Empire Day (episode)

"Empire Day" is the eighth episode of the first season of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels. It is the eighth episode of the series overall.

The episode was written by Henry Gilroy and directed by Steven G. Lee. The episode was released on demand on WatchDisneyXD.com on November 10, 2014 and premiered on Disney XD on November 17.

In the episode, the Galactic Empire celebrates Empire Day for the fifteenth anniversary of the Emperor's rise to power. The rebels take advantage of this day and destroy an experimental new TIE fighter, leading the Imperials to hunt for them once again. While on the run, they discover a Rodian technician named Tseebo who knows vital information about the Empire&mdash;and the fate of Ezra Bridger's parents.

Official description
Ezra struggles with unanswered questions from the past on Empire Day -- his birthday -- while the Ghost crew uncovers key Imperial intel.

Master and apprentice
In the Lothalian town of Jhothal, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, and Garazeb Orrelios walk visit Old Jho's Pit Stop. Meanwhile, the Jedi Kanan Jarrus gives his apprentice Ezra Bridger a lesson on connecting with other beings in a nearby field. At Kanan's prompting, Ezra hurls a rock into the tall blades of grass which startles a loth-cat. Ezra tries to connect with the creature but it is hostile. Frustrated, Ezra toys with killing the loth-cat with Kanan's lightsaber.

Kanan reminds Ezra that the purpose of this lesson is to teach him that he is not alone but is connected to every living being in the universe. To discover that, Kanan says that Ezra must let go of his past and lower his guard; something the boy refuses to do. When Ezra says that he might never become a Jedi, Kanan asks him what is wrong. Ezra tells him that he is uneasy about Empire Day. The loth-cat growls upon hearing that just as three TIE fighters to a fly-over. Kanan and Ezra head back to Jhotal.

Old Jho's Pit Stop
The three TIE fighters land in Jhothal while Kanan and Ezra head into Old Jho's Pit Stop, which is run by the Ithorian "Old" Jho. Three TIE fighter pilots enter the cantina. Kanan cautions his apprentice not to fight. One of the TIE pilots gazes at Hera and Zeb but his colleagues call him as they search a Rodian patron. The TIE pilots are looking for a Rodian fugitive whom Ezra recognizes as Tseebo, a former family friend. The TIE pilots determine that the Rodian is not Tseebo and leave him alone. One of the Imperial pilots confronts Old Jho and demands that his cantina play the Imperial HoloNews broadcasts all the time.

Jho reluctantly complies. The Imperial broadcaster Alton Kastle announces that today is the fifteenth anniversary of Empire Day, which commemorates the day that Emperor Palpatine ended the Clone Wars and created the Galactic Empire. He reports that Governor Pryce has commissioned a parade in Capital City. However, the Imperial broadcast is interrupted by the self-proclaimed "Senator in Exile" Gall Trayvis, who implores the population to boycott the celebrations. After haggling with Jho, the TIE pilots leave.

Old Jho tells Kanan that the Imperials have locked down the spaceport and imposed a full planetary blockade. Sabine is relieved that the Empire is not after them for once. Kanan hints to their plan to disrupt the Empire Day celebrations. Ezra wants to be left alone and wonders why the Empire is looking for Tseebo. Ezra enters his old flat at LothalNet comm tower E-272 and touches a remote. He experiences a Force vision of his parents talking about standing up to the Empire. Ezra realizes where Tseebo is.

Gatecrashing Empire Day
That night, the Imperials stage a parade of Imperial Troop Transports and AT-DP walkers through the streets of Capital City. Minister Maketh Tua and Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko have been placed in charge of organizing the festivities. Tua reacts angrily to Commandant Aresko describing the parade as a "spectacle." Minister Tua informs the crowd via a hologram that Governor Pryce is attending the festivities in Coruscant. Imperial ace pilot Baron Valen Rudor is also present. Taskmaster Myles Grint tries to cheer up several Ugnaughts while Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus searches for Tseebo.

The Spectres mingle among the crowd while Minister Tua presents Sienar Laboratory's new TIE Advanced v1, which Baron Rudor would be flying as part of the celebration. Hera and Kanan chat about their plot to blow up the starfighter. Sabine and Zeb distract the crowd by hurling fireworks into the sky. Minister Tua mistakes them for Commandant Aresko's handiwork. Kanan sneaks under the TIE Advanced v1 to plant explosives. While sneaking away, he is spotted by a stormtrooper but feints drunkenness. Ezra pretends to be Kanan's son and leads his "dad" away.

When Kanan asks where he has been, Ezra says he has been "making some connections." Kanan tells Ezra to watch just as the TIE Advanced v1's platform explodes, crippling the fighter. Minister Tua is furuous while the Spectres take advantage of the chaos to flee. Zeb toys with settling scores with Agent Kallus but Kanan tells him to take out the Grand Inquisitor. Zeb fires his bo-rifle but it misses and hits the wrecked TIE Advanced v1, incinerating the wreckage. The rebels flee before the Grand Inquisitor can spot them.

