Hera ' s Heroes " Hera ' s Heroes " is the fifth episode of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " third season . It is the forty - second episode of the series overall . It was aired on October 15 , 2016 on Disney XD . Official description . " When the Empire occupies Hera ' s home , she decides to personally recover a family heirloom . But a new Imperial commander named Grand Admiral Thrawn is waiting . " Plot summary . Rendezvous . On the plains of Ryloth , the Ryloth rebels Cham Syndulla and Numa are riding blurrg s while being pursued by scout trooper s on 614 - AvA speeder bike s and an Imperial Troop Transport . When Numa asks how did the Galactic Empire find them , Cham replies that the Empire is getting better at anticipating their moves . Numa throws a grenade which destroys two of the speeder bikes and their riders are thrown to the ground . Cham tells Numa that they are heading for a pick - up with his daughter Hera Syndulla , the captain of the " Ghost " . Numa ' s blurrg is hit by a laser blast but continues running . The scout trooper tries to shoot her but Cham uses his blurrg to knock him aside . Numa ' s blurrg grabs the forward laser cannon s of another speeder bike and yanks the rider aside . The two Twi ' lek s and their steeds approach a cliff . At that point , Hera contacts Cham to tell them that they are closing in on their position . Cham tells them that they are running out of time to land . In the " Ghost " cockpit , Hera replies that she is not landing and tells Cham and Numa to turn around and head south . Kanan Jarrus and Gobi Glie appear behind Hera . Numa is skeptical of Hera ' s idea but joins Cham in turning their steeds around and heading south . The " Ghost " strafed the Troop Transport and the remaining speeder bike ; knocking the former out . Cham and Numa leap over the burning transport and follow the " Ghost " . The surviving scout trooper pursues them on his speeder bike . Hera lowers the forward ramp of the " Ghost " and Cham and Numa ride their blurrgs aboard the ship . However , the surviving scout trooper follows them into the cargo bay only to be confronted by the gun - wielding Numa , Zeb , and Cham . After taunting the scout trooper , Garazeb Orrelios knocks him out and allows Ezra to keep his armor . Family reunion . The " Ghost " flies into Ryloth ' s horizon . Cham hugs Hera and tells her that she arrived just in time to make the supply run . Hera explains that it was tricky getting through the Imperial blockade around Ryloth . Cham tells his daughter that the situation on Ryloth has worsened and that the Empire is now occupying the Tann Province . The Spectres including Ezra and Chopper are watching the conversation . When Ezra asks , Kanan explains that Tann province is Hera ' s home . Cham explains that he underestimated the new Imperial commander ; previous attacks were clumsy but the new commander ' s attacks were swift and precise . He tells Hera that the new Imperial commander has made the Syndulla residence his new headquarters . Cham regrets not being able to save anything including the Kalikori . When Ezra asks , Numa explains that it is a valuable Twi ' lek heirloom . Hera vows to recover the Kalikori because it belonged to her late mother . After Hera explains that successive generations add objects to the device , Sabine surmises that the Kalikori is living art . Hera is initially reluctant to involve her father in the recovery mission but relents when Cham , Numa , Globie , and the other Spectres volunteer . Cham then proceeds to brief Hera about Captain Slavin ' s advances . While planning the mission , Hera tells Chopper that he will accompany her to Syndulla house while the others stage a diversionary attack in the nearby Tulara Ravine to draw the Empire away . Cham is skeptical their mission will succeed since his forces in the Tann province have been decimated . However , Ezra volunteers to enter the base disguised as a scout trooper . Homeward Bound . Putting their plans into action , the Lothal and Ryloth Rebels ambush an Imperial patrol led by an AT - DP walker and an Imperial Troop Transport at Tulara Ravine . Cham , Gobi , and Numa charge on their blurrg steeds while Sabine blows up the two vehicles . Kanan and Zeb then join the attack . As more Imperials approach , Ezra and Hera take the speeder bike to Syndulla House , which lies inside a Twi ' lek city . Ezra manages to gain access by posing as a scout trooper who has captured a Twi ' lek insurgent . They rendezvous with a disguised Chopper outside the Syndulla household . Chopper is mesmerised by the wreck of a Y - wing starfighter which had crashed outside the Syndulla house during the Clone Wars . Hera explains