Flight of the Defender " Flight of the Defender " is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " . The episode premiered on Disney XD on October 30 , 2017 . It is also the sixty - fifth episode of the series overall . Official description . " The rebels look to secure intel on a deadly new Imperial fighter prototype . " Plot summary . Stakeout . Loth - cat s run in the wilderness , approaching the rebels Ezra Bridger , Sabine Wren , Garazeb Orrelios and Ryder Azadi , who are staking out a remote Imperial testing facility in Lothal ' s wilderness . Sabine , studying the base , notes that she sees plenty of TIE Interceptors , but that ' s nothing new . Ryder explains that his spies have gotten information that the Empire plans to test their new TIE Defender here . Zeb is skeptical that the starfighter exists , grumbling that the only thing they ' ve found are the Loth - cats , which are crawling on him . Ezra responds that he can ' t help that the cats like him . Sabine quips that it ' s nice that something likes Ezra , but they need to focus on the mission . Ezra ' s comlink beeps , and Hera Syndulla asks how the mission is going . He tells her that the fighter hasn ' t shown up yet . Hera , at Ezra ' s old tower with Kanan Jarrus and Chopper , reports that Empire is fortifying their anti - aircraft defences and there are new fuel tanks at the Imperial factories . Kanan suspects that the Empire intends to start full - scale production . Hera orders Ezra to watch until nightfall , then return to base . Ryder explains that the new Defender is even more dangerous than the normal variety . The cats suddenly growl , and the Defender Elite flies overhead , blowing Ryder ' s hat and Sabine ' s helmet right off their heads . Pulling it back on , Sabine takes a closer look at the new prototype , which Zeb is now willing to admit exists . Sabine recognizes the pilot exiting the prototype as Vult Skerris . Since they have pictures , Ryder states that they should leave , but Sabine has another idea , proposing extracting the fighter ' s flight data recorder so the Rebellion will know more about the fighter ' s capabilities . Zeb thinks it is a bad idea , and Ryder points out that since they have no starship s , it will be difficult to get the data back to the Rebellion . Sabine points out that transmissions can be intercepted , and that having no way to get the data recorder to the Alliance is what she calls a good problem . Ezra and Sabine sneak off on their mission , while Zeb and Ryder wait . Stealing the prototype . The two Spectres sneak onto the base , with two Loth - cats in tow . They observe the prototype Elite , noting it is guarded by two stormtrooper s . Ezra suggests that Sabine create a distraction so she can sneak aboard . As Sabine attempts to come up with one , the Loth - cats emerge from behind the crates the rebels are using as cover and approach the guards . Seeing this , Ezra tells Sabine that the cats are handling it . The stormtroopers , irritated at the animals ' presence , wonder if they can fly . One of the troopers shoots at a cat , which jumps out of the way . As the troopers agree that Loth - cats can ' t fly , the animals , angered , attack them . The cats then flee , with the troopers in pursuit . Sabine notes she likes the cats more and more , before asking Ezra to keep watch while she sneaks aboard the Defender . As Sabine begins to extract the flight recorder , Zeb contacts her and Ezra to report a ship approaching from the south . Skerris meets the " Sentinel " - class landing craft as it arrives at the airfield . Ezra , in his hiding place , looks over and is horrified to see Grand Admiral Thrawn and Governor Arihnda Pryce exiting the shuttle . Sabine asks Ezra , over the comms , what ' s happening , and he tells her " something terrible . " Ryder notes , horrified , that Sabine is still in the Elite , and Zeb responds that things are about to get interesting . Skerris , greeting Thrawn and Pryce , states that he has planned a simulation flight to showcase the Elite ' s capabilities . Sabine , looking up from her work to see the Imperials approaching , asks Ezra to distract them as she is nearly finished . Ezra asks how he ' s supposed to do that , and she responds that he ' ll think of something . Ezra prepares to execute a diversion , but is distracted by the sight of a white Loth - wolf on top of a rock across the valley . A TIE pilot catches him off guard , and in defending himself , Ezra is seen by Thrawn , Pryce and Skerris . The surprised commander remarks on the presence of a Jedi , and Thrawn identifies Ezra . Pryce orders the stormtroopers to apprehend him , and Thrawn orders their squad of death trooper s to secure the prototype . Sabine , working , is surprised to discover that the fighter has a navicomputer . She looks up to see Ezra fighting the stormtroopers , and tells him he definitely got their attention . He snaps that he ' s glad things are working out for her . Zeb contacts Ezra , telling him and Sabine to make their way to the south end of the airfield , and that he and Ryder are going to go over there to help them escape . Ezra tells Ryder and Zeb to get the information they already had back to the others , and that he and Sabine will find their own way out . After she removes the flight recorder , Sabine looks up to see the approaching death troopers , and remarks that maybe this wasn ' t such a good idea . Looking at the Elite ' s controls , she decides she has a better one . As Ezra dodges stormtroopers amidst crates on the landing field , he contacts Sabine , who tells him to take cover . She fires on the Imperial troops with the Elite ' s guns , and picks up Ezra . Sabine makes several passes to destroy most of the base ' s TIE fighters and Interceptors . On her final pass , Thrawn , despite being in the line of fire , calmly shoots at the prototype several times , making no attempt to take cover . Sabine destroys Thrawn ' s shuttle before buzzing the control tower , causing the officers inside to duck . After the prototype escapes , Thrawn asks Skerris if this was part of the demonstration , and he responds that they won ' t get very far as the fighter ' s hyperdrive is offline . Pryce offers to activate its kill switch , but Thrawn tells her not to , as he sees