Kanan contacts Hera to arrange their rendezvous but Hera reports back that the Empire has blocked the streets. Ezra leads them to his former family household while Zeb makes arrangement to rendezvous with Hera in the Old Market. Kanan and the rest head to Ezra's place and make arrangements to give Hera their new rendezvous coordinates. Meanwhile, Agent Kallus demands schematics of the city's sewer systems while the Grand Inquisitor issues orders to lock down Capital City. A furious Minister Tua demands that the rebels be punished. However, Kallus responds that their priority is the Rodian Tseebo.

Facing the past
Later that night, Ezra and the others reach the old Bridger household, which the Empire has designated off-limits. Kanan realizes that this used to be Ezra's home. Ezra finds a fearful Tseebo hiding in the basement. Tseebo mumbles while Ezra introduces Tseebo to Kanan. Sabine realizes that the Imperials have fitted Tseebo with an AJ^6 cyborg construct. Sabine explains that low-level workers are increasingly having their personalities sacrificed for productivity. Ezra explains that Tseebo went to work for the Imperial Information Office after the Empire took his parents away. Ezra adds that he has been living on his own since the age of seven.

When Tseebo mumbles, Sabine explains that Tseebo is detailing Imperial fighter deployments on Lothal. Kanan realizes that Tseebo has information the Empire doesn't want to get out. Sabine tries to access the information while an upset Ezra heads downstairs. Tseebo says that Ezra is the son of Ephraim and Mira Bridger and was born fifteen years ago to this day. Sabine realizes that Empire Day falls on Ezra's birthday. Ezra experiences a flashback of Tseebo imploring Ezra's father not to put his son at risk. Mira says they are fighting for Ezra's freedom but Tseebo believes that the war cannot be won.

Sabine finds Ezra in the basement and he tells her that his folks used to make underground broadcasts urging the people of Lothal to resist the Empire. Ezra is still upset. Sabine manages to use Ezra's parents' tools to activate Tseebo's holo-emitter, which starts to display classified Imperial information including Imperial specs on the new TIEs and raptors, schedules of troop movements, tactics, strategies, and a five year plan for Lothal and every other world in the Outer Rim. Ezra remarks that the information is causing Tseebo's brain to shorten out. Kanan realizes that they need to smuggle Tseebo offworld due to the secrets inside his head. Sabine adds that the Empire has now deployed forces to look for Tseebo.

Escaping with Tseebo
Outside the Bridger household, an Imperial combat driver orders is men to do a door-to-door search. Sabine ambushes two stormtroopers, shooting one and knocking out the other with her fist. Kanan forces his way inside an Imperial Troop Transport and tosses out the driver. Ezra leads a disoriented Tseebo aboard the Troop Transport. Later, Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint are commanding a road block at the main gate leading to the southern highway. Agent Kallus orders Aresko not to let anything through. Sabine drives the Troop Transport towards the Imperial road block.

Commandant Aresko orders his men and the AT-DP walkers to open fire on the hijacked transport. One of the walkers tries to crush the rebels' transport but Sabine ploughs through Aresko's transport, overturning the walker and wrecking the transport. The rebels flee on the highway with Kallus' Troop Transport and two 614-AvA speeder bikes in hot pursuit. Via comlink, Kallus informs the Grand Inquisitor that the rebels have broken through the main gate and are heading south. The Grand Inquisitor and two TIE fighter pilots climb into a waiting TIE Advanced v1 and two TIE fighers.

Back on the southern highway, one of the Imperial combat drivers uses a grenade to blow open the left door of the Spectres' troop transport. The combat driver attacks Ezra but Kanan fights back. The man throws Kanan to the floor and tries to apprehend Tseebo. However, Kallus uses the Force to hurl the driver at the the second combat driver, knocking out the second bike.

Kallus orders his drivers to get him closer to the hijacked Imperial Troop Transport. He then climbs on top of the hijacked vehicle. However, the Ghost arrives and Zeb opens the gangplanks and shoots Kallus. Kallus' transport shoots at the Ghost rear thrusters but Chopper uses the ship's rear cannons to shoot the Troop Transport, overturning it. Zeb manages to drive Kallus off following a struggle. The rebels and Tseebo climb on top of the transport into the Ghost. Kallus tries to stop them but Kanan pushes him off.

Into space
After extracting Kanan and his group, the Ghost flies into the skies of Lothal but are pursued by the Grand Inquisitor and his TIE escorts. While manning the rear cannon, Chopper is struck by a blast and knocked out. Zeb rushes to man the rear gun. Before Sabine can head to the nose gun, Tseebo tells Ezra and Sabine that he knows what happened to Ezra's parents. The screen then pans out with the message "To be continued...", setting the stage for the events of "Gathering Forces."