Dork Side of the Force
Fansided

Star Wars Rebels “Through Imperial Eyes” Shows Thrawn At His Best

By Elaine Tveit

facebooktwitterreddit

Grand Admiral Thrawn is at his analytical (and physical) best in Star Wars Rebels “Through Imperial Eyes” as he seeks to catch the Imperial spy on his ship. Read the highlights of the new episode below.

Grand Admiral Thrawn was famous in Legends for his calm, calculating mind, his love of art, and always being one step ahead of his enemies. That Thrawn was alive and well in last night’s new episode of Star Wars Rebels, “Through Imperial Eyes.”

In “Through Imperial Eyes,” Thrawn draws closer to uncovering the identity of Fulcrum, the spy in the Imperial ranks who secretly sends important information to the rebellion. Agent Kallus, AKA Fulcrum, remains unaware of Thrawn’s suspicion of him. Until Ezra Bridger, disguised as a bounty hunter, infiltrates Kallus’s Star Destroyer with the intent of rescuing the ISB agent and taking him back to the rebel base. But Kallus deflects suspicion onto Lieutenant Lyste, the witless commander of security on Lothal, which allows him to stay in the Empire without fear of being identified as Fulcrum.

But his secret is not as safe as he thought. Thrawn, of course, realizes that Lyste is a distraction. He knows that Kallus is Fulcrum. Now, he just has to figure out how to use the double agent to his advantage.

Read the highlights from the episode below:

  • The very first scene in “Through Imperial Eyes” is shot, literally, through Imperial eyes. For about twenty or thirty seconds, we see the world through the first person perspective of Agent Kallus.
  • Admiral Yularen is back! After his career as a fleet admiral during the Clone Wars, Yularen became the director of the Empire’s intelligence bureau. In this episode, Thrawn recruits him to aid in the uncovering Fulcrum’s identity. But even Yularen is fooled into thinking Lyste is Fulcrum. It takes Thrawn’s genius mind to uncover the truth.
  • In addition to narrowing down his Fulcrum suspects, Thrawn also winnowed out (out of thousands of options) the planets on which the rebels’ base could be located. And Chopper Base is one of them. Kallus and Ezra infiltrate his office in order to remove Chopper Base from Thrawn’s list of worlds.
  • In a rare overt display of Thrawn’s genius, Thrawn’s analytical prowess and love for art come together. He explains to Admiral Yularen that the paint style of Ezra’s bounty hunter helmet is Sabine Wren’s. Thus, he figures out that the bounty hunter was Ezra, that he and Kallus were working together, and that Kallus is Fulcrum.
  • Ezra wears two different disguises in this episode. When he first lets himself be captured by the Empire, along with AP-5 and Chopper, he wears a bounty hunter costume. Later, Agent Kallus procures him an Imperial officer’s uniform so he can move about the Star Destroyer undetected.
  • Thrawn’s office is quite the art display. Among the hidden Easter eggs is a piece of Ralph McQuarrie art of Lothal on the wall, and a green clone trooper helmet like those belonging to the clones Yoda beheaded on Kashyyyk in Revenge of the Sith.
  • This episode features some exciting throwbacks to the Heir to the Empire books for you Legends fans. First, we learn Thrawn’s Star Destroyer is named The Chimaera, just like it is in Timothy Zahn’s trilogy; later, when he is martial arts training, Thrawn uses the word “Rukh,” the name of his Noghri bodyguard in Heir to the Empire, as an override code for his battle droids; and finally, in his office, the grand admiral decorated the wall behind his desk with ysalimiri hides.

What did you think of “Through Imperial Eyes”? Do you think Kallus survives the season? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

More from Dork Side of the Force

Star Wars Rebels returns next week to Disney XD with season 3 episode 18, “Secret Cargo.”

Home/Star Wars Rebels