New RetroZap! writer Courtney Martin digs into this action-packed episode!
“Call to Action” finds our heroes facing the reality of Senator Trayvis’ betrayal, uncertainty about the future of the fledgling Rebellion, and how far will they go for their hope for a life free of the Empire’s tyranny. The first thing any fan of the original trilogy will notice is the epic opening Imperial sequence of the episode. The ships, the setting, the stormtroopers. Listen to the music—it makes the scene. Then boom! Here’s the coldest and most calculating Imperial ever embodied in the Star Wars universe, Grand Moff Tarkin.
Tarkin is the perfect bad guy for this episode (and hopefully future episodes to come); he’s always one step ahead of the rebels in his plans to stop them from utilizing an Imperial communications tower to send out a message against the Empire. The Inquisitor is back for this episode, and he proves to be willing to show how far he will go to get back in the good graces of the Grand Moff.
This in turn poses an interesting question: Does the Inquisitor report to Tarkin? Tarkin makes a point of telling the Inquisitor that capturing Kanan will redeem his status in Tarkin’s eyes. Remind anyone of Princess Leia’s quote from A New Hope? “Governor Tarkin. I should have expected to find you holding Vader’s leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought onboard.” Is the Inquisitor a predecessor to Vader in this sense, just one of Tarkin’s powerful lackeys? Or is he something more we haven’t see yet?
Speaking of Imperial subordinates, it seems that Minister Tua and Agent Kallus are very uncomfortable with the Grand Moff’s orders in this episode. First, when Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint are beheaded, both Tua and Kallus are not only sickened, but genuinely shocked. Second, when Agent Kallus purposes the Imperials set a trap for the Rebels at the communications tower and Tarkin dismisses the idea for his own plan, Agent Kallus seems to question Tarkin’s plan in the way he responds. Could Agent Kallus be starting to question his loyalty to the Empire if someone like the Grand Moff is in charge? Could Minister Tua be second guessing her commitment to having the Imperials on Lothal? Perhaps she will start to feel the Rebels’ message of hope for a better future as the path to take Lothal on. But, will we being seeing more of Lothal in future episodes?
As the episode progresses, Ezra, Sabine, and Kanan scope out the communications tower and the group devises a plan to gain entry to send out their message. Once in the tower Sabine is able to get the message uploaded and sent out, but Tarkin has Imperial troops en route. Zeb, Ezra, Sabine, and Kanan have to fight their way out, but Hera must pick them up at the top of the tower.
As the troop carriers land, Kanan sees the Inquisitor has come to stop them. Kanan stays behind to face him, destroying the controls into the tower to prevent his colleagues from getting in harm’s way. He knows at this point there is no escaping for any of them if he doesn’t face the Inquisitor.
A quick lightsaber fight ensues. It’s a small fight, but very well animated. Excellent sword play, and we see just how powerful the Inquisitor can be. The rest of the group is able to escape, but Kanan sacrifices himself as a prisoner.
What does that sacrifice mean for the rebels? Will they recruit new members in trying to save him? Perhaps we’ll see a more desperate group; they seem more reluctant to kill any Imperials now (Tarkin takes special note of this). Will the group set aside their trepidation in harming others to achieve their goals? What would this do to each member, how would it affect their emotional and mental states?
“Call to Action” poses a lot of questions, as well as sets up the beginning of a more in-depth plot line for the show. The rebels accomplished their goal to get a message of hope out, but was it worth Kanan getting captured?
As Ezra says in this episode, “Every time we win, we lose.”
Courtney Martin is a graduate of Indiana University and works in publishing. She’s an avid Star Wars fan and wrote the recipe blog Courtney Cooks Star Wars on suvudu.com. When not enveloped a science fiction or fantasy novel, she is watching television with her husband and son, doing crossword puzzles, or playing with her Shih Tzu, Burt.