to Ezra that her father had left the ship as a memorial and that Chopper still has issues with it due to it being the starfighter that Hera pulled Chopper out of . As the rebels enter Syndulla ' s home , they make their way to Cham ' s office . There , Ezra inspects a portrait of the Syndulla family and sees Hera ' s mother for the first time . Hera finds the Kalikori inside a drawer . Having accomplished their mission , the two try to sneak out . While hiding behind wall separaters , Hera and Ezra witness Captain Slavin , the blue - skinned Grand Admiral Thrawn , and two stormtroopers enter through the front door . After ordering his stormtrooper s to stand guard , Slavin tells Thrawn about the recent rebel attack at Tulara Ravine . Despite having increased operations , Slavin ponders why the rebels are attacking far from here . Thrawn senses movement behind the wall separaters and surmises that the rebels are closer than Slavin thinks . When Ezra asks who is the " blue guy " , Hera admits she does not know . Hera then suggests that they use a secret entrance in the basement to escape . They enter the basement only to discover that the Imperials have converted it into a command center . Later , they encounter Chopper and Hera tells him that she is glad to see him because they need help to get out . Confronting Thrawn . Meanwhile , Cham , Gobi , and Numa and the other Spectres think they have lost their pursuers . Cham is confident that they know the land better . However , they are ambushed by another AT - DP walker . While fleeing , Sabine ' s blurrg is gunned down . Kanan and Sabine stand and fight and are joined by Cham . Cham tells Gobi to get the rocket launcher . Gobi uses the launcher to dislodge rocks from a ravine , creating an obstacle for the Imperials . Despite their efforts , the walker blasts through effortlessly . Cham says they have gotten no contact from Hera and deduces that something has gone wrong . The rebels and their remaining blurrgs then retreat . Back at Syndulla house , Hera and Ezra decide to escape through the front door but find it guarded by two stormtroopers . They use Chopper to stage a diversion and the droid tries to talk to the stormtroopers in Binary ; which they don ' t understand . While Ezra covers for Hera , she approaches the front door only to run straight into Slavin and Thrawn . Slavin mistakes her for a servant and warns her that she is not permitted outside the kitchen . Hera attempts to move away but Thrawn decides that he wants to speak to her . Thrawn orders the stormtroopers entries including Ezra to detain Hera . Thrawn takes an interest in the Kalikori and asks Hera for her view on the Imperial occupation of Ryloth . Pretending to be a servant , Hera claims that she can ' t help but Thrawn begs to differ . He orders his men to take her to his office . Chopper watches as Hera is led away by the Imperials including a disguised Ezra . Inside Thrawn ' s office , Hera pretends to be an impoverished servant who wanted to sell the Kalikori to buy food for her family . Slavin wants to punish the servant for stealing Imperial property . Thrawn inspects the Kalikori and deduces that their prisoner was far more valuable than the Captain realized . Thrawn explains that to defeat an enemy you must know them ; not only their battle tactics but also their history , philopshy , and art . He then asks Slavin a second time if he understands the significance of the Kalikori . When Slavin dismisses the Kalikori as a primitive trinket , Thrawn corrects him by pointing out that the Kalikori is a priceless family heirloom that is important to Twi ' lek families . Thrawn then asks Hera why she stole it and observes that she has only known war her entire life . Thrawn explains that he has devoted himself to studying the art of war and surmises that Hera ' s entire life has been forged by war . When Slavin disparages Hera as a mere servant , Hera speaks up and remarks that it doesn ' t matter where her people come from but that her people will not give up their will to be free . Slavin is about to chastise her when Thrawn scolds him for embarrassing himself . Thrawn reveals that the Twi ' lek servant is none other than the rebel freedom fighter Hera Syndulla , the daughter of the rebel leader Cham Syndulla . Ezra tries to make a move but Thrawn stun s him with his blaster . When Slavin asked Thrawn how he knew , Thrawn points out that the rebels always have friends around them . Thrawn then tells Hera that her rescue plan has been thwarted . Hera drags the unconscious Ezra to a cell and a stormtrooper knocks her to the ground . Thrawn meets with Hera in her cell while still holding the Kalikori . He tells Hera that he regrets that