In Rebels, Ezra is introduced as a 15-year old orphaned street urchin and con artist who joins the crew of the Ghost in freeing his home planet of Lothal from the tyranny of the Galactic Empire and is taken under the wing of Kanan Jarrus, who trains him in the Jedi arts, and later former SithMaul, who trains him in how to wield the dark side of the Force. Ezra and the crew join the Rebel Alliance to assist them in their fight to free the galaxy as a whole, and face enemies such as the Inquisitors, Darth Vader, and Grand Admiral Thrawn—the latter of whom Ezra sacrifices himself to defeat, disappearing with him into another galaxy. In Ahsoka, years after the fall of the Empire, Sabine Wren travels to the other galaxy to rescue Ezra; while Ezra returns to the galaxy with Thrawn, Sabine and Ahsoka Tano are left stranded in his place.
The character has received a generally positive critical reception, with his character dynamics with Hondo Ohnaka and Thrawn receiving particular praise.
Creation and development
Taylor Gray, the original voice actor of Ezra Bridger, with the action figure of the character
Concept
Executive producer Dave Filoni describes the character as a "con artist". Creative executive Rayne Roberts said: "[Ezra] doesn't really trust anyone; that [is] his motto. He has that kind of hard edge at times but knows how to turn on the charm when it comes to getting what he wants and [is] very charismatic — [one] would want to be his friend."[1] The episode "Empire Day" reveals that Ezra was born on the same day the Galactic Empire was inaugurated, and that he has been living on his own since he was seven, after his parents, Ephraim and Mira Bridger, were arrested for speaking out against the Empire.[2] According to Taylor Gray, Ezra lives alone in the streets of Lothal, relying on his "street smarts" – as well as subconscious Force abilities – to survive.[1]
Voice acting
The character is voiced by Taylor Gray. On his character, Gray stated: "He's a pickpocket, he's a little thief. But he's doing it all because he needs to survive."[3] Executive producer Greg Weisman said: "We see this whole series very much through Ezra's eyes. As his eyes get opened to what the Empire's capable of, his eyes are opened to the fact that there are people who care, who are trying to fight the good fight, and he becomes one of them."[4]
Appearances
Television
Star Wars Rebels
Ezra made his debut appearance on television in the short film "Property of Ezra Bridger", set before the two-part series premiere "Spark of Rebellion". Ezra first encounters members of the crew of the starship Ghost when he interferes in their hijacking operation by hijacking the shipment from them himself.[5][6][7]Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi and the leader of the group, discovers Ezra's Force-sensitivity and seeing potential in Ezra offers to train him in the ways of the Force. Ezra soon joins the Ghost crew and begins his Jedi training.[7]
In "Path of the Jedi", Yoda's voice leads Ezra to a kyber crystal, which he uses to build his first lightsaber, which, after being constructed, is blue and features in the hilt a built-in stun blaster patterned after his street urchin trademark weapon, an energy slingshot. In the second-season episode "Legacy", he discovers that his parents were killed in a prison revolt. In "Shroud of Darkness" it is revealed that Kanan fears Ezra might turn to the dark side, which partially happens when the former Sith Lord, Maul draws him closer in "Twilight of the Apprentice" and in further episodes claims him as his "apprentice", showing a marked interest in him. His first lightsaber is also destroyed by Darth Vader. In the season 3 premiere episode "Steps into Shadow", Ezra has replaced it with a green-bladed lightsaber. In the same episode, Ezra is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander of the Phoenix Squadron and also assumes field leadership of the Ghost crew, due to Kanan's blindness preventing him from continuing the role. But due to his reckless leadership at the time, he was suspended from command as Lieutenant Commander, until further notice. The episodes "Shroud of Darkness", "Holocrons of Fate" and "Twin Suns" reveal Ezra's main motivation of the third season, to "find the key to destroying the Sith", who he interprets as the exiled Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. But after eventually finding and talking to Kenobi, Ezra realizes that his true mission is to be with the other rebels and help them fight against the Empire. During the season 3 finale, by taking command of a squad during the battle against Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet, it shows that at this point Ezra's status as Lieutenant Commander has been fully restored.
Ezra becomes somewhat lost after the death of his master, Kanan, but begins to understand Kanan's final lessons after he penetrates the Jedi Temple in "A World Between Worlds". His connection to the Force-sensitive creatures of Lothal increases and in the penultimate episode "A Fool's Hope", and the one-hour series finale "Family Reunion and Farewell" (both of which aired March 5, 2018) Ezra summons both the Loth-Wolves and the Purrgil to defeat Thrawn, Pryce and the Imperial forces on Lothal. Because the Purrgil have shattered the bridge observation ports on Thrawn's Star Destroyer onto, which he has been taken, Ezra uses the Force to create a protecting air pocket for himself and Thrawn, and deliberately and selflessly allows himself to be taken away with Thrawn by the Purrgil.
Forces of Destiny
Ezra appears in the Star Wars Forces of Destiny episode "A Disarming Lesson", in which Ahsoka Tano provides Ezra a lesson in finding his inner strength and trusting in the Force.
Ahsoka
Ezra Bridger as portrayed in live-action by Eman Esfani on Ahsoka
Ezra appears in the Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales episode "Mission to Mos Eisley", which adapts his role in the Rebels first-season episode "Droids in Distress". He is voiced by Adrian Petriw.
A Funko Pop figurine of Ezra Bridger was announced on September 27, 2016.[10]The Black Series produced a 6-inch figure of Ezra Bridger as a part of a Star Wars and The Mandalorian line.[11]
Critical reception
Ezra Bridger has received generally positive feedback from fans and reviewers. Screen Rant ranked him seventh on a list of the best characters from Star Wars Rebels, saying "his arc across the four seasons is fantastic, and he truly grows and matures into a great character"[12] as well as praising his "beautifully completed [series] personal arc" following the conclusion of the fourth season.[13]Comic Book Resources writer Ian Goodwillie praised the character for his second season depiction as "a character [who] had pointed out the inherent reality of the Clone Wars", comparing him to Maul[14] and praising his mentorship with Hondo Ohnaka,[15] while Kelsey Yoor complimented the characters' utilization of "the archetypal teachings of Joseph Campbell, particularly regarding The Hero's Journey.[16]Collider praised Ezra's relationship with Grand Admiral Thrawn and "fitting" conclusion to their character arc,[17] while Dork Side of the Force praised him as "one of the best characters in the entire story universe" of Star Wars canon.[18]
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