Warhead ( episode ) " Warhead " is the fourteenth episode of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " third season . It is the fifty - first episode of the series overall . It aired on January 14 , 2017 , on Disney XD . Official description . " A new droid arrives at the rebel base , but is not what it appears to be . . . " Plot summary . Launching probes . The episode opens with two Imperial Star Destroyers deploying pods into hyperspace . One of the pods lands on the planet Atollon , near the coral mesa where Chopper Base is located . An E - XD infiltrator droid climbs out of the pod . Walking a short distance , it sees a rebel ship taking off and notes a potential target . It proceeds to investigate , but is accosted by two krykna . Guard duty . At Chopper Base , Hera Syndulla tells Wedge Antilles and Hobbie to hurry up because they are late for a training exercise . Ezra Bridger and Garazeb Orrelios fist - bump as the two pilots run off . Zeb is upset that he can ' t come along , but Hera tells him that he is her chief of security and that she needs someone to mind the base . Zeb pleads not to be left behind to be bored , but Hera reassures him that Chopper and AP - 5 will keep him company . Kanan Jarrus promises they will be back soon , while Ezra and Sabine Wren tell Zeb to cheer up . The " Ghost " takes off , departing for the exercise . AP - 5 tells Zeb that he is surprised to learn that he has been made chief of security , adding that he assumed that Zeb was always a heavy - lifting grunt . When AP - 5 asks Chopper what Zeb does , the astromech droid beeps that they never really figured it out , and Zeb growls in anger . When Zeb asks AP - 5 what " he " does , the RA - 7 protocol droid says that he will take the opportunity to conduct a thorough inventory of the base ' s munitions supply depot . AP - 5 asks for help , but Chopper is not interested . Zeb grumbles that he has to spend time with Chopper , who he does not get on well with . When Zeb remarks that counting crates is not his idea of fun , AP - 5 quips that he could teach Zeb how to count . Zeb pushes AP - 5 aside in annoyance and heads off to the command center to do some " commanding " . There , a communications officer informs the Lasat that they have been tracking several meteors which have been impacting the surface near Chopper Base . One of them knocked out a perimeter sensor in Sector 6 . The officer asks whether they should send a unit , but Zeb says he will go and have a look . Zeb tells Chopper to come along , but the droid is reluctant . However , Chopper changes his mind when AP - 5 asks for his help in going through the inventory lists . The stray droid . Zeb and Chopper travel to Sector 6 in a landspeeder , where they find a damaged sensor beacon . Zeb thinks the marker was damaged by krykna , and soon discovers a protocol droid trapped between two dead krykna . Zeb marvels at how the droid got here , and remarks that it doesn ' t look Imperial . He thinks they should take it back to base for repairs , while Chopper advocates trashing the droid . Unaware that they have discovered an infiltrator droid , Zeb disagrees and carries the droid on his shoulders back to the landspeeder . Zeb also reminds Chopper that Hera placed him in charge . Meanwhile , on the bridge of a Star Destroyer , Agent Kallus is informed by another officer that they have lost contact with an Infiltrator Droid . When Kallus asks for the droid ' s last known location , the officer responds that the droid never transmitted its coordinates and proposes alerting Imperial High Command . Kallus replies that if they chased down every temporary comm failure , they would have little time to do anything else . He tells the officer to wait another cycle to hear back from the droid before they do anything . Back at Chopper Base , AP - 5 laments the disorganized state of the depot and remarks that the Empire was at least more organized . Shortly later , Zeb arrives with the infiltrator droid and asks if he can identify the model . AP - 5 thinks that the droid is an old protocol droid , and charges it up . Due to the emergency restart , the protocol droid starts to revive quickly . When Zeb asks the droid who he is and where he comes from , the droid states it cannot remember , leading AP - 5 to think that the droid ' s systems are damaged . However , the droid begins scanning the munitions depot and identifying its components . Zeb marvels that the protocol droid has scanned and inventoried the entire area , and jokes that the new droid could do a better job then AP - 5 . AP - 5 disagrees , but welcomes the logistics droid as a useful assistant . Zeb thinks that the droid is harmless enough , and that they can take in another " stray " . The droid begins scanning Zeb and identifies him as a Lasat and " military - type " . Next , the droid