Visions and Voices

"Visions and Voices" is the eleventh episode and the winter finale of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels' third season. It is the forty-eighth episode of the series overall. It aired on December 10, 2016 on Disney XD.

Official description
Maul returns, looking to finally unlock the secrets that he and Ezra desire.

The shadow of Maul
Hera Syndulla briefs the Spectres, Rex, and members of the Phoenix Squadron on a windy day at Chopper Base on the planet Atollon. Hera is discussing the upcoming plans by the Phoenix Squadron to launch a strike against the Imperial factory on the planet Lothal. They need only a small unit, not the full squadron. Ezra Bridger is listening to the briefing when he hears Maul calling out to him.

Hera notices that Ezra is distracted and reminds him to join the briefing. Ezra tells her he saw something. Hera responds that this is his mission and that she needs his full attention. Hera tells Ezra that his mission involves slipping into the Lothal system and studying the Galactic Empire's orbital defenses. She tells him that the rest of the team will wait for not more than a day. Ezra's mission is to collect intelligence on Star Destroyer positions, TIE fighter patrol routes, and transport movements. While Hera is listening, Ezra sees Maul walking among a group of rebel soldiers.

Kanan Jarrus senses his apprentice's unease and asks him if something is wrong. Ezra insists that he is allright but says he saw something. Hera then informs Ezra that the recon team leaves as soon as they have loaded up. When Hera asks for questions, Sabine Wren asks if Thrawn is on Lothal. Hera reports that there has been an increase in capital ships but says they have no confirmation on Thrawn's presence. At that point, Ezra hears Maul's voice growing louder and sees Maul walking behind a pilot.

When Kanan asks Ezra what is wrong, Ezra sees Maul sneaking past Rex. When Garazeb Orrelios notices that Ezra is unwell, Ezra sees Maul walking past the Lasat and points in that direction. However, Zeb sees nothing and asks what he is looking at. Hera and Kanan remark that Ezra is not looking very good. When Kanan asks Ezra what he sees, the boy turns around only to find an apparition of Maul staring at him. Frightened, Ezra faints and falls onto the conference table. Kanan and Zeb attend to him. When Hera asks Kanan what is wrong, he replies he doesn't know.



Illusions and voices
Later, Ezra awakes in his quarters. He is startled by Kanan but his master reassures him that he is safe. When Hera asks Ezra to explain what is going on, the boy explained that he saw Maul among them. Sabine is perplexed and asked if he saw Maul at the briefing. Ezra recalls that Maul uttered his name and was standing right behind him. Zeb tells Ezra that he was standing right beside him and saw nobody else there. While Hera thinks that it is a Force vision, Zeb suggests that the kid is working too hard.

When Chopper jokingly tells Ezra to get up, Hera chastises the astromech droid. Ezra says that Chopper is right to say that naptime is over and that it is time to get back to work. When Hera asks Ezra if he is sure that he is alright, he insists that he is so but doesn't know what troubled him. Ezra insists on getting ready for his mission and tells Sabine to come along. After Ezra and Sabine leave, Kanan and Hera talk in private. Kanan thinks that Ezra was affected by the last vision with Maul and that it not over yet.

Later, the inventory droid AP-5 mingles with Chopper outside the VCX-100 light freighter Ghost. AP-5 stops Sabine from loading a shipment of explosives aboard the ship because he reasons they have enough. Sabine says that she is the weapons expert and insists on loading two more cases of explosives. AP-5 grumbles about the changes to the supply schedule but complies with her orders. When Sabine comments that AP-5 and Chopper were made on the same supply run, Chopper hoots that Sabine needs an attitude adjustment.

While Sabine and Chopper quarrel, Ezra sees Maul mingling among the rebel troops and rushes to confront him. Sabine tells him to stop and tells Chopper to get Kanan. Ezra passes through two Phoenix Squadron pilots and searches the starship landing bay for Maul. Ezra keeps hearing the Dark Sider's cackling laughter. Ezra then leaps over a starfighter and attacks a rebel trooper he mistakes for Maul. Before Ezra can kill the false "Maul", Sabine and Kanan intervene and force him away. Ezra attempts to strike Maul with his green lightsaber but Kanan uses the Force to restrain Ezra's arms. Ezra demands that Kanan let him go but the older Jedi points out that the man is not Maul. The trooper asks Ezra if he is out of his mind and scurries away. A distressed Ezra asks what is happening to him.

Meeting with Bendu
Outside the Ghost, Hera and Kanan meet to discuss Ezra's plight. Hera proposes delaying the mission and staying behind with Ezra. Kanan assures her that he as got a plan, and that the Ezra will be fine. Hera decides to proceed on the mission without Ezra and departs aboard the Ghost. Sabine expresses surprise that Hera left so quickly and Kanan tells her that he has a plan. Kanan goes to the shuttle Phantom II and passes a wrist comm to Sabine. Kanan ask her to put a tracker on Ezra's wrist-comm without him knowing.

