binds non-magnetic material.
These are often used to pseudo-magnetize non-magnetic material, but as seen here they can also be used as a form of restraints.


- The purrgil's arrival at Lothal is detected by Thrawn's ship, which is in the atmosphere over the capital city. Their scanning detects the large
creatures, but they are described as "several unidentified objects", suggesting that scanners cannot easily identify them, at least from
that distance and within the atmosphere. This is typical of SW scanners, which are far better at analyzing and identifying spacecraft
than they are at lifeforms, which tend to read as nondescript biomass. It is possible that a more accurate assessment could have been
made if the ship was also in orbit, but it is possible it wouldn't have helped much. The fact that purrgil are one of a very limited number
of large, spacefaring species further indicates how much difficulty scanners and comm scan units have in identifying specific lifeforms.
It is also possible that given even a little bit more time that a more accurate assessment would have become possible.
Main Article: Scanners, Sensors, and Cloaking Devices

- Thrawn's officers report that the unidentified objects which are purrgil "destroyed the blockade. Our ships are just gone." This could suggest that
they were either destroyed by collisions so completely that they no longer register, or that they were taken away into hyperspace by
the purrgil, as the three destroyers looming over the capital will be. Ezra seems to instigate the purrgil's change in behavior, so it
assumed the purrgil destroyed the blockade rather than removed it. The ships in orbit were being directed by Captain Pellaeon,
who is one of Thrawn's top officers in the 7th Fleet. His destroyer does not respond, but Pellaeon survived, and unlike Thrawn,
he will be present for the events of the Civil War over then next six years. He is seen in The Mandalorian to have eventually
become the leader of one of the remaining Imperial remnants which survived the Imperial surrender and political transition.

- The Bendu's prophecy through the Force regarding Thrawn is fulfilled, when Thrawn is defeated having been captured by the tentacles of
a huge purrgil. Bendu had told Thrawn he saw "your defeat, like many arms surrounding you in a cold embrace."

- As was Ezra's plan, whatever happened next happened to both Thrawn and him. They are then taken along with three of Thrawn's destroyers,
including his flagship the Chimaera, into hyperspace by the purrgil to destination unknown. Based on the setup for the Thrawn novels,
they were taken to a location in the Unknown Regions, which are a massive area difficult to access from known space. Although
their initial location may have proved remote, Thrawn knows something of how to navigate in parts of the Unknown Regions, as his
homeworld of Csilla and the rest of the Chiss people are within its territory. It is assumed that it took some time for them to even find
Csilla, since Thrawn will not be seen again in known space for 9 years, and makes no effort to return during the Civil War over the next
six years, while Palpatine was still alive. The immediate situation after the purrgil drop them out of hyperspace is that they will be at
an unknown location with no navicomputer record of the route they took to get there, and being in the Unknown Regions, no charts
of local, safe hyperspace routes. Ezra has been shot, has no lightsaber, and is outnumbered. The eventual fate of Thrawn in canon
is expected to be shown in Ahsoka and connected material, however when Ezra's fate may be revealed is uncertain.

- Governor Pryce prefers to die rather than escape with the Rebels, stating, "I serve the Empire until the end." This is certainly in keeping with
her personality, as she does seem to be an enthusiastic supporter of the Empire's philosophy and enjoys dominating, lording over others,
and making her opponents suffer, however she will also be killed if she goes back to the Empire, which is likely a primary motivating
factor in her decision. She also doesn't believe in the Rebels anyway, either their ideals or chances of victory.

- The Imperial Dome successfully launches, despite its engines not having been fired up for many years. The plan was to use the base's self-destruct,
so the dome is flown out over the ocean in order to prevent huge flaming debris from raining down on the city. The fact that this will
massively pollute the ocean near the capital apparently does not concern the Rebels. If the oceans of Lothal have anything similar to
coral, the large chunks of metal and any intact portions of rooms or corridors should at least make excellent reefs.



