Liberation of Lothal

The Clone Wars era saw the Outer Rim planet of Lothal remain untouched by the conflict, yet it faced devastation due to drought and disease. The Senate of the Galactic Republic disregarded Lothal's appeals for assistance. Subsequently, the Lothalian government successfully sought aid from the Republic's successor, the Galactic Empire, leading to Lothal's annexation by the Empire in 19 BBY.

By 18 BBY, the Empire had deployed an Imperial Planetary Occupation Facility and positioned it in Capital City, swiftly establishing Imperial dominance and projecting Imperial power. However, not all Lothalites welcomed the Empire's presence, including Ephraim and Mira Bridger, who initiated clandestine transmissions with the support of Ryder Azadi, the Governor of the Lothal sector. Within a month, the Empire instructed Azadi to cease the transmissions. When Azadi defied this order and defended the Bridgers, all three were apprehended by the Empire. Consequently, the Bridgers' son, Ezra Bridger, was orphaned.

Azadi was then replaced by one of his rivals, the Lothalian Arihnda Pryce. After revealing a rebel spy operation on Coruscant, she temporarily held the position of acting governor while preparing for the governorship of Lothal. She secured starship manufacturing contracts for Lothal, which included expanding naval facilities and factories. The Imperialization of Lothal led to increased mining operations, as the planet's grasslands concealed extensive veins of doonium, a metal primarily used in starship construction and a secret project. This expansion resulted in the displacement of farmers and the growth of mines and factories, which fueled anti-Imperial sentiments. By 6 BBY, a bombing attempt targeting Imperial seismic surveyor droids resulted in a massacre of peaceful protesters, culminating in a small-scale skirmish between Imperial forces and insurgents, ultimately leading to the group's capture.

By 5 BBY, another rebel group, the Spectres, led by the former Jedi padawan Kanan Jarrus and the Twi'lek Hera Syndulla, and including the droid C1-10P, the Mandalorian Sabine Wren, and the Lasat Garazeb Orrelios, commenced operations on Lothal after successfully executing small-scale operations against the Empire on planets like Toydaria and Christophsis.

Their initial actions, such as a raid on an Imperial supply convoy, an attack on a Lothal airfield, and a mission in Capital City, during which they collaborated with the Force-sensitive orphan Ezra Bridger, drew the attention of Alexsandr Kallus, an agent of the Imperial Security Bureau. Further operations attracted Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and The Grand Inquisitor, culminating in the capture of Kanan Jarrus and the Spectres broadcasting a call to action to Lothal and nearby planets. The Spectres then defeated Imperial forces above Mustafar and rescued their comrade with assistance from the rebel cell Phoenix Cell and the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano.

The events over Mustafar resulted in the destruction of the Sovereign, Grand Moff Tarkin's flagship, the death of the Grand Inquisitor, the interest of Darth Vader, and the integration of the Spectres into Phoenix Squadron. News of the events above Mustafar reached the citizens of Lothal, leading some to believe that the Empire was vulnerable, according to Agent Kallus. Consequently, the Empire tightened its control over Lothal, imposing a siege to eliminate the insurgents. By this time, Emperor Sheev Palpatine, secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, had developed an interest in Lothal, a secret known to a select few, including Lothal's Minister of industry Maketh Tua, who attempted to exchange this information with Phoenix Group for safe passage off Lothal.

After Phoenix Group's flagship, the Phoenix Home, was destroyed during the siege by Darth Vader and their hideout on Garel City was discovered by the Inquisitorius, Ezra's broadcast eventually reached his imprisoned parents, Ephraim and Mira, along with former governor Azadi. Inspired by his rallying cry, they initiated a revolt, and although they perished, Azadi managed to escape and began searching for Ezra. Ryder informed Ezra of his parents' death, allowing him to find peace with his past.

Governor Pryce requested the assistance of the Seventh Fleet and Grand Admiral Thrawn, a rising figure in the Imperial Navy, due to the insurgent activities of the Phoenix Group and Spectres in the Lothal sector. Meanwhile, Ryder established a Lothal resistance group cell, which included Morad Sumar, Marida Sumar, and Old Jho, who allied with the Spectres. They sabotaged Imperial vehicles and weapons produced at the Imperial Armory Complex. In response, Thrawn ordered a crackdown and executed Morad by forcing him to ride a defective speeder bike.

