It’s here! The penultimate episode of Star Wars Rebels; A Fool’s Hope. The final battle for Lothal begins!
A Fool’s Hope begins with Hera, Kallus and Rex arriving in the Seelos system to enlist the help of Rex’s compatriots; Wolffe and Gregor. In attendance are also Hondo Ohnaka, scoundrel extraordinaire, and Sabine’s bounty hunting friend Ketsu.
Their mission; the liberation of Lothal from the tyranny of the Empire. Traveling back to the Lothal sector they power the Ghost down as soon as they exit hyperspace to avoid detection by the blockade of Star Destroyers above the planet. Now they can only wait till the Imperial Freighter they knew would be coming arrives and they can secretly attach to it in order to slip past.
Meanwhile back on Lothal, the Rebels iron out a plan conceived by Ezra to take back Capital City and the planet but meets resistance from former Lothal Governor Ryder Azati. Ryder believes that their plan will ultimately fail as they need an army to stand a chance against the Imperials. Azati contacts Imperial Governor Pryce to cut a deal with her, one that she is eager to make. Ryder believes that the Rebels will lose and does not want to land back in Imperial prison. Pryce is desperate to capture the Rebels because she faces execution if she fails again in the wake of the destruction of the Empire’s fuel reserves in her last attempt.
Pryce agrees.
The Empire takes the Rebels by surprise, arriving at their hidden base and begin their assault. Led by Pryce and the assassin Rukh, they are confronted by multiple waves of Stormtroopers and soon are overwhelmed. When all seems lost Ezra and Ryder reveal that his “betrayal” was a ruse to lure them there.
The Ghost arrives and levels the playing field.
Now with the Clones joining the ground fight and Hera taking out the Imperial Transports above they’re able to make an impact but are still outnumbered. Retreating into the caves they are pursued by Rukh and Stormtroopers but this also turns out to be going according to Ezra’s plan. Deep in the caves the Loth-Wolves are waiting and help deliver the final blows of the battle.
With Pryce now captured only one last thing remains; take the fight to Capital City.
The Final Conflict
A Fool’s Hope is the location for the final battle, finishing exactly where it first started for the team; Lothal. It’s interesting, especially as the timeline is just before Rogue One, that the series looks to resolve itself at Lothal instead of the more famous “Galactic” events. With all the easter eggs that Dave Filoni and team have gone out of their way to include one could not be wronged for assuming that audiences would see the two connect in some way at the end.
But the setting of Lothal is deeply personal for Ezra. He grew up there, met his new family of Rebels there and it has routinely been a source of knowledge and character growth for him throughout the series. In that way, there could be no other place to tell the final (for now) tale for him and his friends.
It also could explain where the Rebel Alliance begins to gain traction in taking on the Empire face to face. Events from some of the films are focused on taking down the Empire as a whole. Aiming high to remove the head of the beast. Return of the Jedi’s main battle took place both on and above Endor but not specifically to aid the Ewoks. That was merely a bonus.
Even in Rogue One the planet of Jedha was important to the Rebel Alliance but only as a source of information and aid from Saw Gerrara and his Partisans. There were no plans, at least that were known, to assist in the liberation of Jedha or to prevent the desecration of the Jedi Temple there. But here the mission is slightly smaller in scale but better represents the ideals of the Rebellion. Instilling hope into the populace that they have the power to topple the Empire. Restoring worlds to the control of its people.
Sounds Of Battle
The score for A Fool’s Hope is one of composer Kevin Kiners standouts to date for Star Wars Rebels. One that bridges different parts of the Saga.
The “Rebel Fanfare” kicks in as the Ghost arrives on Lothal to attack the Imperial forces and gets the blood pumping as the tables turn. Even though the mission is not an official Alliance venture, there is no mistaking that they are part of the Rebellion.
During the fight at the Rebel base the music that plays in the background instantly takes the viewer back to the Prequel Trilogy. It’s reminiscent of “Anakin’s Dark Deeds” from Revenge of the Sith.
And there is still plenty of the Rebels own original content throughout. The powerful “The White Loth Wolf” is sprinkled throughout. Not just because the Wolves are there but to also signify that even though gone, Kanan is there in spirit, as the two now are inextricably linked.
Legacy Of The Clone Wars
Many threads of Star Wars Rebels are starting to draw to a close. A Fool’s Hope is a fulcrum point
It has been Filoni’s mission to take care of some outstanding elements from The Clone Wars along the way too. The Clones return here; Rex, Wolffe and Gregor. The last of the Republic’s elite fighting force. Having deserted upon the formation of the Empire they’ve managed to stay under the radar while helping out when they can. Now more than ever they are needed and have answered the call.
Even Hondo, that pirate everyone loves to hate, is ready to lay down his life for Ezra Bridger. Some of his good side was apparent during The Clone Wars, albeit in very brief bursts, and so his story continues here.
The Empire, born at the end of the Clone Wars, is about to enter its death throes. What happens next could very well be the beginning of the end.
The final battle is just ahead in Family Reunion – and Farewell.
Mike Harris hails from the suburbs of Chicago and has been a fan for most of his life. Working as an industrial radiographer and raising a family with his wife take up most of his time, but there’s always room for Star Wars books and podcasts! Just looking to give back to Star Wars and the fan community, it’s been a source of fun and learning for him for so long.