"A Princess on Lothal" is the twenty-seventh episode of the Disney XD animated series, Star Wars Rebels. It premiered on January 20, 2016, and is the tenth episode of the second season.
Plot[]
In contact with Hera Syndulla, the news about Ezra’s parents has left the Rebels feeling sorry for Ezra. However, Hera has some good news: Senator Organa has heard about their losses on Garel and has sent his agent to Lothal with some reinforcements and three new ships for the Rebellion. The three ships that Hera mentioned emerge from hyperspace and make an approach to Lothal. Among the crew is the Princess of Alderaan, Leia Organa. Nearby, an Imperial vessel commanded by Lieutenant Lyste notices the approaching vessels and deploys a squadron of TIE Fighters to intercept. Lieutenant Lyste makes contact with the vessels, and informs them that Lothal is now a restricted system by orders of the Emperor. The three vessels state that they are delivering relief supplies for the citizens of Lothal. Although Lieutenant Lyste states that he was never informed, the crew of the ships assure him they have a landing permit. Lyste grants them permission to land and the TIEs escort the three ships to the surface.

Leia's plan has gotten more complicated.
Back on the surface of Lothal, Kanan and Ryder find Ezra quietly alone with Chopper, still heartbroken by the news of his parents. Despite his grief, he is still up for the mission. Their new ships arrive at Jalath City, which is no doubt being guarded by Imperial forces. So to avoid being recognized, Kanan and Ezra go in disguised as a Stormtrooper and a Cadet. Soon after landing, Leia disembarks from one of the ships while the two mingle in by using their disguises. Upon meeting Lieutenant Lyste, he tells Leia that he is aware that her ships seem to get "stolen" by rebels quite frequently. So to make it impossible for Rebels on Lothal to steal them, Lieutenant Lyste places double security around Leia's ships. He has his men attach three gravity locks onto each ship, and deploys a detachment of Stormtroopers around the area along with two All Terrain Armored Transports. Leia assures him that all of this is unnecessary, but Lieutenant Lyste remains insistent. Since her ships are grounded, Leia requests in taking Lieutenant Lyste’s ship so she can on her relief work. Accompanied by Ezra and Kanan in disguise, the three of them depart from Jalath City in a Imperial Landing Craft. With Leia’s plan now more complicated, they now have to come up with a new one in order for the Rebellion to get their new ships. Ezra asks why they didn't give the cruisers in deep space, and Leia explains to him that if they did, the Empire would suspect Alderaan for helping the Rebels and label them as traitors. If the rebels stole the ships on a planet controlled by the Empire, Alderaan would not be suspected for helping the rebel cause.
They return to Ryder's hideout and find a group of Stormtroopers arresting Ryder and Chopper. Kanan, disguised as a Stormtrooper, talks with the leader and offers to take them back to prison. However, the officer tells them that they have orders to execute him. Suddenly the Ghost shows up and a brief skirmish begins. In order to get to the Ghost without raising suspicion, Kanan and Ezra allows Leia to get kidnapped by the Rebels. Kanan and Ezra pretend to try and save her, and Zeb knocks them out before dragging them onto the ship. With everyone aboard, the Ghost takes off with the Phantom in follow. Leia’s fake abduction soon gets through to Lieutenant Lyste, and orders an immediate search around the nearby area to find the Rebels.

Leia and the Rebels figuring out a new strategy.
Aboard the Ghost, the Rebels are reviewing the nature of the situation and neither one of them see any chance of success. With all security present and those gravity locks in place, they may have a chance in getting only one ship out but not all three. Leia however motivates the team by saying how they can get them, and a plan to get all three ships begins to form. Ryder joins in, saying that explosives will not be able to disable the gravity locks and offers his help in exchange for getting off of Lothal.
At Jalath City, The Imperials still have Leia’s ships under heavy guard. Just then, Lieutenant Lyste notices the Phantom coming into land. His troops set their weapons to stun, but stand down after seeing Kanan and Ezra (in their disguises) emerge from the Phantom along with Leia. As Leia distracts the Lieutenant about how they escaped, Ryder, Chopper, and Sabine carry out the rest of the plan. They disable the first gravity lock, and Sabine goes inside to pilot the ship while Ryder and Chopper move onto the next one. Leia tells Lyste that one of the ships he is protecting is flying away and he immediately orders his men to stop the Rebels. One of the AT-ATs attack the ship. They then see Ryder and Chopper disabling a gravity lock and open fire on them. Kanan and Ezra knock Lyste and his two soldiers out cold. Kanan draws out his Lightsaber and severs two of the AT-AT's legs, toppling it. Meanwhile, the Ghost offers air support to distract the AT-ATs, although their armour prevents their missiles from having much effect on them. Ryder and Chopper disable the second gravity lock, and Kanan climbs aboard the second ship as Imperial reinforcements arrive. With the Empire closing in, Ryder forces the third ship to fly despite the gravity lock and engages the thrusters, toppling the remaining AT-AT with the force generated from them. Leia and Ezra say goodbye to each other, and before going their separate ways, Leia tells Ezra to stun her with his gun to avoid suspicion. Ezra does so just as Lyste and the others regain their senses, which prompts him to go see if she is all right. She tells him she is fine, but all three of her ships have been stolen by the Rebels. Leia threatens to blackmail Lyste unless he pays for the missing ships, which he quickly complies to. Realizing that his ship is also missing, he also arranges to find another ship for her.
In deep space, the Rebels are pleased that they managed to get all three ships. Ryder, now realizing that what Ezra's parents started has become even larger than he thought, offers to help the Rebel cause for both them and their son's sake.
Cast[]
- Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger
- Tiya Sircar as Sabine Wren
- Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Kanan Jarrus, AT-AT driver #3
- Steve Blum as Garazeb Orrelios, AT-AT- Driver #2, Stormtrooper Commander, Stormtrooper Deck Officer
- Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla
- Clancy Brown as Ryder Azadi, Imperial Officer, Stormtrooper #2
- Julie Dolan as Leia Organa
- Liam O'Brien as Yogar Lyste, Stormtrooper Squad Leader
- Dave Filoni as AT-AT Driver, Stormtrooper, Stormtrooper Commander
- Matthew Wood as Rebel Pilot
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This episode marks Princess Leia's debut in the series.
- The outfit Leia wears in this episode is based on early concept art made by Ralph McQuarrie for the original Star Wars films.
- The ships seen in this episode are inspired by designs seen in the Knights of the Old Republic video game.