So far, each season of Star Wars Rebels has ended in spectacular fashion. The first season ended with the death of the Grand Inquisitor and the introduction of Darth Vader to the series. The second season ended with the epic duel between former master and apprentice, Vader against Ahsoka. The season three finale, Zero Hour, was as epic as the previous two seasons.

For the sake of keeping this post from being more than 2,000 words, I am going to split it up and focus on just the first episode. I will write a second post about the second half of the finale to accompany this one. In both posts I will highlight some of the key points in the episodes and present some of my theories on their implications. If you haven’t seen the episode, then you should turn back now. This post will be heavy with spoilers.

Episode Summary

This two-part episode starts off with the arrival of Thrawn to the Imperial base on Lothal for a secret meeting with Governor Pryce, Governor Tarkin, and Admiral  Konstantine about the upcoming rebel attack on Lothal. Agent Kallus overhears this conversation and sneaks off to warn Phoenix Squadron. But this is all part of Thrawn’s plan. As Kallus attempts to contact the Rebels, he is detained by the Empire.

The Rebels received the brief snippet of Kallus’s message and were alerted to the impending Imperial attack. Just as they began to evacuate the planet, Imperial capital ships arrived blocking escape and pulling anyone trying to flee into hyperspace back planet-side. This results in one of the most epic space and ground battles that we have seen so far in Rebels.

Major Events in Zero Hour

There are a number of key moments in this two-part finale that potentially have a major impact on the future of the series. I will highlight the moments that I think were most important to the finale and that will also have a major impact on season 4. Again, heavy spoilers ahead.

Doddona Joints the Phoenix

Even though they have done so much to prepare for the battle on Lothal, Phoenix Squadron is still far from capable of carrying out an attack of this magnitude on their own; they need help. Help arrives in the form of reinforcements from none other than General Doddona. You may remember him as the base commander on Hoth or from his cameo in Rogue One.

Doddona’s presence in Rebels is important because it shows that some of the rebel leadership was ready and willing to take on the Empire. We saw in Rogue One that there was a great deal of hesitation from other rebel leaders. Remember that at this point in canon the rebellion is still made up of individual rebel cells working independently.

The general’s presence leads viewers to be more willing to believe that rebel leadership would be willing to take the fight to the Empire on Scarrif. (This is a battle that we may actually get to see play out in Rebels season 4.)

Kallus is Caught

Now, we knew that Thrawn suspected Kallus of being Fulcrum, but in earlier episodes, he had no proof. Thrawn’s meeting at the factory on Lothal was a trap for Kallus. The Chiss admiral wanted the rebel spy to fear for his friends and slip up. And, as I mentioned in the episode summary, Thrawn catches Kallus in the act of trying to send a message to the Phoenix Squadron. In his efforts to warn his friends, Kallus actually gives Thrawn the information he needs to carry out his attack.

If you recall, Kallus had the planet that Chopper Base was located on deleted from Thrawn’s star map. So the admiral had no idea where the rebel base was. Using the trajectories of General Dodonna’s fleet and Kallus’s message, Thrawn locates Chopper Base and sends his Imperial Fleet to attack.

Now that Thrawn and the Empire knows that Kallus is a double-agent, it’s likely that we are going to see Kallus’s past investigated. It’s possible that we may see a connection between him and Ahsoka or even Bail Organa. It’s likely that season 4 will explore his past and even shed some light on other rebel cell’s he’s helped as Fulcrum.

A Moment Between Master and Apprentice

Just before the Battle at Chopper Base beings, there is a moment where Kanan and Ezra are talking about the efforts that it took to amass the tools, equipment, and personnel for the attack on Lothal. Ezra points out that without the Ghost crew, he would still be back on Lothal waiting to be rescued. Kanan tells him that he is special and integral part of the team. The Jedi’s only regret is that he doesn’t have much more to teach him in the ways of the force.

Ezra, shocked, tells Kanan that even though he may not be able to teach him more about the force, he has already taught him so much more about life and the galaxy at large. This moment is an important one, as it shows just how connected Ezra is to Kanan and the Ghost Crew.

We’ve seen Ezra turn to the dark side to protect his friends. What would he do if he lost one? What would he do if he lost his teacher? I believe that Ezra Bridger will survive the Galactic Civil war but will do so by turning to the dark side. I also believe that we will see a much old Ezra in episode VIII played by Benicio Del Toro.

Sato Creates an Opening

The first thing the Rebels try and do is jump to hyperspace. But Thrawn brought more than just star destroyers; he also brought two Imperial Class Interdictor ships equipped with gravity wells. The first rebel ship that tries and make the jump is pulled back from hyperspace and blown to pieces. Surrounded, outnumbered, and with no place to run, the Rebels try and make a stand against the Thrawn’s forces.

If Phoenix Squadron can get one ship through, that ship can alert the rest of the rebellion and call for backup. Ezra, in Maul’s ship, tries to find an opening but with no luck. Seeing their chances dwindling, Commander Sato calls for his crew to abandon ship. All but two do.

The three men take then ram the rebel carrier into one of the Imperial Interdictor ships, creating an opening for Ezra to sneak into hyperspace.

There are a few important things to point out about this moment. Commander Sato was in charge of all of Phoenix Squadron.  His vacancy leaves a position that needs to be filled. This moment was set up in Rogue One when we hear General Syndulla being hailed over the loud speaker at the Yavin Base. If Hera is to eventually become a general in the Rebellion, then her next step would have to be to replace Sato.

What does this mean for season 4? It means that Hera may take more of a leadership role, leaving the Ghost Crew to run missions by themselves. We may also see more of an emphasis on the two Jedi or other aspects of the rebellion.

The Good, The Bad, and The Grey

One of the last moments of the first part of the episode was between Kanan and the Bendu. The Jedi ventures into the wilderness to warn the living rock of the invading force. Kanan, believing he the rebels were called to the Bendu’s planet by the will of the force begs the gray force user for help. The Bendu refuses, claiming that he is above such petty squabbles.

Kanan delivers a pretty heartfelt speech, encouraging the Bendu to take sides. When he doesn’t, Kanan calls him a coward. This pisses off the ancient force user. Who would have thought that being called a coward is one of the buttons of an ancient powerhouse like the Bendu?

The reason I mention this, partially because it sets up the events that I will discuss in part two of this post, is that it shows that no matter how hard some people try, there may be no way for anyone to stay neutral in the Galaxy. The Grey Jedi has been something we’ve seen pushed in each of the seasons so far. We have good people doing bad things and bad people doing good things, as in the cases of Ezra and Kallus respectively. One moved towards the darkness while the other moved into the light.

The reason I think this is important is because I think Luke, the chosen one, may have done something very bad for a good reason, moving from the light into the shadow.

Again, this was only the first half of the season finale Rebels’ season 3 finale? What did you think about Zero Hour or about my predictions? Did this finale live up to the previous two? Was it what you were hoping it would be? Leave a comment in the section below and let’s discuss.