Empire Day ( episode ) " Empire Day " is the eighth episode of the first season of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " . It is the eighth episode of the series overall . The episode was written by Henry Gilroy and directed by Steven G . Lee . The episode was released on demand on WatchDisneyXD . com on November 10 , 2014 and premiered on Disney XD on November 17 . In the episode , the Galactic Empire celebrates Empire Day for the fifteenth anniversary of the Emperor ' s rise to power . The rebels take advantage of this day and destroy an experimental new TIE fighter , leading the Imperials to hunt for them once again . While on the run , they discover a Rodian technician named Tseebo who knows vital information about the Empire — and the fate of Ezra Bridger ' s parents . Official description . " Ezra struggles with unanswered questions from the past on Empire Day - - his birthday - - while the " Ghost " crew uncovers key Imperial intel . " Plot summary . Master and apprentice . In the Lothal ian town of Jhothal , Hera Syndulla , Sabine Wren , and Garazeb Orrelios walk visit Old Jho ' s Pit Stop . Meanwhile , the Jedi Kanan Jarrus gives his apprentice Ezra Bridger a lesson on connecting with other beings in a nearby field . At Kanan ' s prompting , Ezra hurls a rock into the tall blades of grass which startles a loth - cat . Ezra tries to connect with the creature but it is hostile . Frustrated , Ezra toys with killing the loth - cat with Kanan ' s lightsaber . Kanan reminds Ezra that the purpose of this lesson is to teach him that he is not alone but is connected to every living being in the universe . To discover that , Kanan says that Ezra must let go of his past and lower his guard ; something the boy refuses to do . When Ezra says that he might never become a Jedi , Kanan asks him what is wrong . Ezra tells him that he is uneasy about Empire Day . The loth - cat growls upon hearing that just as three TIE fighters to a fly - over . Kanan and Ezra head back to Jhotal . Old Jho ' s Pit Stop . The three TIE fighters land in Jhothal while Kanan and Ezra head into Old Jho ' s Pit Stop , which is run by the Ithorian " Old " Jho . Three TIE fighter pilot s enter the cantina . Kanan cautions his apprentice not to fight . One of the TIE pilots gazes at Hera and Zeb but his colleagues call him as they search a Rodian patron . The TIE pilots are looking for a Rodian fugitive whom Ezra recognizes as Tseebo , a former family friend . The TIE pilots determine that the Rodian is not Tseebo and leave him alone . One of the Imperial pilots confronts Old Jho and demands that his cantina play the Imperial HoloNews broadcasts all the time . Jho reluctantly complies . The Imperial broadcaster Alton Kastle announces that today is the fifteenth anniversary of Empire Day , which commemorates the day that Emperor Palpatine ended the Clone Wars and created the Galactic Empire . He reports that Governor Pryce has commissioned a parade in Capital City . However , the Imperial broadcast is interrupted by the self - proclaimed " Senator in Exile " Gall Trayvis , who implores the population to boycott the celebrations . After haggling with Jho , the TIE pilots leave . Old Jho tells Kanan that the Imperials have locked down the spaceport and imposed a full planetary blockade . Sabine is relieved that the Empire is not after them for once . Kanan hints to their plan to disrupt the Empire Day celebrations . Ezra wants to be left alone and wonders why the Empire is looking for Tseebo . Ezra enters his old flat at LothalNet comm tower E - 272 and touches a remote . He experiences a Force vision of his parents talking about standing up to the Empire . Ezra realizes where Tseebo is . Gatecrashing Empire Day . That night , the Imperials stage a parade of Imperial Troop Transport s and AT - DP walkers through the streets of Capital City . Minister Maketh Tua and Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko have been placed in charge of organizing the festivities . Tua reacts angrily to Commandant Aresko describing the parade as a " spectacle . " Minister Tua informs the crowd via a hologram that Governor Pryce is attending the festivities in Coruscant . Imperial ace pilot Baron Valen Rudor is also present . Taskmaster Myles Grint tries to cheer up several Ugnaught s while Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus searches for Tseebo . The Spectres mingle among the crowd while Minister Tua presents Sienar Laboratory ' s new TIE Advanced v1 , which Baron Rudor would be flying as part of the celebration . Hera and Kanan chat about their plot to blow up the starfighter . Sabine and Zeb distract the crowd by hurling fireworks into the sky . Minister Tua mistakes them for Commandant Aresko ' s handiwork . Kanan sneaks under the TIE Advanced v1 to plant explosives . While sneaking away , he is spotted by a stormtrooper but feints drunkenness . Ezra pretends to be Kanan ' s son and leads his " dad " away . When Kanan asks where he has been , Ezra says he has been " making some connections . " Kanan tells Ezra to watch just as the TIE Advanced v1 ' s platform explodes , crippling the fighter . Minister Tua is furuous while the Spectres take advantage of the chaos to flee . Zeb toys with settling scores with Agent Kallus but Kanan tells him to take out the Grand Inquisitor . Zeb fires his bo - rifle but it misses and hits the wrecked TIE Advanced v1 , incinerating the wreckage . The rebels