Action at Mustafar The action at Mustafar , was a naval engagement four years before the Battle of Yavin , when the Spectres staged a mission to rescue Kanan Jarrus , their co - leader who had been captured during a mission to infiltrate the Imperial Communications Center at Jalath . With the help of the Devaronian crime lord Cikatro Vizago , the rebels sent Chopper to infiltrate an " Arquitens " - class command cruiser in order to find Kanan ' s location . They discovered that Kanan was being transported to the Mustafar system aboard Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin ' s flagship " Sovereign " . Using a stolen Gozanti - class cruiser , the rebels managed to infiltrate the " Sovereign " and used detonators to unleash a massive electro - magnetic pulse that disabled the Star Destroyer . Kanan ' s Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger then freed his master . While escaping the ship , Kanan defeated the Grand Inquisitor in a duel which damaged the Star Destroyer ' s reactor core ; setting of a chain - reaction which destroyed the Star Destroyer . The Spectres managed to escape the stricken vessel before it exploded but were pursued by several TIE fighters . Fortunately for them , several rebel ships from Phoenix Cell arrived and rescued them . Following Kanan ' s rescue , the rebels met the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano and learned that they were part of a greater rebellion . Prelude . Seeking to counteract Imperial propaganda on HoloNet , the Spectres hijacked the Imperial Communications Center at Jalath in order to upload a data spike that would allow them to broadcast a message to the public . However Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , the Governor of the Outer Rim Territories had staged a trap to capture the rebels . Most of the Spectres managed to escape aboard the " Phantom " , an auxiliary shuttle , but Kanan stayed behind in order to prevent the Imperials from capturing his colleagues . After being cornered by both Agent Kallus and the Grand Inquisitor , Kanan surrendered himself to Grand Moff Tarkin . Despite Kanan ' s capture , Ezra managed to deliver a broadcast calling for Lothal to rise up against the Empire . In response , Tarkin had ordered the destruction of the communications tower , disrupting communications throughout Lothal . Aboard Tarkin ' s flagship the " Sovereign " , Kanan was interrogated and torture d by Kallus and the Inquisitor but refused to divulge any information about the rebellion . After resisting a mind probe by an interrogator droid , the Grand Inquisitor ordered that Kanan be electrocuted . However , the Jedi still held out and refused to divulge any information on the rebellion and the mysterious Fulcrum . Dissatisfied , Tarkin ordered that Kanan be transferred to the Mustafar system for further interrogation . The rescue mission . Picking the trail . The capture of Kanan Jarrus created a deep sense of despondency among the Spectres . Due to the attention generated by Ezra ' s broadcast , Fulcrum ordered Hera to abandon Kanan in order to avoid exposing the Rebellion ' s existence to the Empire . While Hera reluctantly complied with Fulcrum ' s orders , the other crew member of the " Ghost " — Ezra Bridger , Sabine Wren , Chopper , and Garazeb Orrelios refused to abandon their co - leader . In a failed attempt to find Kanan , the four rebels had earlier hijacked an AT - DP walker but barely managed to escape empty - handed . Unwilling to give up on Kanan , the four rebels made a second attempt to find information about Kanan . Working together , Chopper distracted Hera while the other rebels escaped aboard the " Phantom " , the " Ghost " auxiliary vessel . The four rebels managed to find Cikatro Vizago , a Devaronian crime lord who also operated as an information broker . Vizago was initially unwilling to help them , but changed his mind after Ezra used the Force to levitate a crate over him . Vizago then revealed that the Empire was using Imperial communication droid s to courier information from Capital City to their " Arquitens " - class command cruisers above Lothal . Hera caught up with them , but Ezra managed to convince her to support their rescue mission . Putting their plans into action , the crew of the " Ghost " disguised Chopper as an Imperial communications droid . Sabine and Zeb managed to ambush an Imperial party and abduct their communications droid ; allowing Chopper to take his place . The ruse worked and Chopper was able to board an Imperial light cruiser and download the necessary files . After completing his work , hopper transmitted a signal to the " Ghost " which launched a feint attack on the light cruiser . Amidst the confusion , Chopper was able through the ship ' s emergency air lock . Once in space , Chopper managed to used his thrusters to rocket back to the " Ghost " . While flying back to Lothal , the rebels learned that