Theft of the TIE Defender Elite

Back in 2 BBY, the Alliance to Restore the Republic planned to attack the Galactic Empire on the planet of Lothal, a planet of great importance to the Empire's weapons development. However, these plans were disrupted when Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Empire's Seventh Fleet discovered Chopper Base, the location from which the Alliance intended to launch its attack. Phoenix Cell, a rebel cell, suffered significant losses in the attack, and the Massassi Group, which was preparing to join the Lothal operation, also lost a number of its forces. The Alliance forces regrouped on Yavin 4 and abandoned their plans to liberate Lothal.

Lieutenant Commander Ezra Bridger, a Jedi Padawan and member of Phoenix Squadron who had grown up on Lothal, consistently urged the Alliance to fulfill the promise they had made to Lothal and its resistance leader, Ryder Azadi, when the Rebellion pledged to liberate the planet. Senator Mon Mothma, the leader of the Rebel Alliance, sympathized with Bridger's appeals but couldn't sanction an operation after the devastating losses suffered by Alliance forces at Atollon. However, this situation changed when Azadi informed the Alliance that the Empire was testing a new TIE/D Defender Elite starfighter. Mothma, having previously witnessed the destructive capabilities of the TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter, recognized it as an imminent threat to the Alliance's future. She authorized a mission to Lothal to gather intelligence about the starfighter, a mission for which Bridger and the rest of the Spectres volunteered. Due to the strict lockdown imposed on Lothal by the Empire, Mothma cautioned the crew that the Alliance would be unable to send additional forces.

Meanwhile, the Lothal resistance prepared for the arrival of Alliance assistance. Azadi suspected that Alliance High Command would dispatch Bridger and the Spectres, who had previously operated on Lothal, and sent resistance member Jai Kell to Old Jho's Pit Stop, assuming that Bridger would visit it due to its history of rebel sympathies. The bar's former owner, Jho, had been arrested and executed for assisting a suspected rebel cell, and the bar had been taken over by the renowned Imperial pilot Baron Valen Rudor. Azadi knew that Kell would be able to assist the Spectres in navigating the new realities on Lothal, including the planet's severe lockdown, public curfew, and the burning of many of Lothal's grasslands.

The Spectres couldn't use their starship, the Ghost, to travel to Lothal, as it was too well-known to Imperial authorities. Bridger learned from the pirate Hondo Ohnaka that the crime lord Cikatro Vizago, a former associate of the crew, had secured a contract to legitimately transport supplies to the planet. They met with the crime lord's ship, the Broken Horn, in deep space. The rebels convinced Vizago to smuggle them onto Lothal by paying him with valuable puffer pigs. Rex and Alexsandr Kallus were left to care for the Ghost and returned to Yavin 4. The Spectres disguised themselves as civilians, concealing their weapons and normal clothing in crates carried by Chopper on an attached rig. When Vizago's ship arrived above Lothal, it received landing clearance. However, the Imperial cruiser overseeing the vessel detected anomalies in its thermal scan, deducing that there were multiple unregistered lifeforms on board. The cruiser's captain allowed the Broken Horn to pass, but ordered an ISB patrol to be alerted.

As the Broken Horn passed through a layer of pollution in Lothal's atmosphere, above the planet's burned plains, it was soon escorted by a patrol of TIE fighters. Vizago told the Spectres that this was a common occurrence, but quickly admitted that it had never happened to him before. When the ship landed at Jhothal, it was secured with a gravity lock, leading Hera Syndulla to suspect that they had been scanned. An Imperial search party, consisting of stormtroopers and a technician, boarded the ship. The Spectres hid in the hold with the puffer pigs, while Vizago, claiming ignorance, was arrested. To escape the ship, they released the puffer pigs and had [Garazeb Orrelios](/article/garazeb_orrelios], whom the animals found frightening, deliberately scare the pigs, causing them to inflate. As the Imperial crew was distracted by the barrage of inflated pigs, the Spectres escaped. Vizago also attempted to flee, but couldn't resist trying to take an uninflated pig with him, scaring the animal and causing it to inflate, trapping him.

