Return to the Wheel

The Freemaker family revisits the Wheel in an attempt to secure a specific component, only to encounter Graballa the Hutt alongside his group of bounty hunters.

The episode commences by showcasing Zander and Kordi Freemaker as they struggle while moving a starship component, with Roger observing their efforts. The siblings are engaged in a dispute regarding the level of effort being exerted. Rowan suggests a pause and employs the Force to elevate the parts onto the Arrowhead. Zander jokingly remarks that while he didn't require assistance, the presence of a Force Builder on their team simplifies matters. Quarrie acknowledges the advantage but informs the Freemakers that the most challenging components remain. Projecting a hologram of the Arrowhead, he reveals their need for both a Kyber crystal and an energy matrix activator.

Quarrie comments on the extreme rarity of these items, comparing them to a hairless wampa. Zander claims knowledge of a potential source. When Roger inquires about the hairless wampa search, Zander clarifies their pursuit of the energy matrix activator, located in what he considers the least desirable place in the galaxy. Upon Rowan and Roger's prompting, Zander teases that the location will be "fun". Kordi urges him to reveal it. Zander reluctantly announces that the energy matrix activator is located at Freemaker Salvage and Repair, their former business and residence on the Wheel. Roger, still misunderstanding the joke, seeks assurance that the search for a hairless wampa is off the table.

In a parallel narrative, on a mining planet, Graballa, the Hutt crime lord, instructs his Iktotchi subordinates, Baash and Raam, to initiate the detonation. They activate the explosives, creating an opening in the rock face for several DLC-13 mining droids to enter. Graballa states their objective is to extract kyber crystals and demands "overwhelming" good news. Baash reports preliminary survey results, but Raam concludes that no kyber crystals have been discovered. Graballa expresses frustration with their lack of success despite extensive strip-mining.

Graballa worries about delaying Darth Vader. A hologram of Darth Vader materializes, questioning Graballa's progress. Startled, Graballa inquires if Vader can use his Force choke ability remotely. Vader demonstrates by levitating and choking Graballa. When Vader asks why, Graballa, struggling to breathe, admits his failure to find kyber crystals. Vader warns Graballa that his patience is dwindling before releasing him.

Graballa reflects that he misses working for Jabba. He tasks his Toydarian henchman Yeppau with devising a plan to avoid dire consequences. Graballa suggests faking the discovery, but Yeppau rejects it. Graballa asks if Yeppau has a better idea. Yeppau presents the Freemakers' business card, inspiring Graballa to exploit Rowan to locate the kyber crystals. Yeppau concurs and contacts Dengar via hologram. When Dengar offers his services, Graballa instructs him to capture Rowan Freemaker, bypassing formalities. He places a bounty on Rowan, promising substantial credits for his capture. Graballa instructs Dengar to enlist his associates for this task.

The StarScavenger approaches the Wheel. Rowan notes that life was simpler when they resided there. Kordi points out that was before they became fugitives. Rowan adds that their biggest problem used to be making the rent before Furlac shoved them out the airlock. Zander expresses excitement to see Freemaker Salvage and Repair, underground podracing, and Becky Smoochenbacher. Kordi reminds them to avoid anyone who recognizes them due to their fugitive status. Zander claims Becky doesn't know them. Rowan argues they are enemies of the Galactic Empire and questions how they will access their former garage.

Kordi proposes entering through the Lower Ring where they are unlikely to be recognized, involving Roger in the plan. Roger confirms he still possesses his collection of fake facial hair. Zander believes it could work, but Kordi disagrees. Kordi assigns Roger the task of hacking into the guidance system to safely navigate them to Freemaker Salvage and Repair. Roger states that he could do that from the service shafts and that he loved hanging out there. Rowan expresses a cautious optimism about the plan. Zander is optimistic but says he is taking the fake facial hair just in case.

In the Wheel's Lower Ring, Kordi instructs Roger to take his position. She then tells Rowan not to make contact or eye contact with anything. Rowan narrowly avoids an argument between a masked human and a Duros. They then turn into an alley as a gun battle breaks out. Zander asks what Rowan did but Rowan insists that he did not do anything. Meanwhile, Roger sneaks into the service shafts. Rowan tells him that they have reached the elevators. Roger tells them he has reached the system and warns them that that there are troopers to the left.

He instructs the Freemakers to use elevator six, but Rowan notes its current occupants. Roger resolves this by causing the lift to shake violently, disorienting the passengers and causing them to exit on the Lower Ring. This action allows the Freemakers to board the lift. Kordi expresses satisfaction with the plan's success. Upon reaching the Middle Ring, they narrowly evade a stormtrooper patrol. Kordi asks how they can get to Freemaker Salvage and Repair without anyone seeing them. Roger suggests the ventilation shafts which are wide enough for them.

