Siege of Lothal The Siege of Lothal was a lockdown ordered by the Galactic Empire on the Outer Rim planet Lothal in the fourth year prior to the Battle of Yavin . The Siege came about as a reaction to the ongoing insurgency and the unrest on Lothal following the success of a rebel operation in the Mustafar system , one that led to the destruction of the " Sovereign " , the flagship of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin . As Lothal was an industrial world vital to the Imperial conquest of the Outer Rim , the Emperor , Darth Sidious , sent his apprentice , Darth Vader , to put an end to rebel activities on the world . As the Empire cracked down on Lothal , bringing numerous Star Destroyers over Capital City as an intimidation tactic , the demands on the local authorities to produce results in finding the rebels and their sympathizers intensified . Minister Maketh Tua , acting in place of the absent Governor Arihnda Pryce , was unable to produce the results that Darth Vader and Governor Tarkin expected . Worried that she would be punished by the Empire , she contacted the rebels and requested that they assist her in defecting from the Empire in exchange for a list of names of those on Lothal who sympathized with the rebellion . The crew of the " Ghost " , a cell of rebels that had been based on Lothal , agreed to take on the mission to rescue Tua . They returned to Lothal aboard a commandeered Star Commuter 2000 shuttle and intercepted the minister . However , the Empire had tracked her communications and knew she was planning to defect . Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau escorted her to the shuttle she was supposed to take to visit Governor Tarkin , but the shuttle exploded in an act of Imperial sabotage , which Kallus blamed the rebels for in order to turn public opinion against the rebellion . The Empire ' s response to the rebel incursion was to lockdown the planet , mandating that no ship could leave the surface of the planet without Imperial authorization . The rebels , effectively trapped on Lothal , hid within Capital City . They put together a plan to infiltrate the Imperial Complex , where they intended to steal a shuttle and escape the planet . They successfully made it through the complex and found a shuttle , as well as a number of military - grade shield generators that they stole on behalf of the rebellion . As they prepared to escape , they were confronted by Darth Vader , who engaged two of the rebels — Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus and his Padawan , Ezra Bridger — in a lightsaber duel . Vader , who Jarrus realized was a Sith Lord , quickly overpowered them but allowed them to leave , as the shuttle had a tracking device on it and Vader intended to use it to track the shuttle to the rest of the rebel fleet . Before they could escape , however , the rebels contacted Lando Calrissian , a smuggler with whom they had dealt in the past , for help getting off of Lothal . In exchange for three of their shield generators , Calrissian gave the rebels a number of masking transponder s that could duplicate the shuttle ' s signal and scatter the Imperial forces . The Empire , meanwhile , rounded up the citizens of Tarkintown , a refugee settlement the rebels helped in the past , and burned the town to the ground as punishment for the rebellion ' s activities . The rebels returned to the fleet after using their jammers to escape Lothal . Vader tracked them to the fleet using his personal TIE Advanced x1 starfighter and engaged Phoenix Squadron , a group of rebel A - wing starfighters , in combat . As he fought through Phoenix Squadron , he also mortally damaged the rebel command ship , " Phoenix Home " . The Lothal cell , along with one of the rebellion ' s leaders , Commander Ahsoka Tano , boarded the " Ghost " and engaged Vader ' s fighter . During the fighting , Jarrus and Tano used the Force in an attempt to learn more about the Sith Lord ' s identity . What Tano sensed overwhelmed her , while Vader realized that Tano , whom he had trained when he was a Jedi Knight , was still alive . Soon thereafter , the command ship was destroyed and the entire fleet retreated . Vader reported to the Emperor that Tano was still alive , which Sidious believed was an opportunity for the Empire to find other Jedi who had survived the Jedi Purge . Prelude . In the years prior to the Battle of Yavin , a rebel cell carried out an insurgency against the Galactic Empire on and around the Outer Rim planet Lothal . During their insurgency , one of the cell ' s leaders , Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus , was captured by the Empire and held prisoner by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , the Governor of the Outer Rim . Tarkin , along with Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau and the Jedi hunter known as the Inquisitor , interrogated Jarrus for information about a larger rebellion operating within the galaxy . Meanwhile , Jarrus ' crewmates — Captain Hera Syndulla , Padawan Ezra Bridger , Mandalorian explosives expert Sabine Wren , Lasat warrior Garazeb Orrelios , and the astromech droid C1 - 10P ( " Chopper " ) — put