"Liberty on Ryloth" stands as the twenty-first installment within Season One of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated television program. As the series' twenty-first episode overall, it serves as the concluding chapter in a three-part narrative arc that began with "Storm Over Ryloth." Its chronological placement falls between the episode preceding it and the Season Two episode titled "Holocron Heist."
While Mace Windu advances toward Lessu City along a cliffside trail with his forces and AT-TE walkers, they encounter an ambush set by numerous AATs. The tanks disable the lead walker and then redirect their fire to the rear, aiming to trap and annihilate the Republic troops. Mace rescues the gunner, and then Commander Ponds approaches him, informing Windu of their predicament. Windu and Ponds instruct Lightning Squadron to move forward, while Windu employs the Force to push the disabled walker off the cliff, clearing the path. Lightning Squadron disembarks from the AT-TEs and advances. Mace, Commander Ponds, and the rest of Lightning Squadron then overwhelm the tanks and droids using AT-RTs and grenades. Subsequently, Ponds informs Windu that they have suffered thirty-two casualties, along with the command crews of three walkers. A recon droid observes Windu and Ponds, discovering the Republic's accelerated timeline to Lessu and the necessity for additional support to secure the city.
From his command center within Lessu, Emir Wat Tambor monitors the situation, consulting with his tactical droid, TA-175. Despite unfavorable odds, Tambor refuses to retreat, asserting that Windu lacks the necessary forces to capture the city. Tambor commands all droids to assemble within the city and fortify the bridge. During a holographic conference aboard Windu's lead AT-TE, Anakin Skywalker informs Mace, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Yoda, Admiral Yularen, and Senator Orn Free Taa that his fighters have secured the airspace around Ryloth. Mace notes that Obi-Wan has taken the Jixuan desert, securing the southern hemisphere of Ryloth; the remaining objective is to reclaim Lessu. Republic intelligence confirms Tambor's command center is located there. Yoda emphasizes the importance of capturing Tambor upon taking the city, but Mace expresses uncertainty, noting Tambor's well-chosen stronghold and the potential for a prolonged siege due to the plasma bridge being the sole access point. Facing stretched resources, Mace opts to seek assistance from the Twi'lek Resistance led by Cham Syndulla. Chancellor Palpatine cautions that Syndulla was a radical prior to the war and can be unpredictable. Senator Taa adds that they were political adversaries before the war and remain so, suggesting Syndulla's pursuit of power. Windu prioritizes the needs of the people over politics, leaving that to Senator Taa, and will do what he must to help his people. Palpatine requests reinforcements, but Admiral Yularen reports their unavailability. Mace concludes that the Republic cannot prevail without Syndulla's cooperation.
Mace and two members of Lightning Squadron discover the site of a massacre, marked by Twi'lek graves. Mace detects recent animal tracks and hears the sound of one of the animals. Mace advances along with troopers Razor and Stak.
Meanwhile, Count Dooku informs Tambor that his tactical droid has reported Tambor's "pitiful job". Tambor insists that the droid has exaggerated, and asserts that he has not lost; Dooku states that Tambor is no match for Windu and orders him to retreat with what valuables he can and destroy everything else. Tambor is rather alarmed, but Dooku explains: Ryloth's fate will demonstrate to the galaxy the cost of a "Republic victory." Mace and the two troopers encounter a patrol of battle droids searching for another lost patrol, but instead of engaging them, Mace allows the rebels to attack them. They encounter the freedom fighters, but Cham Syndulla is rather adamant against giving his help to the Republic.
TA-175 notifies Tambor that their bombers are ready for launch and states he will ready Tambor's ship for evacuation. However, Tambor is not yet ready to leave. Mace, Razor, and Stak accompany Cham to his hideout beneath a wrecked C-9979 landing craft. Mace suggests that they can prevent another massacre, but Cham retorts that the Republic failed to intervene during the initial droid invasion, forcing their surrender. Subsequently, the Separatists deployed tanks for extermination. Stak examines a blurrg, but after it snaps at him, Tae Boon chuckles and claims that his blurrg is faster than their riding machines, though Stak is doubtful.
Despite his reservations about the Republic, Cham upholds the Twi'lek tradition of offering their guests whatever food and drink they still possess. The Separatist bombers launch, and Tambor targets all the villages within range, starting with the inhabited ones. Ponds leads his troops and the AT-TEs to a village where he plans to spare some of their rations to the hungry Twi'lek women and children in the village, but the village is suddenly obliterated by the bombers. Cham informs Mace of his distrust for Senator Taa. Despite the clone troopers' intended post-war presence to ensure security and maintain peace, Cham insists that another armed occupation does not equate to a free Ryloth. Syndulla questions how long it will be before he's fighting the Republic and the Jedi. Upon receiving a report from Ponds regarding the destroyed villages, Cham decides to speak with Taa.
