Rebels rewatch: Season 1, episode 3: Droids in Distress

This episode opens with a short but memorable scene of the Ghost escaping from a Star Destroyer and some TIE fighters. It’s got a very cinematic feel to it and shows what this series was capable of visually when it tried. The crew, low on supplies, take on a mission from Vizago to intercept and steal an Imperial shipment. The gang board a shuttle with a droid pilot reminiscent of the old Star Tours attraction where they see Minister Tua schmoozing some Auqualish and being accompanied by R2 and 3PO who are apparently on loan from the Bail Organa collection so that 3PO can translate. Hi-jinks ensue courtesy of Ezra and Chopper which results in all droids being put in time out in the back. But it was all part of the plan, you see? So Sabine could mistranslate and send Tua to the wrong hangar on Garel.


The Rebels go to the right hangar and find that the shipment is a bunch of T-7 ion disruptor rifles. This does not sit well with Zeb because these weapons were used in the near extermination of his people. Zeb really wants nothing to do with these things getting into anybody’s hands. The jig is up when the Imperials get wise and arrive to stop the Ghost crew. A firefight in which trained stormtroopers with blasters fail to hit Zeb who is using a melee weapon three feet away ensues, and the gang escapes with R2 and 3PO as prisoners. Now, obviously R2 and 3PO were there on behalf of the Rebellion the whole time with some sort of plan to disrupt this deal; but the Ghost crew don’t know that. You know who else doesn’t know it? 3PO. Apparently he couldn’t be trusted with this information. I can see that. So, probably because he was built by Darth flipping Vader, he drops a dime on everybody to the Empire.


Kallus and his troops and a couple of AT-DP’s (first appearance in the show from what I can tell) arrive just when the deal with Vizago is going down. Kallus and Zeb face off as Kallus, a perfectionist at heart, wants to finish his life’s work of killing all Lasats. Thankfully, Zeb is saved from the cruel hand of Kallus by Ezra’s spontaneous use of the Force even though he has had no training yet (it’s clear from the look on Kanan’s face when this happens that he did not teach him this). Everybody’s cool with that, right? The weapons get destroyed, and the Ghost crew return 3P0 and R2 to their rightful owner Darth Vader Bail Organa. Kanan doesn’t know who he is apparently, despite Bail being a prominent senator and Kanan having served in the Clone Wars. Bail seems very interested in the Rebels and it seems this is probably where he decides to start working with them using Ahsoka as an anonymous intermediary.

Rewatch? Yes. R2 and 3PO and the backstory we get on Zeb are more than worth it. The AT-DP’s are cool too.

All four seasons of Rebels are currently streaming on Disney+.

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