After entering Jhothal, Syndulla decided that the Spectres would split up. Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Chopper were sent to the Pit Stop to try to contact the Lothal resistance, while Syndulla, Orrelios, and Kanan Jarrus attempted to find transportation. Upon reaching the cantina, Bridger and Wren discovered that the Pit Stop was now under Imperial ownership. They initially tried to leave, but saw Chopper being questioned by a stormtrooper about the location of two citizens he had seen out past curfew. Bridger decided that they would get drinks. At the bar, the two rebels were surprised to find Rudor working as the bartender, and pretended to be impressed to meet him. Rudor found Bridger vaguely familiar, recalling him from some distant encounters. Bridger claimed, truthfully, that he had visited the Pit Stop when it was still run by Old Jho. Rudor, correctly assuming that Bridger and Wren hadn't heard the news, recounted Jho's capture and execution. Bridger struggled to conceal his anger, and Wren quickly pulled him away from the bar, thanking Rudor for their drinks. Rudor, suspicious, tried to order the stormtroopers on guard to detain the two. At this point, Kell, who had recognized Bridger when he mentioned Jho, intervened. He called Bridger "Oleg," referring to an obnoxious cadet who had attended the Academy for Young Imperials at the same time as Kell and an undercover Bridger. Kell paid for Bridger and Wren's drinks, telling Rudor to keep the change, and quickly escorted the two Spectres out of the bar.

In the streets of the town, Syndulla, Jarrus, and Orellios had separated to search for the rebels' speeders. As Jarrus and Syndulla were in an alleyway, having taken cover to avoid an Imperial patrol, Orrelios contacted them, informing them that he had located the vehicles. They had been seized by the Empire and were in an area guarded by stormtroopers. Jarrus and Syndulla set out to meet Orrelios so they could steal a speeder.

Outside the cantina, it took Bridger a moment to recognize Kell, who explained that Azadi had sent him to keep watch. Kell tried to call for a pickup, but Bridger, hearing an explosion and blaster fire, told him not to worry. At that moment, Syndulla, Jarrus, and Orrelios arrived in their recently acquired speeder, and Hera told them to get in. However, the rebels were approached by two assault tanks, forcing them to abandon the vehicle as it was destroyed by Imperial fire. As the rebels were cornered by stormtroopers, Kell suggested they return to the Pit Stop. In the entry passage, the rebels had to avoid the death trooper DT-L21 and his troops, heading outside. Bridger claimed to the death trooper that there were rebels outside who had just blown up a speeder. After entering the empty cantina, Orellios, the last one through the door, smashed the controls to delay the Imperials. Kell led the Spectres to a sewer hatch, explaining that Azadi had once told him about a network of tunnels that Jho had maintained beneath the town as an escape route. The rebels quickly climbed down and shut the hatch behind them before Imperial troops reentered the Pit Stop. Rudor told DT-L21 that the rebels had gone that way, clarifying that he hadn't known the hatch was unsealed. The death trooper sent stormtroopers and three probe droids down into the tunnels.

The rebels fled through the sewers. However, as Kell had never actually been in the tunnels, he was unfamiliar with the route, and they soon got lost. He did remember that there was a large junction on the road outside of town, so the group decided to head in that direction. The Spectres retrieved their weapons from Chopper's crates. At that moment, the probe droids caught up to them, leading to a brief firefight. Realizing that the droids were transmitting their position, Jarrus decided they would split up. He, Syndulla, Kell, and Chopper headed one way, and Bridger, Wren, and Orrelios headed another. Eventually, Jarrus' group found a ladder leading to a hatch, but Kell wasn't sure if it was the right exit. He started to climb up to check, but the rebels were quickly forced to hide when the hatch opened and some stormtroopers shone a light down into the tunnel. Just then, one of the probe droids arrived, and Jarrus was forced to step into the light while destroying it. The group then fled, as stormtroopers were sent down the ladder to follow.