Rex correctly points out that "the Empire won't just let us keep this planet", and suggests preparing for their inevitable
assault. Despite their optimistic suggestions, there is no way these Rebels could hold this planet against a serious Imperial
invasion, regardless of the popular support on the planet and any potential Alliance assistance. Remarkably, we are told
by Sabine in the epilogue that "the attack we all anticipated never came." This is extremely hard to believe, and doesn't
really make sense considering all other canon material. It does make sense that the Empire did not immediately launch
a retaliation. Lothal, Mandalore, and certainly many other uprisings had begun to meet with success, but the Empire
chose to be cautious because of the growing support for resisting the Imperial program in the Senate, and because
the Emperor now had reason to believe the Death Star would soon be operational. It would have been strategically
unwise to inflame the situation when the completion of the superweapon would checkmate everyone, everywhere.
It would have made most sense if these events had taken place just before Episode IV, however continuity clearly
places these episodes over 5 months before full-scale war. This is a stretch, considering the importance of Lothal in
this sector and the valuable factories and equipment left behind which are now in Rebel hands. While the Empire's
cautious strategy might at least explain this, the idea that they did not return to invade or at least destroy Lothal
after the loss of the Death Star is extremely unlikely. Immediately after the Battle of Yavin, the Empire spent months
taking harsh revenge against every rebellious world they could find to make an example of. Even if they were somehow
left off of the target list in the first months of full-scale war, Lothal would still have to make it through more than three
years of war during which the Empire had massive material superiority before the situation in the galaxy would have
changed to the point that Lothal became a secondary priority. The idea that Lothal was ignored during 7978 (1 ABY),
7979 (2 ABY), and 7980 (3 ABY), when the Imperial fleet was eagerly searching for targets to destroy, is absurd, most
of all when one considers just how few resources would actually have been needed to simply level the capital and other
major settlements. Lothal's position near major hyperspace routes, its prior importance as a subsector capital and seat
of its government, and the fact that the Empire never tolerated fully liberated worlds at any point in the next three
years only highlight how unlikely it would be that the Empire "never came." This feel-good statement was likely added to
give the show a disney-style happy ending. It is also true that Filoni shows always gloss over intricate, realistic details
in favor of blanket statements, and are often terrible at taking into account the implications of the passage of time.
Main Article: Darth Sidious and The Plan


- Ezra states that "there were several paths in front of me. While this wasn't the one I wanted to take, it's what I had to do. That's something
Kanan taught me." This was already somewhat clear from the possible futures which the Force had shown to Ezra, however this
statement probably refers also to choices Ezra made which were not part of his vision. Choosing the long and difficult path, and
sacrificing one's own preferences for the greater good, are the mark of a true Jedi. Ezra also says he will miss everyone and "can't
wait to come home." Since he is not seen for 9 years, it can be assumed he could not return, or became evil and works for Thrawn.


Events jump forward 5 and a half years, from the very start of 7977 (0 BBY) to the middle of 7982 (5 ABY).


- Sabine has changed her hair and armor paint, and is still protecting Lothal as she thought Ezra wanted. The arrival of Ahsoka has set them
off looking for Ezra, which according to supplementary material is what Ahsoka has been doing for some time. The arrival of her T-6
shuttle to Lothal flanked by X-wings suggests she is working with the New Republic, and is important enough to warrant an escort.
The T-6 shuttle was one of a few favored by the Jedi in their later days. This same approach, with her same shuttle flanked by X-wings
is mirrored 4 years later in Ahsoka, where her meeting with Sabine seems to suggest that they do not locate Ezra during their
initial attempt. Ahsoka's statements in The Mandalorian indicate that she did not locate Admiral Thrawn either, or if she did,
she had since lost track of him. Sabine's generally upbeat monologue makes no mention of her people's homeworld being nuked
by the Empire, and the majority of her culture destroyed. It is unknown if Krownest and her family survived the Civil War.


- Zeb takes Kallus along the secret route to Lira San, where Kallus was welcomed among the Lasat and is comforted to know he did not help
the Empire genocide their race completely. The suggestion seems to be that this was more of a visit than a long-term residence, and
Kallus likely returned to the New Republic in some capacity, as it was seen in The Mandalorian that Zeb had.

- Hera apparently fought in the battle of Endor, as did Commander Rex, probably both on the Ghost. There is no canon evidence of this, as
the ship was not seen in Episode VI and later extrapolated upon, but was instead created for this series. That does not affect
canon, however, as many ships not seen participated in that battle, especially after Lucas expanded the Rebel forces seen in
the Special Edition. Even the original release of that film showed that not all ships present in the battle were also seen in
the establishing shots of the Rebel fleet before the battle or when arriving at Endor.

- Jacen Syndulla was born sometime in 0 ABY, approximately a bit less than however many months it takes a Twi'lek mother to birth a Twi'lek-Human
hybrid after these events. His birth is indication that Kanan and Hera were sleeping together, something that seemed to be implied from
the beginning of the show. The fact that these two were sleeping together and in a relationship for over 5 years, makes it seem a bit odd
that Hera only just told Kanan that she loves him, although Kanan certainly knew that for some time prior. Jacen Syndulla was given
the codename Spectre 7, which is essentially honorary as the Ghost Team has been split up. Sabine's monologue implies that Jacen
is probably supposed to be Force sensitive enough to wield the Force as he is Kanan's son.

