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Tear Jerker / Star Wars Rebels

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"...I'm sorry, son."
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All spoilers in their respective seasons are untagged. Browse through at your own caution.


    General 
  • According to Word of God, the surviving Clone Troopers were reassigned to menial tasks when their Clone Degeneration caught up with them, and received no compensation for their services. After all their attempts to define themselves as individuals in The Clone Wars, the Empire used them to massacre the Jedi and then tossed them aside when they were no longer convenient. Even worse, some of them were forced to kill the Jedi against their will and those that remain feel horrible about it and have to live with that guilt.
  • People thought it would finally all be over with the Clone Wars. They wouldn't have to fight anymore, they wouldn't have to worry about their loved ones being taken away the next day, but little did anyone know that Palpatine orchestrated it all, and now, while there is no war (at the moment), people are suffering in silence, aware of it or not. And people like Cham, Saw, and possibly Bo-Katan, are tired, jaded, bitter, and have already lost so much, but are still fighting for their world's freedom.
    • And other veterans like Rex and Kalani are still fighting a war that was supposed to have ended years ago, because that's what they were made to do in the first place; fight.
    • (Ex-)Jedi like Kanan and Ahsoka could've been peacekeepers had the war ended on a 'happier' note and had they stayed, respectively, but they're wanted and being hunted down by people who may as well have been their brothers-in-arms at one point or another.
  • The lines in Disney Infinity are usually pretty lighthearted and cheery, but one of Zeb's is sort of on the sadder side.
    "That one was for Lasan, and the fallen."
  • Servants of the Empire deals with Zare, a loyal follower of the Empire... until he witnesses them bully his best friend, industrialize and destroy a peaceful farming planet, and kill peaceful protesters and claim they attacked the Empire afterwards. They're also responsible for making his sister disappear.
  • In two of the Titan Magazine comics, "Kallus' Hunt" and "No Sympathy" respectively, Kallus had to subdue his former friend Jovan (who Kallus couldn't have graduated without) and former student Swain (who Kallus calls a prodigy, even besting him in combat), both of which have gone rogue (Jovan getting greedy and Swain having a Heel–Face Turn after 'The Siege of Lothal'). At the end of their respective comics, Jovan is to be sent to an Imperial prison (likely to be executed later) while Swain gets prepared to be tortured for interrogation. Makes the ending of "The Honorable Ones" more sadder.
  • In Titan Magazine's "Ocean Rescue", Sabine and Ahsoka attempt to rescue an old friend of the former, Janard, who helped Sabine (and presumably Ketsu as well) escape the Academy on Mandalore. He dies at the end, in Sabine's arms.

    Season 1 
"Spark of Rebellion"
  • Watching all of the starving people collect the stolen food. Then watching Ezra looking ashamed.
    Starving Alien: Thank you. Thank you so much.
    Ezra: ...I didn't do anything.

"Droids in Distress"

  • Zeb's backstory on why he hates the T-7 Disruptors is one of the most depressing tales ever in the Star Wars Universe.
    • Even worse Zeb would cease to exist had it not been for Ezra's new-found Force powers.
    • Zeb gets the opportunity to duel Agent Kallus, the man personally responsible for the near extinction of his species, only to lose and nearly get killed by him.

"Rise of the Old Masters"

  • Kanan's reaction to learning that Luminara was dead after he had gotten his hopes up that she was alive. May also be one for fans of The Clone Wars and the character, especially with the horrible condition her corpse is in.
    • Kanan's initial reluctance to train Ezra because he doesn't think of himself as a good teacher since he didn't even make it past Padawan when the Jedi Order fell. Thankfully, at the end of "Rise of the Old Masters", he decides to be more confident in himself and accept the responsibility of training Ezra.
    • Kanan informing Hera of Luminara's death and noting that he's probably grieving even more than Ezra. And Ezra overhears revealing tidbit.
      Kanan: I guess [Ezra's] stuck with me.
    • Likewise, Ezra doesn't take the idea of Kanan trying to get him a better teacher very well when they decide to rescue Luminara, feeling that he's just trying to ditch him. Between that and his parents' absence, this suggests that Ezra has severe abandonment issues.
    • As indicated in this interview, Luminara actually walked into her own execution, utterly broken after her captivity.

"Empire Day"

  • Imagine losing your parents. Then imagine losing them on your birthday. Then imagine losing them because they are protesting the very Empire that took them when it was founded on your birthday. That would leave anyone jaded. It gets worse in the following episode, where Ezra admits that he never let himself hope they survived because he wouldn't have survived on the streets otherwise.
    • And just to twist that knife a little deeper, Ezra learns that they were most likely executed after refusing to become ISB informants from Trayvis after the latter betrays him in "Vision of Hope".
    • Tseebo. Basically the Empire lobotomized this rodian for productivity. But what is really tear jerking is when Ezra, Kanan and Sabine find him hiding in Ezra's old home crying and holding himself.

"Gathering Forces"

  • Not only is Ezra extremely shaken up by his encounter with the dark side, Kanan seems pretty shaken up as well.

"Path of the Jedi"

  • In Ezra's visions, Kanan is killed by the Inquisitor, and then the Inquisitor slaughters the rest of the Ghost crew. Ezra's reactions make it even worse.

"Vision of Hope"

  • When Ezra finds out that Gall Trayvis is an Imperial agent, he's completely crushed. Made worse when Trayvis gives him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech about the futility of resisting the Empire. The poor kid nearly has a breakdown.
    • Even though Hera was rightly suspicious of Trayvis and prepared for him to turn on them, she wanted to believe that he was who he made himself out to be.

"Call to Action"

  • Kanan is captured by the Inquisitor and delivered to Grand Moff Tarkin. Everyone is devastated, Ezra and Hera in particular.
  • The Hope Spot where it looks like they've taken control of the Imperial broadcasting tower and Ezra is delivering his message only for Tarkin to demolish the tower. They're not even certain if they reached anyone.
  • The final scene where the crew are sitting around the dejarik table, completely silent except for the sound of the transmitter slowly dying. It's also notable for forgoing the usual music Sting over the last logo, replacing it with the transmitter falling silent.

"Rebel Resolve"

  • You know how that droid survived being thrown out on Lothal? According to Word of God, he ran out of power while in the grassland, meaning that he's stuck there until somebody finds him. Ouch.

"Fire Across the Galaxy"

  • Kanan shows a lot of regret and sadness when remembering the last moments he spent with his Master and he practically chokes when telling the Inquisitor her last word to him, "Run".
  • Hera is severely strained on the decisions she has to make. The practical thing to do is to leave Kanan and run, but deep down she really doesn't want to do it, and the thought of it all eats her up inside.

    Season 2 
"Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal"
  • The doorway scene where Kanan clarifies why he isn't comfortable with working with a military organization. The trauma of the Clone Wars lingered.
  • The Empire (in a attempt to get the rebels out of hiding) burns down Tarkintown. Made worse by the fact that most of the inhabitants are still alive, but the Ghost crew can't help them.
    • Ahsoka's reaction to finding out who Darth Vader really is. She's calm at first, only to get more and more uncomfortable until Vader acknowledges her, at which point she realizes that the Sith Lord is her old teacher Anakin Skywalker. The shock and horror/despair of it (combined with the psychic shock of making mental contact with a Sith Lord) makes her pass out.
    • Minister Maketh Tua's death and the tragic lead-up to it. Tua was just trying to do her job and honestly wanted to help the people of Lothal as a fair and reasonable minister, believing the Empire's rule was just. She wasn't always the most likable, and still got involved in some shady business, but she wasn't a bad person, and she did have standards. Tua found out the Empire she believed in was full of evil sociopaths, and she ended up being manipulated and killed by them for their own twisted goals. She was more or less just a normal person trying to do what she though was right, who got in way over her head and on the wrong side of the war. By the end she was a nervous wreck being unable to get any results for the Empire, and completely terrified knowing she would be executed for her failure, betrayed by the government she swore to serve. It's very hard not to feel bad for Tua.
    • Even worse, the Ghost crew are framed for her murder. The only way that would matter to citizens of Lothal is if the citizenry recognized Tua's reasonable stances.

