Review: Star Wars Rebels “The Occupation” and “Flight Of The Defenders”

Ezra returns home in a mildly-disappointing two-parter.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

When Ryder Azadi, the face of the rebellion on Lothal, sends word to Mon Mothma about recent Imperial advancements in TIE fighter tech being tested, the Ghost crew is sent to investigate. Excited to return to his home planet, Ezra’s enthusiasm quickly turns to outrage as the destruction caused by the Empire’s occupation becomes clear. Chased into the sewers, the group follows a path of symbols that resemble Sabine’s handiwork until they come to an escape hatch – where they find Ryder waiting for a getaway ship.

Things pick up a bit in part two, Flight Of The Defender, which sees Sabine and Ezra stealing (and crashing) the prototype TIE fighter. Eventually, they encounter a legendary creature thought to be extinct: the Lothwolf. This mysterious being (who seems to be able to speak basic words?) delivers the duo safely back to the rest of the rebels, along with vital information regarding the new TIE fighter.

Our Take:

Coming off an exciting pair of episodes last week, these two episodes left me a little underwhelmed. The first part felt slow, especially the time spent in the sewers (which apparently are very clean pathways beneath the surface that are perfectly-sized for human travel!). This is where the first episode’s action scene takes place, but tight passageways and probe droids don’t make for the most exciting battle.

Though the plot is kickstarted into higher gear in Flight Of The Defender, it’s still riddled with clunky plotting and dialogue. (One of the worst offenders is this conversation between Zeb and Ezra. Zeb: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Ezra: “That’s why we’re here.”) Overall, this two-parter was the weakest of the season so far for me, probably because of the high expectations I had for the return to Lothal. I am curious to see what’s up with that Lothwolf, though. (And no, it’s not Ahsoka.)