this would be their last meeting but promises to keep her Kalikori in a place of honor . Hera regrets not destroying the Kalikori since she does not want an enemy gaining possession of a priceless heirloom . Thrawn retorts by asking Hera if her history is worth so little to her . When Slavin interjects , Thrawn apologises for his comrade ' s behavior and thanks Hera for her hospitality . Hera ' s escape plan . After leaving the cell , Thrawn orders Slavin to deliver the Kalikori to his ship . When Slavin suggests destroying the object , Thrawn momentarily loses his temper and grabs Slavin by the collar before apologizing to him . Thrawn laments that Slavin does not appreciate art and then departs for an " experiment " that requires his attendance . Before leaving , he leaves Slavin to finish the job . Back in the cell , Ezra awakes and Hera tends to him . In the Tulara Ravine , the Ryloth and Spectres are locked in battle against an AT - DP walker . Suddenly , the walker stops firing and Captain Slavin uses a holocaster to offer Cham a deal . He offers to release Hera and Ezra if Cham agrees to surrender himself to the Empire . If Cham refuses , Slavin threatens to execute the prisoners by firing squad at dawn . Gobi tries to talk Cham out of surrendering due to his importance to the Ryloth resistance . However , Cham is willing to sacrifice himself to save his daughter and describes her as a worthy successor . Back at the cell , Hera apologizes to Ezra for embarking on a personal mission and endangering their lives . Ezra reassures her that they would be willing to do the same for her . Hera admits that she underestimated the admiral . Chopper then enters the cell to inform Hera and Ezra that Cham is surrendering himself to the Empire to free them . When Ezra suggests escaping , Hera counsels against it because there are too many guards . Instead , Hera sends Chopper to raid the Imperial armory for explosives . When Ezra asks if she is going to destroy the Syndulla family home , Hera responds that her crew are her home and family now . The prisoner exchange . Following Hera ' s orders , Chopper ventures into the command room where he discovers that Captain Slavin has positioned cannons around the hangar in order to trap the " Ghost " . Slavin plans to use the exchange as an opportunity to trap the rebels . Chopper then pillages the armory . Later , Slaving enters Hera ' s cell and tells her that it is time to say goodbye to her father . Meanwhile , Thrawn watches the impending exchange from the safety of his " Arquitens " - class command cruiser . He is interested in watching how Cham will respond to this test . The " Ghost " travels to the Syndulla home . Captain Slavin has Hera and Ezra brought out fo the exchange . Sabine lands the " Ghost " in the hangar . Cham and Kanan step out of the forward ramp to facilitate the exchange . When Slavin orders Cham to surrender , Cham reminds him to honor his promise to release his daughter and Ezra . Slavin agrees to make a simultaneous exchange . Meanwhile , Chopper finishes planting the explosives and races out through the door just in time to join Hera and Ezra . When Hera meets Cham , she apologizes but he tells her that it is alright because he has been captured before . Hera quickly reveals her plan to blow up Syndulla house in order to stage an escape before ordering Chopper to trigger the explosives . The explosives send a fiery wave through the house that knocks the stormtroopers to the ground . From above , Thrawn watches the explosion . The rebels then flee aboard the " Ghost " while Slavin orders his men to stop them . Kanan uses the Force to deflect a rocket back at an AT - DP walker , toppling the machine . Despite being blinded , Kanan waves goodbye to a humiliated Slavin . The " Ghost " then flies into the air where Thrawn ' s light cruiser is lying in wait . The gunnery officer asks the Grand Admiral whether he should give the command to fire . However , Thrawn replies that the rebels have gained their victory . When a wounded Slavin reports that the rebels are getting away , Thrawn counsels him not to worry because he found this " experiment " enlightening . Home and family . The " Ghost " lands on the plains of Ryloth . Cham meets in private with Kanan and Hera . He surmises that she should not have underestimated his daughter . Both father and daughter hope that the Empire will continue to underestimate them . When Kanan apologizes for not being able to recover the Kalikori , Hera replies that she doesn ' t need an heirloom to honor her mother ' s memory because she already has Kanan , her father , and the Spectres . In the background , Zeb grabs and hugs Ezra while Chopper and Sabine watch .