A key element of the plot ofAhsokahinged on the mysterious ending ofStar Wars Rebels– the disappearance of Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn. In the final two years before the Battle of Yavin, Phoenix Cell, the central group inRebels, came into the sights of Thrawn and his forces. Phoenix Cell was originally from theplanet Lothal, which at this point was occupied by the Empire.
Shortly before the Battle of Scarif, Phoenix Cell and other Rebels decided that it was time to take back Lothal, culminating in a conflict withGrand Admiral Thrawn’s forces. Ezra played a very important role in this battle, and was brought onboard Thrawn’s flagship Chimaera to talk to a hologram of Emperor Palpatine. But during an attack by the Purrgil summoned by Bridger, he was able to sneak onto the Chimaera’s bridge to challenge Thrawn face-to-face.
The Chimaera Was In-Atmosphere When It Was Dragged Into Hyperspace
Thrawn’s Star Destroyer Over Lothal
The Purrgil summoned by Ezra then grabbed on to the Chimaera, and even used their tentacles to break through the Chimaera’s bridge windows. They held Thrawn in place, as Ezra used the Force to keep him still, as thePurrgil prepared to jump to hyperspace. This fulfilled the prophecy of the mysterious being known as Bendu after the Battle of Atollon earlier in the series, “I see your defeat,” he told Thrawn. “Like many arms surrounding you in a cold embrace.”
The Chimaera was in-atmosphere when the Purrgil jumped to hyperspace. This explains why the tentacles breaking into the bridge didn’t result in explosive decompression, killing everybody aboard - the kind of explosive decompression seen inStar Wars: The Last Jedi. The problem, though, is that this doesn’t explain how the people on the bridge survived when the ship had been dragged into hyperspace.
How Could Thrawn & Ezra Have Survived The Hyperspace Journey?
Two Possible Methods Of Survival
Hyperspace is somewhat mysterious, but one thing is certain; it is a vacuum, like space. That means this incident is immediately comparable to another inReturn of the Jedi, where A-Wing crashed through the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer at the Battle of Endor and took the entire ship down. The Chimaera was not destroyed, though, likely thanks to the Purrgil holding it together intact.But how could the people on the Chimaera’s bridge have survived?
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One option is that there were likely emergency energy-based shields that extended into the spaces that the windows once covered. This technology is not unprecedented forStar Wars, as starship hangars seen since the original film are permeable yet vacuum-proof. There is a specific precedent for this as well, withBounty Hunters#19by Ethan Sacks & Ramón F Bachs depicting aTIE Defendercrashing through the bridge of an Imperial light cruiser, followed by the extension of red energy shields, protecting the bridge from the vacuum of space.
The other possible option for Thrawn & Ezra’s survival is the Purrgil themselves. These creatures are vacuum-breathing, and travel through hyperspace at their own volition, due to their consumption of coaxium-related chemicals.The Purrgil absolutely could have generated some sort of vacuum-field, keeping the Star Destroyer’s passengers aliveand well in the vacuum of space.
How Did Thrawn & Ezra Survive A Return To Realspace?
A New Galaxy
Upon their arrival in a strange new galaxy at Peridea, the funeral world of the Purrgil, Ezra and Thrawn could have been in for another surprise: de-pressurization & landing. The energy shielding likely in place due to the precedent established inBounty Hunterscould easily solve this problem.But with the tentacles of the Purrgil wrapping around the ship, and the Chimaera slowly falling to pieces, other problems were coming their way.
Star Destroyers can only land in specific places, with dedicated landing pads necessary for the entire process. This was obviously not present on Peridea, meaning that Ezra and Thrawn’s likely uncontrolled descent would have been another serious threat to their well-being. But, based onAhsoka,that they indeed survived, likely with the Chimaera being abandoned by the Purrgil in orbit.
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This brings into question how Ezra was able to escape the Imperials, though. He was in the same room as Grand Admiral Thrawn, on a fully crewed Star Destroyer. It’s possible that Bridger was able to escape in some sort of escape pod before meeting the Noti on Peridea, or perhaps he was simply able to slip away in the chaos of the Chimaera’s arrival in a new galaxy - a similar approach he used inAhsoka.
Ahsoka
Cast
Ahsoka follows the journey of former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. Released in 2023, this series takes place within the Star Wars universe and features Ahsoka navigating through a complex political and cosmic landscape.