"The Lost Commanders"

  • The fate of Rex, Gregor and Wolffe. If you look back at their appearances, all three of them were badass warriors who could tear down dozens of Clankers single-handedly, and made some very meaningful bonds with the characters that were in their episodes. Then this comes. Though Rex seems more-or-less the same, he is a tired old man who has accepted that his fate is to rot away in the dust. Wolffe is now paranoid of the empire to the point where he will turn any rebel and/or Jedi in to the people who essentially Mind Raped him, and Gregor has become senile and manipulative, tricking Zed into being bait and cackling at random intervals. Fortunately, they redeem themselves in the end of their arc, but it's still tragic to see these once-great warriors of the republic left to rot, forgotten, wandering about and scavenging for food in an AT-TE, which is in itself a ghost of their golden years.
    • A September 2018 statement by Henry Gilroy reveals that Wolffe had his chip removed after Order 66, which heavily implies that he has Jedi blood on his hands. It's no wonder Wolffe was worried that the Jedi have come for revenge.
  • Kanan telling Ezra what happened during Order 66. Its very painful for him to admit his master was gunned down by clone troppers and you can really feel that day still haunts him. And then when Star Wars: The Bad Batch showed the exact circumstances of that moment play out, it makes this moment come across as even sadder.
  • Rex, realizing Kanan doesn’t trust him or the other clones, tells him he didn’t betray his Jedi, and removed his control chip. But after the release of the final episode of The Clone Wars, Rex left out the fact that he did carry out Order 66 and did attack Ahsoka, who eventually removed his control chip. Rex didn’t have the heart to tell Kanan whole story.

"Relics of the Old Republic"

  • Kanan telling Ezra about Order 66; worst of all is the part when his voice audibly breaks as he remembers his master's death.

"Always Two There Are"

  • Rex continually speaks fondly of the Jedi he served under, who we all know is Anakin Skywalker. Even worse, like practically everyone after the Clone Wars, he doesn't know what actually happened to him, as he's recalling the memory of a dead friend and leader.

"Brothers of the Broken Horn"

"Legacy"

  • When Kanan and Ezra return to Lothal, it just feels so... empty. No one is there anymore; Jai and his family, Zare and co., the Sumars, Old Jho, and Tseebo are presumably in hiding somewhere (possibly off planet) or just can't be contacted right now and thus are left with unknown fates; the criminal scum like Vizago and Lando that gave us our fun episodes fled before the Siege as well; and even the Imperials we knew from Season 1, Tua, Aresko, and Grint, that helped give us our Rebel/Imperial conflict here in the first place, are dead (and the only people that would care or notice is possibly the audience).
  • We finally find out what happened to Ezra's parents. They're dead, and Ezra does not take this well. He struggles to hold back tears as Azadi explains what happened to them. He then starts sobbing, hugs Kanan, and cries into his chest. It's moments like this where you realize that, while Ezra may be a Padawan, a feared rebel, and a warrior, he's still just a little boy who wanted his parents back.
  • Seeing what Lothal used to look like before the Empire terrorized it. It's quite sad when you realize how much of Lothal's glory was spoiled by the Empire.
  • While Kanan tries to rein in Ezra's single-minded obsession to find his parents, Ezra tells Kanan that he doesn't understand how he feels, and Kanan responds that he's absolutely right. Kanan reminds Ezra (and the viewers) that he never knew his parents. But he's determined to be for Ezra irregardless.

"A Princess on Lothal"

  • Ezra continuing to grieve in A Princess on Lothal. Thankfully, he gets better.
  • Azadi initially refuses to take part in the Rebellion, since his time in prison has put his flame out. Kanan can relate, since he was in a similar scenario back in late Season 1. He ends up joining in the end after finding his passion again in helping the crew get the Hammerheads, but if he hadn't, then he would be disregarding the memory of the Bridgers as well as forsaking his world to tyranny.

"The Protector of Concord Dawn"

"Legends of the Lasat"

  • The whole of Zeb's backstory, as revealed in Legends of the Lasat. He wasn't just a member of the Honor Guard, he was their captain, responsible for the royal family and the entire population of Lasan. He fought to the bitter end with the Guard, only for the Empire to overwhelm them, bombing the palace into rubble and leaving Zeb near death. The Ghost crew found him and patched him up, only for Zeb to find out he was the Last of His Kind. He blamed himself for Lasan's fall and turned his back on his heritage out of shame.
    • A happy one when Zeb returns from Lirasan, and reveals that Chava and Gron won't be alone on the newly rediscovered planet...because Lirasan is the original homeworld of the Lasat and where his people came from. Looks like Zeb is not as alone as he thought.
  • Gron, the Lasat accompanying Chava was once a member of the Lasat Honor Guard under Zeb. In the present he seems slightly diminished, and appears to have accepted the role of "the Fool" in his people's prophecy.

"Homecoming"

  • The Ghost crew meet Hera's family... and it quickly becomes clear that Hera and her father are estranged, thanks to his obsession with freeing Ryloth and neglecting his family. Even when Hera tries to connect with him, passionately explaining why she feels she's doing good in the Rebellion, he dismisses her.
    Hera: This is different! The Rebels are fighting to free everyone!
    Cham: Free everyone? I don't care about everyone! I care only about Ryloth!
    Hera: (sad and sullen) ...So I've noticed.
    • During their argument, Hera slips into her Ryloth accent, but when she says that last line she goes back to unaccented Basic. It's a subtle but powerful vocal cue.
  • Hera's reaction to the pilot who got killed in the opening. Later, she's trying to hold together during her call to Sato. While Phoenix Squadron is a Redshirt Army, they're also Hera's responsibility and their deaths weigh on her.
  • If one looks closely, you'll notice the now adult Numa is wearing a piece of Waxer's clone armor.

"The Honorable Ones"

  • Kallus when he breaks his leg. He screams from the pain, and Zeb throwing him out only seems to make it worse, judging by his panic. Maybe it isn't something that would bring out tears from the audience, but it certainly did make them cringe.
    • Once Kallus explains what happened to him when he met his first Lasat. It becomes clear he was most likely terrified, thinking that Zeb was about to execute him.
  • Kallus's backstory. On his first mission, he and his team were deployed to Onderon. Saw Gerrera's rebels attacked them, with a Lasat mercenary killing survivors. For unknown reasons, maybe searching wasn't thorough enough, maybe Cruel Mercy, but Kallus was the Sole Survivor, and he was conscious but heavily injured during the entire ordeal, making him unable to do anything while his friends were mercilessly killed. He may be guilty of several war crimes, but in the end, he's just as much of a victim of war as everyone else.
  • The moment when Kallus apologizes to Zeb for what happened on Lasan and explains that it wasn't supposed to turn into a massacre. The way his eyes dart back and forth, not to mention the tone in his voice while talking makes it seem like he's ever so slightly ashamed about it.
  • The cold unfeeling way Kallus is welcomed back to the Empire, it parallels rather tragically with the way Zeb is warmly welcomed back to the Ghost.
    • Supplementary material reveals that it wasn't the Empire that picked up Kallus, but an independent trader, as they'd already expended their allocated time for searching. Said time was barely a day, and Kallus is a high-ranking officer, which emphasizes just how little the Empire cares for the people under its command.
    • Being the last time we see him in Season 2, this is also a contrast to Kallus back in the pilot episode, who was so eager, loyal, and ready to 'snuff out that spark before it catches fire' in the name of The Empire. Now, he's beginning to see why the galaxy is 'catching fire', and he isn't sure what to believe.
    • The Titan Magazine comics reveal that he had to arrest one of his students (who he practically tells her "I'm disappointed in you".) and an old friend for going rogue. Knowing the Empire, they were probably executed or died in custody. Think about that. He's alone because he brought it upon himself.

