"The Future of the Force" is the twenty-fifth episode of the Disney XD animated series Star Wars Rebels. It premiered on December 2, 2015, and is the eighth episode of the second season.
Plot[]
Departing from the planet Chandel, an Imperial Star Destroyer captures a passenger ship. Once docked with the ship, the Inquisitors board the transport searching for a child. They soon find the infant, known as Alora, with her grandmother, Darja. She tries to make a run for it but is eventually cornered. Darja warns them to stay away from her granddaughter, but the Seventh Sister approaches and coldly assures her they only wish to make friends with Alora. Then she turns to the Fifth Brother, and gives him the sign to kill every passenger on the ship.
Meanwhile on Garel, Ahsoka pays Kanan a visit with Jedi business to discuss. They decide to take the discussion in private and board the Ghost. Once aboard and alone in Kanan's quarters, Ahsoka briefs Kanan on her recent investigation about the Sith Lord, and so far the information she has recovered eludes her. She has also learnt more about the Inquisitors, and reveals they have a secondary mission to make retrievals. She managed to decode two sets of coordinates, and while she investigates the first one, she wants Kanan to investigate the second. Kanan accepts the mission and so does Ezra, who had been listening in on the conversation. Ezra, Kanan, Zeb, and Chopper depart from Garel and arrive at the planet Takobo, with a mission to find and retrieve whatever the Inquisitors are after before they do. After landing in the city, the Rebels take a look at the coordinates they were given, which turns out to be housing units. Kanan orders Zeb and Chopper to investigate the spaceports for any ship belonging to the Inquisitors, while he and Ezra check out the households. With everyone in agreement to their assignments, the Rebels head out in opposite directions. Meanwhile, Ahsoka arrives at the other coordinates, and finds the ship the Inquisitors attacked earlier adrift in space. Once aboard, she finds the ship severely damaged and deserted. However, she does find Darja alive. Ahsoka learns from her that the Inquisitors took her granddaughter and pleads for her to find her. Ahsoka helps the grandmother rest and promises to find Alora.

Zeb being chased by the Inquisitors
Back on Takobo, Zeb and Chopper have spent hours searching the other spaceports, and so far found no sign of any ship belonging to the Inquisitors. But their long search finally pays off after they find two Advance TIE fighters under guard by one of the Seventh Sister's probe droids. Zeb shoots it down, and the two proceed in destroying the ships. However, before the begin planting explosives they discover Alora inside one of the cockpits. Meanwhile, Kanan and Ezra arrive at the apartment they are looking for and find the place ransacked and a female Ithorian known as Oora. She tells them the Inquisitors came looking for her child, Pypey, but she managed to send him away with a droid before they could get to him. Ezra and Kanan promise Oora to find Pypey before the Inquisitors do, and soon head out on their search. Zeb and Chooper have returned to the Phantom with Alora in Chopper's care. Kanan informs Zeb about the other baby and instructs him to find it before the Inquisitors do. Zeb leaves Chopper to look after Alora, and is soon on the streets looking for the droid carrying Pypey. He soon crosses paths with the droid, and takes Pypey from him. He sends the droid to go a separate way to decoy the Inquisitors, but Zeb doesn't get very far. The Inquisitors show up and take out the droid, but don't find Pypey. However, they do sense his presence, and when they spot him with Zeb he makes a run for it. Zeb informs Kanan of the situation he is in and goes into hiding in a nearby apartment building. The Inquisitors lose sight of Zeb, but the Fifth Brother senses Pypey's fear within the building they were hiding in. The Seventh Sister dispatches one of her probe droids to keep an eye outside while they search inside. Ezra and Kanan soon reach the apartment building as well, but immediately hide themselves after Ezra spots the probe droid. The droid doesn't see them, and as soon as it's out of sight Kanan and Ezra enter the building to find Zeb and Pypey.