together a plan to rescue Jarrus . Their mission took them to the Mustafar system , where their captive leader was held aboard Tarkin ' s personal Star Destroyer , the " Sovereign " . The rebels boarded the " Sovereign " in orbit of Mustafar . Bridger located and freed his captive Jedi teacher , but the two were confronted by the Inquisitor and engaged him in lightsaber combat . As the other rebels made their way through the ship , Chopper , who had remained aboard a stolen Imperial cruiser , contacted the mysterious rebel contact known to the rebels only as " Fulcrum , " who Syndulla had discreetly received missions from , and requested that Fulcrum help the rebels escape from Mustafar . Fulcrum , whose true identity was Commander Ahsoka Tano , a former Padawan of the Jedi Order , led a fleet of rebel blockade runners to Mustafar . Jarrus and Bridger survived their duel with the Inquisitor , who was killed during the duel , and the " Ghost " crew fled the " Sovereign " after it was critically damaged during the fight . The rebels flew Imperial TIE fighters off of the " Sovereign " but were pursued by Imperial forces . During their retreat , the rebel fleet arrived and helped the " Ghost " crew escape from the Mustafar system . Shortly after their escape , the " Sovereign " was destroyed , though Governor Tarkin evacuated the ship before it exploded . In the battle ' s aftermath , the " Ghost " crew , who had limited knowledge of Fulcrum ' s activities , learned Tano ' s identity and that they were part of a larger rebellion . They joined the rebel fleet , known as the Phoenix rebels , and began to take on missions for the rebellion . On Lothal , meanwhile , reports of the Empire ' s failure at Mustafar sparked unrest across the planet , as citizens began to see the Empire as weak and vulnerable . The Emperor , Darth Sidious , sent his apprentice , Darth Vader , to Lothal so he could bring order to the planet . Vader oversaw a crackdown of public activities , with Minister Maketh Tua of the planetary government instituting increased military patrols , security checkpoints , and pubic curfews . The Empire ' s efforts did not lead to the results that Vader and Governor Tarkin expected , and Tua was commanded to report to Governor Tarkin off - world in order to account for her failures — a trip that Tua knew put her in great peril . Knowing that Tua had reservations about her role in the government , Vader and Kallus chose to use her as bait to bring the rebels out of hiding . The plan was put in motion when the terrified Minister Tua contacted the " Ghost " crew and asked for assistance in defecting from the Empire . In exchange , she promised to provide names of rebel sympathizers on Lothal and other nearby star system s , as well as the true nature of the Empire ' s presence on Lothal — a top concealed operation ordered by the Emperor himself . With the approval of Commander Jun Sato , the leader of the Phoenix cell , the " Ghost " crew prepared for their mission to Lothal . The Siege . Failed rescue . The rebels chose to return to Lothal aboard a Star Commuter 2000 shuttle that had been docked with the Phoenix fleet ; the " Ghost " was left behind , as the rebels suspected that the Empire would be able to track its signal after the battle over Mustafar . While en route , they went over their plan : they would rendezvous with Minister Tua , who was scheduled to leave aboard a shuttle the next day to meet with Governor Tarkin . They would then escape from Imperial forces aboard the Star Commuter shuttle . The rebels soon arrived in orbit over Lothal , and the Star Commuter was given clearance to move past the heavy Star Destroyer presence . The rebels realized that , as a result of their actions on Mustafar , the military had increased its presence on Lothal , including flying directly over Capital City . Once the Star Commuter landed , Orrelios and Chopper were ordered to stay behind in the event that the group needed to make a quick escape . The crew made their way through Capital City to reach the rendezvous , which was guarded by a number of stormtrooper s . To distract the stormtroopers and blend into the Imperial forces , Jarrus assaulted a troop er and stole their armor , allowing him to walk right into the landing bay . He waited in position while Syndulla , Bridger , and Sabine climbed to the rooftops overlooking the bay , where they would be able to attack the Imperials from above . Tua arrived shortly thereafter , accompanied by Agent Kallus ; the ISB Agent claimed that Vader ordered him to escort her for her safety , but his presence was part of the Empire ' s plot to kill her . The rebels soon attacked the Imperial forces and Tua ran to the shuttle , with the rebels close behind her . As soon as she entered the vessel , however , the shuttle exploded and sent the rebels flying backward . Kallus , accompanied by a spy droid recording the explosion and their presence , accused the rebels of killing the minister — with Darth Vader watching from high above in a nearby building . Their mission a failure , the rebels called Orrelios and the Star Commuter shuttle arrived to pick them up . The vessel flew away , but it