Kanan and Ezra ride the speeder bike into the wilderness to meet Bendu. The Bendu has been expecting them and remarks that they are not very quiet creatures. Kanan tells Ezra to explain what has been happening. Ezra recounts that the Dark Sider who wanted to join the holocrons has resurfaced on Atollon. Bendu replies that he warned Ezra that joining the holocrons would bring great wisdom and danger. Ezra admits that he knew this was the price of this power and tells Bendu that the vision was incomplete because he let go before the holocrons could reveal all their secrets. Ezra adds that the holocrons were destroyed by the blast.

The Bendu says this is not good. When Kanan tells him to clarify, the Bendu responds by asking Ezra what he wants Ezra says he wants to stop seeing and hearing from Maul. The Bendu warns them not to turn around. Kanan and Ezra turn around to find Maul standing on top of the hill, watching them. As Maul makes his way down, Kanan asks the Bendu what they should do next only to discover that the Force-wielder has vanished.

Striking a deal with Maul
Maul remarks that this is a strange place and that the Empire will have a difficult time finding them due to Atollon's remoteness. Ezra and Kana ignite their lightsabers but Maul says that he did not come to fight but to talk with his apprentice. When Kanan emphasizes that Ezra is not his apprentice, Maul replies "yet." Ezra asks Maul how he found them, and he explains that when Ezra abruptly severed their connection to the holocrons, both of learned fragments of the other person's memories and knowledge including the location of Chopper Base.

Ezra says that he can't help Maul with the information he is looking for. Maul replies that this is why he must come with him. When Ezra asks Maul what he would get from sharing the information with him, Maul offers to keep the location of the rebel base a secret. Kanan does not want to deal with the Dark Sider and threatens him with his lightsaber. Undaunted, Maul dares Kanan to strike him down and informs him that he has planted a homing beacon nearby. He warns Kanan that the homing beacon will alert the Empire to their rebel base should he die.

Maul then tells Ezra that he has knowledge that is rightfully his and offers to trade knowledge that will allow Ezra to destroy the Sith. Kanan and Ezra discuss Maul's offer. Kanan advises Ezra to reject the Dark Sider's offer but the boy responds that Maul will reveal the location of Chopper Base should they reject his terms. When Kanan replies they can always find another base, Ezra reassures his master that Maul will not hurt him because he needs him. Ezra adds that this might be their last chance to learn how to defeat the Sith. Despite disagreeing with Ezra's idea, Kanan reluctantly accepts it because they have no other choice.

Ezra departs with Maul in his Gauntlet Fighter Nightbrother. Kanan then rides his speeder bike back to Chopper Base where he finds Sabine monitoring the wrist comm aboard the Phantom II. Sabine reports that she has been tracking Ezra's signal and that Maul's ship has made the jump into hyperspace. Kanan and Sabine depart Atollon on the Phantom II.

Journey to Dathomir
Meanwhile, the Nightbrother arrives above the planet Dathomir, which Maul tells Ezra was his homeworld. Maul's ship lands on the grounds of the ruined Nightsister lair. When Ezra asks Maul where his family and people are, Maul responds that he is the last survivor and that his family were killed. Maul describes the Nightsisters as masterful witches who posed a threat to the Empire. The two walk among the ruins.

When Ezra asks if these witches used the Force, Maul explains that the Nightsisters depended on a connection to Dathomir and that they have to perform old Magick. Ezra refuses to follow Maul into a nearby cave until he tells him how it works. Maul explains that the only way to gain the knowledge they seek is to merge their minds together. Maul tells Ezra to trust him because he only wants the answers that he deserves and nothing more. Maul leads Ezra into a cave which is littered with objects that Maul has gathered to help him restore his old memories.

Ezra remarks that it is junk but Maul warns him to touch nothing. He explains that these are artifacts from the past when his power was almost absolute. Ezra is about to touch the Darksaber when Maul tells him to get away. When Ezra asks if the weapon is a lightsaber, Maul replies that it is a unique object that his Mandalorian friend could explain better if she were there. Meanwhile, the Phantom II arrives above Dathomir. When Sabine asks Kanan why Ezra is willing to trust Maul again and again, Kanan replies that Ezra is taking a big risk for them.

"Old Magick"
Back in the cave, Maul tells Ezra he has studied the ways of the Nightsisters and come up with a spell that suits their needs. This spell involves pouring magick water that focuses their power from an altar into glasses. Maul explains that they have to drink the potion in order to access this knowledge. Ezra insists that Maul go first. Maul complies and tells Ezra that he must drink all of the magick water for the potion to work.

The water causes Ezra and Maul's eyes to turn a radiant green. Meanwhile, Kanan and Sabine land the Phantom II outside the cave. Sabine uses the wrist-comm to track Ezra and Kanan inside the cave. Back in the cave, Ezra and Maul's eyes shoot out radiant green beams of light. Maul asks where "he" is while Ezra petitions for the knowledge to destroy the Sith. The beams of light form a green cloud. Maul says that he now understands while Ezra sees a familiar figure but can't remember his name. The visions stop and Ezra and Maul collapse from their exertions.

