- Title: Star Wars Rebels – Breaking Ranks
- wiki: link
Working undercover for weeks in an Imperial Academy, Ezra (Taylor Gray) caries the bulk of this week’s episode leaving the other members of the Ghost mostly sidelined or as support waiting to spring into action. Even the episode’s B-story involving Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Hera (Vanessa Marshall) on an unrelated attack on an Imperial supply run is more about how each reacts the kid’s solo mission that the immediate danger facing them. While offering a glimpse into the early lives of those who become Stormtroopers and Imperial Officers, “Breaking Ranks” also introduces several new characters who I’d expect we’ll be seeing again.
While keeping his cover and attempting to finish at the top of his class earning him the prestige and status necessary to break into and steal an encoder, Ezra ends up befriending a pair of other recruits. Falling easily into a friendship with the equally-talented Jai (Dante Basco), Ezra’s bromance is cut-short first by being forced to screw his new buddy over and later by offering Zare a rather bleak future of hiding from the Empire (will he become part of the Rebellion or will the resentment lead him down a much darker path?).
Just as interesting is the introduction of Zare (Bryton James) who has his own reasons for being at the Academy opening up a subplot for the series about just what The Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs) does with handpicked recruits such as the boy’s missing sister. The other introduction of note is the selfish but talented Oleg (Eric Lopez) whose feud with Ezra and the others isn’t likely to be helped by being stunned and left in a burning AT-ST while the Rebels escaped.