Despite Morad's death, Ezra and Kanan obtained intelligence on Thrawn's TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter program with the assistance of the renegade Kallus. Using this information, the Spectres joined forces with the Phoenix Group, Lothal resistance, and Massassi Group to plan an attack on the Imperial TIE Defender factory. However, Thrawn discovered Kallus's double agent status and tricked him into revealing the location of Phoenix Squadron's Chopper Base on Atollon. Thrawn's Seventh Fleet then ambushed them, destroying all but a few ships.

By 1 BBY, Imperial mining and industrial production on Lothal had intensified, resulting in widespread pollution and smoke. With the aid of the smuggler Cikatro Vizago, the Spectres infiltrated Lothal and connected with Ryder. Together, the Spectres and Lothal Resistance stole Thrawn's prototype TIE/D Defender Elite. While Hera and Chopper traveled offworld with the Elite's stolen hyperdrive, the other rebels freed several indentured Mining Guild workers, including Vizago. These grateful individuals joined the Rebellion. Shortly after, Rebel Command authorized Hera to lead a second strike against the TIE Defender factory on Lothal.

The second attempt involved an Alliance X-wing squadron, but Thrawn easily destroyed them. The Spectres were present for both failures but remained determined. While rescuing Hera Syndulla, Governor Pryce ordered the Lothal City fuel depot to be opened, killing Kanan Jarrus but halting TIE Defender production. This allowed the Spectres to complete their mission of destroying the TIE Defender factory, infuriating Thrawn, who vowed to "deal" with Pryce upon his return. Meanwhile, the rebels prevented Palpatine's plan to access the World Between Worlds through the Lothal Jedi Temple.

With Thrawn absent from Lothal, the Spectres decided to seize the opportunity to liberate Lothal from the Galactic Empire. Ezra tasked Hera with traveling to Seelos to gather their old allies from past missions, including the clones Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor, Hondo Ohnaka, Melch, Ketsu Onyo, and Kallus. Although the mission lacked Rebellion sanction, they agreed to assist Ezra. Despite the Imperial blockade, Hera and her allies managed to slip through aboard a Cargo freighter EF-75, a tactic Hondo frequently used during his pirating days.

Meanwhile, Ezra and Ryder Azadi devised a plan to lure Governor Pryce into a trap at the Lothal cliff dwelling. Ezra's goal was to capture Pryce and use her to enter Lothal's Imperial Complex, known as the "Dome," the center of Imperial power. Knowing Pryce sought Thrawn's favor, Ryder pretended to betray his rebel comrades in exchange for immunity. Taking the bait, Pryce assembled an assault force of six patrol transports, stormtroopers, jumptroopers, and Thrawn's Noghri assassin Rukh to attack the Lothal cliff dwelling.

After strafing the camp, Governor Pryce deployed jumptroopers to apprehend Ezra and the rebels. With Sabine, Chopper, and Zeb engaging most of the Imperial forces, Ezra confronted Rukh. Despite Ezra's use of the Force, Rukh's reflexes and fighting style proved more than a match for the Jedi Padawan.

Surrounded by Imperial forces, the Lothal resistance and Spectres retreated to a defensive position atop an ore crawler. Having trapped the rebels, Governor Pryce ordered her gunships to bombard the ore crawler, destroying the vehicle and killing at least three rebels. Governor Pryce and her forces then took Ezra and the Lothal rebels into custody. When Pryce thanked Ryder for his "services," Ryder revealed this was a ploy to lure her into a trap. At that moment, Hera returned aboard the Ghost with reinforcements, including Rex, Wolffe, Gregor, and Kallus.

After destroying a gunship, Hera, Hondo, and Melch strafed the Imperial forces from above. While the Ghost tangled with the remaining gunships, Ezra led Rukh and the stormtroopers down a cave where a pack of loth-wolves lay in wait. The wolves rampaged through the stormtroopers, killing many Imperials. Rukh fought the alpha White Loth-wolf, which threw him down the cliff. With the tables turned, the remaining stormtroopers surrendered. Pryce was captured by the white loth-wolf, who brought her before the rebels. Conceding defeat, Pryce surrendered and was taken into custody.