Maul remarks that it ends where it began: the desert planet with twin suns. Ezra can't believe that the person is still alive. Suddenly, the cave descends into darkness and Maul explains that it is time to pay their debt. Suddenly, the altar turns green and the two see the spirits of two fallen Nightsisters. Maul explains that the spirits demand their flesh and blood as payment for their services; something that he neglected to tell Ezra earlier. Ezra is shocked at the price.

Ezra's test
At that point, Kanan and Sabine enter the room and run into the spirits. Despite Ezra's warning to stay back, the two fire their blasters at the spirits, who overwhelm and take possession of them. Sabine and then Kanan kneel before the altar and rise to face Ezra and Maul. Maul warns Ezra to stay back but the boy approaches Kanan, who removes his helmet. Ezra sees that his eyes are glowing green. The Nightsister spirits possessing Kanan and Sabine attack Maul and Ezra with a lightsaber and blaster respectively. Ezra deflects Sabine's blaster bolts with his lighsaber and tries to reason with her.

The possessed Kanan and Sabine force Maul and Ezra into a corner. Unable to defeat the Nightsister spirits, Maul tells Ezra to follow him on the pretext of showing him how to save his friends. Maul and Ezra flee to the cave entrance with the possessed Kanan and Sabine in pursuit. Ezra and the possessed Kanan engage in a lightsaber duel and Ezra is knocked to the ground. The spirits are unable to leave the cave because the altar is the source of their power. Maul apologizes for the state of Ezra's friends but tells him that this is the opportunity to embrace his destiny as his apprentice.

Ezra rejects Maul's offer, prompting an enraged Maul to tell Ezra to forget the past and his memories and attachments. He tells Ezra that their paths both lead to a place with twin suns and that they can walk that path together as brothers. Ezra responds that his friends are trapped inside the cave because of their actions and refuses to abandon Kanan and Sabine. Maul dismisses Ezra as a "disappointment" and departs on his Gauntlet Fighter.

Battling the fallen spirits
Ezra returns to the cave hoping to rescue his friends. A possessed Sabine creeps up on him and tells him that it is unwise to enter their sanctuary. Sabine attacks Ezra with the Darksaber and he deflects her blows with his lightsaber. Ezra tells the spirit that the blade doesn't want her. The spirit dares him to take it from her and Ezra knocks it out of her hand.

He then leads the possessed Sabine towards the entrance but the spirit leaps after him and hurls him to the ground. Ezra uses the Force to push Sabine out of the cave. As the spirit is exorcised from Sabine's body, she taunts Ezra that he will not defeat them. Ezra then tends to Sabine. She remarks that what he got out of Maul should be worth all the trouble they got into. Ezra warns her not to enter the cave because the spirits will possess her again. When Sabine asks what about him, Ezra replies that he has to go and returns to the cave once more.

Ezra charges into the cave only to find Kanan on the altar surrounded by a green mist. The possessed Kanan tells Ezra that Maul promised them flesh and blood so that they can rebuild the Great Clan of the Nightsisters. Ezra replies that it is his debt and offers himself if the spirits release his friend Kanan. The spirit possessing Kanan accepts Ezra's offer provided that he can prove he is stronger than Kanan in combat. Ezra and the possessed Kanan engage in a lightsaber duel.

Ezra tells Kanan he knows he is in there and vows not to lose his master. The spirit insists that the debt must be paid. Ezra manages to use the Force to push Kanan to the ground. Ezra then offers himself up as the spirit exits from Kanan's body. The spirits then rise from the altar as Ezra tells his master to get out of the cave. The spirits demand that Ezra honor his pledge to surrender his flesh and blood. Instead Ezra uses the Darksaber and his own lightsaber to destroy the altar. This destroys the Nightsisters' power and they vanish.

Resolution
Sabine approaches Ezra, having ignored his warning to stay out of the cave. Ezra tells Sabine that he told her to stay outside, she responds that she never ever listened to him before. Kanan insists that this is the last time that they ever work with Maul while Sabine adds she hopes so. When Kanan asks Ezra if it was worth it, Ezra replies that the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi holds the key to destroying the Sith. Kanan doesn't know if Kenobi is still alive let alone where to find him. Ezra also warns Kanan that Maul is looking for Kenobi as well.

When Kanan asks where he is, Ezra explains that the holocron told them that it was planet with twin suns. Sabine remarks that it would not be too hard to find a planet with two suns. Kanan vows to find Master Kenobi before Maul can get to him so that they do not lose their chance to destroy the Sith again. The three rebels then leave the Nighsisters' cave. Before leaving, Sabine finds the Darksaber, a symbol of Mandalorian leadership, and takes it with her.

Cast

 * Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger
 * Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla
 * Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus
 * Tiya Sircar as Sabine Wren
 * Steve Blum as Zeb Orrelios, Rebel Trooper #2
 * Stephen Stanton as AP-5
 * Tom Baker as Bendu
 * Sam Witwer as Maul
 * Meredith Salenger as Nightsister Ghost Kanan
 * Anna Graves as Nightsister Ghost Sabine
 * Dave Filoni as Rebel Trooper #1