The sixth episode of Ahsoka saw the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, making his live-action debut. But the search for Thrawn has always been tied together with the search for another familiar Star Wars character, Ezra Bridger. By the end of the episode, not only have the villains found Thrawn, but so too has Sabine Wren found Ezra.
So who is Ezra Bridger? He’s a major character in Star Wars Rebels, which is a series more than worth your while to watch, but if you’re looking for a brief summary of the character, you’ve come to the right place.
Ezra was born on Lothal on the very same day Emperor Palpatine reorganized the Republic into the Empire. His parents were angered by the Empire’s tyranny and began speaking out publicly against the government, hoping to make the galaxy a better place for their son, but they were found out and arrested when Ezra was still a boy (they would later be killed in prison). From that point on he was on his own to survive, learning some tricks to trick and steal his way for his next meals. But one day Ezra encountered a group of rebels that would change his life, as he would join their crew. The rebels were led by Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus, and also included Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, and Chopper.
Kanan, a former Jedi padawan who had survived the Purge, realized Ezra’s remarkable Force sensitivity and decided to train him as a Jedi. The team of rebels continued to pull of heists, typically small jobs aimed at helping the hurting people of Lothal and the galaxy. But with two Jedi among them the crew quickly drew the attention of the Grand Inquisitor and other Imperial Inquisitors, and eventually even Darth Vader. It was at the same time that a new ally, Ahsoka Tano, stepped forward to aid the cause and provided a bit of supplemental training for Ezra.
As they sought for answers Ezra wound up speaking with Master Yoda in the World Between Worlds, and Yoda told him to go to Malachor. On the planet, the Jedi were met by Inquisitors, Maul, and Vader. Kanan was blinded by Maul, and Ahsoka was left for dead against Vader. In the wake of those events, Ezra flirted with the dark side as his power in the Force grew stronger. He was haunted by his connection with Maul, through which he sought out and found Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine before Kenobi killed Maul. But through these events he became all the more convinced of the path of the light and stayed true.
The rebel crew became more and more plugged in to the larger rebellion, but Ezra’s ultimate desire remained to lead a liberation of his home world of Lothal. An initial plan for this was thwarted by Grand Admiral Thrawn, and another attack run led by Hera was stopped as well. Hera was captured, and Ezra, Sabine, and Kanan went to rescue her – with Kanan sacrificing his life to save the others. Dealing with the grief of losing his master, Ezra found entrance to the World Between Worlds, where he was reunited with Ahsoka. But he was also tempted with saving his master, which he longed to do, but which Ahsoka cautioned him wouldn’t be possible.
The lesson was an important one, because Ezra would soon be tempted again. He led a mission to liberate Lothal, and the rebels took the capital dome and began preparations to destroy it. It was then that Thrawn returned and laid siege to the planet, only stopping once Ezra surrendered to him. Ezra was then tempted by Palpatine, who sought entrance to the World Between Worlds, with the promise that Ezra could save his parents. But Ezra refused, destroying the portal and fighting back. His plan came to fruition when a group of purrgil emerged from hyperspace to carry Thrawn’s Star Destroyer away into hyperspace, transporting them to another galaxy. In a recording left behind for Sabine, Ezra told her that he was counting on her.
Here, a decade later, Sabine finally found Ezra. He was counting on her to find him, and she finally did.
In summary, Ezra was a talented young Jedi with a strong moral compass and a unique ability to connect with living beings and creatures, such as purrgil. He was tremendously loyal to his friends and family, yet he was also willing to do what was necessary in order to aid and help others – even if it meant being willingly taken away from his friends to save them and Lothal. It’s here that there is an interesting contrast with Sabine, who was unwilling to give up being with Ezra for the sake of the galaxy, whereas Ezra had willingly given up being with his friends for the sake of Lothal.
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