ANALYSIS
The Empire succeeded in defending its holdings against a raid by the Rebel Alliance, dealt serious blows to the Lothal Rebels, and drove the remaining
Rebels into hiding, having been reduced to their weakest state in years. Despite these victories, Governor Pryce is in serious trouble with her superiors,
and correctly believes she will be killed for her failures upon Thrawn's return if she does not have anything further to show for her efforts. The Empire's
victory was largely due to Thrawn's leadership and forces, and her only significant contribution was to kill Kanan at the expense of their fuel depot,
essential to their operations and to Thrawn's pet TIE Defender project. The Empire's fascist government is as dangerous to those within its ranks as it
is to those it rules over, and the price of attaining status and power within the Empire is to become a target, either for failure or by those seeking to
climb politically at another's expense. This is why Pryce is not more cautious after Ryder's false offer to betray his friends, and why the Rebels are able
to capture Pryce despite their precarious situation. Thrawn was already planning to dispose of Pryce, having sufficiently undermined her and blamed
her for the failures of Lothal to the Imperial leadership, and had "expected Governor Pryce to fail, but not so completely." The fact that the Rebels were
more than her sector government could handle is why she asked for Thrawn and his fleet to be assigned to aid her 2 years earlier. This did increase
the Empire's effectiveness in the sector dramatically, but ultimately led to Pryce inheriting the role of top scapegoat to be blamed for any failure.
Thrawn was already above her in the Imperial foodchain, so ousting her was not strictly political for him, as she was responsible for the failures she
was to have answered for. Thrawn is ruthless and pragmatic, not overly emotional or reactionary, which is why he is in high favor with the Emperor.

Ryder suggests the Lothal Rebels should "lay low, reorganize, and rebuild", which would indeed be the logical strategy. This is the same way of thinking
which guides Imperial strategy, seeing warfare as a matter of superior versus inferior forces. This is largely an accurate assessment, as force superiority
is the key factor in a war, campaign, or a battle, however the side which is superior on paper does not always win a contest, due to mitigating factors
which contribute as much to the result. Additionally, warfare and politics include many asymmetric factors, and history has show that revolutions
such as the one planned by the Rebels on Lothal often hinge on small groups with great will power acting boldly in the face of long odds. The Rebels
did not have an army to take the capital, but they did have a Jedi whom the Force is with, the ecosystem of the planet Lothal including a small army of
large and intelligent loth-wolves, and a purrgil navy to aid them. These forces were sufficient to win control of the planet, especially by utilizing Ezra's
plan to seal the large Imperial garrison inside the dome and detonate it, slaughtering them all mercilessly. The problem with this plan is that Thrawn
and the Empire consider Lothal's population to be expendable subjects rather than citizens it is responsible to protect. The Empire does not usually
prefer to wipe-out entire populations, particularly those with significant Human populations, as they are a valuable resource as laborers, however
if the Empire doesn't control Lothal and its factories, its civilians are of little use to them. Thrawn's plan hinged on his agent shutting down the city
shield, allowing him to use the Rebels' sympathy for the people against them. This plan does succeed, and even after the Rebels are able to restore
the shield, they were unable to launch the dome or secure the planet without the aid of the purrgil. The Rebel victory was therefore impossible to
have predicted, because through Ezra they possessed powerful allies which the Empire could not have accounted for. Thrawn's statement to Ezra
that "it was not my intention to utterly destroy Lothal, but that is inevitable now" suggests that the planet would have been the victim of
unreasonable retaliation even if the Rebels had failed to launch the Dome. It seems likely the population had finally proven too hostile to
the Empire to be useful, and that the Empire intended to wipe them out, probably to bring in outside labor to work their factories.

