Revolt in an Imperial prison In 3 BBY , imprisoned revolutionaries Ephraim and Mira Bridger organized a revolt in an Imperial prison . The Bridgers , who had been imprisoned years earlier for broadcasting anti - Imperial messages on Lothal , were inspired to organize the attempt after they heard their son , Ezra Bridger , transmit a message of rebellion across the galaxy . Dozens of prisoner s escaped , including former Lothal Governor Ryder Azadi , but the Bridgers themselves were killed . After escaping , Azadi returned to Lothal to find Ezra , and he told the boy what happened to his parent s . Prelude . In 4 BBY , during the insurgency against the Galactic Empire on the Outer Rim planet of Lothal , the rebel crew of the starship " Ghost " hacked the planet ' s Imperial Communications Center to transmit a message of rebellion to the people of Lothal and nearby star system s . The message was read by Ezra Bridger , a young Padawan in the crew . During his message , he assured the people of Lothal that , despite what the Empire claimed , he and his crew were not criminals , but rebels who were fighting for the freedom of Lothal . He urged people to look at the oppression that the Empire had brought to their world and to stand up against them , despite the loss and sacrifice it would require . Though the message was only intended for the citizens of Lothal , the broadcast reached the ears of prison ers being held by the Galactic Empire . Two of those prisoners were Ezra ' s parent s , Ephraim and Mira Bridger , who had been imprisoned years earlier for broadcasting similar revolutionary messages on Lothal . Though Ezra never identified himself in the message , his parents knew it was him and were inspired by what he said . They stood up for their fellow prisoner s throughout their incarceration , but especially after they heard their son ' s words . The revolt . Ezra ' s message inspired his parents to take action . They rallied dozens of other prisoners to attempt an escape from their prison . One of those prisoners was Ryder Azadi , the former governor of Lothal who had supported the Bridgers ' broadcasts and was charged with treason as a result . During the revolt , dozens of prisoners were able to make their way to freedom , but the Bridgers were separated during the prison break and refused to leave until everyone else made it out . According to Azadi , by the time the other prisoners escaped , the Bridgers had been killed . Aftermath . The prison break caused Ezra to see a vision of his parents and Azadi that led him to return to Lothal to try to find answers . Azadi also returned to Lothal , hoping to find the boy so he could tell him what happened to his parents . Ezra found him on Lothal and Azadi explained what happened , giving Ezra the answer about his parents ' fate that he had hoped to find for so long . Though they were gone , Ezra saw his parents through the Force and they told him that they were proud of him and that he would need to stay strong . Behind the scenes . The escape from the Imperial prison was an event that was first referenced in " Legacy , " an episode in the second season of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " . It resolved the question of the fate of Ephraim and Mira Bridger , a storyline that began in the first season episode " Empire Day . "