This article contains minor spoilers for the final episode of the Ahsoka series on Disney+The newStar WarsDisney+ seriesAhsokahas introduced many fan-favorite animated characters into live-action for the first time, ranging from Sabine Wren to Hera Syndulla, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and many more. While these introductions have been adored by longtimeStar Warsfans who have already been following these characters for years, it’s understandable if casual fans don’t really buy into the hype yet.
With so many characters to balance,Ahsokadoesn’t waste time retelling the extensive backstories of each of these heroes and villains. This decision may work to simplify the narrative and story being told, but it can also make it more difficult to get fully invested in these characters if you aren’t already.
One of the most significant characters fromStar Warsanimation that has nowmade the jump into live-actionis the Jedi Ezra Bridger, played by Eman Esfandi. Much of the story inAhsokarevolved around the quest to find Bridger, as he and Thrawn were lost to an unknown galaxy far away. This quest led Ahsoka and Sabine on a grand adventure involving Star Whales, occult Force-wielding witches and former-Jedi turned mercenaries.
Eventually, this all builds into a satisfying reunion between our two heroes and their long-lost friend. But who is Ezra Bridger? Why do his friends care so much about finding him? And what effect will he have on the franchise moving forward? Here’s what we know:
Rebel History and Thrawn
Prior toAhsoka, Ezra was the main character in the animated seriesStar Wars Rebels. While that show featured an extensive ensemble cast of characters, and it also introduced the likes of Sabine and Hera, Ezra was the heart of the series. A lot of the story is directly centered on his own personal journey and his Jedi training under the tutelage of Kanan Jarrus. When audiences were first introduced to Ezra in theRebelsseries premiere, he was a young, brash, and impatient thief living on the streets of Lothal. This aspect of the character very much took inspiration from Disney’sAladdin. However, over the course ofRebels’ four seasons, Ezra grew into a more well-rounded and compelling hero.
Throughout the show, Ezra demonstrated a strong connection with the Force, especially in the manner of connecting with other living beings. On numerous occasions, Ezra is shown to have strong connections to the natural world around him, which manifests through his ability to bond with all sorts of beings and creatures, ranging from Star Whales to Loth-wolves. This is how, inthe finale ofRebels, Ezra was able to summon the Star Whales, called Purgill. These whales transported Ezra and Thrawn to the distant planet of Peridea, where they are eventually found in theAhsokaseries.
In the third and fourth seasons ofRebels, Ezra became a consistent thorn in the side of Grand Admiral Thrawn. While Thrawn was proving true to his reputation as one of the Empire’s most intelligent, tactical, and deadly commanders, Ezra and the rest of theRebelscrew were able to put up a good fight.
This was largely due to Thrawn’s consistent underestimating of the Force and the abilities it provided to the Jedi, a mistake he appears to have learned his lesson from inAhsoka. Thrawn and Ezra developed a rivalry of sorts inRebels, which made their shared exile to Peridea an appropriate end to the series. Now that they’ve both returned to the mainStar Warsgalaxy, we expect this feud to continue in grand fashion.
10 Best Star Wars Characters Not Created by George Lucas
iconic characters like The Mandalorian and Grand Admiral Thrawn appeared well after George Lucas formed the rest of the Star Wars universe.
A New Hope for the Jedi
InRebels, Ezra proved to be more than just a teenager with a lightsaber. Over the course of the series, he became living proof that the Jedi Order was able to continue living and expanding after the events ofEpisode III – Revenge of the Sith, Order 66, andthe Great Jedi Purge. Ezra was born on “Empire Day,” the day that the Republic and Jedi fell and were replaced by the Empire. Throughout his childhood, his parents actively resisted the tyranny of the Empire. They inspired others to fight back as well, which resulted in their capture and imprisonment, and in turn, Ezra becoming an orphan at the age of seven.
Because of this, and the subsequent deaths of his parents during an escape attempt, Ezra was certainly not a fan of the Empire. After he became a member of theRebelscrew, Kanan Jarrus began training Ezra to be a Jedi. This was far from traditional training, though. Kanan himself had been just 14 years old during the events of Order 66. He was still a padawan with incomplete training, which meant that his training of Ezra was pretty rough around the edges, to say the least. This turned out to be a benefit for Ezra, though, as he developed into a scrappier and more imaginative Jedi with a knack for improvisation and out-of-the-box thinking.
Ezra also shares a lot of similarities with another one ofStar Wars’ most famous Jedi, Luke Skywalker. Firstly, they’re quite literally the same age, with Ezra being born just a day before Luke and Leia. There’s also the factor that both characters were trained as Jedi in an era when the Jedi Order largely didn’t exist. Ezra began his training just a few years before Luke did, which would also make them contemporaries with a lot in common.
Unfortunately, due to Ezra’s disappearance at the end ofRebels, he was unable to assist more in the fight against the Empire seen throughout the original trilogy of films. He has yet to actually meet Luke, though he did meet Leia in a season two episode ofRebels. A crossover between Ezra and Luke will likely happen at some point, to the delight of countless fans, potentially in Dave Filoni’s developingStar Warsfilm.
Ahsoka: The Best New Characters in the Star Wars Show
There have been many returning characters in the new Disney+ Star Wars series, Ahsoka, but there have also been plenty of new faces.
Future in the Mando-Verse
Finally, looking to the future, Ezra’s role in the ongoingStar Warsgalaxy is somewhat uncertain at this point. He has returned to his home galaxy, placing him firmly on the chessboard among the rest of the “Mando-Verse” characters from shows likeThe Mandalorian,The Book of Boba Fett,and the upcomingSkeleton Crewseries.
It is not apparent, yet, which story Ezra’s path will continue in, though he could show up in a cameo appearance in any of these shows. Given the Mando-Verse’s history with cameo characters, such as Zeb in season three ofThe Mandalorianor Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano inThe Book of Boba Fett, it would not be out of the ordinary to see a character like Ezra show up in season four ofThe Mandalorianor in the debut season ofSkeleton Crew.
The most likely candidate for Ezra to return in a meaningful capacity would be in a second season ofAhsoka, leading into Filoni’s feature film. WhileAhsokahas yet to be given the green light for a second season, the show’s general success and various dangling storylines point toward it being likely. All of these shows are building toward the grand finale of Filoni’s movie, with Thrawn’s fight against the New Republic serving as the core conflict. Given that, it seems obvious that Ezra will factor pretty heavily into that story. There’s a real possibility that he could even bethe main character of that movie.
Wherever it may be, it’s unlikely that fans will have to wait long to see Ezra return. The character has been benched for over five years following theRebelsfinale. Esfandi made a strong impression throughout his several-episode appearance in the latter half ofAhsoka, and many fans have been praising his spot-on performance in the role. Now that Ezra is successfully back in the picture, and Filoni is becoming increasingly dominant overStar Wars’ storytelling, he is likely to become a staple character of the Mando-Verse shows.
