Disobedience is a demand for change.
The Separatists send a new droid general to aid the Onderonian king, who sends in some nigh-indestructible gunships to crush the resistance once and for all. Meanwhile, the Jedi need to find a way to support the rebels without using Republic resources, seeking an old acquaintance...
Tropes:
- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: The rebels are spared from having to try and imprison (or execute) King Rash; he's killed by his own droid general on Count Dooku's orders before they get anywhere close to the palace.
- Bittersweet Ending: The good news is that Onderon is liberated, the Separatist-allied king Sanjay Rash is executed by Kalani for failing to secure Onderon, the Separatists withdraw from Onderon, and the true king Ramsis Dendup reclaims the throne. The sad news is that Steela is dead.
- Call-Forward: In regards to Steela's bravery, Lux asks Ashoka "What good will that do if she gets herself killed?" several years before Leia will ask Luke the very same question about Han's courage.
- The Cameo: Hondo Ohnaka appears briefly, having been hired by Anakin to deliver the rocket launchers to the rebels.
- Death of the Hypotenuse: Steela has a mutual attraction with Lux, who previously was shown to be interested in Ahsoka. She's killed in the ensuing final battle after their first kiss.
- Deflector Shields: The HMP droid-gunships have shields powerful enough to protect them from everything the rebels can throw at them. It takes the newest Sienar model rocket launcher to pierce it.
- Enemy Rising Behind: A damaged droid gunship is still active enough to level its blaster at Ahsoka while she's preoccupied with rescuing Steela.
- Hope Spot: Ahsoka almost manages to save Steela, but is shot in the back by a not quite dead droid gunship, breaking her concentration and sending the Rebel leader plummeting to her untimely death.
- It's All My Fault: Saw blames himself for Steela's death, since the gunship he shot down is what caused her to fall (twice).
- Killed Off for Real: Steela Gerrera and Sanjay Rash both meet the ends at the end of the arc.
- Know When to Fold Them: After the rebels successfully destroy Kalani’s wave of gunships, Dooku realizes that further protracted war will only lead to exhausting Separatist resources, so he orders them to retreat from the planet to seek out weaker targets.
- Now or Never Kiss: Before heading to the final battle, Steela kisses Lux, telling him, "Just in case." And indeed, she dies later.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Hondo shows up briefly to deliver some heavy ordinance, but immediately nopes off of Onderon when he comes under attack by the droid army.
- Take a Third Option: Since the purpose of training the rebels is to see if they could free their planet without getting the clone army involved, the Jedi have to choose between letting the rebels lose or abandoning the mission and sending aid after all. Anakin takes the middle road: he hires Hondo to deliver a package of new generation rocket launchers as a desperation aid kit, maintaining official neutrality.
- Too Dumb to Live: During the final battle, King Dendup's bodyguards, instead of keeping the king in a cave that only has one narrow tunnel as an entrance, which could be protected easily from the inside, run out into the open, leading the king straight towards a ravine.
- You Have Failed Me: Sanjay Rash is executed by General Kalani (under orders from Count Dooku) for failing to secure Onderon.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: General Kalani shoots Rash dead the moment it becomes clear the Separatists have lost Onderon. He doesn't even wait for Count Dooku's order to do so before pulling the trigger.