identifies Chopper as an obsolete C1 - series astromech droid that is no longer in production . Chopper protests , but Zeb jokes that he will get along with the newbie because they both dislike Chopper . Intruder alert . The comm officer then contacts Captain Orrelios over the intercom and tells him to report to the command center . Zeb tells AP - 5 to keep an eye on his new friend before leaving . The comm officer informs Zeb that they have an urgent message from Fulcrum , who is actually Agent Kallus . Kallus has become disillusioned with the Empire and is aiding the rebellion . Fulcrum ' s recorded message warns the rebels that the Empire is using infiltrator droids to sweep the Outer Rim Territories for rebel bases , and that the droids appear harmless in protocol mode . Looking at the schematics , Zeb is horrified to realize that the new droid is an infiltrator . Fulcrum also warns that one of the droids failed to report in recently , and that the Empire will come looking for it if it fails to establish contact . Back at the munitions depot , AP - 5 leads the infiltrator droid and Chopper on a tour . He tells the droid to categorize everything and thinks that they will get along famously , stating that they will soon have the rebel base in tip - top shape . The infiltrator droid , reacting to AP - 5 ' s use of the phrase " rebel base " , begins repeating it just as Zeb enters the depot with his bo - rifle . Zeb tells AP - 5 to step away from the droid because it is an Imperial recon droid . The infiltrator , remembering , identifies itself as EXD - 9 and proceeds to transform into its attack mode . After identifying AP - 5 , Zeb and Chopper as rebels , the droid proceeds to attack them with its long grappling arms . The droid leaps on top of a raised bridge and jumps on top of Zeb , who fires his bo - rifle repeatedly . The infiltrator punches Zeb several times , but Zeb manages to drive it away with his rifle . The droid then leaps on top of a stack of cargo boxes and begins firing with concealed blaster s . Chopper electrocutes the infiltrator from behind , but EXD - 9 hurls him against several containers . Zeb then shoots off part of EXD - 9 ' s left hand . The infiltrator runs away , and Zeb helps Chopper up . AP - 5 translates Chopper ' s beeps as " I told you so . " Inspecting the infiltrator ' s severed hand , Zeb says they have damaged the droid but can ' t afford to let it report their presence back to the Empire . When AP - 5 recommends alerting Hera , Zeb states they don ' t have enough time and resolves not to let her down . Zeb and his comrades try to track down the infiltrator using the leaking fluid , but instead find a wrecked astromech droid . AP - 5 states that the astromech has been drained of its power and its parts cannibalized . Zeb thinks that EXD - 9 is repairing itself , and asks Chopper to track the droid ' s energy reading . However , AP - 5 tells Zeb that Chopper is unable to track it down because the infiltrator droid is low on power and looking for more . Search and disable . Zeb then comes up with a plan to use Chopper to lure the infiltrator out of hiding so that he can blast it . When AP - 5 reminds Zeb that they are in a high - explosive area , Zeb relents and proposes grabbing it so that they can shut it down . AP - 5 agrees to help . Putting their plan into action , Chopper searches for the infiltrator . He soon finds EXD - 9 salvaging a GNK - series power droid and calls out to it . Chopper leads EXD - 9 on a chase through the munitions depot . Zeb waits on the raised bridge , and jumps on the infiltrator droid as it passes below . He tries to knock it out with his bo - rifle , but the infiltrator throws him to the ground . The infiltrator droid then confronts AP - 5 and Chopper , but Zeb strikes it with his activated bo - rifle . The droid fights with Zeb , and shocks him by sending the rifle ' s energy back at him . EXD - 9 then proceeds to choke Zeb and hurls him to the ground . Zeb manages to jump onto the droid ' s back , and holds onto it as it falls off a crate onto the ground . AP - 5 and Chopper attempt to help Zeb and shut the droid down , but the droid kicks Chopper away as Zeb struggles to immobilize it . With much difficulty , AP - 5 manages to shut down EXD - 9 . After subduing the intruder , Zeb asks AP - 5 for the good news . AP - 5 says that he can ' t detect any long - range communications , and reasons that the droid hasn ' t been able to reveal their location to the Empire . When Zeb asks about the bad news , the droid ' s chest opens to reveal a countdown . AP - 5 reveals that the droid has activated its anti - capture failsafe , and states that it probably contains a proton warhead as well , which Zeb points out could vaporize the base . When Zeb asks how much time is left on the countdown , AP - 5 tells him it ' s only twenty