Hijacking of Crawler 413 - 24 In 1 BBY , members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic hijacked Crawler 413 - 24 in an attempt to use its long - range communications equipment to contact Alliance High Command . The Galactic Empire was blocking all non - Imperial transmissions from the planet Lothal , which was under a severe lockdown . The Spectres had returned to Lothal to gather intelligence on the new TIE / D Defender Elite , eventually stealing the prototype ' s flight data recorder . Hera Syndulla and Chopper had successfully returned the device to Rebel Command . Ezra Bridger , confident that Hera intended to return for them and lead an attack , insisted that the Lothal resistance had to get in touch with the Alliance . When the Rebels detected the ore crawler in the vicinity of their new base , a solution presented itself . Ezra , Sabine Wren , Kanan Jarrus and Garazeb Orrelios boarded the crawler , confronting its Trandoshan captain , Seevor , who managed to activate an alarm and halt the vehicle . In response to the alarm , Mining Guild headquarters contacted the crawler , and Ezra impersonated Seevor over the comms in an attempt to allay their suspicions . As Kanan and Zeb investigated the crawler ' s reactor room , Sabine worked on activating the vehicle ' s old long - range transmitter and Ezra watched Seevor , eventually locking him in a closet . In the reactor room , Kanan and Zeb discovered several slaves , as well as Cikatro Vizago , a crime lord and associate of the Spectres who had been arrested by the Empire after smuggling them onto Lothal . They were then accosted by the crawler ' s foreman , Proach , who quickly shocked Kanan unconscious and then fought Zeb , who eventually defeated him . Shortly after , as the other Rebels entered the cockpit , Sabine reported the arrival of two Imperial gunships , sent to investigate the crawler , as Ezra had made the Mining Guild suspicious . The Rebels pretended that everything was business as usual on the vehicle , with Zeb posing as the foreman and Vizago as the captain . Ezra , Kanan and Sabine hid in a closet . After the Imperials left , finding nothing , the Rebels discovered that Seevor had taken advantage of his scrawny build to escape into the ventilation system . Sabine attempted to activate the transmitter but discovered that Seevor had shut down the crawler ' s reactors . As the Trandoshan had magnetically sealed the door to the reactor room , Ezra was sent through the vents after him . Ezra fought Seevor in the reactor room , and the captain eventually died by falling into the smelter after stepping on Ezra ' s dropped lightsaber . The Rebels were thus able to contact Hera and Rebel Command , and discovered that the Alliance leaders had authorized an attack to prevent the manufacture of Defender Elites on Lothal . Prelude . In 2 BBY , the Rebel Alliance planned to destroy the planet Lothal ' s Imperial Armory Complex , which manufactured vehicles for the Galactic Empire ' s military . The Lothal sector ' s Phoenix Cell had invited the Massassi Group to join them . However , before the Rebels could attack , they were ambushed by the Seventh Fleet , under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn , who had located the Rebels ' base on Atollon . In the ensuing battle , the Rebels took severe losses before they escaped . The survivors regrouped at the Alliance ' s headquarters on Yavin 4 . The remaining members of Phoenix Squadron , including the Spectres , joined the Massassi Group . Spectres member Ezra Bridger , a native of Lothal , urged the Alliance ' s leaders to honor the promise they made to help liberate his homeworld . Mon Mothma , however , was cautious , not wishing to commit large numbers of Alliance forces so soon after Atollon . Mothma changed her mind when a message from Ryder Azadi , leader of the Lothal resistance , arrived , warning that the Empire was developing a new TIE Defender . Having seen the threat of the TIE Defender firsthand , the ex - Senator could not ignore it . The Spectres volunteered for the mission , but Mothma warned them that the Alliance could not send any more forces . The six Rebels smuggled themselves onto Lothal onboard the " Broken Horn " , the starship of Devaronian crime lord Cikatro Vizago , a former associate of theirs . They had paid him in valuable puffer pig s , as he had acquired a contract to ship supplies to Lothal . The planet was under an extremely severe lockdown , and on the way in , the " Broken Horn " was scanned , and multiple unregistered lifeforms were discovered aboard . The ship was given clearance , but an ISB patrol was alerted . Upon landing , the ship was detained and boarded . Realizing that they had been detected , the Spectres hid as Ezra asked Vizago to stall the Imperials . The Spectres set loose the pigs in order to cause a diversion to escape . While attempting to flee , Vizago couldn ' t resist trying to take along one uninflated pig , and was trapped when he caused it to inflate . Afterwards , he was pressed into slavery on an ore crawler strip - mining Lothal ' s grasslands . After making contact with the Lothal resistance , the Spectres proceeded on the mission . While on a reconnaissance to see the prototype at a remote Imperial airfield , Sabine Wren decided to steal the starfighter ' s flight data recorder . Due to the sudden arrival of Thrawn and Governor Arihnda Pryce to watch a planned test flight , Sabine and Ezra wound up stealing the fighter . After it crashed when its kill switch was activated , Ezra and Sabine fled into the wilderness with the flight recorder , hiding the ship ' s