Following the battle, Hera praised Ezra for his victory. In return, Ezra thanked Hera and the Lothal resistance for their help. Having captured Governor Pryce, the rebels turned their attention to the second stage of their plan: liberating Lothal from Imperial rule. Using the threat of the loth-wolves, the rebels forced Governor Pryce to help them infiltrate the "Dome" since she had the security codes necessary to enter the base. Posing as both prisoners and Imperial troops, the Spectres and Lothal Resistance made their way to the Imperial Complex."

Using Governor Pryce's clearance codes, the Spectres and Lothal resistance landed their stolen patrol transports on the Dome's Platform Zero Delta. After landing, they attacked the Imperial reception party. Despite the efforts of the Imperial defenders to seal the landing pad's blast doors, Zeb, along with Sabine and Ketsu Onyo, managed to enter the building and lock down the communications system. With a distraction from the Ugnaught Melch, the rebels fought their way into the command center and took the command staff prisoner.

Having seized the Dome's command center, the rebels proceeded with their plan to issue a faux Protocol 13 order for all Imperial forces on Lothal to evacuate to the Dome. Once the Imperials gathered inside, Ryder planned to launch the Dome, which was actually a mobile Imperial Planetary Occupation Facility, into space. With their plan underway, Hera contacted Wolffe, Cikatro Vizago, and Mart Mattin to arrange a pick-up. Before the rebels could depart for the Dome, Rukh resurfaced and stole their patrol transport. While flying back to the Dome, Rukh alerted Grand Admiral Thrawn about the rebels' plan to launch the Dome into space with the Imperial garrison.

Back at the Dome, Kallus issued Protocol 13 and ordered all Imperial forces on Lothal to report to the Dome. When one officer questioned the order, Ryder posed as Imperial Security Bureau Colonel Wullf Yularen and announced he was implementing "Override Code Base Gamma Zero." Throughout Capital City and Lothal, Imperial forces hurried back to the Dome. With their plan progressing, Ezra instructed Hera and Sabine to prepare the "Dome" for take-off. Before they could, Grand Admiral Thrawn arrived above the Dome in his Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera.

With the Chimaera blocking their path, Ezra contacted Grand Admiral Thrawn, stating he had taken Governor Pryce and the entire Imperial army on Lothal prisoner. However, Thrawn countered that Ezra had merely moved his forces to a safe location to bombard Capital City's civilians. Horrified, Ezra ordered the deflector shields raised, but Rex reported they were offline. Meanwhile, Rukh had ordered Thrawn's forces to shut down the north and south deflector shield generators. The Chimaera then bombarded Capital City, destroying buildings and causing numerous civilian casualties.

To stop the killings, Ezra pleaded with Thrawn, offering his surrender. Thrawn accepted, warning Ezra and his friends against heroics, lest he destroy Capital City and Lothal. While the rebels debated, Ezra, with Sabine and Chopper's help, escaped through a ceiling hatchway and departed in a patrol transport for Thrawn's flagship. Since the shield generator chambers were heavily guarded, Sabine proposed splitting the assault teams to capture both power terminals.

Aboard the Chimaera, Thrawn and Ezra debated Ezra's decision to surrender and Jedi philosophy. Thrawn led Ezra to a chamber where the Emperor had reconstructed a portion of the Lothal Jedi Temple. Appearing via hologram, the Emperor tried to convince Ezra to unlock the portal to the World Between Worlds, offering reunion with his parents. However, Ezra realized the Emperor's plans and used the Force to collapse the Jedi Temple structure. The Emperor ordered three Royal Guards and stormtroopers to kill Ezra, but he crushed them with debris.

Proceeding according to their contingency strategy, the Spectres together with the Lothal resistance divided themselves into a pair of teams: Team One, composed of Rex, Hondo, and Ketsu, and Team Two, composed of Zeb, Kallus, and Gregor. Meanwhile, Hera and Sabine oversaw the operation from the command center, while Team One and Team Two launched assaults on the north and south towers. During their advance through the Dome's interior hallways, the rebels were ambushed by stormtroopers, death troopers, and Rukh. Despite the intense combat, the rebels were able to secure their objectives. However, Gregor was fatally wounded by an Imperial weapons technician. Zeb also engaged Rukh in close-quarters combat, managing to trap the Noghri's leg against a conduit within the south tower. The reactivation of the shield generators resulted in Rukh's electrocution and death.

