“Call to Action”

Tarkin’s arrival

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the Imperial Governor of the Outer Rim, lands at the Imperial Complex on the planet Lothal. Upon arrival, he is greeted by Minister Maketh Tua, who was surprised to learn of his visit. Tarkin then proceeds to reprimand her for failing to protect Imperial industrial interests by allowing a Rebel Cell to flourish right under her nose. He then castigates Agent Kallus for allowing the Rebel cell to attack Imperial soldiers, destroy Imperial property, and disrupt Imperial trade. In response, Kallus tells Tarkin that he has exhausted every resource to capture them. Tua informs Tarkin that the rebel leader was a Jedi. The Grand Moff mocks the Grand Inquisitor’s incompetence. He also expresses doubt that the rebel leader is a Jedi and asserts that the Jedi had all died. Tarkin then vowed to capture “this criminal” and prove that he is not a Jedi.

The speeder pursuit

Meanwhile, several of the Spectres (Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and Sabine Wren) had stolen a crate of supplies and were pursued by several Imperial speeder bikes led by Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint. The rebels led their Imperial pursuers into the town of Jalath and split up in order to divide Commandant Aresko’s forces. Sabine’s pursuer crashed into a wall while Kanan managed to use his blaster to shoot down a second pursuer. After reuniting at a junction, the rebels were pursued by the three remaining speeder bikes.

The leading biker ordered his men to continue the pursuit while he “cut them off.” The rebels managed to eliminate their Imperial pursuers by parking their bikes at a rubbish dump. After dispatching two of the Imperial combat drivers, Ezra managed to stun the leading biker. Having eliminated their pursuers, the rebels then returned to the Ghost. After watching Senator Gall Trayvis proclaim his allegiance to the Empire and denouncing them on HoloNet, Kanan devised a plan for the rebels to hijack Lothal’s Imperial Communications Center in order to broadcast the rebels’ side of the story.

Rising stakes

After interrogating Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint about the Lothals, Tarkin ordered the Inquisitor to execute the two Imperial officers for their incompetence. The grisly execution shocks Agent Kallus and horrifies Minister Tua. After warning that failure would no longer be tolerated, Tarkin ordered Agent Kallus to send probe droids to hunt down the rebels. While infiltrating the compound surrounding the main communications tower, Kanan, Sabine, and Ezra spot a probe droid. Concerned about being spotted, Ezra decided to use the Force to summon a loth-cat to attack and disable the Probe. Despite damaging the droid, it still managed to transmit footage of the rebels.

Discovering their location, Tarkin ordered Kallus not to reinforce Imperial presence. He wanted the rebels to believe that they still had the element of surprise on their side which would allow the Empire to take them by surprise. Ezra is pessimistic that their plan would work and feared that the rebels would suffer the same fate as his parents. In response, Kanan reminded them that their fear of losses should not stop them from being willing to sacrifice for a greater cause. He also reminded his apprentice that his master tried to teach him the same thing as Ezra and that he never understood it until he became a teacher himself.

Springing the trap

Later that night, the crew of the Ghost managed to infiltrate the control tower and overpower the paltry stormtrooper garrison. However, they quickly discovered that Imperial forces were approaching and that they had stumbled into a trap. While Kanan stayed behind to hold back the Imperials, Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper climbed up the tower to rendezvous with Hera Syndulla in the Phantom. After exchanging pleasantries with Agent Kallus, Kanan was surprised by the Grand Inquisitor, who engaged him in a lightsaber duel.

Meanwhile, Ezra and the other rebels are cornered by a patrol transport but Sabine manages to destroy it by throwing an explosive. Back on the ground, the Inquisitor offered Kanan a chance to surrender himself and his comrades. He also told Kanan that someone wanted to meet him. However, Hera arrived and managed to evacuate the other rebels. Despite Hera’s objections, Kanan ordered her and the other rebels to leave so that the Imperials would not capture them. Despite Ezra’s protests, Hera reluctantly accepts Kanan’s orders and the remaining rebels flee into the night.

Hope amidst defeat

At dawn, Agent Kallus and the Inquisitor present Kanan to Tarkin, who had come to meet the “Jedi.” Kanan vowed not to divulge anything to his Imperial captors. Tarkin’s victory was however overshadowed when he learned that the rebels were remotely controlling the communications tower. Ezra broadcasts a moving speech urging the people of Lothal to rise up against the Empire. In response, Tarkin orders his police gunships to destroy the communications tower. Aboard his gunship, Tarkin told Kanan that the Jedi may not know what it takes to win a war but he did. Back on the Ghost, Ezra asked Hera if she thought it was worth it and if anyone else heard it. In response, she told him that she had a feeling they did. When Ezra asked if this is over, Hera assured him that their struggle was not over.