Mission to free Wookiee prisoners

"Care to let me in on the secret?" "Kid, I'm about to let everyone in on the secret."

- Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus, just before the latter reveals himself as a Jedi

Five years before the Battle of Yavin, the rebel crew of the Ghost mounted a rescue mission to save a group of Wookiee slaves who were sent to the spice mines of Kessel by the Galactic Empire. The crew had been looking for the Wookiees, some of whom fought for the Galactic Republic before its fall, for some time and attempted a rescue after receiving what they believed was the location of the slaves from Lothal crime lord Cikatro Vizago. After a failed attempt to rescue the Wookiees from a Gozanti-class cruiser, which was a trap set by Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau, the crew learned that the Wookiees were on Kessel and put a plan in motion to rescue them.

The rebels arrived at the spice mines of Kessel and fired upon Imperial troops, giving the rebels an opportunity to free the Wookiees from captivity. They were soon confronted by Kallus and his troops, who opened fire on the rebels and the Wookiees. As the Ghost engaged in battle with TIE fighters, the rebel leader, Kanan Jarrus, ignited his lightsaber and revealed himself as a Jedi survivor of Order 66. As Jarrus and other members of his crew secured most of the Wookiees, Ezra Bridger went in pursuit of the Wookiee child Kitwarr, who was being chased by a stormtrooper. Jarrus saved them both from Agent Kallus, and the Ghost fled from Kessel with the Wookiees, freeing them from captivity.

Prelude
"The Imperial Security Bureau pays attention to patterns. When the Empire’s operations are targeted on an ongoing basis, it could signify something more than the left of a few crates. It could signify the spark of rebellion. Next time they make a move, we’ll be waiting for them to snuff out that spark before it catches fire."

- Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau

Fourteen years after the end of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire, a group of rebels operated on Lothal. The rebels included Kanan Jarrus, a former Jedi who survived the destruction of the Jedi Order; Hera Syndulla, Twi'lek pilot and the owner of the rebels' ship, the Ghost; Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian warrior; and Garazeb Orrelios, a one of the few surviving Lasat in the galaxy. Together, the rebels hit a number of different Imperial targets across Lothal, drawing the attention of the Imperial Security Bureau. One of their rebellious operations took place in Capital City, the capital of Lothal. The rebels were contracted by Cikatro Vizago, a crime lord on Lothal, to steal blasters from the Empire. The rebels found the blasters in the city, where they were being secured into crates and transported by Imperial troops.

The rebels assumed different positions near the location of the weapons before beginning their heist. After setting off an explosion, the rebels intercepted the speeders carrying the crates, but some of them were stolen by Ezra Bridger, a fourteen year old orphan from Lothal who had been watching the rebels assemble. The rebels chased him out of the city while being pursued by Imperial troops and TIE fighters. Bridger managed to escape the rebels but was confronted by a TIE fighter, which was shot down by the Ghost. Jarrus allowed Bridger to escape with the Ghost, which made its way into space and fought off pursuing TIE fighters before making the jump into hyperspace.

After the rebel attack, Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau investigated what happened in Capital City. Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko, who was present during the heist, recounted the situation to Kallus. The ISB Agent explained that the rebels had hit other Imperials on Lothal, signalling the potential start of a rebellion. Kallus then began planning a trap that would allow him to capture the rebels. The rebels, meanwhile, brought the stolen supplies to the refugee settlement known as Tarkintown, where they gave free food to the refugees there. Jarrus and Syndulla also brought the stolen blaster crates to Vizago, who paid them in both money and information&mdash;the location of Wookiee prisoners who had been enslaved by the Empire, and who the rebels had wanted to find and rescue for some time. Unknown to the rebels, however, was that the information was meant as bait for Kallus' trap.

Kallus' trap
"If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing."

- Hera Syndulla, to Ezra Bridger

Having received the location of the Wookiee prisoners from Vizago, Jarrus put a plan together that would allow the crew to rescue the slaves. The Ghost made its way to the location of a Gozanti-class cruiser, where Vizago’s information said the Wookiees were being held. The Ghost dropped out of hyperspace near the cruiser and, when contacted by the cruiser, Syndulla claimed that they were delivering another Wookiee slave. The Imperial officer they communicated with had no knowledge of such a transfer, so Syndulla lied and said that she was under orders from Governor Wilhuff Tarkin to deliver the Wookiee and that, if the officer did not believe her, he could explain himself to Tarkin. As a result, the cruiser allowed the Ghost to dock with it.