With Ezra once again at large, Thrawn attempted a second bombardment of Lothal City, only to discover that the rebels had successfully reactivated the Dome's deflector shields. Upon attempting to contact Rukh, Thrawn was met with the sounds of the Noghri assassin's final moments. In another location, Mart, accompanied by Wolffe and Vizago, initiated Ezra's secret secondary plan, which involved piloting the Ghost into Lothal's upper atmosphere to transmit on Frequency Zero. This transmission alerted a sizable group of purrgil, space-faring creatures capable of hyperspace travel, who had previously formed an alliance with the Spectres during a conflict with the Mining Guild years prior.

Following the unsuccessful second bombardment attempt, Ezra confronted Thrawn on the bridge of the Chimaera, where Thrawn dismissed the Empire's setbacks as merely "momentary." At that instant, Thrawn received an urgent distress signal from Captain Gilad Pellaeon, reporting the emergence of several "unidentified objects" from hyperspace that decimated Thrawn's fleet. An officer then informed Thrawn that all ships within the blockade had "simply vanished." Thrawn and Ezra then witnessed the Ghost leading a large group of purrgil toward the Chimaera. The purrgil subsequently attached themselves to the Chimaera, ensnaring Thrawn and several stormtroopers with their tentacles. Resolving to eliminate the threat Thrawn posed to Lothal and the Rebellion, Ezra utilized the Force to command the purrgil to transport him and the Chimaera beyond the galaxy to Peridea.

Having accepted Ezra's choice of self-imposed exile, the Spectres and the Lothal resistance moved forward with their scheme to launch and detonate the Dome, eliminating Lothal's Imperial garrison. As Chopper initiated the Dome's thrusters, Hera coordinated a rendezvous with Mart Mattin. Before their departure, Ryder attempted to reason with Governor Pryce, offering her an opportunity to escape with them. However, Pryce remained steadfast in her loyalty to the Empire, choosing to remain until the very end. The Spectres then exited the command center through its transparisteel canopy, escaping aboard the Ghost just as stormtroopers breached the room. The Ghost retrieved the rebels from the executive landing bay.

Once the Dome reached Lothal's upper atmosphere, Sabine triggered the detonators located within the "Dome." The resulting explosion annihilated the mobile Imperial occupation facility, eliminating Governor Pryce and the majority of the Imperial garrison stationed on Lothal. The explosion was observed by the citizens of Capital City, who celebrated the end of Imperial control over Lothal. While the Spectres and their allies reflected on the implications of Ezra's actions, the remaining Imperials within the city were apprehended by Lothal's citizens. This event signified the conclusion of Imperial rule on Lothal.

The inhabitants of Lothal braced themselves for a potential Imperial counterattack. However, due to the unfolding events of the Battle of Scarif and the broader Galactic Civil War, the Empire was unable to dedicate resources to retake the planet. The Alliance to Restore the Republic did not formally endorse the Liberation of Lothal. Nevertheless, the Alliance frequently cited its success as an example throughout the Galactic Civil War. Lothal experienced a period of renewed prosperity, and the Emperor's dominion over the galaxy concluded with the pivotal Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, leading to the downfall of the Galactic Empire.

Following the Battle of Endor, the Rebellion established the New Republic and reinstated the Galactic Senate. After a year of prolonged conflict, the New Republic achieved victory over the Empire at the Battle of Jakku in 5 ABY. The New Republic entered into a peace agreement with Grand Vizier Mas Amedda known as the Galactic Concordance, officially bringing an end to the Empire and the Galactic Civil War. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Spectres pursued their individual paths, while Sabine Wren remained on Lothal, determined to uncover Ezra's whereabouts and bring him home.

Thrawn was declared dead following the battle, although his death was not definitively confirmed, and it became widely believed that Bridger had also made the ultimate sacrifice to stop the Grand Admiral. However, the truth was that both survived and found themselves on the planet Peridea, where their paths diverged, with Thrawn seeking to rebuild his surviving forces while Bridger became a wanderer whom Thrawn attempted to monitor.

The Liberation of Lothal marks the culmination of Dave Filoni's animated Disney XD television series Star Wars Rebels. The liberation served as the central narrative of the Season Four episodes "A Fool's Hope" and "Family Reunion – and Farewell," the penultimate episode and series finale of the Rebels television series, which premiered on March 5, 2018.