Mission to steal Imperial weapons

In the year 5 BBY, the rebel crew manning the Ghost, a freighter, engaged in various operations against the Galactic Empire on Lothal, a planet situated in the Outer Rim. Shortly after their successful mission to liberate Wookiee slaves from the spice mines of Kessel, the crew faced a critical shortage of essential supplies, including food, explosives, and fuel. An attempt to commandeer an Imperial supply shipment resulted in a confrontation with an Imperial-class Star Destroyer and a squadron of TIE/ln space superiority starfighters. Though the Ghost managed to evade the Imperial forces, they did so without acquiring the desperately needed supplies. Realizing that their ability to continue fighting the Galactic Empire and even maintain the Ghost's operations was in jeopardy without resupply or money, Kanan Jarrus, the crew's field leader, proposed accepting a job from Cikatro Vizago, a crime lord on Lothal. This suggestion met with resistance from Garazeb Orrelios, the Lasat crew member, who objected to acting as arms dealers for the Devaronian criminal. However, Ezra Bridger, the Padawan and Jedi student of Jarrus, supported the idea. Jarrus revealed that the mission involved intercepting an Imperial arms deal on the planet Garel. After further discussion, the crew set course for Capital City on Lothal to commence their mission.

Concurrently, the Empire prepared for the arms transaction, where Minister Maketh Tua of Lothal was scheduled to meet with Amda Wabo, a weapons manufacturer, to acquire Wabo's T-7 ion disruptor rifles on Garel. These disruptors, known for their devastating effects on sentient beings, had previously been outlawed by the Imperial Senate following their use in the near-extinction of the Lasat species. To facilitate communication with Wabo, an Aqualish, Tua enlisted the assistance of two droids: R2-D2, an astromech droid, and C-3PO, a protocol droid. These droids were loaned to Arihnda Pryce, Lothal's governor, by Bail Organa, a Senator from Alderaan, who secretly intended for the illegal weapons to be destroyed. However, only R2-D2 was privy to their true objective, while the talkative C-3PO remained unaware.

Upon their arrival at the starport in Capital City, the rebels boarded a Star Commuter 2000 transport shuttle headed for Garel, a destination just a few minutes away from Lothal via hyperspace. To avoid raising suspicion and to execute their plan for locating the weapons, the rebels pretended not to know each other while boarding the shuttle. Bridger and C1-10P, the rebels' astromech droid known as Chopper, sat together, while Orrelios and Wren occupied seats across from them. Tua and Wabo arrived soon after and were seated in front, just ahead of Orrelios and Wren. R2-D2 and C-3PO followed shortly, and Jarrus arrived at the last moment, feigning lateness. Once everyone was aboard, the shuttle departed Lothal and jumped to hyperspace towards Garel.

During the journey to Garel, Chopper created a diversion by pretending to start a fight with Bridger, drawing attention to their location. Jarrus, still acting as a stranger, demanded that RX-24, the pilot droid, enforce Imperial regulations regarding droids in the passenger area. With Chopper sent to the back of the shuttle, Bridger demanded that C-3PO and R2-D2 also be relocated to the rear. Despite Tua's objections, as she needed them for her mission, RX-24 complied and sent the two Imperial droids to the back. With Tua unable to communicate with Wabo, Wren offered her services as a translator, posing as a loyal student from the [Imperial Academy](/article/academy_for_young_imperials]. Speaking in Aqualish, Wren inquired about the location of the T-7 disruptor shipment on Garel. Wabo revealed that they were in Bay 7, but Wren intentionally misled Tua, informing the Minister that they were in Bay 17. This deception would buy the rebels time to steal the weapons before the Empire could reach them.

The ship arrived at the Garel City Spaceport shortly thereafter, and the rebels and Imperials disembarked. While the Empire headed for the wrong cargo bay, the rebels commenced the next phase of their plan. Bridger was assigned the task of crawling through a ventilation system to reach Bay 7, where he would unlock the door for the rest of the crew. Bridger, who had been a thief while living alone on Lothal, resented having to resort to stealing and infiltration again, as he had joined the crew of the Ghost so Jarrus could train him as a Jedi—training that had yet to begin. He made his way to a rooftop and across a number of others before arriving at the cargo bay, where he found the cache of weapons and opened the door for the others. Once Jarrus, Wren, and Orrelios arrived, Syndulla—who made her way to Garel aboard the Ghost—landed the ship.

