Call to Action

"Call to Action"

"Call to Action" is the thirteenth episode of thefirst season of the animated television seriesStar Wars Rebels. It is the thirteenth episode of the series overall.^[2]

The episode, directed bySteward Lee and written by executive producersGreg Weisman andSimon Kinberg, was released on WatchDisneyXD.com and the WatchDisneyXD app onFebruary 2,2015, and it premiered onDisney XD onFebruary 9th.

The episode centers around therebels attempting to hack anImperial transmissions tower in order to send an inspirational message of hope to the people ofLothal. In doing so, they must contend with Imperial forces newly energized to destroy the rebels by the arrival of an important government figure:Grand MoffWilhuff Tarkin,Governor of theOuter Rim Territories.

Official description[]

The Ghostcrew, having proved effective in their strikes against the Empire, win the attention of a powerful new enemy.^[1]

Plot summary[]

Tarkin's arrival[]

Grand MoffWilhuff Tarkin, the ImperialGovernor of theOuter Rim, lands at theImperial Complex on the planet Lothal. Upon arrival, he is greeted byMinisterMaketh Tua, who was surprised to learn of his visit. Tarkin then proceeds to reprimand her for failing to protect Imperial industrial interests by allowing a Rebel Cell to flourish right under her nose. He then castigatesAgentKallus for allowing the Rebel cell to attack Imperial soldiers, destroy Imperial property, and disrupt Imperial trade. In response, Kallus tells Tarkin that he has exhausted every resource to capture them. Tua informs Tarkin that therebel leader was aJedi. The Grand Moff mocksthe Grand Inquisitor's incompetence. He also expresses doubt that the rebel leader is a Jedi and asserts that the Jedi had all died. Tarkin then vowed to capture "this criminal" and prove that he is not a Jedi.

The speeder pursuit[]

Meanwhile, several of theSpectres (Kanan Jarrus,Ezra Bridger, andSabine Wren) had stolen a crate of supplies and were pursued by several Imperialspeeder bikes led byCommandantAresko andTaskmasterGrint. The rebels led their Imperial pursuers into the town ofJalath and split up in order to divide Commandant Aresko's forces. Sabine's pursuer crashed into a wall while Kanan managed to use hisblaster to shoot down a second pursuer. After reuniting at a junction, the rebels were pursued by the three remaining speeder bikes.

The leading biker ordered his men to continue the pursuit while he "cut them off." The rebels managed to eliminate their Imperial pursuers by parking their bikes at a rubbish dump. After dispatching two of theImperial combat drivers, Ezra managed to stun the leading biker. Having eliminated their pursuers, the rebels then returned to theGhost. After watchingSenatorGall Trayvis proclaim his allegiance to the Empire and denouncing them onHoloNet, Kanan devised a plan for the rebels to hijack Lothal'sImperial Communications Center in order to broadcast the rebels' side of the story.

Rising stakes[]

After interrogating Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint about the Lothals, Tarkin ordered the Inquisitor to execute the two Imperial officers for their incompetence. The grisly execution shocks Agent Kallus and horrifies Minister Tua. After warning that failure would no longer be tolerated, Tarkin ordered Agent Kallus to sendprobe droids to hunt down the rebels. While infiltrating the compound surrounding the main communications tower, Kanan, Sabine, and Ezra spot a probe droid. Concerned about being spotted, Ezra decided to use the Force to summon aloth-cat to attack and disable the Probe. Despite damaging the droid, it still managed to transmit footage of the rebels.

Discovering their location, Tarkin ordered Kallus not to reinforce Imperial presence. He wanted the rebels to believe that they still had the element of surprise on their side which would allow the Empire to take them by surprise. Ezra is pessimistic that their plan would work and feared that the rebels would suffer the same fate as his parents. In response, Kanan reminded them that their fear of losses should not stop them from being willing to sacrifice for a greater cause. He also reminded his apprentice thathis master tried to teach him the same thing as Ezra and that he never understood it until he became a teacher himself.

Springing the trap[]

Later that night, the crew of theGhost managed to infiltrate the control tower and overpower the paltry stormtrooper garrison. However, they quickly discovered that Imperial forces were approaching and that they had stumbled into a trap. While Kanan stayed behind to hold back the Imperials, Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper climbed up the tower to rendezvous withHera Syndulla in thePhantom. After exchanging pleasantries with Agent Kallus, Kanan was surprised by the Grand Inquisitor, who engaged him in alightsaber duel.

Meanwhile, Ezra and the other rebels are cornered by apatrol transport but Sabine manages to destroy it by throwing an explosive. Back on the ground, the Inquisitor offered Kanan a chance to surrender himself and his comrades. He also told Kanan that someone wanted to meet him. However, Hera arrived and managed to evacuate the other rebels. Despite Hera's objections, Kanan ordered her and the other rebels to leave so that they would not be captured by the Imperials. Despite Ezra's protests, Hera reluctantly accepts Kanan's orders and the remaining rebels flee into the night.