Elsewhere in the tunnels, Bridger, Wren, and Orrelios were pursued by the other two probe droids. They quickly destroyed them and came to a small junction. Orrelios thought Bridger might know the way, but the Padawan clarified that although he was familiar with the Lothal City sewers, that didn't apply to Jhothal's system. However, Wren discovered a painting of her starbird insignia at the entrance to a tunnel, and Bridger quickly deduced that Azadi and his rebels must have left it there as a sign. They followed the symbols. Elsewhere in the tunnels, Jarrus' group also discovered the starbird markings and followed them as well. Above ground, DT-L21 was informed that the rebels had destroyed all of the probe droids and ordered troops to be sent to their last known position, as well as a squad to the junction outside of town, before entering the tunnels himself.

Bridger's group followed the starbirds to a large, open tunnel. They couldn't find the next symbol, and when stormtroopers arrived from the other end, they attempted to retreat. However, they were soon joined by Syndulla, Jarrus, Chopper, and Kell, who were being pursued by more troopers. As the rebels were surrounded in the center of the tunnel, Chopper looked up and discovered the last starbird painted on a hatch above. Bridger jumped up and slashed a control panel with his lightsaber, causing the ladder to drop down so everyone could climb up. Wren led the way up the ladder, and Jarrus and Bridger brought up the rear, severing the ladder to prevent the stormtroopers from following. There was some difficulty opening the hatch due to the destroyed control panel. However, it was promptly opened by Azadi from the other side, and the rebels climbed out and sealed the hatch behind them. Ryder was waiting with Marida Sumar and his UT-60D U-wing starfighter/support craft. Once the rebels boarded and the ship flew away, Azadi suggested that they could attack the TIE Defender factory with the rest of their forces, and Bridger apologetically told him there weren't any other forces coming. The former governor told the Spectres that they would see the new Defender the next day.

The next day, the Rebels split up. Jarrus, Syndulla, and Chopper went to Ezra's old tower outside of Lothal City to conduct a distant reconnaissance. They discovered that the Empire was reinforcing its anti-aircraft defenses and that there were new fuel tanks outside of the factories, indicating that the Empire planned to begin full-scale production of the new fighter. Meanwhile, Azadi took Bridger, Wren, and Orrelios to a remote Imperial airfield in the wilderness, which his spies had identified as the location where the Empire planned to conduct a test flight of the Defender Elite. While the Rebels observed the base, they were approached by Loth-cats. The animals were drawn to Bridger because of his talent for connection.

After hours of waiting, the Defender Elite finally arrived, flying over the waiting Rebels with such force that it blew Azadi's hat and Wren's helmet off their heads. Studying the fighter, the rebels noted its speed, and Sabine speculated that it could give the Ghost a run for its money. When the Elite landed at the airfield, Wren recognized the pilot disembarking from it as Vult Skerris. Now possessing images of the fighter, Azadi and Orrelios prepared to leave. However, Wren believed they could do better and suggested stealing the Elite's flight data recorder so the Rebellion would have a better understanding of its capabilities. Orellios was skeptical of the idea, but Bridger supported it and asked him and Azadi to remain on watch while he and Wren snuck onto the base. As the two Spectres crept onto the airfield, they were followed by two of the Loth-cats.

Bridger and Wren discovered that the Elite was guarded by two stormtroopers. As they tried to devise a distraction to lure the guards away, the two Loth-cats approached the troopers. The stormtroopers, familiar with the animals and finding them irritating since the airfield was built in the wilderness, decided to see if the cats could fly, attempting to use them as target practice. Angered, the cats attacked the troopers before fleeing, causing the irate troopers to chase after the animals. Wren took the opportunity to sneak on board the Elite, while Bridger kept watch. Just as Wren had positioned herself beneath the fighter's controls to remove the flight recorder, Azadi and Orrelios alerted her and Bridger to the arrival of a Sentinel-class landing craft. Upon landing, the shuttle turned out to be carrying Grand Admiral Thrawn and Governor [Arihnda Pryce](/article/arihnda_pryce], who were there to watch Skerris' flight demonstration of the Elite. Alarmed, Bridger alerted Wren, who asked him to find a way to distract the Imperials.

