During the Galactic Civil War against the Galactic Empire, [Kanan Jarrus](/article/kanan_jarrus], a Jedi, and Rex, a Captain, undertook a rescue operation on the Imperial Interdictor, an experimental vessel. Their mission was to liberate Jun Sato, a Commander, Ezra Bridger, a Padawan, along with other members of the Phoenix Cell. These individuals had been taken prisoner after the Interdictor utilized gravity well projectors to extract their ship from hyperspace. Jarrus and Rex achieved success in their endeavor. With assistance from Bridger and Chopper, an astromech droid, the rebels annihilated the experimental warship, preventing it from disrupting the rebel fleet's maneuvers.
In the year 4 BBY, the Galactic Empire engineered a novel prototype Interdictor ship, designated the Imperial Interdictor. Given its experimental status, the Empire conducted trials of this vessel within the isolated Del Zennis system. Admiral Brom Titus held command of the vessel during these tests. Around this time, a rebel patrol craft vanished within the Del Zennis system. Consequently, Commander Jun Sato, accompanied by several rebels including Ezra Bridger, a Jedi apprentice, journeyed aboard the CR90 corvette known as the Liberator to investigate the disappearance.
As the Liberator traversed the Del Zennis system, the Imperial Interdictor's gravity well projectors forced it out of hyperspace. Subsequently, the Imperials froze the ship's controls and jammed all communications. Despite the interference, Commander Sato managed to transmit a distress signal to the Phoenix Cell, reporting that an unknown Imperial weapon had pulled his ship from hyperspace. Shortly thereafter, stormtroopers boarded the Liberator and captured its crew. Admiral Titus identified Commander Sato and Ezra as wanted rebels. Upon receiving information from Agent Kallus regarding Ezra's Force-sensitivity, Sato instructed three of his men to confine Ezra within a secure cell.
The rebel ship Ghost, serving as the base for the Spectres, received Sato's distress call. Sabine Wren, a former Imperial cadet, correctly deduced that the Empire was developing a new Interdictor cruiser. While [Kanan Jarrus](/article/kanan_jarrus], Ezra's master, advocated for a full-scale rescue mission involving the entire crew to save Ezra and the Phoenix rebels, Hera Syndulla, the Ghost's captain, proposed an alternative strategy. Her plan involved Kanan and Rex, the former Clone Captain, disguising themselves as stormtroopers to infiltrate the Imperial Interdictor using a stolen Imperial shuttle. The astromech droid Chopper would accompany them, disguised as an Imperial droid.
Despite Kanan's inherent distrust of clone troopers stemming from the Great Jedi Purge, he reluctantly consented to collaborate with Rex for the greater good of the rebel cause. Upon arriving in the Del Zennis system, Rex successfully secured permission to dock with the Imperial Interdictor by falsely claiming that their shuttle was experiencing an emergency. After landing in the ship's hangar bay, Kanan employed a Jedi mind trick to deceive the stormtrooper sentries, allowing them passage. Concurrently, Ezra managed to escape his stormtrooper captors by utilizing the Force to activate his lightsaber-blaster, startling the guard. Subsequently, Ezra locked his three captors within a secure cell.
Shortly thereafter, Kanan and Rex arrived. Unaware of their identities due to their Imperial disguises, Ezra stunned them with his lightsaber-blaster. Upon recognizing Chopper, Ezra realized his error. As Kanan and Rex regained consciousness, he asserted that they had been caught in a crossfire. However, Chopper promptly presented a holographic recording of Ezra shooting them. Having rescued Ezra, the rebels then divided their forces. While Kanan and Rex proceeded to liberate Commander Sato and the other prisoners, Chopper and Ezra resolved to sabotage the ship's gravity well projectors.
Meanwhile, Admiral Titus received notification of Ezra's escape and issued orders to secure all levels and hangar bays. He also commanded that Ezra be killed on sight to disprove Agent Kallus's assessment of underestimating the rebel youth. Within the ship's reactor core, Ezra diverted the attention of the Imperial technicians while Chopper deactivated the gravity field. After disrupting the gravity well projectors, Chopper reactivated the gravity field, causing the Imperials to crash below. Ezra narrowly evaded the skirmish and joined Chopper in fleeing the stormtrooper reinforcements.
Elsewhere on the Imperial Interdictor, Kanan and Rex successfully freed Commander Sato and his crew. While attempting to return to the Liberator, they were pursued by numerous stormtroopers. As the other rebels escaped through a blast door, Rex remained behind to fend off the Imperials. Despite his valiant efforts, he was stunned by a stormtrooper and taken prisoner. Meanwhile, Ezra and Chopper reunited with Kanan, Sato, and the rebel crew. While Ezra assisted Commander Sato and his crew in fighting their way back to the CR90 corvette, Kanan returned to rescue Rex.
Meanwhile, Admiral Titus summoned Rex to his chambers. Upon learning of the Clone Captain's distinguished service record, he offered Rex amnesty in exchange for persuading the other rebels to surrender. When Rex refused to serve the Galactic Empire, Titus ordered an interrogator droid to torture the Clone veteran to death. Before Titus could complete the execution, Kanan, disguised as a stormtrooper, entered the chambers and attacked Titus's men. Having rescued the wounded Rex, the two Clone Wars veterans escaped the Interdictor aboard an escape pod.
After escaping the Imperial Interdictor, Commander Sato's CR90 corvette attempted to jump into hyperspace. However, Admiral Titus ordered his crew to activate the Interdictor's gravity-well projectors. The gravity well-protectors then suddenly malfunctioned and began attracting every nearby object including the Interdictor's two escort Arquitens-class command cruisers. The CR90 corvette managed to break free of the gravity well but the Imperial Interdictor and its escort ships were destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion.
The destruction of the Imperial Interdictor represented another triumph in the rebellion's struggle against the Galactic Empire. The rebels not only succeeded in rescuing their captured comrades but also managed to deny the Empire another weapon. While Commander Sato expressed gratitude to Kanan, Rex, and Ezra for their rescue efforts, he omitted Chopper's contribution. When Chopper hooted, Ezra reassured him that it was a collaborative effort.
Unbeknownst to the rebels, Admiral Titus survived the destruction of the Imperial Interdictor and its escort ships by fleeing into an escape pod. However, numerous Imperial personnel perished in the explosion. Shortly thereafter, Agent Kallus arrived with a fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers. When a humiliated Admiral Titus contacted Kallus via hologram, Kallus sarcastically inquired whether the Admiral was experiencing any difficulties with the boy. For the Empire, the destruction of the Imperial Interdictor was one in a chain of losses against the rebellion.
The rescue on the Imperial Interdictor was initially depicted in the Star Wars Rebels episode "Stealth Strike," which premiered on Disney XD on November 25, 2015. This episode introduced Brom Titus, a new secondary antagonist portrayed by Derek Partridge. It also marked the reappearance of the Interdictor vessel, a warship that had previously featured in the 1989 Legends role-playing guide Imperial Sourcebook.