Hope amidst defeat[]

At dawn, Agent Kallus and the Inquisitor present Kanan to Tarkin, who had come to meet the "Jedi." Kanan vowed not to divulge anything to his Imperial captors. Tarkin's victory was however overshadowed when he learned that the rebels were remotely controlling the communications tower. Ezra broadcasts a moving speech urging the people of Lothal to rise up against the Empire. In response, Tarkin orders his police gunships to destroy the communications tower. Aboard his gunship, Tarkin told Kanan that the Jedi may not know what it takes to win a war but he did. Back on theGhost, Ezra asked Hera if she thought it was worth it and if anyone else heard it. In response, she told him that she had a feeling they did.When Ezra asked if this is over, Hera assured him that their struggle was not over.

Media[]

Collected in[]

• Star Wars Rebels: Complete Season One

Credits[]

This media's Credits list is incomplete. You can help Wookieepedia byexpanding it.

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• Rebels Recon#1.12: Inside "Call to Action" | Star Wars Rebels on the officialStar WarsYouTube channel(backup link)(Posted on StarWars.com)
• "Call to Action" Episode Guide | Star Wars Rebels onStarWars.com(backup link)
• "Star Wars Rebels Recounted" —Star Wars Insider 156(reprinted in Special Edition 2016)
• "Rebel Journey" —Star Wars Insider 180

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• "Call to Action" on theAurebesh Wiki

Season One Shorts:1 ·2 ·3 ·4 1–2 ·3 ·4 ·5 ·6 ·7 ·8 ·9 ·10 ·11 ·12 ·13 ·14 ·15 Season Two 1–2 ·3 ·4 ·5 ·6 ·7 ·8 ·9 ·10 ·11 ·12 ·13 ·14 ·15 ·16 ·17 ·18 ·19 ·20 ·21–22 Season Three 1–2 ·3 ·4 ·5 ·6 ·7 ·8 ·9 ·10 ·11 ·12–13 ·14 ·15 ·16 ·17 ·18 ·19 ·20 ·21–22 Season Four 1–2 ·3–4 ·5 ·6 ·7 ·8 ·9 ·10 ·11 ·12 ·13 ·14 ·15–16 Episode adaptations Rise of the Rebels ·The Rebellion Begins Droids in Distress ·Ezra's Duel with Danger ·Battle to the End Pris au Piège ·Un Nouvel Allié ·Le Choix d'Ezra ·Une Pilote Hors Pair L'avenir de la Force ·La Quête d'Ezra ·Retour aux Sources Comics Magazine strips(1 ·2 ·3) ·Animation magazine strips ·Dark Horse TPB Webcomic(1 ·2 ·3) ·Adventures 7 ·Adventures 8(Volume 3) Cinestory Comics Spark of Rebellion ·Path of the Jedi ·Maul Grand Admiral Thrawn ·Ahsoka Servants of the Empire Edge of the Galaxy ·Rebel in the Ranks Imperial Justice ·The Secret Academy Young readers Sabine's Art Attack ·Zeb to the Rescue ·Ezra and the Pilot ·A New Hero The Secret Jedi ·Hera's Phantom Flight ·Kanan's Jedi Training ·Always Bet on Chopper Storybook Library Chopper Saves the Day ·Property of Ezra Bridger ·Ezra's Wookiee Rescue ·Art Attack The Inquisitor's Trap ·TIE Fighter Trouble ·Entanglement ·Who Are the Rebels? Short stories "Rebel Bluff" · "Entanglement" · "The Machine in the Ghost" · "Her Smile" "The Heist" · "The Newcomer" · "The Trap" · "The Escape" · "The Rescue" Reference books The Art of ·The Visual Guide ·Visual Guide: Epic Battles Rebel Adventures(Meet the Rebels ·Rebel Power! ·Darth Vader, Rebel Hunter!) Beware the Inquisitor! ·Fight the Empire ·Head to Head ·Annual 2015 ·Annual 2016 Activity books Super Solve It ·Draw ·3D Activity Book ·Jumbo Coloring and Activity Book Story and Activity Book ·Rebels to the Rescue! ·Ultimate Factivity Collection Transfer Activity Book ·Look and Find Sticker books Ultimate Sticker Collection ·Rebel Adventures ·Rebels Versus Empire Secrets of the Rebels ·Deadly Battles Video games Ghost Raid ·Rebel Strike ·Team Tactics ·Recon Missions ·Roblox Event ·Club Penguin Event Strike Missions ·Special Ops ·Chopper Chase ·Imperial Heist ·Scene Maker HoloNet News 1 ·2 ·3 ·4 ·5 ·6 ·7 ·8 ·9 ·10 ·11 Other material Ezra's Gamble ·Rebel Journal by Ezra Bridger ·Sabine My Rebel Sketchbook Rebels Recon ·The Ultimate Guide ·Battle Plans from Darth Vader ·Toy line ·German audio dramas
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