Mission to steal Imperial weapons The mission to steal Imperial weapons was an operation undertaken in 5 BBY by the rebel crew of the " Ghost " to steal and , ultimately , destroy illegal T - 7 ion disruptor rifle s from the Galactic Empire . The mission began as a means of securing credit s needed to replenish their ship ' s supplies and continue their operations against the Empire ; the crime lord Cikatro Vizago , who operated on the Outer Rim planet Lothal , was willing to pay for the weapons . The mission took the rebels to the planet Garel , which they traveled to aboard a star commuter shuttle . Aboard that shuttle was Minister Maketh Tua , who was attempting to procure the weapons from their manufacturer , Amda Wabo , with the help of two droid s — R2 - D2 and C - 3PO , who were secretly working for Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan to destroy the weapons . The rebels were able to learn the location of the weapons in the Garel City Spaceport , and stole them before the Empire could obtain them . After a brief firefight on Garel , the rebels escaped back to Lothal . Once on Lothal , the rebels attempted to sell the weapons to Vizago , but were quickly discovered by Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau . This led to a brief battle against Imperial forces , in which the rebels destroyed the disruptors so they could not fall into Imperial hands . The rebels escaped Agent Kallus ' forces and returned the droids to Senator Organa , who was able to learn about the rebels from R2 - D2 . In the aftermath of the mission , the rebels became part of a larger rebel movement that Organa led , though only the pilot of the " Ghost " , Hera Syndulla , knew of their involvement at first . They later learned of their involvement , as well as Organa ' s , after other rebel cells came to their assistance during mission to rescue the crew ' s field leader , Kanan Jarrus , from the Empire . Prelude . In 5 BBY , the rebel crew of the freighter " Ghost " carried out a number of operations against the Galactic Empire on the Outer Rim planet Lothal . Shortly after their successful mission to rescue Wookiee slaves from the spice mines of Kessel , the crew ran low on supplies , including food , explosives , and fuel . They attempted to steal a shipment of supplies from the Empire , but ended up in battle with an " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer and a squadron of TIE / ln space superiority starfighter s . The " Ghost " was able to escape from the Imperial forces , but without the supplies the crew was hoping to obtain . They knew that if they did not obtain supplies or money , they would not be able to continue fighting against the Galactic Empire or even maintain the operations of the " Ghost " . Kanan Jarrus , the field leader of the rebel crew , suggested that they take a job from Lothal crime lord Cikatro Vizago . The idea was met with resistance by the Lasat crew member Garazeb Orrelios , who objected to taking a job as arms dealer s for the Devaronian criminal , but Padawan Ezra Bridger agreed with Jarrus , his Jedi teacher . The rebel leader said he already knew the mission , which was to intercept an Imperial arms deal on the planet Garel . After some further discussion , the crew headed to Capital City on Lothal to begin their mission . Meanwhile , the Empire prepared for their arms deal , where Minister Maketh Tua of Lothal would meet with weapons manufacturer Amda Wabo to obtain Wabo ' s T - 7 ion disruptor rifle s on Garel ; the disruptor s , which could be used to gruesome effect on sentient beings , had previously been banned by the Imperial Senate after their use in the near - extinction of the Lasat species . In order for Tua to understand Wabo , an Aqualish , she would be assisted by two droid s , the astromech droid R2 - D2 and and the protocol droid C - 3PO . The droids were loaned to Lothal ' s governor , Arihnda Pryce , by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan , who secretly wanted the illegal weapons destroyed . However , only R2 - D2 was aware of their true motives ; the chatty C - 3PO was kept in the dark . The mission . Stealing the disruptors . Upon arrival at the Capital City starport , the rebels boarded a Star Commuter 2000 transport shuttle bound for Garel , which was only a few minutes away from Lothal via hyperspace . In order to avoid suspicion , as well as enact a plan to locate the weapons , the rebels boarded the shuttle pretending to not know one another ; Bridger and the rebels ' astromech droid , C1 - 10P — also known as Chopper — sat together , while Orrelios and Wren sat across from them . Tua and Wabo soon arrived and were seated in front , just ahead of Orrelios and Wren . R2 - D2 and C - 3PO arrived shortly thereafter , followed by Jarrus , who arrived at the shuttle at the last minute while pretending to be running late . Once all were aboard , the shuttle departed from Lothal and made the jump towards Garel . While en route to Garel , Chopper made a scene by pretending to start a fight with Bridger , so as to draw attention towards them . Jarrus , still acting as a stranger , demanded that the pilot droid , RX - 24 , enforce the Imperial regulations regarding droids in the passenger area . With Chopper sent to the back of the shuttle , Bridger demanded that C - 3PO and R2 - D2 also be sent to the back . Despite Tua ' s objections , as she needed them for her mission , RX - 24 sent the two Imperial droids to the back of the shuttle . With Tua unable to understand Wabo , Wren offered her services as a translator , posing as a loyal student from the Imperial Academy . In Aqualish , Wren asked Wabo where the shipment of T - 7 disruptors was being held on Garel . Wabo told her they were in Bay 7 , but Wren misled Tua and told the Minister that they were in Bay 17 , a lie that would give the rebels time to steal the weapons before the Empire could get to them . The ship arrived in the Garel City Spaceport moments later , and the rebels and Imperials disembarked . While the Empire headed for the wrong cargo bay , the rebels began the next phase of their plan . Bridger was tasked with crawling through a ventilation system and reaching Bay 7 , where he would unlock the door for the rest of the crew . Bridger , who had been a thief while living alone on Lothal , resented having to resort to stealing and infiltration again , as he had joined the crew of the " Ghost " so Jarrus could train him as a Jedi — training that had yet to begin . He made his way to a rooftop and across a number of others before arriving at the cargo bay , where he found the cache of weapons and opened the door for the others . Once Jarrus , Wren , and Orrelios arrived , Syndulla — who made her way to Garel aboard the " Ghost " — landed the ship . As the " Ghost " landed , the rebels inspected the weapons and realized that they were T - 7 disruptors . Orrelios was horrified at the discovery , as he had seen them used against his people . Despite Orrelios ' reluctance , Jarrus ordered that the weapons be loaded onto the " Ghost " . Meanwhile , the Imperials arrived in Bay 17 and found that there were no weapons . Wabo stated that they were in Bay 7 , which C - 3PO translated for the Minister . Tua ordered her stormtrooper s to head for the correct cargo bay , where the rebels were still loading the weapons . Chopper , who was spying on the Imperials , was discovered , prompting Tua to realize that she had been tricked by Wren and the rebels . The Imperials arrived in Bay 7 just as the cargo crates were being loaded . The stormtroopers demanded that the rebels surrender , but , while Orrelios distracted the Imperials , the weapons continued to be loaded onto the " Ghost " . As the stormtroopers attempted to inspect the crates , which Orrelios claimed were his , the Lasat attacked the soldiers , leading to a firefight between the Imperials and the rebels . During the firefight , R2 - D2 realized that the thieves were rebels and led C - 3PO aboard the " Ghost " , which took off and departed Garel once the remaining weapons were loaded . Jarrus ordered restraining bolt s to be placed on the droids , not realizing what their true mission was . The realization that the mission was to steal the disruptors led to some debate amongst the crew , a debate that R2 - D2 recorded . Orrelios did not want to sell the disruptors to Vizago , instead wanting to destroy them so they could never be used again . Wren was thankful that , at the very least , they were out of Imperial hands , as she had learned through her translating that the Empire intended to mass produce them on Lothal . Jarrus was satisfied that the Empire could not have the weapons , but was insistent that they still sell the weapons to Vizago for the credits the crew needed . Wren also suggested selling C - 3PO and R2 - D2 to Vizago for extra credits . While the rebels were en route to Lothal , Minister Tua contacted Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau , who had taken an interest in the rebels during their rescue mission on Kessel . Tua informed the ISB Agent of the weapons theft and described the crew , including how one crew member was a Lasat , prompting Kallus to realize it was the rebels he had been tracking . Battle on Lothal . After Jarrus confirmed the crew ' s rendezvous with Vizago , the " Ghost " landed in the crime lord ' s encampment on Lothal . Before the crew disembarked , R2 - D2 revealed that his real mission was to ensure that the disruptors did not fall into Imperial hands and that his master — whom the droid did not identify as Senator Organa — would provide a generous reward if the droids were returned to him . Jarrus said he would consider it , but nonetheless pushed ahead with his plan to sell the weapons to Vizago . While the rebels unloaded the weapons , C - 3PO sent a distress call to Governor Pryce , saying that he and R2 - D2 had been abducted by criminals . The signal was intercepted aboard Kallus ' ship , the " Lawbringer " , and Kallus himself replied to the worried protocol droid . C - 3PO , who believed Kallus would rescue him , sent the ISB Agent the location of the " Ghost " . As Imperial forces prepared to attack the rebels , Vizago inspected the weapons that the crew had stolen for him . Before Vizago could pay the rebels , however , Kallus ' forces arrived , including multiple stormtroopers and two AT - DP walkers . Vizago fled the scene with some of the disruptors , unwilling to pay for only half a shipment , and left the rebels behind to deal with the Imperial forces . Unwilling to risk the disruptors falling into Imperial hands , Jarrus ordered Wren