Breaking Ranks " Breaking Ranks " is the sixth episode of the first season of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " . It is the sixth episode of the series overall . The episode was written by Greg Weisman and directed by Steven G . Lee . It was released on WatchDisneyXD . com on October 27 , 2014 and made its television debut on Disney XD on November 3 . The episode begins with Ezra Bridger having spent weeks training in the Imperial Academy on Lothal , where he was sent in order to steal an Imperial decoder that contains the location of a powerful kyber crystal that the rebels hope to destroy . He successfully steals the decoder and the rebels destroy the crystal , but Bridger briefly stays in the Academy , having learned that the Grand Inquisitor wants to capture his friend and fellow cadet , Jai Kell . With the help of cadet Zare Leonis , Bridger and Kell escape the Academy , but Leonis remains behind in order to uncover clues about the disappearance of his sister , Dhara — who he suspects was kidnapped by the Inquisitor . Official description . " Looking to uncover an Imperial decoder , Ezra goes undercover as a cadet at the Lothal Imperial Academy . " Plot summary . Going undercover . The episode opens with a holographic transmission from Ezra Bridger informing his rebel comrades that he has passed the first test . He tells them to follow his lead before signing off . Ezra has infiltrated the Imperial Academy on Lothal , posing as an Imperial cadet named " Dev Morgan " in order to gain access to Agent Kallus ' office — which contains an Imperial decoder with the location of a powerful kyber crystal . Knowing that the Empire could use the crystal for sinister means , Kanan Jarrus sent Bridger into the Academy on this mission , where he has been for weeks . While inside , Bridger passes messages through Chopper to Sabine Wren and Garazeb Orrelios , who stake themselves on the outskirts of the academy . Ezra ' s transmission is followed by a wide panoramic shot of Lothal ' s Capital City and the Imperial heaquarters . The Imperial Taskmaster Myles Grint marches Ezra ' s squad LRC077 into the assessment hall , which contains an advanced training facility known as The Well . Before the training assessment begins , Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko gives a brief speech telling the cadets that they had entered the Academy as children and will leave in the next few weeks as stormtrooper s . After Aresko ' s speech , Dev along with two other cadets named Zare Leonis and Jai Kell remove their helmets . As part of the training assessment , The Well quickly transforms into a deep pit carrying the cadets with it . Under Commandant Aresko ' s orders , the cadets are ordered to climb out of the well with the winners being given the honor of serving as aides at Imperial headquarters . He adds that the losers will be forced to serve Taskmaster Grint . During the exercise , the cadets have to use floating repulsorlift platforms to climb out of the Well . To increase the tension , Commandant Aresko electrified several of the platforms ; causing Cadet Giles to fall to the ground . Despite some opposition from a hostile Cadet named Nazhros Oleg , Ezra along with Jai and Leonis managed to win the competition . After noting Dev ' s unusual performance , Commandant Aresko praises the three cadets but warns that the next trial will be more difficult . In the background , a flustered Oleg slams his fist in anger . As Aresko leads the three cadets to their new assignments , they walk pass a black astromech droid which turns out to be a disguised Chopper . Ezra managed to signal the droid with his fingers but this was spotted by Leonis , who sensed that something was suspicious about Dev . Later that night , Chopper meets Sabine and Zeb in the Imperial Academy ' s garage . Sabine then tells the " Ghost " that Ezra has passed his test and infiltrated Imperial headquarters . Meanwhile in space , Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus received Sabine ' s message and discuss their mission . Kanan is worried about Ezra ' s safety and stressed that the other rebels should be read to evacuate Ezra as soon as he had taken the decoder . When Kanan wishes that he had infiltrated the Academy instead , Hera jokes that he would have " made quite a cadet . " An unlikely ally . Back at the Imperial Academy , Ezra