Line #8 Recap/StarWarsRebelsS4E05Kindred


1	Tracked back to their hidden base by a mysterious Imperial agent, the rebels must trust some seemingly dangerous native creatures, who are far more than meets the eye.
2	----
3	!!Tropes in this episode include:
4	* AlmostKiss: Just as they did [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS4E03TheOccupation two episodes earlier]], Hera and Kanan are interrupted by Zeb's arrival before they can kiss. The next time they have the chance, Hera makes sure to kiss Kanan before anything else can interrupt them.
5	* AmbiguousSituation: Are the white loth-wolf and loth-cat projections of the Force? Do they represent Ezra's and Kanan's connection with the Force? With Lothal? Are they connected with Lothal? The Jedi Temple?
6	* AndThenWhat: After Hera tells Kanan that she intends to stay with the Rebellion until the Empire is defeated, Kana asks what she plans to do with her life after that. Hera admits that she hasn't actually thought about it, before assuring Kanan that he'll be part of it no matter what.
7	* BigDamnKiss: After four seasons of WillTheyOrWontThey, Hera and Kanan finally get a kiss in. While not as big as other examples, the build up certainly makes it count. It's also a ShutUpKiss, as Kanan is awkwardly rambling when Hera smooches him.
8	* CallBack: The starfield that Ezra saw before in "Path of the Jedi" and "Shroud of Darkness" is revisited again, and the loth-wolves use it to traverse the planet.
9	* CanonImmigrant:
10	** Possibly. ''Literature/FateOfTheJedi'' introduced[[note]]and {{retcon}}ned its [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment usage]] in the Thrawn duology[[/note]] a Force ability known as "fold space", where the user teleports/instantly travels from one place to another by using the Force to bend space. The travel sequence in this episode seems to fit the bill for this.
11	** Now that Disney has acquired Star Wars and rendered most of the EU non-canon, Rukh and the Noghri (first introduced in Zahn's Dark Force trilogy) are now re-immigrated into the canon.
12	* ChekhovsGun: The "lothcat, lothrat, lothwolf, run" rhyme that Ezra offhandedly used once earlier in the show suggests that it may be prophetic in nature, with the former two referring to two specific Force-related animals local to Lothal and the latter possibly referring to Ezra, who has been referred to as a [[StreetUrchin lothrat]] several times before throughout the series.
13	* ChekhovsGunman: In "[[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E15ThroughImperialEyes Through Imperial Eyes]]", "Rukh" was the override code to disable Thrawn's sentry droids. Here, we find out that it's also the name of a real person - namely, an assassin working for Thrawn.
14	* ContinuityNod: Though not as important as the other three, lothbats are seen for the first time and have been established in the [[AdaptationExpansion junior novels]].
15	* CurbStompCushion: Rukh is a formidable opponent. Fortunately, Ezra's a Jedi.
16	* CuttingTheKnot: Rather than waste time looking for them in the mountains, Pryce opts to just bomb the entire formation into rubble. It would have worked, too, if not for the loth-wolves.
17	* DarkActionGirl: One of the TIE Bomber pilots has a distinctively feminine voice.
18	* DressingAsTheEnemy: Jai and Ezra are masquerading as Scout Troopers while they recover the hyperdrive with Zeb's help. Rukh isn't fooled.
19	* EverybodyHasStandards: Pryce is a little weirded out by Rukh in their first meeting, as the latter just ignores her and starts sniffing the air like an animal.
20	* EvilSoundsDeep: Rukh's voice is a strange, deep growl.
21	* FadeAroundTheEyes: The white loth-wolf when it fades into the shadows. DarkIsNotEvil in this case.
22	* HowDidYouKnowIDidnt: Zeb asking Ezra how he knew what the loth-wolves are capable of.
23	* HyperspeedEscape: Hera jumps the U-Wing through the hangar bay of an Imperial construction satellite, killing and/or destroying everything unfortunate enough to be inside at the time.
24	* InternalReveal: When the lothwolf repeats "Dume" to Kanan, Kanan explains to Ezra that Caleb Dume is his real name.
25	* LovedINotHonorMore: Kanan once again presses Hera on their relationship, as she is so devoted to the Rebellion she hasn't even considered the possibility of a life after the fall of the Empire.
26	* MomentKiller: Zeb once again interrupts a moment between Hera and Kanan, this time by driving up in his hijacked APC without warning anyone that he stole it, though Ryder is technically the one to get their attention. Hera and Kanan get to finish the moment after the hyperdrive is installed.