to destroy them . R2 - D2 , who disembarked from the ship with C - 3PO , offered his assistance in destroying the weapons , thus fulfilling Senator Organa ' s orders . R2 - D2 suggested overloading the disruptors so they would explode , a plan that Wren agreed with . Jarrus took one of the weapons for himself in order to eliminate the AT - DPs , while the rest of the crew helped Wren . The walker s began firing on the rebels ' location , and Jarrus took one of them out . Orrelios and Bridger ran to his aid once a walker fired at him , and they watched as Kallus and his stormtroopers approached . Once Kallus saw Orrelios , he demanded that the Lasat face him in combat . The two fought using AB - 75 bo - rifle s , the weapon of the Lasan High Honor Guard — Kallus revealed he had stolen the weapon from a Lasat he had killed , and that Kallus himself had personally ordered the use of the disruptors on Lasan . Enraged , Orrelios continued fighting against the ISB Agent . While the two fought , the rebels overloaded the disruptors and pushed them towards the remaining walker and the stormtroopers , triggering explosions that took out both the weapons , the soldiers , and the AT - DP . The resulting explosions triggered a small ground tremor , causing Orrelios to lose his balance . Kallus found the upper hand and nearly killed his opponent , before Bridger spontaneously used the Force to throw Kallus through the air , away from Orrelios . The rebels were able to use that as an opportunity to grab Orrelios and return to the " Ghost " , which took off and departed Lothal , leaving Kallus behind . Aftermath . After escaping from Kallus , the crew regrouped on the " Ghost " , where Orrelios thanked Bridger for saving him and Jarrus told Bridger that his formal Jedi training would start the next day . Shortly thereafter , the " Ghost " docked with Senator Organa ' s corvette , the " Tantive IV " , where Jarrus returned the droids to the grateful senator — though the rebels did not know who Organa was . In exchange for returning the droids , Organa provided them with a monetary reward . Jarrus disembarked , and R2 - D2 gave Organa the recordings he had made on the rebel cell . Unknown to Jarrus , Organa was also part of a wider rebel movement that communicated with and gave missions to rebel cells across the galaxy . As a result of the mission , Syndulla came into contact with Ahsoka Tano , one of the leaders of the movement . Tano , who identified herself only as " Fulcrum , " would often send the rebels missions to strike against the Empire . Bridger ' s actions in saving Orrelios ' life remained a source of contention between the two for a short time after the mission . Bridger frequently reminded Orrelios , with whom he shared quarters aboard the " Ghost " , of how he saved the Lasat ' s life from Agent Kallus , leading to fighting between the two bunkmates . The fighting intensified enough that Syndulla sent both of them on a supply run together , in order to get them off of the ship . During the supply run , the two inadvertently found themselves in a skirmish with Imperial forces and stole a TIE fighter , which they then used to attack a group of Imperial Troop Transport s and rescue imprisoned civilians . The situation allowed Bridger and Orrelios , who had to work together to return to the " Ghost " , to settle their differences . The crew encountered Organa again some time later , during a mission to rescue Jarrus from Imperial captivity ; Jarrus had been captured by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , who wanted to learn about the wider rebel movement . Chopper sent a message to " Fulcrum " and asked for reinforcements to assist them in their battle against the Empire in orbit of the planet Mustafar . A rebel fleet arrived in orbit of Mustafar and helped the crew escape from the Empire . Once the rebels were in hyperspace , Organa contacted the crew via hologram , where Syndulla revealed his true identity . The crew also met Tano and learned that she was Fulcrum . During the liberation of Lothal , Vizago openly regretted meeting Bridger that day because it had put the Empire on his tail permanently . Behind the scenes . The rebels ' mission to steal the T - 7 ion disruptor rifles was the central plot of " Droids in Distress , " the first regular series episode of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " . The event was first referenced in " " , a reference book that introduced the characters and settings of the show , and was described as an arms deal in which C - 3PO and R2 - D2 encountered the rebels and went on " an unexpected adventure . " " The Visual Guide " also introduced the fact that the droids were on loan to Governor Pryce by Senator Organa , thereby setting up the backstory of the episode . Highlighting how the Imperial regime would sometimes avoid the authority of the Imperial Senate , StarWars . com drew a comparison between the illicit Imperial arms deal in " Droids in Distress " and the capture of Prince ss Leia Organa in . In the episode , the Empire arranges for the arms deal in secret so as to avoid the attention of the Imperial Senate , whereas " A New Hope " implies that the Imperial Senate would not approve of the fact that Darth Vader and the Empire boarded the " Tantive IV " and took Princess Leia captive .