Once docked, two stormtroopers met the rebels at the doors to their ship. Jarrus and Wren presented Orrelios to the stormtroopers, attempting to pass him off as a "rare hairless Wookiee." Thinking they would not believe their deception, Orrelios attacked the stormtroopers and knocked them unconscious, allowing them to continue onward. Jarrus and Orrelios headed towards what they believed was the location of the Wookiees, though in actuality they were headed towards an Imperial ambush, as Kallus had arranged a trap for the rebels. Wren, meanwhile, made her way to a control room with the astromech droid C1-10P, also known as "Chopper," to disable the cruiser’s artificial gravity.

As the mission proceeded, Kallus' Star Destroyer, Lawbringer, dropped out of hyperspace, signaling to Syndulla and Bridger, who was also in the Ghost ' s cockpit, that they had landed in a trap. The Star Destroyer captured the Ghost, and Kallus and his stormtroopers prepared to board the Gozanti cruiser in order to confront the rebels. Syndulla told Bridger to head to the cruiser and warn the others that it was a trap, but Bridger initially refused, saying he did not have it in him to risk his life for people who he had only just met. After a few moments of consideration, however, Bridger ran to the cruiser, where he found Jarrus and Orrelios and warned them of the impending attack.

Bridger did not arrive soon enough, however, as the trio was quickly ambushed by stormtroopers. As Agent Kallus made his way towards them, Wren and Chopper successfully disabled the artificial gravity, throwing the Imperials off-balance and giving the rebels an opportunity to escape. The gravity was restored by the time the rebels reached the airlock, and they began boarding the ship. Bridger attempted to board as well, but he was pushed to the side by Orrelios, who tried to get on the ship first. As a result, Bridger was captured by Agent Kallus, forcing Orrelios to leave the boy behind so the rest of the rebel crew could escape. As the Ghost departed, Wren set off an explosive she placed in the Gozanti cruiser, destroying it.

Rescuing Bridger
"I am Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau. And you are?" "Jabba the Hutt! Look, I just met those guys today. I don’t know anything." "You’re not here for what you know, Jabba. You’re here to be used as bait upon our return to Lothal."

- Kallus and Bridger

The Imperials placed Bridger into a cell after his capture, where he was approached by Agent Kallus, who informed the boy that he would be used as bait to capture the rebels upon returning to Lothal. Although Bridger thought his plan was foolish, as he did not believe that people were willing to risk their lives to say others, the Ghost crew nonetheless held a vote on whether to return for Bridger. Orrelios and Wren both believed it was too late for the boy and that he would be used as bait, while Syndulla and Chopper voted to rescue him. The deciding vote was left to Jarrus, who decided that they would return to the Star Destroyer and mount a rescue mission.

Not expecting anyone to rescue him, Bridger tricked the stormtroopers guarding his cell into entering the cell. Once they were inside, Bridger slipped out and locked the stormtroopers within, before making his way to a storage room. He retrieved his gear that the Imperials took from him and stole an Imperial helmet, with which he could overhear the communications aboard the Lawbringer&mdash;including how the Wookiees were being taken to work in the spice mines of the planet Kessel. While listening, Bridger also overheard one of the troopers he tricked, LS-005, report that the boy had escaped. Bridger made his way into the ship's ventilation system, while Kallus learned that the rebels had returned&mdash;a fact which shocked him, as he did not expect the rebels to mount an attack on a Star Destroyer.

The Ghost docked in one of the ship's hangars, and the Imperials immediately made their way towards their position. Jarrus, Wren, and Orrelios left the ship to find Bridger, while Syndulla remained behind to guard the Ghost. Before leaving the hangar, Wren painted her own personal symbol into the hangar floor, which doubled as an explosive residue. The rebels barely made it out of the hangar before Bridger jumped down from the ventilation shaft and the Imperials caught up with them. With Kallus nearly on top of them, the rebels and Bridger retreated back to the Ghost.

Kallus and his stormtroopers fired upon the ship, but it nonetheless began its escape. Once the rebels were aboard the Ghost, Wren set off her explosion, which blew a hole into the hangar and sucked numerous stormtroopers into space, with Kallus nearly perishing before the hull breach could be sealed. In the chaos, the Ghost was able to escape.

Freeing the Wookiees
"All troopers, focus your fire on&hellip; on the Jedi."