As the Ghost touched down, the rebels inspected the weapons and discovered that they were T-7 disruptors. Orrelios was horrified by this revelation, having witnessed their devastating effects on his people. Despite Orrelios' reluctance, Jarrus ordered the weapons to be loaded onto the Ghost. Meanwhile, the Imperials arrived at Bay 17 only to find that it was empty. Wabo corrected them, stating that the weapons were in Bay 7, a fact that C-3PO translated for the Minister. Tua ordered her stormtroopers to proceed to the correct cargo bay, where the rebels were still loading the weapons. Chopper, who was spying on the Imperials, was discovered, leading Tua to realize that she had been tricked by Wren and the rebels.

The Imperials arrived in Bay 7 just as the cargo crates were being loaded. The stormtroopers demanded the rebels surrender, but while Orrelios distracted them, the weapons continued to be loaded onto the Ghost. As the stormtroopers attempted to inspect the crates, which Orrelios claimed were his, the Lasat attacked the soldiers, leading to a firefight between the Imperials and the rebels. During the firefight, R2-D2 realized that the thieves were rebels and led C-3PO aboard the Ghost, which took off and departed Garel once the remaining weapons were loaded. Jarrus ordered restraining bolts to be placed on the droids, not realizing what their true mission was.

The realization that the mission was to steal the disruptors led to some debate amongst the crew, a debate that R2-D2 recorded. Orrelios did not want to sell the disruptors to Vizago, instead wanting to destroy them so they could never be used again. Wren was thankful that, at the very least, they were out of Imperial hands, as she had learned through her translating that the Empire intended to mass produce them on Lothal. Jarrus was satisfied that the Empire could not have the weapons, but was insistent that they still sell the weapons to Vizago for the credits the crew needed. Wren also suggested selling C-3PO and R2-D2 to Vizago for extra credits.

While the rebels were en route to Lothal, Minister Tua contacted Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau, who had taken an interest in the rebels during their rescue mission on Kessel. Tua informed the ISB Agent of the weapons theft and described the crew, including how one crew member was a Lasat, prompting Kallus to realize it was the rebels he had been tracking.

After Jarrus confirmed the crew's rendezvous with Vizago, the Ghost landed in the crime lord's encampment on Lothal. Before the crew disembarked, R2-D2 revealed that his real mission was to ensure that the disruptors did not fall into Imperial hands and that his master—whom the droid did not identify as Senator Organa—would provide a generous reward if the droids were returned to him. Jarrus said he would consider it, but nonetheless pushed ahead with his plan to sell the weapons to Vizago. While the rebels unloaded the weapons, C-3PO sent a distress call to Governor Pryce, saying that he and R2-D2 had been abducted by criminals. The signal was intercepted aboard Kallus' ship, the Lawbringer, and Kallus himself replied to the worried protocol droid. C-3PO, who believed Kallus would rescue him, sent the ISB Agent the location of the Ghost.

As Imperial forces prepared to attack the rebels, Vizago inspected the weapons that the crew had stolen for him. Before Vizago could pay the rebels, however, Kallus' forces arrived, including multiple stormtroopers and two AT-DP walkers. Vizago fled the scene with some of the disruptors, unwilling to pay for only half a shipment, and left the rebels behind to deal with the Imperial forces. Unwilling to risk the disruptors falling into Imperial hands, Jarrus ordered Wren to destroy them. R2-D2, who disembarked from the ship with C-3PO, offered his assistance in destroying the weapons, thus fulfilling Senator Organa's orders. R2-D2 suggested overloading the disruptors so they would explode, a plan that Wren agreed with. Jarrus took one of the weapons for himself in order to eliminate the AT-DPs, while the rest of the crew helped Wren.