"Shroud of Darkness"

  • Ahsoka shows Ezra a hologram of Anakin in his prime, looking at him with sad fondness.
  • The conversation Kanan and Hera share on the Ghost regarding the safety of meeting up. You can tell that she senses that Kanan's pain goes much deeper than he's letting off and she's in some tranquil sorrow over the situation. You can tell that she's heartbroken over the Force-related missions that she'll never be a part.
    Hera: *Watching the Phantom leave* Sometimes it's best not to know.
  • While meditating in the Jedi temple on Lothal, Ahsoka is confronted with her realization about what really happened to her beloved master:
    Anakin: Ahsoka... why did you leave? Where were you when I needed you?
    Ahsoka: I made a choice. I couldn't stay.
    Anakin: You were selfish.
    Ahsoka: No!
    Anakin: You abandoned me! You failed me! Do you know what I've become?
    [Anakin has shifted into Vader surrounded by dark energy, his signature breath and Imperial March starts up.]
    [Ahsoka screams in horror, despair and heartbreak]
    • What really drives this home is that Matt Lanter returns to voice Ahsoka's vision of Anakin/Vader, and he does an amazing job: he really sells that Vader simultaneously blames Ahsoka, and loathes himself.
    • When Ahsoka tries to defend herself, her voice sounds a lot more like her teenage self.
    • It's just ambiguous enough to wonder if this is an actual conversation, or simply a manifestation of the guilt Ahsoka feels about what happened to Anakin after she left.
  • The fact that the Sentinel became the Grand Inquisitor is this when you see how loyal he was to the Jedi cause, if Kanan's vision is accurate to reality. One must wonder how he fell and why.
  • Ahsoka's statement of "There is still a way" is just depressing, because we already know that any attempts to redeem Vader (until Luke comes along) aren't going to be successful.

"The Forgotten Droid"

  • AP-5's entire demeanor and the way he's treated aboard the freighter. Also his disbelief that someone is going to rescue them.
    AP-5: Who rescues droids?
  • The usually sociopathic Chopper comforting AP-5 who is critically shot and about to short-circuit, with a It Has Been an Honor moment. Chopper then holds the other droid's hand and falls silent as they enter hyperspace. Just before that, if you listen closely, it almost sounds like Chopper's saying "Buddy?" in worry.

"The Mystery of Chopper Base"

  • Hera spends the entire episode holding back her internal sorrow over the inevitability of Kanan and Ezra leaving and the fact that they might ultimately not come back.
    • Kanan telling Hera how he has now come to embrace being part of a larger rebellion, while also emphasizing he and Ezra still have Jedi matters that can't involve the others, including her.
    • When she tells Kanan and Ezra to split from them in the cave for both strategic and emotional reasons. Why? To get used to "not having them around" and possibly give a subtle warning for them to learn how to come back alive to them.
    • It's implied Kanan deludes himself that he will come back and he does notices Hera's melancholy but doesn't quite know how to address it. Even though he makes the promise, he and Hera have trouble believing it.
    • It becomes harsher when Kanan sarcastically makes an "excited expression" for humorous effect and she's visibly unamused. Now he will never make such an expression again.
    • The leifmotif during their embrace is a reprise of the music during their doorway argument in "Siege of Lothal."
    • It's even harsher when taking Word of God into account. Hera and Kanan retained a friendship and professionalism since their meeting in A New Dawn, but that doesn't mean Hera doesn't have "tremendous feelings for Kanan." It effectively furthers the credence that Hera knows she might lose Kanan to the War.

"Twilight of the Apprentice"

  • There's the heartwarming conversation Rex and Ahsoka have about how "experience outranks everything" that really went full circle—it became their last conversation and it was the last time they saw each other.
  • In the previous episode, Kanan's words to Hera was that "we'll see each other again. I promise." At the end of this episode, he can no longer see. But he at least lives to have a worried embrace from Hera.
  • Despite the fact that this is still Darth Maul we're talking about, and the fact that he's almost certainly manipulating Ezra... there is something genuinely sad about his state when we first see him in this episode. Alone, desperate for knowledge, visibly happy to have someone to talk to.
    Maul: "The Sith... The Sith took everything from me. Ripped me from my mother's arms, murdered my brother, used me as a weapon, and then cast me aside. Abandoning me! Once I had power, now I have... Nothing."
  • The thing about Maul's story to Ezra is that while it was indeed him manipulating Ezra, not a single word of it was a lie. Maul might have been a Sith Lord at one point, but he is no less a victim of the Sith as anyone else.
  • The final sweeping shot of the Ghost crew and their saddened looks of uncertainty, as if they know they must move forward, but they don't know to return to the status quo.
  • Ahsoka refuses to leave Vader. She's not letting this end on the same terms as their last meeting.
    • Years later, Luke refused to leave him as well. The last thing Anakin probably remembers is that the people he hurt the most were the people who stood by him no matter what.
  • Anakin's exposed eye visibly changing between his Jedi and Sith side. The moment Ahsoka tells him she's not leaving again, Anakin just... stands there, his eye looking towards the ground as if he's actually touched by the gesture. However, Vader retakes control and his pupil shrinks as he tells Ahsoka that she will die. Whatever thoughts were flowing in his mind don't matter anymore, Anakin is lost. If anyone has seen Revenge of the Sith, this is almost the exact same thing he did to Padme when she tried to get him to come back, just threatening to kill her.
    • Vader's not just touched by the gesture, he's contemplating whether or not to take this chance. Vader up to this point has made many bad choices, but he's stood by them knowing that he's come too far, and Palpatine at the end of the day is the only one who will forgive him for what he's done. Reaching out to someone like Obi-wan or Ahsoka is taking a gamble — what if it doesn't pan out? What if the rug gets pulled out from under him? He takes that leap of faith, returns to the right path, but then things don't work out. Maybe the person offering will backtrack on their forgiveness, and he'll be alone again. The galaxy at large will undoubtedly still hate him, so popularity will give him no solice. Why bother? With Ahsoka he's afraid that she might leave him just like last time, and even if she's faithful she's offering him false hope at redemption. Luke managed where Ahsoka failed, but it wasn't out of a lack of desire on Vader's part that he rejected Ahsoka's offer.
  • "Anakin Skywalker was weak, I destroyed him."
  • Up to this point, Matt Lanter had only voiced Anakin prior to his fall, effectively becoming the Anakin everyone knows and loves, arguably more so than Hayden Christensen. Hearing his voice not with a warm and friendly tone but with Vader's cold and cruel one is chilling.
  • The whole fight between Vader and Ahsoka. They used to be brother and sister...
  • Ezra's heartbroken reaction upon seeing Kanan, masked, asking Ezra for the simple task of escorting him to the Holocron. Kanan may have held his own against Maul, but Surprisingly Realistic Outcome happens and Kanan has been reduced to needing help from his own apprentice.
  • Rex's heartbroken expression as Kanan, Ezra and Chopper return without Ahsoka. Clones only have found family. Their brothers and their Jedi. He just lost his Jedi. His little sister. His daughter.
  • Ahsoka's fate is unknown. Similar to how in The Clone Wars her final shot was descending the Temple stairs, the last time we see her here is a distant shot of her disappearing into the darkness of the Sith Temple, as if symbolizing how a hero's journey fades away into legend. The fact that despite evidence pointing to Ahsoka living, Rex and the Ghost crew will still have to move on without her and Ezra will live with the weight of her presumed death.
  • When Vader walks out of the temple, he clearly does not at all feel triumphant. He's clearly forlorn after the battle, and this moment will clearly affect him in the years to come when he sees Luke.
  • When they acquired the Holocron, Maul stated that only a Sith or someone who thought like them could open it. Three guesses what the final shot of the season has Ezra accomplishing.
  • The callousness and nonchalance Vader shows about Ahsoka makes the viewer both want to tear Vader apart and give him a bear hug at the same time. Especially that moment when Ahsoka breaks Vader's mask and we hear Matt Lanter's voice mixed with James Earl Jones's. It's as if Ahsoka made a crack in the Vader persona for just a short while, as shown by Vader calling Ahsoka by her name for the first time. But, we know that Vader can't be redeemed here, making this all the more agonizing.
  • When Vader's mask is broken and Anakin calls out Ahsoka's name, you could see the terror and heartbreak on her face. At this point, despite how implausible, she could still rationalize that Vader and Anakin were not the same person. Vader himself was speaking in third person in regards to "Anakin", giving Ahsoka some hope that just maybe the man in that suit was not her master, even if it means this man was Anakin's killer. But hearing his voice then seeing his eyes under that mask, Ahsoka realized she could no longer deny that Anakin and Vader was one and the same.
  • This moment gets even worse after the revelation in Clone Wars season 7; during the fight between Ahsoka and Maul, Maul had figured it all out and laid it bare in front of Ahsoka what Sidious's plan was. All that was needed was Ahsoka join Maul in destroying Sidious's ultimate apprentice; Anakin Skywalker. Ahsoka, offended at even the notion that her master could fall to the darkside, much less groomed for his eventual fall, accuses Maul of lying to her face and attacks him. Years later, not only was everything Maul said was right, but the very thing that caused her to disbelieve him is literally staring her in the face.
  • This comment from You-Tube really captures the difference between Anakin and Vader, when it comes to his ultimatum of "Then you will die." "Anakin said this as a warning. Vader said this as a promise."
  • Kanan holding a sobbing Ezra as they escape Malachor. "There's nothing we can do now. It's over. It's over."
    • While Kanan's expression is secluded beneath a mask, Freddie Prinze Jr. sells his anguish and gives the impression that Kanan might be trying to sob.
    • In fact, these are the last words of the season, as the final two minutes are free of dialogue.