- Agent Kallus, after Jarrus reveals himself as a Jedi

The Ghost made the jump into hyperspace after fleeing the Lawbringer, and Bridger informed the crew that he learned the Wookiees were being taken to Kessel. The rebels told Bridger, who did not know what the Spice Mines were, that working in the harsh mines was effectively a death sentence for the Wookiees, who were born on a jungle planet. The rebels decided to mount another rescue attempt, which Kallus suspected, as he had learned that the helmet Bridger wore on the Lawbringer had its communication system active while the Imperials discussed the Wookiee prisoners.

The rebels made their way to Kessel, where the Wookiee prisoners had arrived at spice mine K76. The stormtroopers guarding the slaves, which included Wullffwarro, who once fought for the Galactic Republic, and his son, Kitwarr, led the prisoners towards the mines as the Ghost descended from the sky, firing on the Imperial troops. The Ghost descended towards the mine, allowing Jarrus, Orrelios, Wren, and Bridger to exit the ship and fight the stormtroopers. The three veteran rebels fired on the stormtroopers, keeping them occupied while Bridger snuck around them, using the distraction as an opportunity to begin freeing the Wookiees. With the Wookiees freed, the former prisoners joined the fight against the stormtroopers, which helped the rebels defeat them.

Shortly after the Wookiees were freed, a group of TIE fighters approached and fired upon the Ghost. Although the Ghost shot one of them down, they were soon joined by Agent Kallus and his troops, who were aboard a Gozanti-class cruiser. The Ghost led the TIE fighters away, while Kallus and his stormtroopers emerged from the cruiser. As the Ghost flew away and engaged the TIE fighters in combat, the stormtroopers pinned the rebels and the Wookiees down behind a group of crates, which the rebels and Wookiees used for cover. Jarrus and Syndulla spoke over their communicators and Jarrus told her to flee, but she refused to leave them behind. Instead, Jarrus told her to perform a 22 pickup, which would see the rebels and Wookiees hide in a cargo container that could then be picked up by the ship.

In order to give the others an opportunity to hide in the containers, Jarrus stepped in front of the Imperial troops and ignited his lightsaber, revealing himself to be a Jedi. Kallus and the stormtroopers concentrated their fire on Jarrus, while the rebels and Wookiees were able to enter the cargo containers. Bridger, meanwhile, ran off after Kitwarr, who had fled the area and was being pursued by a stormtrooper. The pursuit led them to a bridge overlooking the deep mines. As they reached the top, the rebels successfully entered the containers with the Wookiees and were picked up by the Ghost, which had fought off the TIE fighters. On the bridge, Bridger was able to escape the stormtrooper by shooting him with his energy slingshot, sending the trooper over the edge. Bridger and Kitwarr were briefly cornered by Kallus, who&mdash;after witnessing Bridger use the Force to leap over the stormtrooper&mdash;assumed that the boy was Jarrus' Padawan. Bridger and Kitwarr were rescued when Jarrus, standing atop the Ghost, arrived to save them. With everyone on board, the Ghost fled Kessel.

Aftermath
"He says if we ever need help, the Wookiees will be there."

- Sabine Wren, translating Wullffwarro

Having escaped Kessel, the Wookiees&mdash;including Kitwarr and Wullffwarro&mdash;reunited aboard the Ghost. The ship was met by a Wookiee Auzituck anti-slaver gunship, which docked with the Ghost and brought the freed Wookiees on board. Because the rebels secured their freedom, Wullffwarro told them that, if the rebels ever needed help, the Wookiees would be there to help. The Wookiee ship left, and the Ghost returned to Lothal where the rebels intended to return Bridger to his home. Because Bridger had no family, however, and due to his evident Force sensitivity, Jarrus offered the boy the opportunity to stay with the crew and be trained in the ways of the Jedi. Bridger had to consider whether he wanted to leave with the rebels, and he ultimately chose to do so and became Jarrus' apprentice.

Due to the presence of a Jedi amongst the rebels, Kallus contacted the Inquisitor, a Jedi hunter tasked by the Empire with finding and killing any Jedi who survived the destruction of the Order. Kallus informed the Inquisitor that Jarrus led the rebel cell, information that the Inquisitor was glad to be informed of.

Behind the scenes
The mission to rescue the Wookiees on Kessel first appeared in Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, a one-hour television movie that serves as the premiere for the animated television series Star Wars Rebels. The events will be adapted into the junior novelization The Rebellion Begins by Michael Kogge and Ezra's Wookiee Rescue by Meredith L. Rusu.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion
 * The Rebellion Begins
 * Ezra's Wookiee Rescue
 * Droids in Distress chapter book
 * A New Hero