hyperdrive nearby , intending to install it on Ryder ' s UT - 60D U - wing starfighter / support craft , the only ship the Lothal Rebels had . Ezra and Sabine , with the help of a Loth - wolf , returned to the Rebels ' camp with the flight recorder . Afterwards , the Rebels retrieved the hyperdrive , dealing with some complications in the process . As the Imperials , led by Pryce , closed in on the Rebels ' camp , Hera and Chopper escaped in the U - wing with the flight recorder . The other Rebels fled into the mountains , following several Loth - wolves Ezra had seen . The wolves helped the Rebels flee , mystically transporting them across the planet to a cliff dwelling in Lothal ' s southern hemisphere . Meanwhile , Hera successfully delivered the flight recorder to Rebel headquarters on Yavin 4 . The hijacking . Boarding the crawler . The Lothal resistance set up a new base in the cliff dwelling . However , the only transmitter they had been able to salvage was an older model , and Sabine was unable to use it to send a signal to Alliance High Command , particularly as the Empire had been blocking all non - Imperial transmissions . Ezra was confident that Hera intended to come back for them and launch an attack . However , Ryder was more skeptical , given the Lothal resistance ' s lack of resources . As the Rebels debated , Sabine picked up a signal on the transmitter , coming from something in the general vicinity . Ryder and the Spectres departed in a landspeeder to investigate . They found a Mining Guild ore crawler , Crawler 413 - 24 , burning its way through Lothal ' s grasslands . Ezra had seen some of them earlier , and was concerned that they had made it halfway across the planet . Garazeb Orrelios suggested that they hijack the vehicle , as it might have a long - range transmitter they could use to contact Hera and Rebel Command . Sabine , scanning the crawler , spotted a transmission antenna , and Zeb ' s idea was agreed to . Ryder drove his landspeeder in behind the ore crawler , and Sabine flew above the mining vehicle on her jetpack . She spotted an IG - RM bodyguard and enforcer droid , and reported it to the others . Landing on the catwalk , Sabine snuck up behind the droid and hit it with a paralyzing dart before tipping it over the guardrail . Ryder pulled his speeder up beside the vehicle , and Ezra , Zeb and Kanan Jarrus hopped aboard . Just then , another security droid emerged from the reactor room , and Sabine shot it in the head . As Kanan , Ezra and Zeb climbed the ladder to the top level , Sabine flew up in her jetpack . Once all the Spectres were at the top , they entered the cockpit . They found the crawler ' s captain , Seevor , lounging on his chair listening to music on his headphones , oblivious to his surroundings . He did not notice the Rebels until after they had surrounded him , when Zeb pulled off one earpiece of his headphones and commented that he enjoyed the song as well , before tipping the scrawny Trandoshan onto the floor . Seevor was quickly restrained by Zeb , angrily protesting the hijacking of his vehicle , assuming that the Spectres were pirate s . He activated a device on his wrist , halting the crawler and setting off an alarm . Kanan ordered Sabine to stop it , and as she worked , Ezra pulled the device off Seevor ' s wrist and crushed it . The crawler was soon contacted by Mining Guild headquarters , curious as to why the alarm had been activated . Sabine and Kanan eventually had Ezra take the comms . Doing a passable impression of the Trandoshan , Ezra claimed that the crawler was suffering a mechanical problem . Seevor , in the back of the cockpit , attempted to shout so as to be heard over the comm . The Guild headquarters decided to send a repair crew , but Ezra claimed that this was unnecessary as repairs could be handled by the crawler ' s personnel . Eventually , the Guild headquarters cut off communication , and Zeb knocked Seevor unconscious . Liberating captives . Sabine got to work on the long - range transmitter , and quickly discovered that it was an older model than she expected . She also discovered that a signal was coming from the reactor room , prompting Kanan and Zeb to head over and check . Before leaving , Zeb dumped the unconscious Seevor on the floor , and Kanan warned Ezra and Sabine to watch him carefully . Upon entering the smoke - filled reactor room , Kanan had Zeb check the upper level while he searched the lower one , before jumping down . Kanan soon sensed presences among the machinery and reached for his weapons , but quickly realized that they were slaves . He moved his hands away from his weapons and told them they could come out , promising that he wouldn ' t hurt them . Kanan was quite surprised when Vizago appeared , assuming that the Rebels had come specifically for him . He announced that he had told the rest of the slaves that rescue was coming , and that the crawler ' s foreman , Proach , was no match for a Jedi . Kanan was startled at the mention of a foreman , and the large Trandoshan quickly revealed himself , attacking Kanan with an electro - whip . Proach quickly disarmed Kanan of his lightsaber and shocked him unconscious with the whip , but before he could do anything else , Zeb , on the upper level , fired his bo - rifle at the foreman and warned him to surrender . Proach used his electro - whip to swiftly ascend to the upper level , where he fought Zeb in hand - to - hand combat . Zeb attempted to use his bo - rifle ' s electrostaff form on the burly Trandoshan , but this was unsuccessful . The fight eventually carried the two to the outside catwalk , where Proach