    Season 3 
  • If the first few seconds of the first trailer when Ezra calls for Ahsoka in "Twilight of the Apprentice" before cutting to scenes of Ezra becoming callous and brutal to protect the ones he loves within the next minute is any indication, it's clear that Ezra blames himself for Ahsoka's 'death'.
    • Word of Saint Paul from Freddie says that Ezra also blames himself for Kanan's affliction.

Steps Into Shadow

  • Look at how much Ezra has changed personality-wise. At the beginning of the show, while he was the Naïve Newcomer and lost, he quickly opened up to do the right thing and also find a family in the crew. Now, he feels like doing the right thing is not pragmatic (inadvertently taking a page from Maul) and like Anakin, he will do anything and anything to protect his family, because he feels like he failed his original one.
    Hondo: Is that really Ezra?
    Sabine: Most of the time...
  • People expected Kanan to still crack Self-Deprecation jokes regarding his blindness and the others getting in on it. And it turns out in the show, it's played completely seriously. Kanan is depressed and has isolated himself from everyone else, and its implied he hasn't been training. Hera has to talk to him after the intro scene to tell him Ezra misses him and blames himself for the events on Malachor. Which leads to...
  • Ezra and Kanan getting into an argument about the Sith Holocron. Kanan tries to talk sense into him and tell him the Presence is baiting him into becoming exactly who he wants to destroy. Ezra counters that he doesn't need Kanan as his teacher anymore, and he knows exactly how to achieve victory thanks to the Presence's teachings.
  • A minor and subtle one: Pryce talks to Tarkin about how Konstantine is 'more politician than soldier', referring to his incompetence. Remember Minister Tua and her fervent loyalty to Governor Pryce? Pryce doesn't even seem to care about her either, nevermind likely having a negative view of her as well.
  • Kallus shows that he's not a complete monster when he objects to the possibility of civilian casualties during Thrawn's new tactic against the rebels. Sadly he can't get any support from his fellow Imperials.
  • Kanan's desire to "Run," in answer to the Bendu's question, cementing his helplessness and calling back to the last order Master Billaba ever gave him.
  • A subtle one, but when it turns out the Empire is incinerating the Y-Wings, Ezra gets into an argument with the crew about changing the recon mission into a recovery operation. What does he say to Rex?
    • Another thing that this scene and the entire episode in general seems to imply that Ezra is starting to see the crew as almost possessions that he must keep safe and not as equals who can take care of themselves, just like Anakin.
      • Ironically, when he trusts his friends to escape the collapsing station, it's clear he has put himself to a high standard and that he mistakenly applies to his friends.
      • Alternatively to the above, since the team makes it out and Ezra only does because Kanan and Hera show up in time, it's possible that Ezra is slowing getting more arrogant and overestimating his own abilities, and we know what happens then.
  • A minor and quick one; Chopper refuses to get into a Y-Wing and has to be manhandled by Zeb into one. It's pretty clear that he remembers what happened the last time he got in a Y-Wing, made even worse when you realize that Reklam Station is a floating station and that it's a long way down to Yarma, so no one will save him if he crashes this time.
  • Near the end, Ezra is alone aboard the station as it falls. The ships are gone, the last transmission he heard was that his friends are stranded without hyperdrive in front of an Imperial fleet, and for some reason he can't contact Kanan through the Force. He's basically reliving the events of Malachor, helpless to save his friends or himself, and this time it's entirely his own fault. And the poor kid looks so scared and he sounds like he's about to cry.
    Ezra: Kanan, where are you?
  • A minor one, but when the Phantom falls into the abyss and goes out in an explosion. She's been with us ever since the beginning, and now she's gone.

Holocrons of Fate

  • While holding the Ghost crew hostage, Maul realized the Ghost is more than a ship, he realizes that it is their home. His pain for his lost home is noticeable for a moment until he turns it around and asks for a tour.
  • When the captured and bound crew of the Ghost hear a third droid arrive out of their sight with instructions for the two already guarding them, the scene cuts to their faces more than once. The expressions on their faces when they hear the blasters getting "cocked" behind them as they realize and clearly accept that they are going to die is heart wrenching.

The Antilles Extraction

  • When the rebels receive the transmission from Fulcrum, Ezra hopefully asks, "Ahsoka?" Commander Sato and Hera have to tell him that no, Fulcrum is just a codename for all of the rebellion's covert recruiter/handler agents.
  • Minor, but Sabine and Pryce both make jabs at Kallus about being inferior at his job. Sabine doesn't know that he's becoming disillusioned (and is unaware of the incident with Zeb as well), and as his superior, Pryce being subtle with it suggests that he might kick the can soon if he can't pull it together.
  • Poor Rake gets killed in the first escape attempt.

Hera's Heroes

  • In his office, Cham has an image of a himself, a younger Hera, and a female Twi'lek. Thrawn later brings in Hera to his office, and he keeps that image open as he Hannibal Lectures her faith in the Rebellion.
  • Nobody likes seeing their own home, specifically their own residence, being occupied, violated, and perverted into the headquarters of undesirables. Even worse if someone takes something like an heirloom of your family and trivializes it into a personal trophy. It's enough to warrant Hera blowing up her house and wanting to destroy the Kalikori so it all stays out of Imperial hands.
  • Chopper standing before the husk of the Y-Wing he was piloting beck in the Clone Wars, which got shot down above Hera's home. Chopper, of all droids, still mourns his former pilot.

The Last Battle

  • Rex gets really serious about this whole battle droid situation, to the point that he snaps at Ezra for taking it like a game and not realizing the stakes when they're sneaking around in the holdout's hallways.
    Ezra: I make a pretty good soldier, huh?
    Rex: No! A good soldier follows orders. That plan was based on timing and execution—and you took too long!
    Ezra: But Chopper wanted to show me—
    Rex: This is not a game! This is life and death! Every move you make affects the rest of us! If we're going to survive this, we're going to do it with strategy, and discipline.
  • The implication from the promo is that Kalani and Rex don't have any other reason or motivation to live other than to fight, because that's what they were created to do. And now that they've outlived the Clone Wars, they have to resort to either continuing to fight each other, or to fight the Empire together.
    • It's repeatedly emphasized that even if Rex doesn't have a chip in his head, he was still practically brainwashed from conception to be a soldier. When Ezra questions him he admits that, save for a few, clones have no choice but to fight simply because that's all they can remember wanting. To emphasize the point, there's the moment when Rex snaps at Ezra, using nearly the same wording as the Madness Mantra that an activated clone uses.
      Rex: A good soldier follows orders.
  • When Rex recovers from his unconscious state and sees the blur of Separatists droid, he's baffled, perhaps struck by a PTSD flashback. When Kanan calls his name, Rex believes it's Commander Cody who's calling him. Once Rex sees Kanan, he's relived, as if he had awoken from a nightmare.
  • The first meeting between Battle Droids and Stormtroopers does not go well. The troopers never even speak directly to the lead battle droid, who actually greets them courteously. In fact, the troopers ignore the poor droid up to the point that they decide (for no practical reason) to shoot him mid-sentence.
    • During the escape scene, most of the battle droids being butt monkeys again is Played for Laughs though it was actually kind of sad when one battle droid fell off the doorway during boarding and died, and the battle droids (or at least most of whatever was left by then) get their shuttle shot down, with Rex trying to warn them to steer the other direction. Aside from the few droids he escaped with, Kalani's lost the majority of his companions.
  • Kalani and Rex's appearance brings a small hint of sadness to the audience as we've seen both of them in their prime; Rex as a proud and strong captain and Kalani resplendent in his pristine armor with golden illuminations. Now, Rex is out of shape and barely wearing a full set of his armor (and what armor he does have has now become ill-fitting) while Kalani's shell has become worn by the sands of time, his decorations scratched and faded and rust covering him in various places. Both of them were once proud, strong, and terrifying commanders. Now reduced to mere forgotten relics fighting a war neither of them could have won.
  • Rex and Kalani realizing the true nature of the Clone Wars is the closest they could come to victory, and an awesome moment. Then it sinks in: Rex and Kalani recognizing the true nature of the Clone Wars is the closest they could come to victory. The war was orchestrated as Palpatine's power play, his victory the only one that would be allowed. There was no great cause either of them were fighting for. The war they were created to fight was meaningless, and thus their reasons for existing in the first place. No wonder Kalani needs some time to decide what he's going to do next.