was shot down by an All Terrain Defense Pod and crashed in the streets . The Empire ' s plot unfolded as planned , and the rebels were forced underground . Vader ordered Kallus to lay siege to Lothal , commanding that travel off world be restricted and that any ship attempting to leave be destroyed . The Empire also broadcast a propaganda report via HoloNet News , with broadcaster Alton Kastle reporting that Minister Tua , whom he described as a devoted public service , was assassinated by the rebels . Kastle further encouraged citizens to report the whereabouts of the rebels if they were spotted . The rebels watched the transmission from a safe house , Bridger ' s former home , and realized that the Empire was attempting to sway public opinion against them . The Empire soon discovered the Bridger house and broke in , and the crew escaped just in time ; the Empire set off a thermal detonator that destroyed the house . Knowing that the starports were locked down and that the planet was under siege , the rebels formulated a plan to infiltrate the Imperial Complex in Capital City to steal a Imperial shuttle . They believed that Imperial forces would be stretched thin due to the heavy deployments of troops out searching for them , and that the capital complex would be the last place the Empire would think to search for them — but in reality , Darth Vader suspected they would infiltrate the complex and was ready for their arrival . To sneak in , Jarrus maintained his stormtrooper disguise while Bridger impersonated an Imperial Academy cadet . They entered the complex and used a mind trick on a stormtrooper to allow them to pass , while carrying crates that contained the rest of the crew . Once safely inside , the rebels headed for the complex ' s starport to find a shuttle . Duel with Darth Vader . The rebels entered the Imperial dock with ease , finding no opposition to stop them . While headed for a shuttle , they discovered a number of 49 - v99 deflector shield generator s , similar to ones that the rebellion had attempted to acquire in a raid on Imperial freighters shortly before the mission to Lothal . Because the rebellion needed the shields for their defenses , the rebels stole them and brought them aboard the shuttle . Before they could leave , however , Jarrus and Bridger both sensed a dark presence through the Force : Darth Vader , who was flanked by stormtroopers and approached the rebels with an ignited lightsaber . The stormtroopers fired on the rebels , while the two Jedi engaged the Dark Lord in a lightsaber duel . The Jedi were easily overpowered , finding Vader to be a vastly superior opponent . Jarrus was knocked out during the fight , leaving his Padawan to fight Vader alone . The Dark Lord used the Force to toss Bridger to the side and hold him in place , bringing the Padawan ' s own lightsaber down towards the boy ' s neck . The Dark Lord taunted Bridger , telling him that he would never become a Jedi . Before Vader could kill him , Jarrus attacked Vader again . Hoping to kill Vader , Wren and Orrelios threw thermal detonators onto AT - DP walker s stationed in the bay . The ensuing explosion brought the walkers down on top of Vader , seemingly killing him . His apparent death was soon revealed to be anything but , as Vader used the Force to lift the walkers into the air and toss them to the side . Hopeless to defeat him , the rebels retreated into the shuttle and flew away , leaving Vader behind . A stormtrooper commander informed Vader that he would send starfighters after the rebels , but Vader told him that it would not be necessary . He knew that , because of the Siege of Lothal , the rebels would not leave the planet yet . Once they did , they would not get away safely , as the shuttle was equipped with a tracking device . While flying away from Capital CIty , Jarrus told his Padawan that he that Vader was a Sith Lord , the ancient enemies of the Jedi Order . Escaping Lothal . The rebels flew off into the night and began plotting their escape , but they knew that Vader would have a blockade waiting to intercept them in orbit . Because of that , they needed to find a way to smuggle themselves off of Lothal . Although they had reservations due to their last encounter , the crew turned to Lando Calrissian to smuggle them off world . Calrissian was not on Lothal , but they managed to contact him via hologram and get him to agree to help them in exchange for three of their shield generators . With the smuggler ' s blessing , the crew set a course for Calrissian ' s farm , where he assured them that his RQ protocol droid , W1 - LE , would be waiting to assist them . As the rebels made their way to the farm , the Empire carried out an attack on Lothal re - settlement camp 43 , referred to by its citizen as " Tarkintown ; " the settlement was given the nickname after the refugees who lived there were expelled from their original homes on the orders of Governor Tarkin . The operation was carried out on the orders of Darth Vader , who wanted to draw the rebels out by exploiting their compassion for the refugee s whom they had provided assistance to in the past . Tarkintown was burned to the ground , and its