this as a good opportunity to perform a combat test . He orders Skerris to get his pilots in the air , and three TIE Interceptors are launched . Zeb tells Ryder that he ' d said it was going to get interesting , and the two depart . The two stormtroopers from earlier , still chasing the Loth - cats , are knocked down by the Elite ' s speed as it passes overhead . Combat test . As she flies the Elite , Sabine tells Ezra that the prototype has a navicomputer , which means it has a hyperdrive , making it their best option for getting the flight data recorder back to the Rebellion . Ezra likes the plan , and Sabine gives him the controls , telling him to keep flying east . She begins to deactivate the prototype ' s homing beacon , so the Empire can ' t track them . Several blips appear on the fighter ' s scope , and Ezra reports enemy fighters closing in . As the prototype is chased through a landscape of rock spires , Ezra shoots down one of the pursuing Interceptors . Sabine tells him to keep it steady , as she is still working , and Ezra retorts that he is trying not to get shot down . He shoots down a second pursuer . At the Imperial base , Thrawn wonders who else besides Ezra is on board . Skerris , noting the pilot ' s capabilities , suggests that Hera Syndulla is piloting the prototype . Thrawn states that it has to be someone else , as if Hera were piloting , than all three of the Interceptors would have been shot down by now . Ezra destroys the last of the pursuers with the Elite ' s missiles . Sabine finishes deactivating the homing beacon , but then panics as she discovers something else . When this happens , Thrawn , noting that the homing beacon was deactivated in record time , deduces that Sabine is the other rebel in the Elite . Onboard the prototype , Sabine , realizing that the prototype has a kill switch , tells Ezra to land , reminding him of the ones on the TIE fighters from her mission to Skystrike Academy . Back at the base , Thrawn notes that if a modest pilot Ezra can defeat three trained Interceptor pilots so quickly , it more than proves the prototype ' s combat capabilities . He orders Pryce to activate the kill switch , and after she does , she orders gunships sent to the crash site . The Elite is heading for a landing in the wilderness when the switch is activated , and two of its wings are ripped off before Sabine manages to cut off the signal . The fighter crash - lands on its one remaining wing , and Ezra and Sabine exit with the data recorder . Sabine insists that they have to remove the fighter ' s hyperdrive , as they might be able to install it on Ryder ' s U - wing , which no longer has a functioning one . Ezra asks how they ' re going to carry it , and Sabine responds , " Any way we can . " He tells her to make it quick . Zeb and Ryder arrive back at Ryder ' s U - wing , and Zeb grumbles that he knew the kids would pull something crazy like this . Kanan tells him not to worry , and climbs up into the copilot ' s seat . Hera reports that Imperial chatter is saying that they crashed , and Ryder points out that they can ' t contact Ezra and Sabine without leaving a signal trace . The U - wing takes off , as Hera resolves to find them before the Empire does . After extracting it , Ezra and Sabine slowly drag the heavy hyperdrive away from the wreckage . Ezra sees a white Loth - cat , which directs him to an alcove . He suggests that they hide the hyperdrive there so they can come back for it later , as they ' ll make better time without it . Sabine asks Ezra how he knew about the place , and he tells her that he " followed the white Loth - cat . " As she didn ' t see it , she doesn ' t know what he ' s talking about . The two rebels push the hyperdrive inside , and Ezra pushes a stone in front for concealment . As they leave , Ezra hears howling in the distance . Imperial gunships arrive at the crash site after nightfall as Pryce begins her search , and Thrawn promises ground troops to secure the area . Elsewhere , Hera flies Ryder ' s U - wing through the rocks , staying close to the ground . She hears that the Empire has secured the crash site , and Kanan reassures her that Ezra and Sabine will be safe . Escape . Ezra and Sabine , carrying the flight recorder , are forced to hide from the searchlights of Imperial gunships . Sabine insists that they have to keep moving . Ezra sees the Loth - wolf again , but Sabine doesn ' t . She recalls it as a creature depicted in cave paintings , and Ezra explains that it was native to Lothal , but that no one ' s seen one in a hundred years . At this point , the Loth - wolf comes up behind Sabine , and Ezra , nervous , gets her to turn around . The wolf puts her to sleep before looking at Ezra , who asks what he did to Sabine and reaches for his lightsaber . The white Loth - cat appears on the wolf ' s head , reassuring and surprising Ezra . When Imperial gunships appear in the distance , the wolf and cat growl , and Ezra notes that they don ' t like the Empire either . Ezra tells the wolf that the gunships are searching for them , and he offers him and the sleeping Sabine a ride . Putting Sabine on the wolf ' s back , Ezra then picks up her helmet and the data recorder and climbs on as well . The wolf runs , avoiding searchlights , and Ezra looks back as they flee before thanking the creature . The Loth - wolf drops Ezra and Sabine off near where Ryder ' s U - wing is landed , after daybreak . Ezra asks the wolf why it helped him , and it gives him a cryptic message , " Dume " , before vanishing . Sabine wakes up as the other rebels approach , and Hera is very glad to see the two safe . Zeb asks how they got back to the camp so quickly , and Ezra asks the others if they saw the wolf , only to discover him gone . Sabine says she remembers nothing of the journey except Ezra saying " wolf " . Ezra and Sabine show the others the flight recorder , and reveal that they hid the Elite ' s hyperdrive near the crash site . Zeb congratulates them on a job well done . As they walk back to Ryder ' s U - wing , Ezra asks Kanan about the wolf . Kanan believes Ezra , but is unsure of what is happening . He says that all paths are coming together , and that they ' ll know what that means when they get there . Behind them , the Loth - wolf watches the Rebels walk away .