Desperate times called for desperate measures on Star Wars Rebels season 1, episode 12. Here’s what happened in “Rebel Resolve”!
Cost/benefit
The crew of the Ghost hijacks an Imperial walker to try to download information on Kanan’s whereabouts. Unfortunately, the mission is a bust; the Empire has disabled their entire data network against the rebels, and there is nothing to do but make a narrow escape.
Hera confers with the hooded hologram of Fulcrum about the rebels’ next move. Fulcrum insists it is too risky to rescue Kanan, and warns Hera that their message of rebellion has attracted attention from the highest echelons of the Empire.
“To protect your unit, to protect Ezra,” Fulcrum emphasizes, “You must stop your search for Kanan and go into hiding.”
Devastated, Hera follows Fulcrum’s orders and shuts down Ezra’s next gambit for rescuing her space husband Kanan. Ezra is upset, but undeterred — and recruits Chopper to help.
The droid distracts Hera, while Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb head off in the Phantom for their “last resort.”
Dark stuff
Meanwhile, Kanan is interrogated by Grand Moff Tarkin, Agent Kallus, and the Inquisitor. Tarkin still doesn’t believe that Kanan is a Jedi, which is still weird.
The Inquisitor tries to mind-probe Kanan; he mutters desperately about Ezra. “Not him,” he says. “Not him.” But Kanan taunts the Inquisitor about his frustration, the Inquisitor begins to electrocute the Jedi.
Change in plans
Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb meet up with Vizago. The smuggler is disinclined to help them until Ezra demonstrates his Force abilities, proving that he and Kanan are Jedi.
Vizago tells Ezra that, due to the communications outage, the Empire is using droid couriers to transfer information from Lothal to the orbiting ships. And now Ezra owes him a big, fat favor.
Hera tracks down the rest of her crew, and Ezra diffuses her anger by assuring her he knows she doesn’t want to give up on Kanan. He pitches his plan to send Chopper up to the ship for information, disguised as an Imperial courier droid.
A different direction
When Kanan does not break under the Inquisitor’s attentions, Tarkin orders a halt before he is literally tortured to death. The Inquisitor wonders if Kanan really might not know anything.
“Perhaps,” says Tarkin. “I recommend we transfer him from Lothal to another location — one which never fails to extract a confession.”
That doesn’t sound good.
Droidicide
The crew kidnaps a courier droid (which hilariously short-circuits at the mere sight of Zeb) and sends a freshly-repainted Chopper in its place. Chopper is shuttled up to the Star Destroyer, where he promptly plugs into the system.
Chopper signals the Ghost, which attacks the Star Destroyer while Chopper scoots away. The Imperial droid proves very helpful to Zeb; Chopper escapes out a hatch (murdering like six Storm Troopers in the process) and glides through space until Hera sweeps him up and the Ghost soars back down to Lothal.
Chopper is gleeful at his performance, and tosses the Imperial droid out of the ship. Somewhat improbably, the droid survives and is adopted by Lothcats.
It’s fine, somebody on this show should get a happy ending.
A dreadful place
Sabine collects Chopper’s information. Kanan is in Tarkin’s ship, which is imminently bound for the Mustafar system.
Hera sags in her chair.
“I’ve only heard that name once, from Kanan,” she says. “He said Mustafar is where Jedi go die.”