Star Wars Rebels Recap: “The Wynkahthu Job”

In Star Wars Rebels: “The Wynkahthu Job,” Hondo returns with a new scheme that will profit the rebellion – if they live through the mission.

Hondo Ohnaka is back to bother The Ghost crew in Star Wars Rebels season 3 episode 8, “The Wynkahthu Job.” This time, he’s promising a haul of proton torpedoes which the rebellion desperately needs. But they have to survive the mission and Hondo’s half-truths to get it.

The episode begins with The Ghost crew meeting up with Hondo Ohnaka. Ezra has been in contact with the pirate and is convinced he has a good deal in store for them. The rest of the crew, however, is skeptical. They become even more so when they discover Hondo’s partner is none other than Azmorigan, a sleazy crime boss who “bought” Hera in a scheme of Lando Calrissian’s.

But Hondo, as usual, makes the rebels an offer they can’t refuse. An abandoned Imperial cargo freighter is slowly being pulled into the clutches of a storm on a gaseous planet called Wynkahthu. According to Azmorigan’s manifest, the freighter is carrying proton bombs, as well as a hold full of treasure. Hondo wants The Ghost crew to help him board the freighter and haul off its cargo before it is lost to the storm. The rebels will get proton bombs, which they desperately need, and Hondo and Azmorigan will get riches.

Reluctantly, Hera and Kanan agree to the plan. Hera puts Zeb in charge of the haul. Ezra is irritated; the deal with Hondo was his idea, and he feels he should be the leader of the mission. But Hera doesn’t trust Hondo, and she also doesn’t trust Ezra’s faith in him. Ezra leaves the bridge in a huff. Kanan tells Hera he understands what she’s trying to do, but Ezra has to learn for himself that Hondo is not worthy of his esteem.

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The rebels and Hondo arrive at Wynkahthu. Hera flies alongside the freighter, which is slowly plummeting into Wynkahthu’s tempest depths. Zeb, Ezra, Hondo, Azmorigan, and Chopper jump from The Ghost to the freighter and descend to its interior. There is no power in the cargo bay, so Zeb sends Chopper to the bridge to get the power running. Meanwhile, the others make their way to the hangar.

Along the way, however, Azmorigan spots something moving in the shadows. Suddenly, an Ugnaught jumps out of nowhere and attacks Hondo. Ezra pulls the Ugnaught off Hondo. He sees by the markings on the alien’s helmet that it is a member of Hondo’s pirate crew. It suddenly becomes clear Hondo didn’t tell the rebels everything.

At Zeb’s insistence, Hondo confesses the truth. He and his crew attacked the Imperial cargo freighter. It was relatively unguarded and seemed like an easy haul. When they disabled the freighter’s engines, however, it plummeted into Wynkahthu. But Hondo made his Ugnaught crewman, Melch, board the ship anyway, and then left him. After losing his crew, Hondo needed the help of the rebels to rescue the freighter’s cargo from Wynkahthu’s storms.

To stave off the irate Ugnaught, Hondo offers to pay him two percent of the treasure instead of the promised one percent. The Ugnaught agrees. With no choice but to continue, Zeb grudgingly orders everyone to proceed to the hangar. He adds that he’ll rip Hondo’s arms off later.

Finally, the rebels and the pirates reach the hangar. Ezra cuts a hole in the door to the hangar, right before Chopper activates the power to that section of the ship. They enter to find a literal treasure trove. Crates and boxes of untold riches crowd the space. And there are also proton bombs in plenty.

As Hondo, Azmorigan, and Melch fight over the goods, Zeb and Ezra prepare to transport everything back to The Ghost. Zeb opens the hangar door, exposing them to the strong winds of Wynkahthu. Hera positions The Ghost just in front of the open doorway. The crosswinds are too strong for her to land, so Zeb activates a winch system that connects The Ghost to the freighter by thick cables. The cables are equipped with magnets that will hold small loads of cargo and carry them to The Ghost at the opposite end, where Sabine is waiting to take the goods.

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Zeb sends a load of proton bombs first. Ezra tries to help Hondo send a crate over next, but Zeb is adamant the proton bombs be transported before anything else. Ezra is angry. He doesn’t think Zeb is treating Hondo and Azmorigan fairly by putting the rebels’ needs first. Moreover, Azmorigan has gone missing, having gone to look for more treasure elsewhere on the ship, and Zeb doesn’t seem to care. That is until Hondo seems happy Azmorigan is gone. Zeb tries to get in contact with the crime boss using his comlink, but he gets no answer. He tells Ezra to take over winch duty while he goes to look for him. Ezra is still salty, but he obeys the Lasat’s order.

In the corridors of the freighter, Zeb calls out for Azmorigan. But he finds someone else instead: a huge Imperial guard droid looms up behind him and knocks him out cold.

Back in the hangar, Ezra tries to contact Zeb but gets no answer. He tells Hera that Zeb and Azmorigan are missing. She tells him to hurry up and find them. The winds are getting stronger and she can’t hold The Ghost in place much longer. Ezra asks Hondo to come help him, but Hondo is happy Azmorigan is gone as it means more treasure for him. Ezra is disappointed, and he leaves the hangar alone.

Image Credit: Screenshot (photo library Elaine Tveit)

Meanwhile, Zeb wakes up to find himself and Azmorigan imprisoned in the freighter’s brig. He contacts Ezra and tells him where they are. Ezra runs into Chopper in the corridor and the astromech leads him to the brig. The Padawan frees Zeb and Azmorigan, all the while teasing the Lasat about being captured. But when they meet the hulking droid, which AP-5 tells them not to engage, Ezra realizes it is no laughing matter. Especially when Azmorigan, in his nervousness, attacks the droid, thus activating an entire squad just like it.

The group makes a run for the hangar. They try to seal off the hangar from the droids, but the hole Ezra cut in the door makes that idea impossible. Hera urges them to hurry; it is getting harder and harder for her to hold The Ghost in place. They rush to the winch. Melch is gone and Hondo doesn’t seem to know (or care) where he went. With time running out, Hondo and Azmorigan ride the winch to The Ghost. Ezra and Zeb hold off the droids until they can ride the winch, too.

“Friendship is the greatest treasure.”
“You really mean that?”
“Mostly.” – Hondo Ohnaka and Ezra Bridger

As Ezra and Zeb ride a crate across one of the cables, the droids shoot the winch so that one end of the cable is detached. Zeb barely manages to grab Ezra before he falls to his death. Then the Lasat, with Ezra deflected the droids’ shots with his lightsaber, pulls them up to The Ghost hangar. As soon as they are aboard, Hera pulls The Ghost out of their dangerous descent. They leave the freighter falling to its doom in Wynkahthu’s storms.

On board The Ghost, the rebels are satisfied with how the mission turned out. They got plenty of proton torpedoes for the rebellion. Hondo and Azmorigan, however, only managed to haul one crate between them. Azmorigan insists that whatever is in it will be split between them, 50/50. Hondo opens the crate to find his Ugnaught crewman, Melch, stashed inside. The little alien knew Hondo would have no qualms about leaving him behind and took steps to ensure his own survival. Hondo, embarrassed, insists that having the Ugnaught back is better than treasure, for “friendship is the greatest treasure.” And he means that… mostly.

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What did you think of “The Wynkahthu Job?” Was it good to have Hondo back? There will be more familiar faces in next week’s episode of Star Wars Rebels, “An Inside Man,” as well. Keep checking Dork Side for new Star Wars Rebels clips and recaps.