Mission to Reklam Station

During 2 BBY, the Galactic Empire maintained a mobile scrap yard known as Reklam Station, situated within the gas planet of Yarma. Reklam Station's purpose was to dismantle obsolete Y-wing starfighters for their raw materials. The Empire employed Ugnaught laborers for this task. One such Ugnaught, named Terba, attempted an escape, but was apprehended and imprisoned at the Imperial prison on Naraka. While incarcerated, Terba became friends with Hondo Ohnaka, a cunning Weequay pirate.

Hondo reached out to his former associate Ezra Bridger, a member of the Spectres, and convinced him to orchestrate a rescue in exchange for critical intelligence beneficial to the burgeoning rebellion. Ezra and his team infiltrated Naraka prison, successfully liberating both Hondo and Terba. Tragically, Terba was killed during the escape attempt, but Hondo was able to provide the rebels with intel regarding Reklam Station. The Phoenix Cell, of which the Spectres were a part, sanctioned a reconnaissance mission to confirm Hondo's information. In return for his assistance, the Phoenix rebels agreed to provide Hondo with a hyperspace-capable smuggling starship and a crew.

Commander Jun Sato, the leader of the Phoenix group, promoted Ezra Bridger to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in recognition of his actions on Naraka. He then assigned him to lead the reconnaissance mission targeting Reklam Station. Ezra's team included the rebels Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, Chopper, Rex, and Hondo. The team traveled to Yarma aboard the Phantom. Due to the inability to directly travel to Yarma, Sabine and Chopper exited hyperspace at the Sereeda Waypoint, located within Mining Guild space.

A Mining Guild patrol quickly intercepted the rebels, detecting their unauthorized entry. After eliminating two TIE/mg Mining Guild starfighters, Ezra's team engaged their hyperdrive and resumed their journey to Yarma. The Phantom traversed Yarma's gaseous atmosphere and eventually spotted Reklam Station. However, Imperial DTS-series Dismantler Droids detected their ship. The local Imperial Commander, Brom Titus, deployed two dismantler droids to intercept the ship. Titus, formerly an Admiral who commanded a prototype Imperial Interdictor that was destroyed by Ezra's rebel cell a year prior, had been demoted and reassigned to managing a junkyard as punishment.

Chopper successfully shot down one droid utilizing the ship's rear cannon. The other droid latched onto the rear of the Phantom. Captain Rex opened the ship's rear hatch and engaged the dismantler droid in combat. He nearly fell off during the struggle, but Zeb pulled him back inside the ship. Rex managed to shoot the dismantler droid with his blaster, causing it to fall into Yarma's volatile depths. However, the Phantom sustained damage, and Sabine nearly lost control of the ship. She ultimately regained control and landed the ship beneath a platform on Reklam Station.

Upon landing the Phantom, Ezra and his team infiltrated the junkyard. They soon encountered a group of Ugnaught laborers. Hondo, fluent in the Ugnaught language, persuaded the workers to assist the rebels in exchange for their freedom. The Ugnaughts promptly disabled the station's conveyor belt. However, the rebels needed to refuel the Y-wings, as the Imperials had drained their fuel tanks. The rebels eventually managed to refuel the starfighters but were spotted by a third dismantler droid, which alerted Commander Titus.

In response, Commander Titus activated the magnetic locks securing the Y-wings and dispatched a squad of stormtroopers to confront the rebels. After learning from the Ugnaughts that the control tower had overridden everything, Ezra and Rex headed to the command center. The third dismantler droid then attacked Chopper, Sabine, and Zeb. It trapped the three rebels on a Y-wing and attempted to dislodge them. However, Rex returned and used a magnetic crane to attack the "clanker." Following a brief struggle, he trapped the dismantler droid against a metal container before throwing it off the floating station. The dismantler droid plummeted to its demise in the volatile depths of Yarma.

Meanwhile, Ezra defeated Titus' squad of stormtroopers. Hera Syndulla and Commander Sato then contacted Ezra, and the young Jedi claimed that the recon mission was proceeding successfully. However, the two quickly realized that Ezra had disobeyed orders and initiated a recovery mission. They then dispatched three battle cruisers to Yarma. Ezra then fought his way into the Imperial control tower and confronted Commander Titus. Following a brief exchange, Titus revealed that he had sabotaged the control unit and that the only way to release the starfighters was to cut power to the station, which would kill everyone aboard.

However, Ezra remained undeterred and destroyed the power unit. This action freed the Y-wings but also triggered Reklam Station's destruction. Meanwhile, Hondo and the Ugnaughts escaped on a stolen Imperial landing craft, which they claimed as payment for their services to the rebels. The other rebels departed on the remaining Y-wings, with Chopper using the relay navigation system to remotely pilot the starfighters. The rebels, minus Ezra, then headed into space but were unable to jump into hyperspace because the starfighters' hyperdrives had been removed.

To further complicate the situation, the rebel Y-wings were intercepted by an Imperial Star Destroyer under the command of Governor Arihnda Pryce, Admiral Kassius Konstantine, and Agent Kallus. Pryce had received Titus' message regarding the rebel raid but had arrived too late to prevent the rebels from destroying the station. Governor Pryce's Star Destroyer launched a swarm of TIE fighters against the rebel Y-wings. Meanwhile, Titus ordered an evacuation while Ezra attempted to reach the Phantom. However, the platform supporting the Phantom broke apart and fell into the volatile depths of Yarma.

With the station collapsing into Yarma's depths, Ezra contacted his master Kanan Jarrus for assistance. Shortly thereafter, Kanan arrived with Hera and Phoenix Squadron. The rebels landed the stolen Y-wings aboard the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier Phoenix Nest, which evacuated the stolen Y-wings. Kanan and Hera then flew the freighter Ghost into the depths of Yarma, where Kanan rescued Ezra from the disintegrating junkyard. Having rescued Ezra, the Ghost returned to space.

Despite possessing an advantage over the Phoenix rebels, Governor Pryce received orders from Grand Admiral Thrawn to permit the rebels to escape with their limited gains. After receiving a battle update from Pryce and her comrades, Thrawn realized that the rebels had not deployed their entire fleet. As a strategist and tactician, Thrawn was not content with merely destroying one rebel cell and sought the complete annihilation of the rebel fleet. Consequently, Ezra's strike team and the Phoenix rebel ships were able to escape into hyperspace.

As a direct result of Ezra's unauthorized "recovery mission" at Reklam Station, the Phoenix rebels successfully liberated the Ugnaught laborers and acquired Y-wing starfighters. These starfighters were then transferred to General Jan Dodonna's unit, which was an integral part of the expanding rebellion. Ezra faced disciplinary action from Hera for disobeying orders, endangering his team, and causing the destruction of the Phantom. As a consequence of his reckless actions, Hera relieved him of his duties as Lieutenant Commander. Due to Kanan's involvement in his rescue, Ezra reconciled with his master. Bridger later regained the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

The mission to Reklam Station was first depicted in Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow, the season premiere of the third season of Star Wars Rebels, which aired on September 24, 2016 on Disney XD.