In the final run of Star Wars Rebels, the Emperor wants to corrupt Ezra Bridger, perhaps as a replacement for Darth Vader. Clearly, the fourth and final season of the animated series set just before the events of A New Hope holds many surprises for the crew of the Ghost. Naturally, fans aren't expecting everyone to live, although something darker may be in store for one hero.Since the show first introduced the troubled if gifted Force-sensitive, fans have theorized about Ezra's fall to the dark side. His brief œmentorship with Darth Maul and connection to the Sith Holocron, established during the third season, certainly drove home the possibility.Related: Star Wars Rebels Has Heartbreak On The HorizonPalaptine's introduction to the show and interest in the impetuous Jedi certainly raise some interesting questions; after all, Star Wars fans know the Emperor often hedged his bets, apprentice-wise. Could Ezra have truly caught the attention of the galactic tyrant?
Palpatine Wanted to Replace Vader After Mustafar
Few in galactic history were more scheming and duplicitous than Sheev Palpatine, better known by his Sith alter ego Darth Sidious. Ambition pushed him towards his destiny: ruling the galaxy with an iron fist. To those ends, he had no problem playing chess with the lives around, even his own apprentices.
Despite supposedly being an adherent to Darth Bane's Sith "rule of two," Palpatine often took on alternative understudies. His first recognized apprentice in Star Wars canon was Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. After Maul's apparent death, Sidious replaced him with disillusioned Jedi Count Dooku, dubbing him Darth Tyranus. But Dooku and his unfortunate last name didn't last long either; even as he perpetuated Sidious' Clone War, his replacement, Anakin Skywalker, was being groomed.
Vader was constantly on the chopping block himself, despite doing everything his master asked. Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization includes a sequence where Palpatine hesitates to save his apprentice from a fiery demise on Mustafar for failing to defeat Obi-Wan Kenobi. He only rescinds the death sentence after realizing how much effort he put into shaping the Sith Lord.
Related: How Darth Maul Became More Tragic Than Darth Vader
In addition, Marvel Comic's Darth Vader ongoing series, written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Salvador Larocca, revealed that the Emperor had a 20-year-long contingency plan for Vader. Palpatine tasked cybernetics expert Dr. Cylo with engineering cyborg warriors to take over for his apprentice, if necessary. The destruction of the Death Star put Vader in the hot seat, and only his devious scheming and dark side moxie got him back in his Emperor's good graces.
Ezra Has Flirted With Sith Training
Speaking of apprentice issues: Ezra Bridger began his stint on Rebels as a teenage criminal with a chip on his shoulder. After he signed on to the Ghost, former Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus took him under his wing, developing his Force powers. Ezra became a key member of the crew and the Rebellion. Much like Anakin and Luke Skywalker, though, he grew disillusioned with the Jedi path, in part due to Kanan's own insecurities. On several occasions such as when he's tempted by the Grand Inquisitor or forces an Imperial walker driver to kill his own troops Ezra surrendered to his sinister urges, albeit for good reasons.
His negative trend escalated after his parents were killed, leading him to delve further into the dark side. On Malachor, he joined with Maul to locate the Sith Holocron. In his possession, he tapped into the dark side tome to supplement his training. Fortunately, Kanan recognized its corrupting influence and eventually gave it to the Bendu, a neutral Force being.
Ezra also saw the error of his ways, in part thanks to Master Yoda, and stepped up as a leader in the Rebel Alliance. Even though his Force abilities progressed, Ezra still struggles with his powers, his place in the universe, and the uphill battle against the Empire. The pull of the dark side remained, though. Worse still, his prowess and high-visibility in the Rebellion made him a target for the Emperor's twisted schemes.
Why Palpatine Would Want To Replace Vader With Ezra
The power of the dark side isn't just about wearing black, Force-choking your enemies, and zapping folks with Force-lightning. It's also about the big picture, evil-wise. Before turning Anakin, Emperor Palpatine tempted him to the dark side by preying on his vulnerabilities: his rage over his mother's death, his fear of losing his wife, Padme, and his frustration with the Jedi Council. Similarly, he may use Ezra's own fears and insecurities to corrupt him.
Related: How The Latest Season of Star Wars Rebels Connects to Rogue One
Fortunately, Ezra's has good people in his corner. Yoda's Force-chats helped him course-correct after his dark side dalliances. He realized that taking revenge for his parent's death wasn't as important as helping people. The diminutive master drummed his point home during their next 'face-time,' reminding Ezra that fear could blind him and that œhow we choose to win is more important than victory itself. These hard questions jelled into a renewed confidence in his Jedi abilities, as did his rekindled mentorship with Kanan.
However, Ezra is still green, impressionable, and head-strong, which opens a window for Palpatine. He could offer the young Jedi safe passage for his friends and an end to the brutal conflict much as he convinced Anakin that the dark side was his only chance to save Padme as a means to subjugate him. If so, the Emperor will also near his own endgame, scuttling one of the Rebellion's brightest hopes and gaining a potential Vader stand-in.
Clearly, the Emperor failed to destroy the Rebel Alliance in the long run. But Star Wars Rebels primarily follows the crew of the Ghost. So far, only Hera Syndulla who winds on Hoth and Endor is guaranteed to survive the show. In particular, the fate of Force-sensitives like Ezra and Kanan remains uncertain. After all, very few Force-users survived the Jedi Purge and even fewer are active during the height of the Galactic Civil War. So, it doesn't look good.
We also know that Vader retains his status as the Emperor's right-hand, although that doesn't mean Ezra will fall to his darker instincts or even die. He might survive his encounter with Palpatine (or at least his Force projection) but be forced into hiding. If he does succumb to the dark side, though, it could explain his disappearance from the Star Wars radar after Rebels and perhaps set up some curious possibilities for his future.
Next: Lucasfilm May Already be Hiring For The Next Animated Star Wars Show
Star Wars Rebels returns to Disney XD with its midseason premiere, "Jedi Night," on February 19, 2018.