citizens became prisoners of the Empire . The destruction of Tarkintown , once discovered , prompted the rebels to resolve not to return to Lothal in order to protect the people from further Imperial reprisal . The crew arrived at Calrissian ' s farm , where Wren worked with W1 - LE to modify masking transponder s to emit the signal of the stolen Imperial shuttle . In doing so , the crew hoped that they would be able to scatter Imperial forces sent to pursue them and bypass the blockade . They soon left the farm and made their way into space , launching the transponders as they moved through the atmosphere . The Star Destroyer " Relentless " , commanded by Admiral Kassius Konstantine , tracked the signals and sent TIE fighters in pursuit of each . By the time the Imperial crews realized they had been tracking decoy signals , the shuttle was in space and able to make the jump into hyperspace . Unknown to the rebels was that Vader was tracking their signal and ordered that his TIE Advanced x1 fighter be readied for launch , so he could follow the rebels back to Phoenix fleet . Fleet in retreat . The crew returned to " Phoenix Home " , where Chopper discovered that the tracking signal was activated on the shuttle . The rebels rushed to the command center and informed Sato and Tano that they were tracked . As they explained the situation , the fleet picked up the signal of a lone starfighter , Vader ' s TIE Advanced x1 , that entered the area to engage the fleet by itself . Sato deployed Phoenix Squadron , a group of RZ - 1 A - wing interceptor s , to approach Vader ' s ship , but the Dark Lord was the superior opponent . He easily destroyed a number of the Phoenix ships before moving to attack " Phoenix Home " . With the command ship under siege , the " Ghost " crew , accompanied by Commander Tano , boarded their ship and entered the fray . Syndulla pilot ed the vessel while the other rebels attempted to destroy Vader , but their efforts were in vain . As the battle continued , Jarrus and Tano used their Jedi training to reach out through the Force in an attempt to discover the pilot ' s identity , as Tano sensed that he was strong with the Force . As they reached out , Bridger sensed the same dark feelings he felt on Lothal and realized that it was the Sith Lord . Tano discovered something about the pilot through the Force , information that overwhelmed her with fear and pain , and she fell unconscious . She and Vader sensed one another , and Vader realized that Tano — his Padawan when he was the Jedi Knight known as Anakin Skywalker — was still alive . Knowing that Tano was in league with the rebellion , Vader intended to capture the " Ghost " crew alive . As the battle neared its end , Star Destroyers entered the battle in an attempt to keep the rebel fleet from leaving . Sato and his crew abandoned " Phoenix Home " , which had suffered critical damage , and evacuated to the rest of the Phoenix fleet . As they evacuated and ultimately jumped into hyperspace , the " Ghost " made a run towards the Star Destroyers , including Konstantine ' s " Relentless " . On Vader ' s orders , the " Relentless " powered its tractor beam to capture the " Ghost " as it passed between it and another Star Destroyer . Syndulla , however , had other plans . She made it through the two Star Destroyers before the tractor beams were online , leaving Vader to be caught once the beams were powered up . The Dark Lord was trapped , and the " Ghost " jumped into hyperspace . The " Ghost " rendezvoused with the broken Phoenix fleet , where Sato had transferred his command to the CR90 corvette " Liberator " . The crew knew that , as a result of their actions and the entrance of a Sith Lord into the battle , the Empire would be sending more of their forces after them . Vader , meanwhile , contacted the Emperor and informed him that the fleet had been critically damaged . He also told his Sith Master that Tano was still alive , which the Emperor believed was an opportunity that could help them track down other survivors of the Jedi Purge . In order to hunt the rebels further , the Emperor ordered Vader to dispatch an Inquisitor . Behind the scenes . The Siege of Lothal first appeared in " " , the television movie that served as the second season premiere of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " . It was a continuation of the events of the first season finale , " Fire Across the Galaxy , " which led to the arrival of Darth Vader on the series . When " The Siege of Lothal " and the storyline for its conflict were first outlined , Governor Arihnda Pryce of Lothal was meant to play a role . The character , who to date has been mentioned but never seen in the show , would have been the one killed in the shuttle explosion as part of the plot to destroy the rebels ' reputations . Minister Tua , who was killed in the final version of the story , would have then been promoted to Governor of Lothal . The Emperor was also initially not directly involved in the episode , but the scene with the Emperor and Darth Vader was added at the suggestion of the show ' s executive producer , Dave Filoni , thus bringing the character directly into the Siege ' s plot .