1x11 Call to Action

9.1/10. Ahhhh, Grand Moff Tarkin. The idea of having a bigwig (one with a semi-prominent role in the original trilogy no less) show up to basically dress down all of the baddies in Rebels goes a long way toward taking the edge of the villains’ inability to take care of our ragtag bunch of heroes. There’s always something a little unrealistic about these sorts of shows, particularly ones aimed at kids, where you have recurring bad guys who threaten the protagonists, but can’t possibly succeed or it would break the show.

But one antidote to that is having a bigger bad stroll in, basically acknowledge that the rank and file villains haven’t been cutting it (even cutting a few of them – quite literally) and instituting a new plan to try to succeed their the usual antagonists have failed. Tarkin comes in with the pre-established gravitas of his original trilogy bona fides, and his quick and curt dismissal of the regular bad guy crew, in addition to a commanding vocal performance, quickly establishes that business is about to pick up.

Apart from the arrival of a new, but familiar foil for the crew of the Ghost, there’s some big themes at play in this one. The most notable of them is the idea of communicating hope, sending a message to the people of Lothal and surrounding areas that people are fighting the Empire and things could be different. Tarkin rails against this, explaining its importance to his subordinates. There’s a strong sense that the Empire thrives on misinformation and propaganda, in a way we’ve only fleetingly seen in prior films and episodes. Tarkin talks about the Jedi like ancient history, as something akin to myth, even though we’ve seen him fight alongside them. While that could seem like an inconsistency, in truth, it works as subtle world-building, suggesting that even within its own ranks, the Empire is suppressing the idea the Jedi are out there, that there is any force which could stand against them, using its power to control the message to render them fairytales.

That’s why it makes sense that the Ghost’s big operation in this episode is to “spike” an Empire communications tower to transmit a message of their own. The Empire has had a monopoly on communication, on what the official line is for so long, that it can practically dictate reality, even if it seems to contrast with what the regular people on the ground of a backwater berg like Lothal see in their day-to-day lives. But by hacking the communication tower and letting others know that people are fighting, that there’s hope for something other than what they have, the Rebels sow the seeds of the rebellion we know will one day rise.

That’s another bit of subtle word building we see in this episode. Despite communications from the mysterious Fulcrum and mentions of other agitators by Gall Trayvis, this is the first firm acknowledgement in the show, and someone with the authority of Tarkin for that matter, that there are other rebel cells like our heroes at there, and one of the things holding them back from making more of an impact is that they are disparate and not coordinated. Tarkin’s plan is to keep them scattered, to stamp out any dissension as it arises, in order to prevent these groups with their own fights and agendas and philosophies (the Ghost crew are discussed as pacifists relative to some rebel groups) from banding together and posing a greater threat.

That’s why, when Ezra takes the microphone to send a message to all within earshot, he broadcasts a message of unity, a statement that if only they can stand against the Empire driving everyone apart, they could make a stand for something different, something even the forces of the Emperor couldn’t stop. And it’s why one of the last images we see is of Tarkin’s men destroying the hacked tower. More than an individual group causing a ruckus on Lothal, more than the failures of his underlings, Tarkin understands that the more important concern is that these Rebels not become a symbol, not become a rallying point for others and a bridge to a coordinate and connected Rebellion, a battle we know he’ll one day lose.

But the final big theme in this episode is sacrifice, in the idea that great changes, great things in life often require taking risks, and sometimes they even require offering yourself in the name of the greater good. In one of the clunkier, but necessary scenes in the episode, Ezra admits to Kanan that he is worried about losing his fellow crew members, a group he refers to as his “new family.” Ezra lost his old family, and despite his self-directed assurances that being alone made him the strong person he is today, he is afraid to return to that old life again, afraid to lose people who are important to him. Much of Ezra’s journey over the past few episodes has been mastering his fears, but Kanan helps him by emphasizing that what they’re doing is, in fact, scary, but that they are not only up to it, but also doing something of vital importance, something worth risking their lives for, that makes these things worth it.

And he lives up to that promise, essentially distracting Tarkin’s forces (including what has been his most visually exciting lightsaber duel with the Inquisitor) and surrendering to them so that the rest of the crew of the Ghost can complete their mission and get away safely. There’s no doubt that a rescue is in the offing, but in the meantime, Ezra sees his mentor live up to his words. Ezra repeats those words in his broadcast, telling those within range, and perhaps places beyond, that fighting the Empire is hard, that risking losing your family and yourself is hard, but that some things are worth fighting for. And that battle is all the better, all the more winnable when, as Tarkin so fears, they’re fighting together.