Tambor oversees the loading of valuables onto his shuttle by Twi'lek slaves. A droid informs Tambor that two more transports are en route from the south sector, prompting Tambor to await the arrival of the last of the world's valuables, much to Dooku's fury, who wants him out of the city before the Republic arrives: once Windu has invaded the city, Dooku orders it to be bombed from afar. TA-175 will do so, despite what Tambor wants. Cham and Senator Taa engage in a holographic conference and begin to verbally spar; Mace regulates the conference, and Anakin reports that his fighters are trying to destroy the bombers, but there are too many. Mace instructs him to destroy the bombers and then meet him at the capital, and Anakin continues to engage the bombers with assistance from his Padawan Ahsoka Tano. With assistance from Mace, Cham and Taa reach an agreement: Taa will not let Ryloth fall to another armed occupation, while Cham promises he will not seek power, and rallies his men.
Meanwhile, battle droids escort the civilians of Lessu to the outer wall to slow Windu down. As Mace and Cham discover this, they spot two MTTs making their way toward the city. Cham reports that his spies say that they are filled with stolen treasure, and they decide to use them to get across and activate the bridge despite the chance of being scanned. Mace, Razor, and Stak eliminate a battle droid on a STAP and enter the rear transport, while Cham prepares to lead the attack. Mace orders Ponds to create a diversion and get Lightning squadron ready. The plasma bridge is activated for the transports, and they begin to cross; Tambor prepares to leave with the last of the treasures. However, the battle droids scan the transports, and they pick up an anomaly in the second transport. As the droids open the transport's doors, Mace and the troopers exit the transport and destroy the two battle droids, while the Republic forces begin to open fire. The bridge is deactivated, and Mace uses the Force to push Razor and Stak across. Mace uses an STAP to get to the other side, and battle droids begin to attack the three. Mace orders the troopers to get the bridge back up while he holds the droids off, and Cham begins his charge. Mace takes out an entire droid squad and a tank on his own, while Razor and Stak get the bridge up just in time for Cham, Ponds and their forces to cross. The citizens of Lessu wave happily at the passing freedom fighters; Mace instructs Cham to take care of the droids while he finds Tambor. The freedom fighters and Lightning Squadron take out the AATs and the droids quickly.
In the control room, Razor and Stak are ambushed by several battle droids and two commando droids but they defeat them. TA-175 lifts off in the shuttle without waiting for Tambor, much to the latter's surprise. TA-175 reports to Dooku regarding Tambor's refusal to retreat in time. Despite this unfortunate setback, Dooku gives the order for the bombers to destroy the city immediately. Mace subdues Tambor's two super battle droid guards and holds Tambor at bay. Tambor tries to reason with the Jedi but Windu refuses since he has the upper hand. Tambor then states that a surrender is unnecessary since the bombers are coming and they both will perish for the glory of the Separatist Alliance. While the bombers approach, Anakin and Ahsoka attack and destroy them. Freedom fighters and clone troopers surround Tambor. Tambor then asks Cham for his terms of surrender; Cham states that they are unconditional, and Tambor reluctantly agrees. Syndulla thanks Windu for freeing his world. Later, Cham and Senator Taa wave to the people in a parade with both the freedom fighters and the clone forces with Windu and Ponds watching in satisfaction. Ryloth is free.
Henry Gilroy drew inspiration from the French Revolution for this episode, which also marked the introduction of Cham Syndulla. Executive producer Dave Filoni likened him to the leader of the French Resistance during World War II, after his character was altered from a Separatist agent deceiving his people and later escaping aboard the Separatist shuttle to a freedom fighter, aligning better with the plot's requirements.
The initial concept involved Mace Windu using his lightsaber to breach the fallen walker's canopy, but this was revised to showcase his unique ability to perceive and exploit shatterpoints. An earlier iteration of the story featured Mace rescuing captive Twi'leks from a prison suspended over a volcano; however, the designs bore too much resemblance to Mustafar, prompting a change in the narrative.
The episode guide reveals a quote from a deleted scene, introducing the character of RB-551. The scene was subsequently reinserted into the "Director's Cut" version of the episode on the DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the first season.
The Ark of the Covenant, a very famous ancient biblical artifact (as seen in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, written and produced by George Lucas), can be seen being loaded onto Tambor's shuttle with other treasures from Ryloth. The only difference is that the golden cherubs are Twi'leks.
Blurrgs make an appearance, creatures first seen in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.
This episode marks the second appearance of the BX-series droid commando. So far, the commando droids first appeared in "Rookies."