As Bridger, hiding behind several crates, was trying to come up with a suitable diversion, he was distracted by the sight of a rare Loth-wolf on a rock across the valley. He was then caught by surprise by a TIE pilot, and in defending himself, he was seen by Thrawn, Pryce, and Skerris, who were all surprised to see him. Pryce ordered stormtroopers after Bridger, and Thrawn ordered death troopers to secure the Elite. Bridger was pursued by the stormtroopers amidst the crates on the landing field. Alarmed, Azadi and Orrelios intended to head down to the airfield to help Bridger and Wren fight their way out, but Bridger told them to leave, promising they would find another way to escape. Wren finished extracting the flight recorder, only to see the approaching death troopers, and made the split-second decision to steal the craft. She was then contacted by Ezra, and told him to stay down, as she used the Elite's cannons to fire upon the Imperial troops. Sabine then told Bridger to jump onboard. After he got in, Wren made several passes to destroy most of the TIEs at the airfield. On her final pass, Thrawn, in the line of fire, made no attempt to take cover and took some potshots at the Elite with his sidearm, before Wren destroyed his shuttle and buzzed the control tower, causing the officers inside to duck.

Skerris told Thrawn that the thieves wouldn't get very far, as the Elite's hyperdrive was disconnected, and Pryce offered to activate its kill switch. However, Thrawn saw the theft as an excellent opportunity to perform a combat test of the fighter's capabilities. On orders, Skerris sent three TIE Interceptors after the stolen prototype. Meanwhile, on board the Elite, Wren told Bridger that stealing the prototype, with its hyperdrive, made it much easier for them to get the flight recorder back to the Rebellion. She gave Bridger the controls while she worked to deactivate the fighter's homing beacon.

Shortly, the Interceptors caught up and pursued the Elite through a landscape of rock spires. Bridger shot down one fighter, and Wren asked him to keep the prototype steady, as she was still working on the beacon. He responded that he was trying not to get shot down before shooting down a second Interceptor. Back at the airfield, Thrawn, Pryce, and Skerris monitored the pursuit. The Grand Admiral was curious about which other rebel was accompanying Bridger on board the stolen prototype. After the second Interceptor was shot down, Skerris suggested that Hera was piloting, but Thrawn pointed out that if that was the case, all three Interceptors would have already been destroyed. Bridger used the Elite's missiles to destroy the final pursuer, just as Wren finished disabling the homing beacon.

Thrawn realized that the Mandalorian was the other person onboard due to the speed with which the beacon had been disabled. He also found the "combat test" illuminating, noting that if a pilot of Bridger's modest skills could so quickly best three trained pilots, the Elite would give the Empire's forces a considerable advantage, and ordered Pryce to activate the kill switch. The Governor ordered gunships launched to secure the crash site. However, back on board the Elite, Wren had realized that it had a kill switch immediately after disabling the beacon, remembering them from her mission to Skystrike Academy, and had told Bridger, who began to bring the fighter in for a landing. Two of the Elite's wings fell off, but Wren managed to prevent the third from being detached, and the fighter crashed on the remaining wing.

In the meantime, Jarrus, Syndulla, Chopper, Orrelios, Azadi, and Kell had come together again aboard Azadi's U-wing. It was known to Jarrus, Syndulla, and Chopper that Bridger and Wren had absconded with the Defender Elite, and they had overheard Imperial communications indicating the fighter had crashed. Contacting Bridger and Wren was not an option for the rebels, as it would create a traceable signal. They embarked on a search for Bridger and Wren in their ship, fully aware that the Imperial forces were also converging on the location, making their task challenging.

Wren requested Bridger's assistance in disassembling the Elite's hyperdrive, with the intention of installing it on Azadi's U-wing to replace its malfunctioning counterpart. Together, the two Rebels hauled the bulky drive away from the wreckage. Bridger noticed a white Loth-cat, which guided him to a recess in the rocks, perfectly sized for the hyperdrive. He concealed it by pushing a smaller rock in front of the opening. Wren expressed skepticism when he described how he had discovered the spot, as she had not observed anything. As they left the hiding place with the flight recorder, Bridger detected distant howling.