attempted to toss Zeb over the guardrail . Zeb used his prehensile feet to grab Proach and pull him over as well , and the two continued fighting while dangling from the catwalk . Having come to , Kanan exited the reactor room onto the lower catwalk looking for Zeb , and the Lasat quickly drew his attention to where he was fighting with Proach . Kanan headed back inside to ascend to the upper level to assist . Proach got his electro - whip around Zeb ' s wrist and attempted to shock him , but Zeb resisted it and managed to break the foreman ' s grip on the catwalk , leaving him holding onto the handle of his whip . Zeb then managed to shake Proach loose of the handle , causing him to fall to his death . Just before he lost his grip on the catwalk , Zeb was caught by Kanan , who pulled him up . In the cockpit , Seevor had come to , and Ezra had shortly locked him in one of the room ' s two closets . Sabine was still working on the old transmitter . Shortly after Kanan and Zeb had dealt with the foreman and freed the slaves , Sabine called them to the cockpit , reporting an impending problem . The Mining Guild had become suspicious following Ezra ' s impersonation of Seevor , and had alerted the Empire . Two Imperial gunships were approaching . Ezra quickly suggested that the Rebels make it appear as if things were business as usual on the crawler . The slaves pretended that they were still enslaved , and Zeb , wearing a spare work helmet and carrying the foreman ' s electro - whip , pretended to be the slave - driver . Vizago was asked to pose as the crawler ' s captain when the Imperials contacted the vehicle . He claimed that they were suffering mechanical difficulties , using this as an explanation for why they had no clearance codes : they had lost them all . The Imperials stated they were going to inspect the crawler . Evading the Empire and stopping Seevor . When the gunships landed , they were met by the disguised Zeb and the slaves . As stormtrooper s disembarked , Zeb pretended to get the slaves back to work , and they went to the lower level . Vizago met the stormtroopers and said there was no need for an inspection , and complained that they were interfering in Mining Guild business . The troopers pushed their way into the cockpit to inspect anyway . Kanan , Ezra and Sabine had hidden in the other of the cockpit ' s two closets . Watching the Imperial inspection through the narrowly - opened door , Ezra whispered to the others that the only thing they had to worry about now was the captain squealing on them . Vizago , hearing this , accidentally drew the stormtroopers ' attention to the closet that Seevor had been locked into . When the closet was opened , however , it was empty , as the scrawny Trandoshan had taken advantage of his build to slip into the ventilation system . Not finding anything , the Imperials left . The Rebels were concerned by where Seevor could have gone via the vents , but Sabine had finally gotten the transmitter working . When she activated it , however , it did not work , and she discovered that power had been rerouted away from the system . It was quickly deduced that Seevor was responsible , and Sabine found that he was tapping into the crawler ' s PA system . He taunted the Rebels that he was going to contact the Empire , and they would not get away with their hijacking . They quickly realized he had gone to the reactor room . However , when Kanan and Zeb attempted to enter , they found that the door was locked and magnetically sealed , preventing Kanan from cutting his way in . Ezra was thus ordered to gain entry to the reactor room via the ventilation shafts , much to his irritation , as he complained that he did not crawl in vents anymore . When he entered the reactor room , Ezra saw no sign of Seevor , but found that the reactors had been shut down . He headed to the controls to restart them , stalked by the Trandoshan , who was crawling around the machinery in the smoky room . As Ezra began to activate the reactors , he sensed Seevor coming up behind him , and at the last second turned and slashed at the captain with his lightsaber . Seevor dodged , and fled back into the smoke . Ezra finished restarting the reactors , and the Trandoshan attacked him again , starting a fight in front of the rapidly opening - and - closing door to the smelter . During the fight , Seevor forced Ezra to drop his lightsaber , and eventually knocked him back into the guardrail near the controls . He attempted to advance on Ezra , but stepped on the fallen lightsaber , causing him to slip and fall into the smelter . After Seevor ' s death , Ezra retrieved his weapon . Aftermath . While Kanan , Ezra , Sabine and Zeb were hijacking the crawler , back on Yavin 4 , the leaders of the Rebel Alliance were debating whether to approve an attack on Lothal to destroy the Imperial Armory Complex , in the hopes of preventing the manufacture of TIE Defender Elites . After learning that the Empire was enacting Protocol 13 , the evacuation of all Imperial personnel from an occupied planet , on Lothal , Hera persuaded the Alliance leaders that they did not have any more time to waste , and had to show the Empire that they would not surrender . Thus , when the Lothal Rebels contacted Alliance High Command via the crawler ' s transmitter , Hera was able to tell them to be prepared to assist with the impending attack . The Rebels decided to keep the crawler for themselves . The freed slaves decided to join the Rebellion , and Vizago appointed himself the vehicle ' s new captain . Ezra , in particular , was pleased that the promised attack was finally going forward .