seconds . When Zeb , panicked , asks for ideas , Chopper freezes the countdown circuit . AP - 5 thinks that this should buy them enough time to move it away before it explodes . AP - 5 adds that this part requires manual labor , which he calls Zeb ' s specialty . Zeb recalls Fulcrum ' s warning that the Empire will come looking for the droid if it doesn ' t report back , and drops EXD - 9 on top of AP - 5 . When AP - 5 asks if he proposes returning the droid with its databanks full of secrets , Zeb struggles to find a solution . AP - 5 states that this will take a while . Returning the warhead . When Zeb asks AP - 5 if he can get inside the droid ' s programming , AP - 5 replies that he can ' t memory wipe the infiltrator droid since that would rearm the warhead . When AP - 5 remarks that it will be a matter of when it will explode , Zeb points out that it can also be a matter of where . He proposes sending EXD - 9 back to the Empire , and asks AP - 5 if he can tamper with the warhead and set the countdown to reactivate when it reconnects with the Imperial network . AP - 5 thinks that is possible , and asks Zeb what he is planning . Zeb explains that they will send EXD - 9 back to the Empire with the data , but set the droid to explode and destroy the other infiltrator units so the Empire won ' t know which droid blew up . AP - 5 says he can try to do it , and remarks that he is stunned by Zeb ' s ingenious plan . Chopper giggles and warns that the infiltrator droid might try to kill them . AP - 5 replies that he will reset the droid to its disarmed state and activate its " return to base " protocol , so that it will leave Chopper Base peacefully . After Chopper mumbles , AP - 5 completes the main system restart , and the three rebels take cover . EXD - 9 reverts to its disarmed state and wakes up . The droid leaves the depot , and the rebels follow it back to its ship in a landspeeder . EXD - 9 enters its pod and activates the long - range transmitter . Zeb , watching , shoots and destroys the transmitter dish . With the transmitter disabled , Zeb celebrates that the infiltrator droid will now return home since it can ' t contact the Empire . AP - 5 adds , " If it follows its programming . " EXD - 9 departs in its pod . When AP - 5 fusses that he may not have properly reset the droid , Zeb reassures him that while they may not like each other , he commends AP - 5 for doing his job . AP - 5 replies that Zeb performed admirably . Zeb says he has had a busy day , and can ' t deal with the fact that he has befriended AP - 5 , who agrees . EXD - 9 docks its pod on a Star Destroyer with other Infiltrator units . Two Imperial Navy technicians recognize EXD - 9 as the droid they had lost contact with , and begin to plug it into the Imperial system . One of the technicians attempts to alert Imperial command that the droid was damaged but recovered something . However , EXD - 9 activates its countdown , and the Star Destroyer goes up in flames . Kallus witnesses the explosion from the bridge of a neighboring Star Destroyer and , surprised , feigns shock and anger as he demands to know what just happened . After an officer informs him that one of the droids ' proton nuclear warheads exploded , he secretly smiles . Aftermath . The following day , the other Spectres return on the " Ghost " to Chopper Base and are greeted by Zeb , AP - 5 and Chopper . Hera demands that Zeb tell her why she called them back on day one of the exercise . Zeb tells her that they got everything under control , just as they receive an incoming message from Fulcrum . Hera tells Zeb it will have to wait , as they go to hear the message . As they leave , Kanan asks Chopper what he means when he says that he had nothing to do with that . Fulcrum congratulates the rebels for reprogramming the Infiltrator droid he had warned them about , and for setting it to self - destruct . Fulcrum expresses his admiration for them . When Sabine asks what happened , Zeb says that it is a long story , and AP - 5 adds he can give the full details . Embarrassed , Zeb swiftly muffles him as the other Spectres watch in bemusement . Meanwhile , Agent Kallus reports to Grand Admiral Thrawn ' s command center aboard the Star Destroyer " Chimaera " . When Thrawn asks how the explosion happened , Kallus responds that he believes that the rebels captured an infiltrator droid and reprogrammed it to self - destruct back at base . Kallus and Thrawn agree that the rebel plan was ingenious . Kallus observes that the Grand Admiral is in good spirits despite the setback . Thrawn explains that despite the loss of the infiltrator droids , it was hardly a setback , because it means that the rebels are almost certainly on one of the systems the droids were sent to , narrowing down the rebel base ' s possible location to ninety - four systems from over a thousand .