Kanan understands why the Inquisitors are after these kids.
Once inside, Kanan and Ezra are roaming the corridors, and being very careful where they step, as the Inquisitors were about. They soon find Zeb and he brings them to the apartment where he's keeping the baby. Pypey has calmed down, but when he sees Ezra he begins to cry in fear. Ezra tries to calm him down but it was no use. Through The Force, The Inquisitors sense Pipey's fear and find the apartment where the Rebels were hiding him. They try to spike them out with their Lightsabers, but Ezra and Kanan cut an entrance to the next apartment above them. They escape and make a run for the stairs. Ezra still hasn't managed to calm Pypey down, mainly because he can sense his fear through the Force. Kanan finally understands why the Inquisitors are abducting these children, because they are Force-sensitive. Fear of them becoming Jedi, the Inquisitors have been tasked to find them and prevent this from ever happening. The Rebels decide to split up: Ezra escapes with Pypey through the ventilation shafts while Kanan and Zeb hold off the Inquisitors. Meanwhile, the Inquisitors are still roaming the corridors for the Rebels. Fifth Brother uses the Force to find them, and when he senses Pypey and Ezra in the ventilation, he uses his lightsaber to spike them. Pypey gets scared but Ezra manages to connect with him through the force and calm him down. Just then, Kanan and Zeb show up, ready to fight the Inquisitors.
The Seventh Sister engages Kanan while Zeb takes on the Fifth Brother hand to hand. Ezra makes out of the building and heads back to the Phantom with Pypey, unaware that the Seventh Sister's probe droid spotted him. Meanwhile, both Inquisitors quickly overpowered their opponents, forcing Kanan and Zeb to retreat. They jump out of a window and land on a passing speeder. The Inquisitors jump onto another speeder, throw out the driver, and pursue Kanan and Zeb through the city streets. Kanan shoots at the Inquisitors and takes out their speeder. However, the Fifth Brother takes out their speeder as well when he throws his lightsaber at them like a boomerang, slicing off one of the jets. They crash into the streets, but continue on foot. The Rebels make it back to the spaceport, but the doors are sealed. Worst of all, the Inquisitors catch up with them and engage them in a fight for Pypey. Both quickly overpowered the Rebels once again and are defeated. Then suddenly unexpected, Ahsoka emerges from the spaceport, ready to fight the Inquisitors. She tells her fellow Rebels to get on the Phantom, and she engages the Inquisitors. Despite their best efforts, Ahsoka manages to overpower each one of them singled handed. She easily takes out the Fifth Brother, and after an aggressive confrontation she defeats the Seventh Sister. For the moment, Ahsoka is the one who is victorious but the tables suddenly turn unexpectedly when Imperial reinforcements arrive and surround her. However, as the Phantom takes off, Ahsoka manages to jump aboard and escape capture. The Inquisitors are left defeated.

The Inquisitors learn where the Rebels are hiding.
As the Rebels flee Takobo, Pypey is reunited with his mother. Ahsoka is already aware that the Inquisitors are abducting Force-sensitive children and remembers a similar attempt made by the Sith during the Clone Wars. The Jedi Order protected them, but since they died out the Rebellion is now their only protection. Meanwhile, the Inquisitors return to where they landed their ships, only to find them destroyed. Just then, the Seventh Sister's probe droid shows up with some information that it caught when it spotted Ezra. Recorded in Ezra's own words, the Inquisitors learn that the Rebels are hiding on Garel.
Cast[]
- Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger
- Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Kanan Jarrus
- Steve Blum as Garazeb Orrelios, Freighter Pilot, Ithorian #2
- Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano
- Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as The Fifth Brother
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as The Seventh Sister
- Grey DeLisle as Darja, Oora
- Dave Filoni as Ithorian #1
- Dee Bradley Baker as Pypey
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The plot of this episode is similar to "Children of the Force", an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in which Cad Bane kidnaps Force-sensitive children. But Ashoka and Anakin rescued them.
- Ahsoka encounters the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister for the first time.