The Ahsoka series serves as a live-action sequel to Star Wars Rebels despite its unique style and voice, but not every viewer or casual follower of the franchise has watched all the Star Wars shows, much less the animated ones. As we move into the back half of the season, it may be the perfect time to summarize everything you need to know about the lost Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger.
If you need quick refreshers on more key Star Wars characters who have made the jump from animation to live-action, check out our rundowns on Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla, and Bo-Katan Kryze. Most of these characters (if not all of them) will surely have major roles to play in the upcoming Star Wars event movie written and directed by Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni and the preceding shows.
After the Ahsoka series, we're looking forward to Skeleton Crew on Disney Plus as the next chapter in the New Republic saga. Still not enough Star Wars for you? We've got it all covered with our Star Wars movies ranked and Star Wars T.V. shows ranked, plus the top 10 best Star Wars video games of all time list.
Who is Ezra Bridger?
Ezra Bridger is a Force-sensitive human from the planet Lothal. Incidentally, he was born to Ephraim and Mira Bridger on Empire Day – the day when the Galactic Empire was formed – in 19 BBY (this stands for Before the Battle of Yavin which is explained in the Star Wars timeline). His parents were openly critical of the Empire, which landed them into prison, leaving Ezra an orphan as a child.
In 5 BBY, he was recruited by the Ghost crew, a band of rebels, and started training in the ways of the Force under Kanan Jarrus' tutelage. Like many other Jedi before him, Ezra exhibited a particular connection to nature and other living beings, especially the Force-sensitive ones.
Ezra Bridger: Early history
Ezra's parents were taken away by the Empire around 12 BBY, leaving him to live on his own, finding work as a con artist and thief. His main base of operations and home would eventually become the abandoned LothalNet comm tower E-272.
Despite his knack for pickpocketing and persuasion, no one on Lothal paid special attention to Ezra's skills. Even he was unaware of his Force-sensitivity, which allowed him to share a natural bond with animals too. This all changed when he met Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus.
Ezra Bridger during the Age of the Empire
Ezra happened to walk into Kanan and his team executing a small heist on Lothal, which led to him fleeing the capital city aboard the Ghost ship. During the chase, he unknowingly used the Force to leap into the ship, a feat which didn't go unnoticed. After an operation to free Wookiees enslaved by the Empire on Kessel, Ezra stole Kanan's lightsaber and returned to his tower. The Jedi noticed this and gave him the choice to join the Ghost's crew and become his apprentice, leaving Lothal and his troubled past behind. Ezra seized that opportunity.
In 4 BBY, he learned that his parents were killed when they attempted to escape from prison. This gradually led him to struggles with the dark side, including the recovery of a Sith holocron which he believed would help him and Kanan destroy the Emperor and Darth Vader. The former Sith Lord – and fallen criminal kingpin – Maul also came into the picture with hopes of making Bridger his apprentice, as he still wanted to regain his lost power and strike down both Obi-Wan Kenobi and his old master, Sheev Palpatine.
On the ancient Sith world of Malachor, a big encounter which involved Ezra, Maul, Kanan, three Inquisitors, Darth Vader, and even Ahsoka Tano (an important ally of the Rebel cause back in the day) took place. This clash of Force users ended with Maul fleeing the scene, Ezra and Kanan re-connecting (and the latter losing his sight), the death of the three Inquisitors, and Ahsoka fighting Vader as the temple collapsed around them.
Ezra and the Ghost crew would later come into conflict with Grand Admiral Thrawn, who relentlessly hunted them down. Other major adventures included helping Sabine Wren – who'd essentially become a sister to him – reunite the Mandalorian people and seeking Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. The latter quest led to Maul's ultimate demise on Tatooine at the hands of his old Jedi enemy and Ezra learning that Kenobi had a greater mission to complete on the desert planet.
Months before the decisive Battle of Yavin, and with the help of the mysterious Loth-wolves, Ezra managed to enter the World Between Worlds through a portal hidden on Lothal. Inside the mystical dimension, which connected space and time, he saw Ahsoka facing against Vader on Malachor. Before the Sith Lord could land the final blow, Ezra pulled the Jedi through the portal. Darth Sidious, the Emperor himself, who was trying to access the mystical realm in his quest for unlimited power, attacked Bridger and Tano using the dark side of the Force, but the two Jedi were able to escape the plane and seal Lothal's portal.
During the Liberation of Lothal, Ezra was brought aboard the Chimaera, Thrawn's star destroyer. There, a rebuilt portion of the Lothal Jedi Temple's mural had been placed in hopes of reopening the portal to the World Between Worlds. Emperor Palpatine asked him via hologram to unlock the portal in exchange for the chance to reunite with his parents. The young Jedi resisted temptation and finally let go of his parents, using the Force to tear down the structure.
With the help of his allies, a pod of purrgils – giant space whales that are capable of interstellar travel – were summoned to the skies of Lothal, converging around Thrawn's destroyer and trapping both the massive ship and everyone inside it. The purrgils later made the jump to hyperspace, with Ezra staying inside the Chimaera to finally remove Thrawn from his homeworld and the larger war.
Ezra Bridger after the fall of the Empire
Ezra and Thrawn's current whereabouts are unknown, but both Ezra's friends – a group led by Ahsoka and Sabine – and those still loyal to Thrawn learned from an ancient star map that they're stranded in an entirely different galaxy. During the second half of the Ahsoka series, we'll finally find out where they are and how they've fared after a long disappearance.
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