Kanan was being transported aboard the " Sovereign " to the Mustafar system for further interrogation . Assaulting the " Sovereign " . Returning to Lothal , the Spectres decided to leave the " Ghost " behind since their ship was well - known to the Empire . The rebels stole an Imperial " Gozanti " - class cruiser and used it to transport a TIE fighter they had captured earlier during a mission to Kathol . Using the stolen Imperial transport , they traveled to the Mustafar system only to find the " Sovereign " surrounded by several other " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers . Once Ezra Bridger had established through the Force that Kanan was indeed still alive and aboard the " Sovereign " , the repainted TIE was dispatched by remote to join a passing TIE squadron that was entering the Sovereign ' s main hangar . Once inside , the colorful TIE transmitted a massive electro - magnetic pulse that disabled the entire Star Destroyer . After disabling the " Sovereign " , the Rebels docked their stolen cruiser with the larger ship and boarded it to find and rescue Kanan , leaving the droid , Chopper in charge of the getaway ship . However , Tarkin had anticipated a rescue attempt . Even as Ezra was freeing Kanan from his cell , stormtrooper reinforcements from the other Star Destroyers were landing in the " Sovereign " hangar bay . Spooked by the Imperial reinforcements , Chopper moved the stolen Imperial transport from the " Sovereign " , effectively cutting off the Rebels ' escape . While Sabine , Hera and Zeb fought their way back to the hangar bay to reach their stolen TIE fighter , Ezra and Kanan engaged the Grand Inquisitor in a lightsaber duel in the Star Destroyer ' s engineering section . New allies . While Kanan used Ezra ' s lightsaber to parry with the Inquisitor , Ezra used the Force to levitate Kanan ' s lightsaber from the Inquisitor ' s belt . The two Jedi then took on the Grand Inquisitor . After a short , but intense two - on - one fight , the Inquisitor threw Ezra down onto a nearby bridge , knocking him unconscious . Initially horrified , Kanan quickly regained composure , took up Ezra ' s lightsaber and fought against the Inquisitor . Following a lengthy duel , Kanan managed to push the Inquisitor to the edge of the bridge and destroy his lightsaber . The Inquisitor ' s lightsaber fell into the " Sovereign " reactor core , triggering an explosive chain reaction that eventually destroyed the Star Destroyer . Knowing the punishment he would receive for his failure if he faced his master Darth Vader , the Inquisitor committed suicide by throwing himself into the burning reactor . Before the ship exploded , the Spectres escaped on their stolen TIE fighter and The Inquisitor ' s TIE Advanced starfighter . Meanwhile , Tarkin evacuated the stricken " Sovereign " aboard a " Sentinel " - class landing craft . Shortly later , the " Sovereign " exploded above Mustafar and broke into several pieces . Due to the departure of the Chopper ' s " Gozanti " cruiser , the rebels were unable to flee into hyperspace . Their starfighters were pursued by a swarm of Imperial TIE fighters . However , when all seemed lost , Chopper suddenly returned aboard the " Gozanti " cruiser , which was accompanied by the " Ghost " and three CR90 corvette s . These reinforcements had been sent by the Alderaanian senator Bail Organa and the mysterious rebel operative known as Fulcrum . After the rebel reinforcements destroyed the pursuing TIE fighters , the Spectres docked their stolen TIEs with the " Gozanti " cruiser . Shortly later , the rebel fleet jumped into hyperspace . Aftermath . Once aboard the " Gozanti " cruiser , the rebels made their way back into the " Ghost " . There , they were greeted by Chopper , who projected a HoloNet feed of Senator Bail Organa , and several rebel soldiers . Hera revealed that their cell was part of a wider rebel network . Shortly later , they were joined by Fulcrum herself , who revealed herself as the Jedi Purge survivor Ahsoka Tano . She complimented the crew of the " Ghost " , particularly Ezra , for their bravery in taking on the Empire . News of the " Sovereign " destruction eventually leaked to the planet Lothal , which stirred some unrest on that planet . In response , the Emperor dispatched his top enforcer , Darth Vader , to deal with the rebel problem . In 1 BBY , shortly after Kanan ' s death , his confrontation with the Grand Inquisitor was heard among numerous voices by Bridger as he passed through a hyper tunnel while riding a Loth - wolf on his mission to the Lothal Jedi Temple . Behind the scenes . The rescue of Kanan Jarrus first appeared in " Fire Across the Galaxy , " the finale of the first season of " Star Wars Rebels " , which premiered on March 2 , 2015 on Disney XD . It later appeared in Michael Kogge ' s " Battle to the End " , a chapter book adaptation of the final arc of the first season of " Star Wars Rebels " .