Roger is then accosted by a Ranat snatch-thief who tries to steal his datapad. After restoring order, Roger tells them to turn left at the second junction, which would lead them straight to the old shop. The Freemakers follow Roger's instructions only to discover that Wick Cooper has transformed their garage into a cantina called "Wick Cooper's Caffeine and Kitsch Club." Wick boasts about where he can store all those credits and chuckles. Zander is horrified that Wick has turned his Z-wings into furniture while Rowan is shocked that the parts rack has been turned into a sandwich counter. Kordi is horrified that Cooper is charging 50 credits for blue milk. Rowan tells them to keep focused and asks if they see the energy matrix activator.

Zander is outraged that Cooper has turned the energy matrix activator into a caf machine and vows to make him pay. Kordi tells Zander to wait till the place is closed. Zander says they have time to kill but Kordi warns him not to consider going to Becky Smoochenbacher on pain of being thrown out the airlock. The Freemakers wait for Cooper to close his cantina. Roger deactivates the security cameras. Before Roger can open the doors remotely, he is confronted by a pack of Ranat who are seeking retribution for their brother. Rogers replies that he only wanted to shoo him away. The leader tells Roger that the does not shoo Ranat and attacks Roger, causing him to drop the datapad.

This activates the alarms, causing the Freemakers to wonder what Roger did. When Roger exclaims "oh rats", the Ranats take it as an additional insult and jump on him. As the alarms ring, Zander gets the Freemakers to put on their facial disguises. Furlac, the landlord, approaches and switches off the alarm.Kordi claims that they are from "Midnight Cafeteria Services", the galaxy's number one provider of after-hours repair services. She claims they have an after-work order for a Kaminoan cantina machine. Since the owner is not present, Rowan convinces Furlac to let them in.

When Zander questions Kordi's choice of a fake company, Kordi says that was the first thing on her head. Meanwhile, a suspicious Furlac tells Graballa that he saw through the Freemakers' disguises and that the Freemakers are back on the Wheel. Graballa tells Furlace he has earned a Hutt-sized reward.

Inside the cafe, Kordi opines that it is strange they are sneaking into their own shop to reclaim something. Rowan counters that it is no longer their shop but Wick's. Kordi tells them to hurry up because they might have fooled Furlac but are still pressing their luck. Zander manages to remove the energy matrix activator. Before they can leave, several bounty hunters including Dengar, Zuckuss, 4-LOM, Bossk, and IG-88 arrive in the hangar on a starship. Dengar introduces his bounty hunter "friends" to the Freemakers. When Zander quips that they didn't bring Boba Fett along, Dengar insists that his team is good enough.

Rowan ignites his lightsaber and challenges the bounty hunters. 4-LOM throws a net but Rowan slices through it and hurls a box at Zuckuss, trapping him. A blaster fight breaks out and Rowan deflects their blasts with his lightsaber. Kordi asks Zander if he has any idea how to get out. Zander discovers a T-47 airspeeder's laser cannon and tells Kordi to power it up so they can fire it. As Rowan drives the bounty hunters back to their ship, Kordi and Zander power up the cannon. Zander fires the blaster only to discover that it only shoots blue milk frother. The bounty hunters avoid the blast but Rowan is hit. IG-88 stuns Rowan while the other bounty hunters surround Zander and Kordi. Zander offers them blue milk frother but 4-LOM disables the gun.

A jubilant Graballa arrives with two Gotal henchmen and Yeppau. Yeppau pulls off Kordi and Zander's fake beards. Graballa then contacts Darth Vader by hologram. Lord Vader is aboard the Super Star Destroyer Executor. Graballa tells Lord Vader he has captured Rowan and claims the boy can help him find kyber crystals. M-OC also takes notice. Lord Vader tricks M-OC into believing that Rowan has been located on a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy. M-OC rockets out by blasting a door, leading Vader to remark that M-OC is not as smart as the Emperor thought. Lord Vader orders the Executor and his Death Squadron to set a course for the Wheel.

Back at the former Freemaker garage, the Freemakers are locked into a containment field. Kordi admits that she didn't think it could go this wrong. Zander says it should have because it always does. Rowan tells them not to worry and attempts a Jedi mind trick on Bossk. Rowan tells Bossk to release them and to distract the others. However, the Trandoshan is resistant to Rowan's mind tricks and bursts out laughing, saying he cannot keep straight-faced.

Kordi then attempts a mind trick of her own and asks 4-LOM how much Graballa is paying them for their job. 4-LOM replies that the data is private. Kordi then claims that he is getting half what the organics are being paid since she has seen Graballa's finances. She then tells him that Zuckuss is being overpaid. 4-LOM complains that they were supposed to be split the payment. Speaking in the third person, Zuckuss says that he is being paid more because of the filters he has to go through. IG-88 joins in by saying that droids are being paid less than organics.

Demanding to be paid his share, 4-LOM attacks Zuckuss. IG-88 bashes Bossk with a tray, telling him this is for droids everywhere. Bossk crashes into Dengar. A skirmish breaks out between the bounty hunters. Graballa arrives to find his bounty hunters fighting. A stray blaster bolt from IG-88 hits an engine on the bounty hunters' ship, causing it to explode. The debris deactivates the containment field's controls, freeing the Freemakers. The Freemakers escape on Wick Cooper's speeder bike.