After dark, Imperial gunships arrived at the crash site, and Pryce, aboard one of them, informed Thrawn that there was no sign of the Rebels. He informed her that ground units were en route to the site. Bridger and Wren, steadily moving away from the area, were compelled to seek cover from the searchlights of passing gunships. At that precise moment, Bridger spotted the Loth-wolf from their earlier encounter. He pointed it out to Wren, who hadn't seen the creature, and remarked that Loth-wolves hadn't been sighted in a century. Just then, the wolf reappeared, approaching Wren from behind. Bridger, with a sense of foreboding, urged her to turn around, and upon doing so, the wolf promptly rendered her unconscious. The presence of the white Loth-cat alongside the wolf reassured Bridger that the creature meant no harm. As more Imperial gunships approached, the wolf offered Bridger a ride, so he placed the unconscious Wren on its back, along with her helmet and the flight recorder, before mounting the creature himself. The wolf took off, skillfully evading Imperial searchlights.

As day broke, the wolf transported Bridger and Wren to a location near the concealed Ryder's U-wing, hidden within a rock formation. Bridger questioned the creature about its motives for helping him, and the wolf responded with the cryptic word "Dume" before disappearing. Unbeknownst to Bridger, "Dume" was Jarrus' original surname, which he had changed following Order 66. The other rebels approached at that moment, and Wren regained consciousness. Syndulla expressed relief that Bridger and Wren were safe. Orellios inquired about their rapid arrival at the camp, and Bridger asked if they had seen the wolf, only to find that it was gone. Sabine had no recollection of the journey or the wolf, only Bridger uttering the word. Syndulla was also delighted to learn that the flight recorder had been recovered, as well as the information about the hidden hyperdrive. As the rebels made their way back to their ship, Bridger recounted the encounter with the wolf to Jarrus, but omitted its final message. Jarrus believed Bridger, but remained uncertain about the significance of the event.

Later that day, Ezra, Jai, and Zeb were dispatched to recover the hyperdrive. Given the Imperial presence at the crash site, Ezra and Jai adopted disguises as scout troopers. As the three rebels secretly searched the rocks for the hiding place, Governor Pryce informed Thrawn that the hyperdrive and flight recorder were missing. Considering the hyperdrive's size and weight, she correctly deduced that the rebels had concealed it nearby. Thrawn dispatched his personal bodyguard and assassin, the Noghri Rukh, to assist Pryce in her search, informing the Governor that the recent security breaches, including the rebels' arrival on Lothal and the theft of the Elite, suggested otherwise when she stated that she did not require assistance.

Ezra and Zeb located the hyperdrive, aided by the white Loth-cat, shortly before Rukh's arrival aboard an Imperial gunship. Upon disembarking, he immediately detected the scent of the Lasat warrior in the vicinity, indicating that he was not alone, and began his investigation. Jai noticed the assassin approaching with electrobinoculars and promptly alerted Ezra and Zeb. Leaving Zeb to manage the hyperdrive, Ezra prepared to confront Rukh. With Jai positioned behind him, ready to shoot if necessary, Ezra attempted to deceive Rukh by presenting themselves as scout troopers who had just completed their search of the area. However, due to his heightened sense of smell, Rukh saw through the ruse and attacked Ezra and Jai. During the altercation, Ezra used the Force push to knock Rukh off Jai and into a rock, revealing himself as a Jedi. The two young men then fled on a speeder bike, pursued by Rukh and two scout troopers, as Pryce and stormtrooper reinforcements arrived in a troop transport. Zeb evaded the Imperials by concealing himself with the hyperdrive high on the side of a rock. He capitalized on Pryce's distraction as Ezra and Jai fled, stealing the troop transport and escaping in it, nearly running Pryce over in the process. Upon returning to the camp, Zeb informed Hera and Kanan that he was en route with the hyperdrive and that Ezra would arrive eventually.

Rukh and the scout troopers chased Ezra and Jai into a maze of stone spires. The assassin managed to catch up to them on his bike, engaging Ezra briefly in combat with his electrostaff against Ezra's lightsaber. However, he was forced to disengage to avoid a boulder in his path. Rukh then launched a homing beacon at Ezra and Jai's bike, unnoticed by the fleeing duo. As the scout troopers took the lead in the pursuit, Ezra identified an opportunity to escape, planting a detonator on a partially collapsed rock spire that he and Jai passed beneath. The explosion killed one of the scout troopers with falling rock, and the other was forced to stop. Rukh, however, jumped his bike over the obstruction, continuing his pursuit. While the assassin was in midair, Ezra shot his bike, destroying it and leaving Rukh to watch as the Rebel duo escaped.