The walkers began firing on the rebels' location, and Jarrus took one of them out. Orrelios and Bridger ran to his aid once a walker fired at him, and they watched as Kallus and his stormtroopers approached. Once Kallus saw Orrelios, he demanded that the Lasat face him in combat. The two fought using AB-75 bo-rifles, the weapon of the Lasan High Honor Guard—Kallus revealed he had stolen the weapon from a Lasat he had killed, and that Kallus himself had personally ordered the use of the disruptors on Lasan. Enraged, Orrelios continued fighting against the ISB Agent. While the two fought, the rebels overloaded the disruptors and pushed them towards the remaining walker and the stormtroopers, triggering explosions that took out both the weapons, the soldiers, and the AT-DP.

The resulting explosions triggered a small ground tremor, causing Orrelios to lose his balance. Kallus found the upper hand and nearly killed his opponent, before Bridger spontaneously used the Force to throw Kallus through the air, away from Orrelios. The rebels were able to use that as an opportunity to grab Orrelios and return to the Ghost, which took off and departed Lothal, leaving Kallus behind.

Following their escape from Kallus, the crew reconvened aboard the Ghost. Orrelios expressed his gratitude to Bridger for saving him, and Jarrus informed Bridger that his formal Jedi training would commence the following day. Shortly thereafter, the Ghost docked with the Tantive IV, Senator Organa's corvette, where Jarrus returned the droids to the grateful senator—although the rebels were unaware of Organa's identity. In exchange for the droids' safe return, Organa provided them with a monetary reward. Jarrus disembarked, and R2-D2 presented Organa with the recordings he had made of the rebel cell. Unbeknownst to Jarrus, Organa was also a member of the emerging Rebel Alliance, which communicated with and assigned missions to rebel cells throughout the galaxy. As a consequence of this mission, Syndulla established contact with Ahsoka Tano, a key figure in the movement. Tano, identifying herself solely as "Fulcrum," frequently dispatched missions to the rebels, tasking them with striking against the Empire.

Bridger's act of saving Orrelios' life remained a point of contention between the two for a brief period after the mission. Bridger often reminded Orrelios, with whom he shared quarters aboard the Ghost, of his role in saving the Lasat from Agent Kallus, leading to disagreements between the two bunkmates. These disputes escalated to the point where Syndulla sent them on a supply run together in an attempt to resolve their differences. During the supply run, they inadvertently became embroiled in a skirmish with Imperial forces and stole a TIE fighter, which they then used to attack a group of Imperial Troop Transports and rescue imprisoned civilians. This situation forced Bridger and Orrelios to work together to return to the Ghost, ultimately allowing them to resolve their differences.

The crew encountered Organa once again some time later during a mission to rescue Jarrus from Imperial captivity. Jarrus had been captured by Wilhuff Tarkin, the Grand Moff, who sought to gain information about the wider rebel movement. Chopper sent a message to "Fulcrum," requesting reinforcements to aid them in their battle against the Empire in orbit of the planet Mustafar. A rebel fleet arrived in orbit of Mustafar, assisting the crew in their escape from the Empire. This marked the first instance of rebel cells openly collaborating. Once the rebels were in hyperspace, Organa contacted the crew via hologram, at which point Syndulla revealed his true identity. The crew also met Tano and learned that she was Fulcrum.

During the liberation of Lothal, Vizago openly expressed his regret at having met Bridger that day, as it had permanently placed him on the Empire's radar.

The rebels' mission to steal the T-7 ion disruptor rifles formed the core narrative of "Droids in Distress," the inaugural regular series episode of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels. The event was initially referenced in Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide, a reference book that introduced the characters and settings of the show, and was described as an arms deal in which C-3PO and R2-D2 encountered the rebels and went on "an unexpected adventure." The Visual Guide also introduced the fact that the droids were on loan to Governor Pryce by Senator Organa, thereby setting up the backstory of the episode.

StarWars.com drew a comparison between the illicit Imperial arms deal in "Droids in Distress" and the capture of Leia Organa, the Princess, in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, highlighting how the Imperial regime would sometimes bypass the authority of the Imperial Senate. In the episode, the Empire arranges for the arms deal in secret so as to avoid the attention of the Imperial Senate, whereas A New Hope implies that the Imperial Senate would not approve of the fact that Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, and the Empire boarded the Tantive IV and took Princess Leia captive.