Graballa exclaims what in the name of the mighty sarlacc is happening. 4-LOM replies that they have found out what he is paying the organics. Graballa tells them that he is not paying them anything because his business is gone but demands that they hunt down the fugitives. The bounty hunters refuse to work until Graballa promises to pay them the same. The bounty hunters pursue the fugitives on speeder bikes through the streets of the space station. Graballa asks Yeppau if things are going south fast. At that moment, Vader's Death Squadron exits hyperspace, confirming Graballa's fears. When Vader says he has come to take the Freemakers, Graballa remarks that he is "dying" to give them to the Sith Lord

Meanwhile, the Freemakers lead the bounty hunters on a chase through the streets of the Wheel. 4-LOM tells them to hurry up but Zuckuss protests that he won't tell him what to do. Kordi tells them to get to the StarScavenger. When Rowan reminds them about the energy matrix activator, she says they will get another one. Zander asks where and Kordi says that they will tackle this problem if they escape this adventure. Kordi tells them to head to the elevators.

As they go on a second loop, Rowan asks Roger for help but the B1-series battle droid is being pursued by a pack of Ranats. The bounty hunters converge on the Freemakers. However, Zander slaps on the brakes. The bounty hunters' speeder bikes continue accelerating. Bossk crashes his bike into a dewback being ridden by a stormtrooper. As the bounty hunters regroup, Rowan convinces his siblings to turn left into the market. The Freemakers lead the remaining hunters on a chase through the market. Rowan uses the Force to hurl crates at their pursuers, knocking Dengar off his bike.

He then hurls an astromech droid at 4-LOM, causing him to collide with IG-88's speeder. Zuckuss continues the pursuit but Rowan uses his lightsaber to slice through the legs of a scaffolding, stopping Zuckuss in his tracks. Zander praises his little brother but is distracted by the sight of Becky. He crashes the speeder into a column. When he awakes, Zander finds himself talking to a fire extinguisher. As the Freemakers retreat into the alley, Zuckuss boasts that he knows where the Freemakers went only to narrowly avoid being burned by a garbage compactor.

The Freemakers sneak into an Imperial supply depot to steal stormtrooper armor. Zander is skeptical of their chances of success but Rowan says this is their only chance. Rowan walks up the stormtrooper manning the depot and uses a mind trick to convince the stormtrooper to surrender his armor and outfit his siblings with two sets of armor. Rowan's ploy works and the Freemakers disguise themselves as stormtroopers. Kordi jokes that Rowan is a little short for a stormtrooper but he snaps back that she is not taking it from him.

Back at Freemaker Salvage and Repair, the Freemakers find a humiliated Graballa trying to explain his failure to Lord Vader. Graballa says he had the kid in custody and tries to blame Vader for being late to the Wheel. Vader warns Graballa that this is his last chance to bring kyber crystals not excuses. The disguised Freemakers sneak away with the energy matrix activator in a box. Zander wonders why the Empire is interested in kyber crystals. Rowan asks where Roger is. Roger reports that he is facing a situation in the shafts as the Ranat pursue him.

Roger jumps down a manhole which takes him deeper into the tunnel network and recalls that he stored a can of oil. The Freemakers enter the lift but Lord Vader tells them that they are going up. Meanwhile, Roger pours the oil onto the path of the Ranat, causing them to slip and fall deeper into the shafts. Despite his victory, Roger laments that he had been saving the oil for a celebration and wishes there was someone to hear about it.

Vader tells the disguised Freemakers to follow him. Kordi attempts to claim that they have orders to go to the Lower Ring but Lord Vader counters that he has altered their orders and tells them to pray them he doesn't alter them further. After reconnecting the datapad, Roger finds the Freemakers with Lord Vader. After the Freemakers reach the Upper Ring, he opens a trapdoor beneath them, causing the Freemakers to land in the service shaft. Rowan hugs Roger and thanks him for being the best droid ever.

After Vader's Death Squadron jumps into hyperspace, the Freemakers depart aboard the StarScavenger. A sad Zander says farewell to Becky. Zander vows that they will be together after the war but Rowan points that they were never together in the first place. Kordi informs Admiral Ackbar of their successful mission to obtain the energy matrix activator for the Arrowhead. Rowan adds that they now need to find the kyber crystal to power up the shields. Zander jokes that hopefully Darth Vader doesn't get to it first.

Kordi tells Admiral Ackbar that they had a run-in with Lord Vader. Rowan reports that the Sith Lord is scouring the galaxy for kyber crystals. Zander thinks their good news just became bad news. Meanwhile, Admiral Ackbar tells Mon Mothma, General Crix Madine, and Hera Syndulla to summon the Bothans to investigate whether the Empire is building another Death Star.