With the premiere of Ahsoka right around the corner, we’re looking at a number of people who will be in the show that fans should know already. While the series will likely provide an adequate introduction for newer viewers, it’s also helpful to learn (or be reminded of) some key things about them heading into the show. One example is Ezra Bridger, glimpsed briefly in the trailers via the recorded hologram message Sabine listens to, but the search for Bridger (played by Eman Esfandi) will be a key driver in the series. Let’s look at five things you should know about him heading into Ahsoka.
1. Ezra was the Jedi apprentice to Kanan Jarrus
Born on Lothal the very same day the Empire was born, Ezra’s parents were outspoken rebels against the tyrannical regime. His parents were eventually arrested by the Empire for broadcasting messages of rebellion, the same thing their son would do years later. Essentially orphaned, Ezra learned to survive for himself – until at the age of 14 he met the Spectres, a group of freedom fighters causing the Empire trouble on Lothal. One of the members, Kanan Jarrus, was a Jedi in hiding who had survived the Purge, and upon discovering Ezra’s Force sensitivity, Jarrus took Bridger as his apprentice.
In a time where the Jedi were all but extinct, two Jedi aiding this unorganized fight against the Empire quickly drew a significant amount of attention, and the Empire devoted plenty of resources to stopping the Spectres. In the course of their journeys the Spectres drew the attention of notables like the Grand Inquisitor, Darth Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and even from a distance Emperor Palpatine himself. Kanan struggled to know how to teach Ezra but over time the two came to share a strong bond between master and apprentice, aided by some supplemental instruction by Ahsoka Tano.
2. Ezra flirted with darkness for a period
While Kanan remained true to the light as he taught Ezra, the apprentice began to flirt with the darkness in ways that brought him close to the brink of the dark side. A pivotal moment along this path came on the journey to Malachor, the site of an ancient Sith Temple, as Kanan, Ezra, and Ahsoka came to the planet in search of answers. There Ezra met Maul, the former Sith apprentice, who sought to adopt the young Bridger as his own pupil. Maul blinded Kanan with a surprise attack, but he was driven off by Jarrus while Ahsoka went off in pursuit of Ezra. But Ezra’s connection with Maul was not finished, and the two had subsequent run-ins until Ezra inadvertently led Maul to Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine, where Maul finally met his end at the hands of the old Jedi Master.
In the meantime, however, Ezra was able to open a dark side holocron, showcasing his willingness to tap into the darkness. The events on Malachor hardened him for a moment, particularly as his master was distant while adapting to his own wounds. But while tempted, Ezra never truly gave into the dark side and continued to grow stronger in the Force and his commitment to the light. He made his own lightsaber and took on increased leadership among the Spectres.
3. Ezra was tempted in unique ways through the World Between Worlds
But Ezra’s temptation would reach its most potent draw much later. For most of his life he had not known his parents, and he was driven to find them… before learning that they had died in prison. Then, in a rescue effort on Lothal, Kanan Jarrus heroically sacrificed his life to save the others, depriving Ezra of his mentor and father figure. Not long after these events he stumbled into the World Between Worlds through a portal in a Jedi Temple on Lothal, taking him to a location that was a bridge of sorts between time and space through the Force. In this realm Ezra witnessed an event from a few years prior, of Ahsoka fighting Vader on Malachor, and Ezra reached into the portal and pulled Ahsoka out, saving her life. Realizing what had happened, Ezra concluded that he also could do the same for Kanan and reverse his death. But Ahsoka urged him against it, telling Ezra that if he did so the others would all die. So Ezra was forced to watch again, through a portal in the World Between Worlds, as his mentor died – and even though Ezra could intervene to save him, he had to choose not to.
Emperor Palpatine then tried to gain access to this powerful realm, stopped by Ezra and Ahsoka, but he later tempted Ezra with the very same idea. Captive aboard Thrawn’s star destroyer, Ezra met with a holographic Palpatine, who showed him his parents and offered him the chance to be with them (which in doing so would grant Palpatine access to the World Between Worlds). Again, though, Ezra resisted the temptation and refused Palpatine’s offer, making a stand in his own heroic Jedi moment. He defied the Emperor and the temptations to change the past, instead coming to terms with the present and fighting for a better future.
4. Ezra led the liberation of Lothal – by removing Thrawn from the picture
His central focus was to see that better future come to Lothal, his home world that was suffering under Imperial rule. After several false starts, the remaining Spectres jumped into action when they learned Thrawn was away from the system. Ezra devised a plan to trick the Empire and Governor Pryce, luring them out of the city into a trap. Ezra, with his allies and a pack of Loth-wolves, took Pryce prisoner and used her to infiltrate the Imperial dome in Capital City. They seized the bridge and victory seemed imminent, but it was then that Thrawn returned, launching an orbital bombardment on the city until Ezra surrendered. He met with Thrawn and Palpatine (via hologram) aboard the Chimaera (Thrawn’s star destroyer), and as he confronted the Grand Admiral on the bridge a group of Purrgil emerged from hyperspace, summoned by Ezra through the aid of his friends, surrounding the Chimaera and taking it away to an unknown location with Thrawn and Ezra both still on board.
With Thrawn gone the remaining rebels finished the task, liberating Lothal from Imperial rule. In the aftermath, they listened to a recorded message from Ezra (the same one glimpsed in the Ahsoka trailer), in which he told Sabine that he was counting on her. She didn’t know what he meant but assumed he wanted her to keep Lothal safe. After the Civil War ended, though, she realized that Ezra meant he was counting on her to bring him home, so she set off with Ahsoka Tano to find him – which is where we’ll pick things up in the upcoming live-action series.
5. Ezra was driven by strong connections, to humans and creatures alike
One last thing to note about Ezra is his strong connections to others. He was very loyal to his family, the Spectres, and developed a particularly close relationship with Sabine Wren. Ezra’s loyalty gathered many others around him as allies, and in the Battle of Lothal they all returned to aid the cause, for no larger reason than loyalty to Ezra. This group included scoundrels like Hondo Ohnaka and Cikatro Vizago, clones like Rex and Gregor and Wolffe, young allies like Mart Mattin, Ketsu Onyo, and Jai Kell, and others. The theme that emerged was that Ezra’s friendships and loyalty garnered him strong connections with others, and that extended to creatures as well. Ezra possessed an ability through the Force to connect with creatures in a unique way, including with Loth-wolves and Purrgil.
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For more on what you need to know leading up to Ahsoka, check out these other articles in the series:
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