walks to Agent Kallus ' office with two new datapads . As the ISB agent exits , Ezra reported that he had Kallus ' new datapad and offered to leave it on his table . However , the ISB agent insisted on taking it with him . In Kallus ' absence , Ezra enters his office and takes the decoder from Kallus ' network terminal . Before he could leave the room with the stolen decoder , Ezra was stopped by Leonis . Instead of reporting him , Leonis instead warns Ezra against exiting Kallus ' office with the decoder as it would set off the sensor and send the whole academy into lockdown . The two cadets then discreetly walk out into a corridor Elsewhere in the Academy , Sabine reports to the " Ghost " that the " kid " did not come out with the decoder . Hera tells Sabine to give Ezra one more day . Back on the " Ghost " , Kanan questions the importance of the decoder ; leading Hera to respond that it is essential to stopping the kyber crystal shipment . After the encounter in Kallus ' office , the two cadets talk in an empty corridor . Dev tells Zare that his friends need the decoder to stop an Imperial shipment . When Dev asks how Zare knew about the sensors , Leonis tells him that his sister Dhara Leonis , who had been the star cadet at the academy , told him about it . He also tells her about his disappearance . While the Empire claimed that Dhara had run away , Leonis did not believe their story . Having gained each others ' trust , the two rogue cadets made an agreement to finish in the top three places tomorrow in order to get back inside Imperial headquarters . While exchanging names , Ezra maintains his pseudonym Dev Morgan . The following day , Ezra and the other cadets have to climb out from the Well again . However , this time , the Cadets had to use their E - 11 blaster rifle s to shoot targets in order to activate the panels containing the repulsorlift platforms . During the assessment , Oleg , who had taken Taskmaster Grint ' s lesson to heart , shoots the other cadets . As Dev along with Zare and Jai make it to the top , Dev is forced to turn on Jai in order to fulfill their mission . He shoves Jai in the back , causing him to fall to a platform below . Commandant Aresko takes the opportunity to use Dev ' s actions as a lesson that victory has to be achieved at all costs . When Jai expressed anger at Dev ' s betrayal , Dev merely replied that " I did what I had to do " before walking away . An unexpected problem . Later at Imperial headquarters , Ezra and Zare wait for Minister Maketh Tua to exit her office before they put their plan into action . While Zare distracted Agent Kallus with a faux order for podracer parts , Ezra took the opportunity to climb into the crawlspace between Tua and Kallus ' offices . With Kallus ' back turned towards him , Ezra used the Force to levitate the decoder into his palm . While making his way back to Tua ' s office , Ezra chances upon a conversation between Commandant Aresko and the Grand Inquisitor . Aresko had identified him and Jai Kell as cadets meeting his " special criteria " . The Inquisitor informed Aresko that he would be coming the following day to test them himself . If the tests proved conclusive , he would take them into his custody . Ezra passes the decoder to Chopper , who then passes it to Sabine and Zeb . Using Chopper ' s holoprojector , Ezra tells his fellow rebels about Jai ' s predicament and the Grand Inquisitor . When Zeb expresses his concerns about taking on the Inquisitor , Ezra thanks Zeb and Sabine for teaching him to stick out for others . Before ended his communication , Ezra tells them that the decoder contains the deep space coordinates of the Imperial convoy and also requests that they attack the Academy at noon the following day . Above Lothal , Hera and Kanan used the decoder ' s coordinates to reach the convoy . While Kanan is upset about Ezra ' s delayed departure , Hera tells him to focus on the mission so that they can return to Lothal quickly . Back on Lothal , Ezra quietly wakes Jai from his bunk and tells him to follow and trust him . He and Leonis then take Jai to a nearby storeroom where they tell him about the Inquisitor . Due to Dev ' s earlier betrayal , Jai is initially reluctant to believe them and thinks it is a plot to get him kicked out of the Academy . When Jai suggests that the Inquisitor might help him to rise in the Empire ' s hierarchy , Leonis relates the story of his sister ' s disappearance . Convinced by Zare ' s story , Jai reluctantly agrees to take part in their escape plan which involves them winning tomorrow ' s challenge . Two struggles . Meanwhile , in deep space , the " Ghost " exited hyperspace in front of the Imperial convoy carrying the kyber crystal . The convoy consists of three " Gozanti " - class cruisers , which are protected by several escort TIE fighters . Using the Force , Kanan senses that the kyber crystal resides in the middle cruiser . Kanan detaches the " Phantom " from the " Ghost " and uses it to lure the TIE fighters away from the convoy . With the convoy unprotected , Hera takes the opportunity to attack the cruisers . Back at the Imperial Academy , Ezra and Zare ' s plan encounters another unexpected problem when he fails to make it to the top three . While Zare and Jai win the race , they are accompanied by the obstinate Oleg . As a reward , the three cadets are allowed to ride with an Imperial combat driver in one of the Academy ' s AT - DP walkers . When Jai expresses dismay , Ezra tells him to stick to the plan while he figures out a way to get on board the walker . Meanwhile , Chopper plants a bomb on the leg of another AT - DP walker . Leonis , Jai , and Oleg inspect the AT - DP walker ' s controls under the supervision of the driver . Outside , the bomb on the other AT - DP walker explodes ; causing the walker to fall to the ground . The explosion is heard by Jai and Zare who take it as their signal to put their escape plan into motion . Jai uses a stolen blaster to stun the driver and Oleg . Leonis climbs into the walker ' s chair and heads towards the exit . However , Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint quickly realize that Leonis and Jai ' s walker has been hijacked and order that the Academy ' s blast doors be closed . Meanwhile in deep space , the captain of the middling Gozanti cruiser orders his ship to jump into hyperspace while the other ships cover their escape . However , Hera manages to use the " Ghost " laser cannon s to inflict several well - aimed blows on the cruiser ' s engines ; triggering a massive explosion that destroys all of the surrounding Imperial ships . As a green explosion consumes the cruisers and TIE fighters , Kanan manages to dock the " Phantom " with the " Ghost " . Hera and Kanan then jump into hyperspace and return to Lothal . Back at the Academy , Leonis and Jai use their hijacked walker to cripple a third AT - DP walker ; causing it to block the closing blast doors . However , their walker comes under attack from an Imperial Troop Transport . Using his Force powers , Ezra climbs aboard the hijacked AT - DP walker ; leading Commandant Aresko to think that Dev is trying to stop the hijackers . Before Ezra can enter the walker , it is hit by the Troop Transport , causing it to topple face - first to the ground . The walker ' s head lands outside the blast doors , which are blocked by the third crippled walker . Several stormtroopers approached the hijacked walker but are shot down by Sabine . Together with Sabine , Zeb , and Chopper , Ezra and Jai flee on a landspeeder . However , Leonis elects to stay behind in order to find his sister . To maintain his cover , Zare pretends to shoot the fleeing rebels and " traitors " in the presence of the approaching Aresko , Grint , and several stormtroopers . Resolution . Once Bridger and Kell return to the " Ghost " , the rebels agree to help Kell and his mother hide from the Empire . While alone , Kanan and Ezra take the opportunity to talk in private . When Kanan asks his apprentice how the mission fared , Ezra tells his master that he forgot what it was like being alone . Despite disliking Chopper ' s grumpiness and Zeb ' s odour , he admits that he missed the " Ghost " during his time at the Imperial Academy . When Kanan jokingly says " at ease Cadet " , Ezra responds with a mock " Yes Sir . " Back at the Academy , the Inquisitor learns about the escape , reveals he knew Bridger from the rebels ' previous encounter with him , and tells Leonis that he wants to know everything Leonis knows about the rebels . Continuity . Part 3 : Infiltration of Jason Fry ' s junior novel " " , which is told from the point of view of the Imperial cadet and rebel sympathizer Zare Leonis , was adapted largely from the events of this episode .