Imperial Supercommandos

  • While accompanied with Sabine and Ezra on Concord Dawn as their prisoner, Rau grabs their weapons and makes a run for it back to his base. When they catch up to him and tell him to put his blaster down and turn around, he is unresponsive. They realize something is wrong, and join him to see what he's looking at; the Protector base was burnt down in what appears to have been a massacre, presumably because the Empire found out about Rau's imprisonment and sent the Imperial Supercommandos to punish the Protectors for their incompetence. And this was exactly what Rau was trying to avoid back in "The Protector of Concord Dawn".
    • Bear in mind that those these Mandalorians weren't just random recruits or hired muscle, but some were probably a part of his clan. He probably knew some of them since childhood.
  • Who is the leader of these Imperial Supercommandos? Saxon. It's actually kind of sad to see that he's become a blind servant to the Empire, once again letting traditions completely drive his train of thinking.
  • Sabine's mother is with the Empire now. Did she get pushed into the Honor Before Reason mindset again? Was she a Broken Bird when Sabine left? Was she forced into it despite the implications that she quit her gig as a Death Watch soldier and doesn't want to have to do with her warrior drama again? Did she do it for the sole sake of finding Sabine that way? We just don't know.

An Inside Man

  • When Mr. Sumar dies. It became so personal for Ezra that he nearly broke his cover and wanted to charge at Thrawn for it. When Ezra breaks the news to his wife, she's visibly shocked and saddened, but isn't given enough time to grieve at the moment when they have to flee from Imperials.
  • Kallus being Fulcrum is both heartwarming and a tearjerker. It means that after two seasons of having hurt people under the belief it would be for the greater good, he's realized that isn't the case, and even if he tries to redeem himself, he has to live with the guilt of every single thing he's done as an Imperial (including Lasan, helping assassinate Tua, and so on).

Visions and Voices

  • Hera's subtle forlornness when she knows Ezra and Kanan are plagued by yet another Force matter beyond her comprehension, much like how she watched Kanan and Ezra depart for the Lothal Temple and cope with their departure to Malachor. It has to take convincing from Kanan for her to continue a mission elsewhere instead of watching over Ezra.
  • Ezra goes on a rampage when he has another series of Maul visions, and was only a couple of feet away from killing an innocent man. Kanan manages to snap him out of it in time, but the man is understandably frightened and tells the boy he's lost his mind, and Ezra breaks down, tearfully asking what's happening to him.
  • Delusional as he is, Maul pleading for Ezra to join him as "brothers." He's just trying to reclaim the thrill of revenge but also a brother.
  • Seeing Satine's defaced portrait and her leitmotif playing only serves to remind viewers from The Clone Wars of how her story ended with nothing but contempt from her own people and just another doormat to people like Palpatine and Maul, no matter how hard she tried.
  • Sabine looking at the darksaber at the end suggests that she isn't sure about it. In all likelihood, she knows how the head of her house and later Maul used it as a weapon of terror, but it looks like she's willing to use it in the name of good this time.

Ghosts of Geonosis

  • The fact that Saw has a keepsake of the late Steela's image. When he holds the queen egg hostage and insists he doesn't care, Rex sternly tells him, "You do care... because you know what it is to lose family." This makes him come around.
  • All of Klik-Klak's efforts to protect the Queen Egg in the hopes of saving his species may well be in vain, since it's implied by Word of God that the egg will hatch into the sterilized Geonosian Queen seen years later in Star Wars: Darth Vader who resorted to producing droids in an attempt at repopulating her race - which Vader then stole. The Geonosian species may very well soon be extinct, but Word of God also stated there may still be hope for the species since the underground tunnels run very deep.

Trials of the Darksaber

  • Kanan is forced to be Cruel to Be Kind on Sabine, because the reality is, when they go to Mandalore, Sabine has to be able to stand her own ground to prove she is worthy of being the leader of Mandalore. Unlike with Force users, there is an unlimited number of potential opponents that may fight her for the throne. She cannot let her arrogance slip her up, because that would mean the fracturing of Mandalore once again, as well as the loss of an asset to the Rebellion and very likely, her life, almost the exact same thing that befalled Pre Vizsla. Nobody will always be there to save her nor will they be able to. As Freddie and Filoni said, Sabine has to sacrifice who she is now for who she must become.
  • On Sabine's side, she didn't want to take up the Darksaber, fully aware of all the responsibilities that come with it, as detailed above. Not helped in that it is a Break the Haughty for her in that unlike with many of her other skills, mastering the Darksaber is not a quick and easy success, but Kanan counts on this to bring out Sabine's Determinator mode, in which she can be the best warrior she can possibly be.
  • Sabine revealing that she left Mandalore because she helped design weapons of mass destruction which were turned on her people. When she spoke out against the Empire, her family turned their backs on her.

Legacy of Mandalore

  • Ursa explains to Sabine that while she is angry at her for making anti-Mandalorian weapons and running away, she does care about her, but she had to place the clan's well-being over her one individual member, even if that member was her own daughter. She also had to believe that Sabine was safer when she fled (we don't know if Ursa knew that Ketsu accompanied her, but it could be a factor), hence why there was no search party, but this unintentionally worsened Sabine's feelings of abandonment. Sabine seems to understand, but is still angry that her family prioritized their reputation and power over helping her when she tried to speak out against the Empire. It's an ugly situation all in all, so Both Sides Have a Point. At least in the ending of the episode, it would seem that Sabine is making a move to reform Mandalorian culture so that mishaps like hers don't happen again.
  • When it seems that Tristan is about to turn against Clan Wren, Sabine and Ursa are both saddened.
  • Before Ursa is about to discuss the fate of Sabine's father, Sabine tells her, "don't tell me," before becoming a bit surprise at the news he's still living. The pregnant pause indicates Sabine thought that the absence of her father indicate that he died or worse.
  • A possible Alas, Poor Villain. In the promotional poster for the episode, Saxon is depicted as standing at Sabine's side with Ursa, Tristan, and Rau, despite him being the Big Bad of the Mandalorian arc and explicitly refusing to even surrender to Sabine. For a guy with very little redeeming qualities that met a karmic end, it kind of hurts to see it implying that Saxon could've been a better person and even an ally to the Rebellion.
  • After defeating Gar Saxon, Sabine realizes she has to leave the Rebellion to win back the freedom of all Mandalorian Space and find her father. This means the Rebellion will have to go on without a valuable team member, and for the Ghost crew—a member of their family. While this isn't "good-bye", so long for now, Sabine.