27	* MomentOfSilence: When the lothwolves travel through the starfield, most of the noise just stops except for their footsteps.
28	* MysteriousPast: The Jedi were at one point associated with the loth-wolves, and followed them into the caverns long before.
29	* TheNoseKnows: Zeb's ''scent'' allows Rukh to track down the rebels. Also, he can distinguish between imperials and imposters.
30	* OnceMoreWithClarity: Unless you had closed captioning on, you'd have had no way to know the Loth-wolf said "Dume" rather than "Doom". Now we get the explanation from Kanan that that was his name when he was still a Padawan.
31	* PintSizedPowerhouse: Rukh is short, animalistic dude. Shorter even than Sabine.
32	* RelationshipUpgrade: Despite years of being the TeamMom and TeamDad and LikeAnOldMarriedCouple, Hera and Kanan don't get their BigDamnKiss until this moment (with Hera calling Kanan "love", it was always ambiguous before). And when they do, [[ShipperOnDeck Sabine elbows Zeb so they can enjoy the moment]].
33	* RuleOfThree: After two {{Almost Kiss}}es, Kanan and Hera ''finally'' share their BigDamnKiss at the third attempt.
34	* ShipperOnDeck: Sabine, Zeb, and Ezra are all grinning when Hera ''finally'' kisses Kanan.
35	* ShoutOut:
36	** The lothwolves are inspired by the wolf deities from ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'', particularly the white lothwolf. The scene of them walking on the starfield with ripples around their feet calls to mind the Forest Spirit from the same movie.
37	** The black lothwolves may be a reference to another Creator/StudioGhibli movie, ''Anime/TalesFromEarthsea'', where a pack of [[DireBeast black dire wolves]] attack the main character at the beginning.
38	* TakeMyHand: Since only the loth-wolves can use the tunnel, the white loth-wolf offers his tail to Ezra and then the rest join hands in a line.
39	* TalkingIsAFreeAction: The ''Ghost'' crew are able to meaningfully part ways and say their goodbyes to Hera just as Imperial forces are closing in on them fast.
40	* TeleportersAndTransporters: The lothwolves lead the party deep inside their cave, Ezra sees a vortex and a starfield, and then the party wakes up in a mountain dwelling on the other side of the planet.
41	* ThereAreNoCoincidences: Kanan notes that no matter where the crew go they always seem to end up back on Lothal and believes it's more than just coincidence. While the reason why is still unclear, by the end of the episode it's pretty clear that the Force brought them to Lothal.
42	* TrackingDevice: Rukh tags Jai and Ezra's bike with a tracker just in case they manage to evade him, allowing the larger Imperial force to follow them to their rendezvous point.
43	* UnfazedEveryman: Ryder isn't used to the gang's usual weirdness, but he takes it in stride.
44	-->'''Ryder:''' ''(after everyone mysteriously teleports thousands of kilometers)'' I'm not even gonna ask how we got here.
45	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: The crew have no problem following lothwolves, much to Ryder's bafflement..
46	-->'''Zeb:''' This is good. When things get strange like this, it's a good thing.\
47	'''Ryder:''' [[LampshadeHanging How have you people stayed alive so long?!]]
48	* VaguenessIsComing: Kanan believes something much more sinister than TIE Defender construction is taking place on Lothal, and that the lothwolves are trying to warn them of it.
49	* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The loth-wolves can travel through one, as can anyone holding onto them. It looks like a starfield.
50	* WeaponizedExhaust: Hera jumping to hyperspace inside the hangar of an Imperial station causes the wake of her jump to blast everything within, sending wreckage and corpses tumbling through the forcefield holding the air in.
51	* TheWonderland: The cave the loth-wolves take the crew into plays fast and loose with reality, starting with the vortex. When they arrive they first appear to be in one of Lothal's fields with the white loth-cat watching over them, then they appear to be floating in those fields as if they were water, then they appear in the cave itself. The white loth-wolf backs into the shadows of the cave, at which point they reveal a solid wall with a crack in it.
52	* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: Zeb's reaction to Ezra's advice regarding loth-cats -- which, naturally, pays off.
53	--> '''Ezra:''' When in doubt, follow the loth-cat.\
54	'''Zeb:''' You're kidding, right?

Context Recap / StarWarsRebelsS4E05Kindred