Thrawn is the kind of loyal Imperial whose Machiavellian philosophy and amoral beliefs about power are very close to the philosophies of the Sith.
The Republic's transition into the Empire was not simply the will of Palpatine alone, it was the product of the efforts of a large network of political
and economic allies, some of whom were simply greedy, but most of whom shared Palpatine's politics of ultra-nationalist reform and belief in
the right of the strong to rule in society. Palpatine's position as Chancellor and the galactic emergencies he engineered allowed him to maneuver
his allies into even more vital roles and positions in the government or industry. There were already many in the galaxy which shared Palpatine's
reactionary beliefs, and these sentiments were exacerbated by the Clone Wars and ultimately, actively encouraged by the Empire. The state
philosophy ensures many loyal supporters of the Emperor's agenda, most of whom revere the state for its embodiment of their personal beliefs.
Intelligent and capable individuals like Thrawn see the Empire as natural and right, and as an ideal power structure for their own advancement
through ability, and afterwards from which to command great power. Palpatine has brought Thrawn into his inner ciricle of fellow sociopaths
because he knows that Thrawn's fundamental beliefs and motivations are entirely compatible with his plans and goals. Thrawn's analysis of Jedi
philosophy is very similar to that of Palpatine's Sith philosophy, suggesting that sentiment and the desire to protect others are fatal flaws in
strategy which inevitably lead their inferior philosophy to be defeated by those who have no qualms about how they use their power. The Jedi
"choose what they believe to be morally correct, instead of what is strategically sound", which Thrawn suggests is why the Jedi are now nearly
gone. It is the Jedi commitment to taking the harder route to victory and personal advancement which brings them their great power, which
in the long run is greater than that which the Sith or any person doing evil gets by taking them the easy way. The Jedi's power is subtle, patient,
and limited by the will of nature and its Force, and their power deserved because it was earned. The Jedi always return from near extinction
historically, because their way is not only morally correct, it is also strategically sound, as their religion brings them greater power than their
enemies over time, naturally. Thrawn, like many who do not wield the Force, see the Force as simply another dimension of potential power,
and a practical tool to manipulate the material world. Ezra explains to him "the Force isn't a weapon, but you'll never understand that."
Thrawn also states that "who deserves what is irrelevant. What matters is who has power", another belief he shares with the Sith, and one
which exemplifies why they are doomed to failure. The interconnected and willful nature of the Force means that who deserves what is
not only relevant, it will ultimately have great impact on the course of events. Thrawn is too much of a materialist to grasp these concepts.

Sidious was "quite impressed" with Ezra's abilities opening the gateway on Lothal, and decides to try manipulating him much the same way as he
manipulated Anakin into serving him. His hologram appears as friendly, old Palpatine, and he presents himself as the honest, reasonable, and
fatherly leader of the galaxy who is only doing what is best for everyone. He blames others for reacting to circumstances he has deliberately
created, then justifies his violent responses as legitimate reactions, necessary to protect order. As usual, he is essentially being honest, as his
public face has no problem owning the actions of the Empire. He is, of course, hiding the fact that he cares nothing for what is best for anyone
but himself, and that his only interest in Ezra or anyone else is what he can get from them or what use to him they might have. He plays on
Ezra's desires, and pushes him to think only of himself and become selfish, encouraging Ezra just as he did Anakin, and just as Maul had
encouraged Ezra before. The Sith rely on the corrupt for their allies because they are happy to go along with their plans. Getting others to
choose to do what the Sith want them to do requires corrupting them, which is essentially convincing them to adopt Sith teachings or points of
view. If that fails, they then resort to force, which is applied Sith philosophy. Fear is the greatest motivator towards the dark side, and stands
the greatest chance of corrupting even a Jedi. Unlike Anakin, Ezra's commitment to the religious teachings of the Jedi combined with his
compassion for his friends, his people, and all the people of the galaxy outweighed his selfishness. The loss of the gateway ended Sidious hopes
of accessing the World Between Worlds, and seeing as Ezra proved himself a true Jedi above corruption, ended Ezra's usefulness to him.

The successful rebellion on Lothal in 7977 (0 BBY) was the unlikely toppling of a subsector government by a small rebel group, made possible by
a young Jedi and his animal allies. The Jedi was forced to remove himself from known space in order to remove the immediate threat, meaning that
Lothal was totally free from Imperial presence, but had lost access to the forces which made that victory possible. This was one of several uprisings
on worlds of smaller or moderate population which succeeded in the months leading up to the Battle of Yavin, including the Mandalore rebellion
which had succeeded in driving the Empire from that world. The Empire could have returned to these worlds in overwhelming force, however
the Rebellion continued to gain support in the Imperial Senate, and the Emperor chose to act with restraint after recent developments in the Death
Star project led him to believe the weapon could soon be operational. No doubt he had also seen through the Force enough to suggest that this
was in fact likely, and thus it was best that the Empire appear as reasonable and democratic as possible until the time was right to dissolve the Senate
and rule by military dictatorship alone. This allowed Lothal to function as a center of Rebel transit and activity, establishing a regional political base
from which to further their message. The fact that Lothal was apparently spared a vicious reprisal after the destruction of the Death Star is
extremely unlikely, and must have some very specific and very unlikely explanation. Considering that the Empire never came back to Lothal over
the next four years of warfare, it must be true that the Rebel Alliance did not choose to station military forces here, as that would have certainly
drawn an Imperial response. Lothal must have been considered too underpopulated to be worth invading, especially considering its resources
had already been largely plundered. The fact that Lothal escaped even a devastating carpet bombing has to be the greatest oddity of the Civil War.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
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