Through Imperial Eyes

  • Kallus awakens in his empty bunk to a rebel attack, which seems to be a regularly occurring thing. A Stormtrooper reports to him about the situation, but instead of going to deal with the problem immediately, Kallus just goes back inside his room first to rinse his face at his sink, and all he sees is a tired and uncertain man looking back at him in the mirror.
  • When Ezra tells Kallus he's here to rescue him, before giving a "what the hell are you people thinking?" reaction for trying to rescue him, Kallus's initial reaction is shock, as if he's surprised that the rebels actually bothered to come for him despite their past misgivings with each other, or even possibly the idea that anyone would come back for Kallus, considering the last time he needed help, the people he thought were his allies didn't come...
  • Yularen is back! And he and Kallus are glad to meet each other again! But... remember what the point of this episode is? Yularen would be so disappointed in him...or worse.
  • While his antics throughout the episode were funny and he's still a jerk, it's actually kind of heartbreaking to see Lyste be dragged away by Imperials as he calls out Kallus's name for help and realizing he betrayed him. And there's no indication that Thrawn and Yularen intend on freeing him as doing so would tip off Kallus once more that his cover is in danger. The look on Kallus's face as Lyste is dragged away suggests that he didn't want to do it but he was out of options.
    • Even if Thrawn and Yularen choose to free him, Lyste would not be happy with how he was being used as a tool by the very people he thought he could trust. There's no way he'd continue his service as an Imperial officer after this incident, but he'd never be a rebel either, especially considering the rebel spy got him into this mess into the first place.
    • And there's the well-possible chance that Lyste realized as he was being dragged away that the reason why Kallus had betrayed him is because he is the rebel spy, and he never really seemed to care about their friendship in the first place.
    • There's also the fact that Lyste blasted Pryce without Kallus's involvement, and that means Thrawn can still change his charge from treason to assault of a senior Imperial officer. No matter what the reason, assaulting an officer is still a huge offense within Imperial ranks, so either way, Lyste is still tanked.
  • Yularen and Rex were very close to meeting each other again. One wonders how that would've went. Perhaps it was for the best that they didn't see each other again.
  • Kallus choosing to stay, because he can still continue to leak information if he stays with the Empire. Oh Kallus, if only you knew what Thrawn has in store for you... On the bright side, at least Kallus was warned that any transmission he makes will be traced, so if he remains wary, he's safe—for now.

Secret Cargo

Double Agent Droid

  • One might not help but feel sorry for AP-5 when he gets rescued. He was happy being in the beautiful space surrounded by baby neebray only to be roped back into the Ghost and while he gets some gratitude from Ezra and Wedge, Chopper then ruins the moment when he turns back to his jerkass self by hitting AP-5. The droid sure needs more bones.

Twin Suns

  • Nobody believes Ezra's claim that Obi-Wan is alive on Tatooine, as much as they wish it were true. Senator Organa had already confirmed he died during/sometime after Order 66, and even if he did survive, why isn't he helping the Rebellion? And at the end of the episode, even though Ezra does find him, he doesn't learn that he's there to protect the Living MacGuffin.
    • Rex, having worked side by side with Obi-Wan numerous times, wants to believe he is alive, but is the first person to say he doesn't believe Ezra's claim. Now, also remember that Cody and the 212th shot down Obi-Wan during Order 66, one of the many facts that Rex has to live with: his brothers killed the Jedi and the Republic.
    • What makes this even sadder is that Ezra cannot tell Rex that Obi-Wan is alive. It would be happy news for Rex, but for the Jedi master's own safety, Ezra cannot let anyone know about it, lest the Empire catches wind.
    • By the time anyone could tell Rex the truth, Obi-Wan would be long dead. Worse still it's entirely possible no one left alive would know of their friendship, and thus no one would know to inform Rex that Obi-Wan at the very least survived the clone wars.
  • Obi-Wan catching Maul in his arms after delivering a lethal blow to him. In his dying breath, Maul asks Obi-Wan if he is protecting the Chosen One, which he confirms. Maul makes peace with this, saying that "he will avenge us" and Dies Wide Open.
    • Some people have questioned how Maul could die so easily at Obi-Wan's hand. Then you realize that, after all the suffering he's gone through and being driven to insanity, it's very likely that Maul wanted to die, and just needed a worthy opponent to deliver the final blow.
    • "He will avenge us." Not "me," not "you," not "the Jedi" or "the Sith." In his last moments Maul realizes that everyone - Obi-Wan, himself, the Jedi, the Sith - were manipulated from the beginning. It's a surprisingly poignant and touching set of last words.
      • His choice of the word 'avenge'. Not revenge, which is the way of the Sith. Avenge... the heroic version.
      • Maul's voice bears mentioning. Never in the series before, even when he was at his absolute lowest, did Maul sound so helpless and small. Given he had been camping out on Dathomir it's entirely possible Maul knew the Nightsisters had been massacred. After seeing his brother murdered before his eyes, Maul learned that the only other family he had ever known had been slaughtered to the last and that he truly had nothing but the hope of finally settling the score with Obi-Wan.
  • While he's ultimately saved, the image of Ezra sitting and hugging Chopper after he breaks down in the desert.

Zero Hour

  • Kallus journeys to Ezra's tower, which we haven't seen since all the way back in the middle of Season 1. It's a bit of a sad reminder of how far the show and the characters have gotten.
    • Something also feels forlorn about Kallus being accompanied only by the light of Lothal's moons and Ezra's defaced Imperial property. It's implied that he goes to the tower on a regular basis to make his transmissions as well.
    • Then he ends up being discovered by Thrawn, who rubs this fact in, has him get beat up in cold-blooded torture, and Forced to Watch as the Seventh Fleet attacks Chopper Base. The fact that he's the first person in the show to be seen bleeding may be small, but it makes it a bit of a Gut Punch, considering the stress and everything he's been through this entire season. The kicker? Thrawn looks at Kallus' Fulcrum signal path, which crosses paths with a known path of General Dodonna's fleet; Kallus is part of the reason why Chopper Base is destroyed.
      • And Kallus knows it. The look on his face when Sato sacrifices himself to kill Konstantine says all. He's rather sad to see both of them go.
    • Notice the look on Kallus face as both the Phoenix Home and Konstantine's ship explode. We've seen Kallus shocked before (like with the executions of Aresko, Grint and Mr. Sumar), this time Kallus is utterly horrified by the massacre taking place before his eyes.
  • While it may just be a base, it's a bit sad to see Atollon go. A lot of memories, including it being the last place Ahsoka went to before Malachor, Sabine's Darksaber training, and recruiting & interacting with recurring characters there.
    • In fact, leaving Atollon means saying goodbye to the Bendu, since it doesn't seem he can leave off-world and the rebels can never return since the world is on the Empire's radar now, and because they are no longer welcome there.
    • While the rebels likely join up with the others on Dantooine and begin to become a more organized rebellion, the destruction of Chopper Base is a step to the Rebellion becoming less of a ragtag team that "is in some ways, a family" that we started the show with and becoming more and more of a military organization that we see in the movies. It isn't a bad thing — if anything, that's good and advantageous, but it's almost like growing up.
    • The Episode Guide confirms that yes, this is the end of Phoenix Squadron. The surviving members will likely split up into the other squadrons or join Massassi group with Hera. They're no longer a Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits that joined up with another Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits. It's the growth of a true military force.
    • In the end, only a tiny fraction of the rebels manage to escape, and the vast majority of the rebels in the two cells are dead. When Kanan is walking around the Ghost at the end, most of the soldiers are completely quiet, curled up, or staring off into space, possibly mourning Commander Sato's loss or the deaths of comrades and friends that didn't get as much screen time.
  • Kanan leaves on negative terms with the Bendu after calling him a coward. This also indirectly results in the death of a couple of rebel ships as they flee Atollon when the Bendu is on his thunderstorm rampage. "Nice Job Breaking It, Hero", indeed.
  • It's a good thing Iron Squadron wasn't around for the battle, but one has to wonder what Mart's reaction would be to losing his uncle... Also, one has to wonder how Phoenix Squadron is going to break the news to Mart.

