"Rise of the Old Masters" is the fifth episode of the first season of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels. It is the fifth episode of the series overall.
The episode was screened at New York Comic Con on October 11, 2014, released on WatchDisneyXD.com on October 20, and made its television debut on Disney XD on October 27. The episode was written by Henry Gilroy and directed by Steward Lee.
The episode features Ezra Bridger continuing his Jedi training with Kanan Jarrus, who worries he is not a good teacher for Bridger. The rebels learn that Jedi Master Luminara Unduli survived the destruction of the Jedi Order and attempt to rescue her from the Spire on Stygeon Prime. However, they soon discover that it is a trap set by the Grand Inquisitor, and that Unduli died with the Jedi Order. The rebels escape, and Jarrus learns that he can be a good teacher for Bridger despite his previous doubts.
Kanan continues to train Ezra in the ways of the Force, but both become frustrated with each other and their new roles. Meanwhile, an underground transmission reveals that a Jedi Master, long thought dead, is alive and in Imperial custody.
Ezra Bridger trains atop the Ghost.
High above the surface of Lothal, atop the Ghost, Kanan Jarrus continues training Ezra Bridger in the ways of the Force as Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios and the droid Chopper watch. Bridger struggles to perform a one-handed handstand on the Ghost's dorsal laser turret while Kanan instructs him, telling him to, "Do, or do not. There is no try." Ezra does not understand how he can accomplish anything if he doesn't try, and Kanan admits that that idea never made sense to him either, despite hearing it often from Grand Master Yoda. Bored, Zeb jostles the turret under Ezra and causes the boy to fall. Ezra protests the Lasat's presence, but Kanan explains that there will always be distractions and a need to focus through them.
Kanan decides to move on to lightsaber training and hands Ezra his weapon. Ezra wonders when he can have a lightsaber of his own, but Kanan says, matter-of-factly, that owning a laser sword doesn't make one a Jedi. After showing Ezra how to adjust the blade to better suit his height, Kanan orders Chopper to begin throwing small, empty containers from a crate at Ezra. With his eyes closed, Ezra attempts to block the containers with the lightsaber, but he has trouble focusing, only missing as the containers knock into him and cause him to stumble about. Zeb helps Chopper send a barrage of containers at Ezra, all at once, forcing the boy backwards until he falls over the edge of the ship, plunging toward the surface below. Kanan is able to use the Force to catch the boy in mid-fall and telekinetically pulls him back up toward the Ghost. Zeb extends the ship's front entry ramp and grabs hold of Ezra as Kanan lifts him within reach. On board, Kanan confronts Ezra, telling him he is undisciplined and full of self-doubt. Ezra suggests that, as his teacher, this is Kanan's fault. Kanan sighs and says that it's difficult to teach before walking away in frustration.
The crew assembles in the ship's lounge where a HoloNet News transmission reports on the missing TIE fighter Zeb and Ezra stole and their subsequent assault on the Imperial Troop Transports, claiming the attack was unprovoked. The report is interrupted by an unauthorized transmission from Gall Trayvis, a former member of the Imperial Senate who speaks out against the Galactic Empire. Trayvis alleges that Luminara Unduli, a Jedi Master from the time of the Clone Wars, is alive and being held captive in the Stygeon system. On behalf of all galactic citizens, Trayvis demands a free and fair trial for Unduli before his transmission is abruptly cut off. Ezra asks if Kanan knew Unduli. Kanan admits he did meet her once, and describes her as brave, compassionate, and disciplined, and that she would make an excellent teacher for Ezra. Despite rumors Unduli survived the Clone Wars, her location has remained a mystery until now. The crew agrees to a rescue mission and Kanan orders everyone to prepare. Ezra is left believing that Kanan is done with him as a student and intends to pawn him off on "some stranger".
While en route, Sabine Wren displays a holograph of the Spire, a prison on Stygeon Prime and the only Imperial detainment facility in the system. She explains that the Spire is reputed to be impregnable and enumerates its many security defenses. However, as difficult as it will be to break in, the real trick, Sabine suggests, will be getting back out. After some discussion, the crew agrees to a strategy, as crazy as it is, to infiltrate the facility.
The rebels fight their way into the Spire.
Once in the skies of Stygeon Prime, the crew leaves Chopper behind in charge of the Ghost while they fly off in the Phantom for the prison. Kanan leaps from the shuttle onto one of the prison's relatively secluded platforms and takes on the stormtroopers guarding the entrance. Caught up in the excitement, Ezra breaks with the plan and jumps down after Kanan, stumbling into the door and alerting more stormtroopers to their presence. Zeb and Sabine join the fight as more stormtroopers arrive and, together, the crew manages to overcome them. Kanan scolds Ezra for being so undisciplined before Sabine interrupts and instructs the boy to pick the lock on the door. After some effort, Ezra succeeds, allowing the crew access to the prison.
Inside, Kanan is able to sense Unduli, though her presence is clouded. Sabine accesses a nearby terminal and learns that the master Jedi is being held in an isolation cell in the lower levels. This news suggests the crew has been operating on outdated schematics and Kanan is forced to come up with an alternate plan as he and the others board a turbolift for the lower levels.