flee before the Grand Inquisitor can spot them . Kanan contacts Hera to arrange their rendezvous but Hera reports back that the Empire has blocked the streets . Ezra leads them to his former family household while Zeb makes arrangement to rendezvous with Hera in the market . Kanan and the rest head to Ezra ' s place and make arrangements to give Hera their new rendezvous coordinates . Meanwhile , Agent Kallus demands schematics of the city ' s sewer systems while the Grand Inquisitor issues orders to lock down Capital City . A furious Minister Tua demands that the rebels be punished . However , Kallus responds that their priority is the Rodian , Tseebo . Facing the past . Later that night , Ezra and the others reach the old Bridger household , which the Empire has designated off - limits . Kanan realizes that this used to be Ezra ' s home . Ezra finds a fearful Tseebo hiding in the basement . Tseebo mumbles while Ezra introduces Tseebo to Kanan . Sabine realizes that the Imperials have fitted Tseebo with an AJ ^ 6 cyborg construct . Sabine explains that low - level workers are increasingly having their personalities sacrificed for productivity . Ezra explains that Tseebo went to work for the Imperial Information Office after the Empire took his parents away . Ezra adds that he has been living on his own since the age of seven . When Tseebo mumbles , Sabine explains that Tseebo is detailing Imperial fighter deployments on Lothal . Kanan realizes that Tseebo has information the Empire doesn ' t want to get out . Sabine tries to access the information while an upset Ezra heads downstairs . Tseebo says that Ezra is the son of Ephraim and Mira Bridger and was born fifteen years ago to this day . Sabine realizes that Empire Day falls on Ezra ' s birthday . Ezra experiences a flashback of Tseebo imploring Ezra ' s father not to put his son at risk . Mira says they are fighting for Ezra ' s freedom but Tseebo believes that the war cannot be won . Sabine finds Ezra in the basement and he tells her that his folks used to make underground broadcasts urging the people of Lothal to resist the Empire . Ezra is still upset . Sabine manages to use Ezra ' s parents ' tools to activate Tseebo ' s holo - emitter , which starts to display classified Imperial information including Imperial specs on the new TIEs and walkers , schedules of troop movements , tactics , strategies , and a five year plan for Lothal and every other world in the Outer Rim . Ezra remarks that the information is causing Tseebo ' s brain to shorten out . Kanan realizes that they need to smuggle Tseebo offworld due to the secrets inside his head . Sabine adds that the Empire has now deployed forces to look for Tseebo . Escaping with Tseebo . Outside the Bridger household , an Imperial combat driver orders is men to do a door - to - door search . Sabine ambushes two stormtrooper s , shooting one and knocking out the other with her fist . Kanan forces his way inside an Imperial Troop Transport and tosses out the driver . Ezra leads a disoriented Tseebo aboard the Troop Transport . Later , Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint are commanding a road block at the main gate leading to the southern highway . Agent Kallus orders Aresko not to let anything through . Sabine drives the Troop Transport towards the Imperial road block . Commandant Aresko orders his men and the AT - DP walkers to open fire on the hijacked transport . One of the walkers tries to crush the rebels ' transport but Sabine ploughs through Aresko ' s transport , overturning the walker and wrecking the transport . The rebels flee on the highway with Kallus ' Troop Transport and two 614 - AvA speeder bike s in hot pursuit . Via comlink , Kallus informs the Grand Inquisitor that the rebels have broken through the main gate and are heading south . The Grand Inquisitor and two TIE fighter pilots climb into a waiting TIE Advanced v1 and two TIE fighers . Back on the southern highway , one of the Imperial combat drivers uses a grenade to blow open the left door of the Spectres ' Troop Transport . The combat driver attacks Ezra but Kanan fights back . The man throws Kanan to the floor and tries to apprehend Tseebo . However , Kanan uses the Force to hurl the driver at the the second combat driver , knocking out the second bike . Kallus orders his drivers to get him closer to the hijacked Troop Transport , climbs on top of his Troop Transport and leaps onto the hijacked vehicle . Kallus ' transport shoots at the " Ghost " when it appears , but Chopper uses the ship ' s rear cannons to shoot at the pursuing Troop Transport , overturning it . Zeb opens the entry ramp and shoots Kallus off the transport . Kallus manages to cling to the back of the transport and attempts to shoot the rebels as they transfer Tseebo and themselves onto the G " host " . The rebels escape and Kallus , via comlink , informs the Grand Inquisitor that Tseebo is aboard the " Ghost " . Into space . After extracting Kanan and his group , the " Ghost " flies into the skies of Lothal but are pursued by the Grand Inquisitor and his TIE escorts . While manning the rear cannon , Chopper is struck by a blast and knocked out . Zeb rushes to man the rear gun . Before Sabine can head to the nose gun , Tseebo tells Ezra and Sabine that he knows what happened to Ezra ' s parents . The screen then pans out with the message " To be continued . . . " , setting the stage for the events of " Gathering Forces . "