    Season 4 
In General
  • A teaser of concept art that doubles as Nightmare Fuel. In an apocalypse-struck wasteland, Mandalorian helmets — specifically, Rau's and Clan Wren's, as well as a Nite Owl's — are seen lying all over the ground like skulls, with no one alive or dead to be seen for miles. Where is everyone, and what happened? Hopefully, it doesn't mean that everyone is dead...
  • The song playing over the teaser is Ahsoka's theme...
  • This is the last season of Star Wars Rebels. Hera's monologue at the beginning of the trailer does not help matters, making it sound like this will be the last time the crew will ever be together. The trailer being smaller in scope and the announcement that like Season 1, Season 4 will only be 15 episodes, make it really feel like this is the end of Rebels.
  • The Partisans will interact more with the main Rebellion on Yavin 4 now that we're getting closer to Rogue One. Who else is with the main Rebellion right now? Kallus, fresh right out of his Heel–Face Turn...
  • The implications that Hera and Kanan will come to terms with their romantic tension, despite knowing they could lose each other in the war.
    • A preview clip shows Kanan asking Hera about what she's going to do after the Rebellion wins the war. Hera says she doesn't know, including about her relationship with Kanan, meaning that while she's always held out hope that the rebels would eventually win, she never had time to believe that she would see to the end of the war.
    • The second trailer emphasizing on Kanan and Hera's relationship, with one scene of Kanan lamenting that he can't see Hera because of his blindness, but she comforts him in that he could always see her. If a relationship gets highlighted before the end of a story, that doesn't bode well...
  • The season poster shows the entire crew posing, and all of them except for Hera and Chopper are about to be shot from behind by TIE Fighters...
  • The flaming objects headed down towards the city were revealed in a recent recap to be damaged X-Wings.
  • The midseason poster being the crew making almost the exact same poses as the first poster, except with their backs turned to the camera and Kanan doing his Character Tic of putting a comforting hand on Ezra's shoulder as they watch a war-torn Capital City go up in flames.

"Heroes of Mandalore"

  • Remember the disruptors and how they disintegrated Zeb's people? Well, Sabine's weapon is that. And we get to see it be used on members of Clan Wren. Sabine has already said the weapon has been used against her friends, family, and other people that she knew before she ran away... and now she's still losing more family, right after she's reconciled with them.
  • Sabine is worried that her father, like the rest of her clan, won't warmly welcome her back because he doesn't forgive her.
  • Ezra and Sabine lament that the Mandalorians can't seem to stop fighting each other. When comparing homeworlds, Sabine tells Ezra that the fields used to be covered with grass and possibly could be again, but the Mandalorians never stop fighting so the planet can never recover.
  • Bo-Katan and her people get mad at Sabine, accusing her of having sold them out to the Empire by creating the Duchess.
  • Tiber Saxon is not out to avenge the death of his brother Gar. In fact, Tiber doesn't seem to have cared for his brother at all. While neither of them were likable, it's still a little sad.
  • At the end when the clans pledge their allegiance to Bo-Katan, Rau says in place of the Protectors that they will stand by her. Similarly, Ursa says in place of Clan Wren that they will stand by her as well.

"In The Name Of The Rebellion"

  • With another failed mission for the Rebellion, Saw makes a transmission to Yavin and calls out Mothma for her inability to take action. However, Mothma points out to Saw that his own actions have cost the lives of thousands. You could easily deduce from their voices that they're hurt. It's a repeat of the Clone Wars as Saw representing the Separatists and Mothma representing the Republic.
  • Saw telling Ezra he can never return home, that he only truly realized the stakes when it was lost, and that he does what he does because he won't let the galaxy be lost like Onderon was. Throughout the episode it's shown that Saw is not so much cruel or even vengeful as he is desperate to stop the Empire, he's fully aware that something dire is coming but no one will help him and he's feeling more and more powerless to stop it. No wonder he refused to run when the Death Star fired on Jedha....he's based all his hope on the idea that somehow he could stop the Empire from creating this superweapon, and seeing it completed was his Despair Event Horizon.
  • Kallus is still angry at Saw for having caused his Dark and Troubled Past and justifiably so, because while he himself has become a better man, Saw hasn't.
  • Ezra is disappointed to hear from Mon Mothma that there are no immediate plans to free or even at least destroy the weapons factories on Lothal. Mothma sympathizes with his dilemma, explaining to him that she wishes she could do the same for Chandrila, but what about everyone else?
    • Later, Saw laments that inaction such as this is what causes homes and loved ones to be lost, saying that he himself can't go home again because he wasn't able to liberate Onderon from the Empire before it tightened its grip on his world.

"The Occupation"

  • Kallus looks back on how he used to be their former Imperial archnemesis and Rex burns him about it. Though Rex was clearly joking about it and Kallus knows it, it does hint that there are going to be rebels that aren't going to be as forgiving as the Ghost crew has about Kallus being a former Imperial Security Bureau agent that went after the Rebellion.
  • Upon finally returning to Lothal, Ezra struggles to take in what has happened to his homeworld; Lothal's environment has been so abused by the Empire that its skies can be seen as red from space, almost as if it were bleeding. Is it any wonder that we meet the lothwolves in the next episode?
    • Even Vizago laments the current state of Lothal. Remember that Lothal is his home too.
  • Kanan and Hera finally get some time alone while hiding in the streets of Lothal. Kanan mourns how his lack of eyesight means that he can't appreciate Hera's beauty, but Hera comforts him, saying that he "could always see her". Doubles as a Heartwarming Moment.
    • As noted before, when the two first met in A New Dawn, Kanan fell in love with Hera when he heard her voice first before he saw her.
  • Old Jho was found and killed, and now his bar—which has always been a safehaven for rebels—has been taken under new ownership and is an Imperial hangout, with the bartender being Baron Rudor from Season 1. Rudor shows no remorse about it.
  • As the venture through the sewers start to lose hope, Ezra apologizes, saying that It's All My Fault for getting them into the mess and that Lothal is going to die, just like how Saw lost Onderon.
  • To drive the point home, Lothal is as good as lost.

"Rebel Assault"

  • The long-awaited attack on Lothal finally happens....and it utterly fails, with the Lothal Resistance not able to do anything as the only hope they had of rescue falls from the sky in flames.
  • Poor R3 getting killed when he tries to defend Mart.
  • Chopper freaking out from being in a crashed X-Wing. He's clearly traumatized from the crashed Y-Wing experience.

"Jedi Night"

  • Hera had a younger brother that presumably passed away during the Clone Wars. His piece is still on their Kalikori.
  • Kanan's Heroic Sacrifice by holding back the explosion so that the others can escape. As Hera cries out for him, Ezra tells Sabine (who is wiping away tears) to get them out of there so that his death won't be in vain.
    • Disney XD titles the scene, "The Death of Caleb Dume".
    • Zeb and Chopper Never Got to Say Goodbye to Kanan.
    • The scene parallels that of Ahsoka's in "Twilight of the Apprentice", with Kanan and Ahsoka pushing away Hera and Ezra, respectively, so that they won't sacrifice themselves in vain.
    • The scene is rather similar to a scene from The Clone Wars episode "Jedi Crash", in which Anakin holds back an explosion so that Ahsoka, Rex, and the others can live. But unlike Kanan, Anakin was only injured by the shockwave and eventually got better...
    • It also has visual symmetry with Mother Talzin's death in Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir, with Kanan and Talzin force-pushing away their respective loved ones, Hera and Maul, onto an awaiting transport as they face their imminent demise. Both Hera and Maul have to be restrained by other comrades (Ezra and the Mandalorian Supercommandos) as they try to evacuate the area in order to prevent them from intervening in vain, as they look on in despair.
    • In A New Dawn, Skelly, a friend of Kanan, also died a Heroic Sacrifice via an explosion.
    • When Kanan and Hera's eyes meet one last time, she sees his eyes change back to before he was blinded, back when they first met. In a strange way, his wish to see her one last time was granted.
    • The viewer can't hear Hera screaming, but the One-Woman Wail of the soundtrack clearly voices her grief. And to boot, you can still clearly see her screaming "No!" as she gives a Futile Hand Reach as Ezra holds her back.
    • Kanan leading up to the moment is quietly tying up loose ends... telling Hera he loves her, advising Ezra one last time, and telling Ezra and Sabine "May the Force be with you". He knew he wouldn't be coming back this time.
  • Even the Rebels Recon video corresponding to this episode is a Tear Jerker in and of itself. Series creator Dave Filoni recalled that during the recording session, he gave the cast a script missing only the last two pages, and things proceeded like a recording any other episode... And then he showed them the storyboards of that scene. The emotional line delivery from the cast, in this episode and its follow-up, is completely genuine. Filoni was so attached to this particular story arc that he's struggling to keep it together when trying to do his interview, and Freddie Prinze Jr. is actually shown tearing up.

