How can the Rebels possibly recover from recent events? What is the way forward? DUME sets the stage for the remainder of the season.
DUME opens with the Rebels mission to take down the production of the elite TIE Defender a seeming failure as played out in the last episode; Jedi Night.
Kanan is gone.
How do they continue in the face such grief?
Dealing with grief separately, Ezra Bridger is again contacted (or taunted) by the mysterious Loth-Wolves. They exhibit some erratic and aggressive behavior and end up chasing him away from the Rebels base camp and out into the country side. Lost out in the wild, night descends on Lothal and again Ezra is visited by the Wolves only this time accompanied by one who is massive in stature. And he calls himself Dume. Dume conveys to Ezra that the Jedi Temple that resides on Lothal is in danger. Leaving with more questions than answers they depart but leave Ezra with a piece of the Temple covered in cryptic markings.
Meanwhile, Zeb and Sabine look to deal with the recent loss in a more direct manner by heading out to interrupt an Imperial celebration that is planned. Their sabotage catches the attention of the deadly assassin Rukh and a fight soon breaks out but the two are able to subdue him. They were also able to learn some very valuable information about the TIE Defender production, namely that due to the destruction of the fuel pods, production has been halted. Therefore their mission was not a failure at all and Kanan did not sacrifice himself in vain.
Hera stays behind and is the hardest hit by the loss of Kanan. She blames herself for getting captured in the first place which is why she harbors an intense feeling of personal guilt. She is able to internally deal with these feelings and the next morning the news brought by Zeb and Sabine helps to bring her out of her temporary distress. Ezra also returns to the hideout with a new sense of purpose; the protection of the Jedi Temple.
Successes And Failures
The loss of Kanan is having a powerful effect on those he left behind. Each is dealing with grief in their own way but healing is still a ways away. But the knowledge of the halt (at least for now) of the production of the elite TIE Defender raises their collective spirits. His sacrifice still advanced the cause.
But one teams success is another’s failure. In her zealous fervor to destroy the Rebels Governor Pryce took out the fuel that was integral to the TIE project. Essentially cutting off her nose to spite her face. Reeling from this personal failure Thrawn receives word of what has transpired and is none too happy. En route to Coruscant to meet with the Emperor he contacts Pryce via Holo to convey his “displeasure” with her actions. And leaves the conversation with a dark warning; that he will deal with her when he returns.
When all seems dark and hopeless this tiny victory acts as a light to help guide the way forward and to know that there is still some hope. Kanan’s sacrifice was one with a purpose and the Rebels will not let it slip away from them.
The Propaganda Machine
At the beginning of DUME, the crew intercept a public Imperial broadcast announcing a “mandatory” victory celebration. This is to lead the public to believe that the glorious Empire had triumphed over the Rebel saboteurs.
It’s a peak at the propaganda mechanism that the Empire relies on. The Empire is a massive totalitarian regime but it’s safe to assume that large portions of the galactic population are unaware of just how nasty they can be. Some may even have bought into the narrative – that the Empire is the benevolent victim, the target of the extremist Rebel Alliance – and would be all for a celebration of the Empire’s victory. The fact that it is deemed mandatory should serve as a red flag to occupied Capital City residents however.
Zeb and Sabine’s plan to add some fireworks to the celebration is their way to either bury or move on from their feelings of pain and loss. Direct action. Normally going off on the offensive ends up poorly but without their brash and immediate attack they would not have learned about the halt in production. It is just the info they needed. An attack from Rukh is also a chance to take out some pent up aggression but Zeb almost goes too far. Before Zeb can bludgeon an unconscious Rukh to death Sabine is able to talk him down and put forward another tactic. Using her artistic skill, Sabine graffiti’s Rukh and they send him back towards the city as a message and a warning.
The Wolves And Mortis?
Again, with a purpose not immediately clear to Ezra, the Wolves are acting with their own purpose.
They lure Ezra out into the open until he becomes lost. Which also happens to be how he feels on the inside now with Kanan’s passing. In a visually stunning and almost surreal scene the Wolves return to Ezra at night. This time with a massive Wolf who when asked refers to himself as Dume. Ezra confesses to Dume that he doesn’t understand what’s going on, and that he doesn’t know what to do next. His own purpose is now clouded. The other Wolves bring Ezra an object; a piece of the Jedi Temple there on Lothal. Dume tells Ezra that the Temple is in danger and that it holds many secrets that could be deadly if it falls into the wrong hands. Before leaving Ezra, Dume gives him some final words of advice:
Restore the past, redeem the future
The stone that they leave him with is covered in an intricate design with a depiction of three hands. Two open and one closed. In the mid-season trailer there is a shot of a mural on the wall of presumably the Jedi Temple depicting some very familiar characters. The Father, The Daughter and The Son. The Clone Wars fans will recognize them from the often controversial Mortis arc. The hands on the stone match what is seen on the wall in the trailer.
The Wolves. The Lothal Jedi Temple. Mortis. All are connected in ways not known yet.
But it’s coming.
Next Up
The next two episodes, Wolves and a Door and A World Between Worlds both air back to back on February 26th at 9pm EST on Disney XD. Here’s a sneak peak!
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.