Meanwhile, Hera waits in the Phantom which she has powered down and attached to the side of the Spire. The shuttle's sensors detect something approaching which, at first, Hera suspects is a TIE fighter before a group of Tibidee appear, attracted to the Phantom's jamming signal which they misinterpret as a mating call. Worried about attracting too much attention, Hera detaches the shuttle from the side of the prison and flies away, luring the creatures after her.
Now on the lower levels of the prison, Kanan orders Sabine and Zeb to guard the lift as he and Ezra make their way deeper into the facility. A couple of stormtroopers round the corner and Kanan swiftly dispatches them. Ezra comments on the Jedi's fierceness and Kanan says that there is more at stake here than Ezra realizes. Finally, the two reach Unduli's cell and Kanan uses a mind trick to convince the stormtroopers posted there to leave. Kanan and Ezra enter the cell where they find Unduli sitting in binders. Kanan senses something is wrong as Unduli, first, stands up and walks forward, then turns aside as her image fades into the wall, revealing a sarcophagus containing her remains.
The Inquisitor engages in a lightsaber duel with Kanan Jarrus.
From the doorway, the Grand Inquisitor announces his presence, welcoming the Jedi to what is now clearly a trap of his design. He steps inside and ignites his lightsaber as the door shuts and locks behind him. The Inquisitor informs Kanan that Unduli died with the Republic, but that her bones remain to serve the Empire, luring Jedi survivors to their deaths. Kanan lunges at the Inquisitor with his own lightsaber and the two engage in a duel. Kanan struggles to keep up as the Jedi hunter proves himself the superior swordsman. The Inquisitor recognizes Kanan's fighting style and correctly deduces that he was trained by Jedi Master Depa Billaba who favored Form III in close-quarter combat. Going unnoticed, Ezra plants a detonator on the cell door and blows it open, allowing him and Kanan to escape. The Inquisitor follows them.
In the turbolift, Sabine tries unsuccessfully to contact Kanan before realizing that the Empire is jamming their signal and that the mission is a trap. She determines that they will need a new escape route given that the Empire likely expects them to leave the same way they entered.
Back in the detention center, Kanan and the Inquisitor continue their duel. The Inquisitor attempts to convince Ezra to embrace the dark side of the Force, but Ezra claims to have never heard of it. Ezra attacks the Inquisitor with his energy slingshot, but the Jedi hunter effortlessly blocks Ezra's shots then uses the Force to violently push him backwards down the cell block.
Meanwhile, Sabine and Zeb prepare a new path of escape. They place a detonator in the turbolift and send it to the upper levels where the stormtroopers waiting there in ambush are caught in the blast. With the turbolift now destroyed, and having disabled the other lifts, Sabine denies the Imperials a quick route to the lower levels.
As the duel between the Inquisitor and Kanan continues, the Inquisitor encourages Kanan to surrender for the boy's sake. Defiant, Kanan refuses and the Inquisitor Force-pushes him down the hall, temporarily stunning him. Once more the Inquisitor tries to convince Ezra to join him. When the Padawan refuses, the Inquisitor rushes Ezra, intending to kill him, but Kanan, coming to just in time, uses the Force to stop the Inquisitor and slams him into the ceiling. Together, the Jedi turn and flee.
The Inquisitor watches as the rebels escape the Spire.
Kanan and Ezra meet back up with Sabine and Zeb and Sabine informs them of their new escape route. Following closely behind, the Inquisitor orders a full security lockdown over his communicator and then begins to pick up his pace as the doors between him and the rebels begin to close. He is cut off from them by a final, closed door, which he then begins to slice through. The rebels reach the Spire's hangar but are unable to open the hangar door, the lockdown preventing Sabine or Ezra from overriding the controls. Kanan instructs Ezra to visualize the door's locking mechanism and, together, they use the Force to unlock the hanger door and then lift it. On the other side, however, numerous stormtroopers lie in wait and open fire on the rebels. Zeb uses the team's last detonator to eliminate some of the soldiers, opening a way forward. Sabine contacts Hera, informing her that they are now on the landing pad awaiting evacuation. Hera says she's on her way and that she's bringing the "fleet". As Zeb puzzles this over, Hera arrives in the Phantom accompanied by the Tibidee, who begin to attack the stormtroopers. The rebels scramble for the Phantom just as the Inquisitor appears. He throws his lightsaber at the rebels in a final attempt to prevent their escape, but Kanan deflects the blade, sending it spinning back to its master, and the rebels climb aboard the Phantom and fly away.
Safely onboard, Ezra overhears Kanan tell Hera that Unduli is dead and that the boy will be stuck with him as his teacher, if only for now.
The Ghost returns to Lothal and sets down on the surface. Kanan finds Ezra outside sitting on the boarding ramp. Ezra tells Kanan that he does not have to train him anymore, that he knows that Kanan wanted to abandon him to Unduli. Kanan assures Ezra that he only ever wanted the boy to have the best teacher. Ezra makes it clear that he wants Kanan to teach him, and Kanan agrees. Kanan resolves to stop trying, as trying suggests that he does not believe he can succeed. Instead, he will train Ezra. With a newfound resolve to be better in their training, Bridger takes Jarrus' lightsaber while his master throws stones towards him, which Bridger successfully deflects with the blade. Their training continues, without distraction or doubt.
The episode was adapted into a young readers book, The Inquisitor's Trap by Meredith Rusu. The book was released on December 9, 2014.