"DUME"

  • As you'd expect this is a long messy episode of this, since it's about the crew dealing with Kanan's death. In fact, the episode begins with the Mook Lieutenant having to confirm it once and for all before the audience gets a second thought.
  • The episode then transitions to Ezra, Sabine, and Hera getting back to base to reunite with Zeb and Chopper, and Zeb has the biggest smile on his face, having expected to see everybody back safe and sound. He's greeted with the sight of Sabine throwing her helmet to the ground in a tearful rage, shattering his smile as he realizes something has gone horribly, horribly wrong. He tries to ask Sabine what's happened but she doesn't answer, then looks to see Kanan is missing from the group. Chopper seems to put it together quicker and dashes over to Hera's side, and Zeb, increasingly distressed, asks Ezra what happened. When Ezra says Kanan is gone, Zeb asks with a twinge of hope if he means he's been captured. Ezra rants at him that no, he's gone. Zeb grimaces in shock, and then pulls the boy in close to hug him. Chopper reaches Hera and takes her hand in complete silence as she cries to herself.
  • Yes, the entire Ghost team is in mourning for Kanan. But, Hera is completely broken. When she gets back to the rebel base, she ignores everyone when they ask her for their next battle move. Clutching her Kalikori to her chest, she simply walks off in a grief-induced stupor; stunning everyone. She later admits to Chopper that she wishes she hadn't waited so long to tell Kanan the truth. Given the finale news that she was pregnant with his child for most of season 4, it's possible she was referring to not telling him about their baby before his death. She even laments that she wishes she never started the rebellion at all if it meant losing Kanan and blames herself for his death. Chopper just quietly stays by her side through all this, reassuring her that she's not to blame.
  • To REALLY add insult to the injury, the Empire is savoring this moment and citizens are forced to join them.
  • Sabine and Zeb go off to get revenge on the Empire. Zeb in particular needs to be held back from killing Rukh in cold blood, something he hesitated to do with Kallus when he was under the impression that he'd genocided his people, simply because he wants to make the Empire suffer like he's suffered. Sabine has to talk him down.
  • Ezra outright declaring the rebellion is over while going off to mourn, admitting that he has no idea what to do now or even how to face the world without Kanan. When the wolves finally bully him into facing the trauma and loss, he says he's afraid and alone and sees no way forward.
    • And when he wakes up from his nightmare, he shouts for Kanan.
    • Keep in mind, first Ezra loses his parents, then he loses Ahsoka (whom he saw as his Honorary Aunt), and now Kanan (whom he admitted to seeing as his father-figure). He's gone through traumatic loss three times now and he's only eighteen-nineteen by this time; that's very heartbreaking indeed.

"Wolves and a Door"

  • Kanan's ghostly form, with his scars gone and hair trimmed to his Season 1 appearance, putting a hand on Hera's shoulder and smiling at her in comfort. She puts her hand up to "meet" his and actually seems to smile (as if feeling him truly there for a moment) before her face falls and she's forced to remember Kanan is gone.
  • This exchange between Zeb and Hera when seeing Ezra and Sabine head inside the Imperial base on their own. It emphasizes the fact that, since Kanan's death, Nothing Is the Same Anymore for the Ghost team and they realize any of them can die at any moment in the Rebellion. While they accepted such dangerous risks before, the reality of it has finally hit them now that they've actually lost one of their own.
    Zeb: They'll be alright.

"A World Between Worlds"

  • Ezra rewatching the events of Malachor, remembering how Ahsoka chose to stay behind to hold her ground and was never seen again. As he watches what happened after the doors closed, he's helpless to do nothing except watch his mistakes repeat... and then he pulls her out through the portal and saves her life.
    • This also brings up another point. Some had interpreted the Ambiguous Situation with Ahsoka apparently surviving as Darth Vader having Cruel Mercy moment and letting her live after marooning her on the planet — which would be a Pet the Dog moment in a rather dark way. The scene makes it abundantly clear that he had no such intention and was going to kill her after she rejected his offer. There's barely any humanity left in Anakin Skywalker at this point.
  • Which of course is only a preamble to the real heartbreaker: Ezra realizing he could use this power to save Kanan, and then running off to find a portal with Ahsoka behind. He's watching Kanan on the fuel depot and is moments from saving him before Ahsoka stops him... because the truth is, even with this power, he can't save Kanan. Doing so would mean his own death (as well as the deaths of Hera and Sabine) at the fuel depot and the paradox that follows. He lashes out at Ahsoka at first, but then realizes there's truly nothing he can do and has to watch his mentor die all over again. (On top of it, he has to hear Hera scream Kanan's name in grief as she witnesses him die during the memory.) Afterward, he seems on the verge of breaking, wishing to see his parents again and asking why things can't go back the way they were. He might be strong enough to accept it, but there's no doubt that Ezra has had to endure more than anyone his age should ever have to, and he'll probably never truly recover from it.
  • Ahsoka telling Ezra that he can't save his master... just like she can't save hers.
  • Hera instinctively feeling that there's no way to bring Kanan back and he is truly gone now. Yet, she still seems to feel Kanan's spiritual presence with her, whether he's actually somehow there or just part of her imagination. She lifts a hand to "meet" his on her shoulder and is forced to make peace with losing the man she loved and, as it would turn out, the father of her unborn child.
  • As the crew escapes the temple before it blows up, they are engulfed by a white light. Before Ezra awakens the next morning, he hears Kanan tell him "May the Force be with you, always.", clearly a final goodbye between the master and apprentice. In the morning, Ezra sees a wolf in the distance (implied to be Kanan) and he finally comes to terms with losing his mentor/father figure. Ezra simply says, "Goodbye, Kanan..." before both he and the wolf turn and go their separate ways.

"A Fool's Hope"

"Family Reunion — and Farewell"

  • Palpatine shows Ezra an alternate path where his parents lived, and all he has to do is activate the door and he'll be with them again. Ezra is at first in denial, but then realizes it's all real. He then activates the door halfway so he can reach out to them one last time, before collapsing the whole portal.
    Ezra: You will always be a part of me. But I have to let you go.
    • You can hear his parents say "We love you, Ezra" as he collapses it too.
  • Kallus doesn't have a problem with letting one of his former headquarters and staff die for the greater good of Lothal. And then you remember that no one he knew is there anymore (and they all met unfortunate ends, some by Kallus's hand already), which may have made things easier — there's nothing to hold him back from doing the right thing now.
  • Gregor's luck finally runs out. But like he told Rex, at least he went down fighting for a cause of his own choosing. Few Clonetroopers got that.
  • The track that plays as Sabine lets Ezra confront Thrawn alone is titled "Sabine Sees Ezra". And as it turns out, it was the very last time (at least for a long time, perhaps) that his friends and family ever saw him.
  • A villainous one for Governor Pryce. Sure, she was utterly despicable, but you can't help but feel a slight pang of sympathy for her when she decides to stay on the Imperial Dome and go down with the rest of her men rather than live as a prisoner of the rebels.
    • For anyone that's read the Thrawn novel, she never got to say goodbye to her parents and she died with them hurt by the choices she's made.
  • The epilogue revealing that Ezra's vision of Lothal in "Legacy" was not a dream that will never come to be — it's real. But unless Sabine and Ahsoka find him and bring him home, it's not a future that he'll get to take part in.
  • Goodbye, Ezra, wherever you are.
  • Sabine's ending monologue is extremely heartwarming and provides a great sense of victory and closure... until you remember 30 years from now, everything they fought for will be destroyed by the First Order and the Jedi will once again be driven to near-extinction. Ouch.
    • With the release of The Mandalorian Season 1, the implication that the reason why Sabine doesn't mention what happened to the Mandalorians and doesn't have much qualms about leaving to parts unknown with Ahsoka was because everyone she knew on Mandalore died during the war is just salt on the wound.
  • The fact that Kanan never got to be around for his son. Though Hera has a sense of peace in flying with him.
  • For anyone that's read Ezra's Gamble, Ezra and Moreena will likely never see each other again, unless Moreena isn't on Alderaan when it blows up.
  • For Legends fans, Pellaeon's seeming demise to the purgill counts, especially for those that hoped he would appear. Somewhat mitigated when Word of God confirmed that he probably survived and will return in future stories.

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