Upon Zeb's arrival at the rebel camp, he was initially mistaken for an enemy and narrowly avoided being shot, as he had failed to report his theft of the troop transport. Ezra and Jai arrived shortly thereafter on their bike, and Sabine began installing the hyperdrive on Ryder's U-wing. Unbeknownst to the rebels, Rukh's tracker was attached to the bike. Rukh, meanwhile, relayed the camp's coordinates to Governor Pryce, who prepared for an attack. The assassin was confident in his ability to eliminate the camp single-handedly. However, Pryce, unimpressed by his earlier failure to capture the Rebels, insisted on executing the operation her way.

Sabine completed the installation of the drive just before the Imperial forces arrived, forcing the Rebels to scatter. Hera and Chopper, following the plan, took off in the U-wing to return to Rebel headquarters. Jai escaped in a landspeeder. The remaining Spectres, along with Ryder, were intended to escape on the speeder bike and stolen troop transport. Witnessing the U-wing's departure, Pryce contacted Thrawn to inform him of the Rebel ship. Imperial fire destroyed the transport. With no means of escape, Ezra noticed several Loth-wolves running among the rocks and, recalling their previous assistance, persuaded the other Rebels to follow him as he followed the wolves. They escaped into the rocks, prompting Pryce to order the bombing of the mountains.

Above Lothal, Hera was pursued by TIE fighters as she attempted to break through the blockade. She eventually approached one of the Imperial construction modules in orbit, and jumped the U-wing into hyperspace through its hangar bay, setting everything inside, including the stormtroopers preparing to fire on the ship, ablaze with the force of her passage. Thrawn, aboard his flagship, the Chimaera, expressed displeasure at her escape.

The Loth-wolves aided Ezra, Kanan, Sabine, Zeb, and Ryder in their escape, mystically transporting them from the caves of the wolf den in Lothal's northern hemisphere to a set of the caves of the cliff dwelling in the southern hemisphere, which was halfway across the planet. After the white wolf, seemingly the leader, repeated the word "Dume" to Kanan, he explained to Ezra how he had changed his name. Kanan suspected that the wolves were attempting to convey that the Empire was inflicting something far worse upon Lothal than the Rebels were aware of, though he was unsure of what it could be.

The Lothal resistance decided to establish their base within the caves. Ezra expressed confidence that Hera would return for the remaining Spectres and launch an attack. They attempted to contact Hera and Rebel Command, but the Empire was jamming all non-Imperial signals. Consequently, upon detecting an ore crawler, Crawler 413-24, near the base, the Rebels hijacked it in order to utilize its long-range transmitter. During the hijacking, they encountered Vizago, who had been forced into slavery on the crawler following his earlier arrest.

Hera successfully delivered the flight recorder to Yavin 4, presenting it directly to Mon Mothma and Erskin Semaj. Upon analyzing the data, the Alliance found no vulnerabilities and discovered that the Elite would outperform all of their fighters. Consequently, Hera proposed an attack to prevent the fighter from ever being manufactured. The Rebel leaders engaged in lengthy discussions, during which Hera and Chopper were asked to leave the briefing room. During the debate, it was revealed that the Empire was enacting Protocol 13, the evacuation of all Imperial personnel, on Lothal. Upon learning this from Mothma, Hera interrupted the briefing and persuaded the Alliance leaders to approve an attack, arguing that they had no time to waste and needed to demonstrate to the Empire that the Rebellion would not back down. After overcoming some challenges in gaining control of the crawler, the Lothal rebels managed to contact Rebel Command, and Hera informed them of the impending attack, instructing them to be prepared. Ezra, in particular, was overjoyed that the promised attack was finally materializing.

The mission is the central narrative of the fourth season Star Wars Rebels episodes "The Occupation," "Flight of the Defender," and "Kindred." These three episodes form part of a larger story arc involving the Spectres' return to Lothal, which continues in "Crawler Commandeers" and "Rebel Assault."