Breaking Ranks

Ezra infiltrates the Lothal Imperial Academy disguised as a cadet, aiming to find an Imperial decoder.

The episode commences with a holographic message from Ezra Bridger, who is communicating to his rebel comrades that he has successfully completed the initial assessment. He instructs them to heed his guidance before the transmission concludes. Ezra has successfully entered the Imperial Academy on Lothal, adopting the guise of an Imperial cadet under the alias "Dev Morgan." His objective is to gain entry into Agent Kallus' office, which houses an Imperial decoder containing the coordinates of a formidable kyber crystal. Aware of the Empire's potential misuse of the crystal, Kanan Jarrus dispatched Bridger on this mission into the Academy, where he has been for a number of weeks. While undercover, Bridger communicates via Chopper to Sabine Wren and Garazeb Orrelios, who are positioned on the outskirts of the academy.

Following Ezra's transmission, the scene transitions to a broad, sweeping view of Lothal's Capital City and the Imperial headquarters. The Imperial Taskmaster Myles Grint leads Ezra's squad, LRC077, into the assessment hall, which features an advanced training area known as the Well. Before the training assessment commences, Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko delivers a concise speech to the cadets, stating that they entered the Academy as children and will graduate as stormtroopers in the coming weeks. Following Aresko's address, Ezra, along with two other cadets named Zare Leonis and Jai Kell, remove their helmets.

As part of the training assessment, the Well rapidly transforms into a deep chasm, carrying the cadets downwards. Under Commandant Aresko's command, the cadets are instructed to ascend from the Well, with the victors earning the privilege of serving as aides at Imperial headquarters. He further states that the losers will be forced to serve Taskmaster Grint. During the exercise, the cadets must utilize floating repulsorlift platforms to ascend from the Well. To heighten the stakes, Commandant Aresko electrifies several of the platforms, causing Cadet Giles to fall to the ground. Despite resistance from a hostile cadet named Nazhros Oleg, Ezra, along with Jai and Leonis, succeed in winning the competition. After observing Ezra's remarkable performance, Commandant Aresko commends the three cadets but cautions that the next trial will be more challenging. In the background, an agitated Oleg clenches his fist in frustration.

As Aresko guides the three cadets to their new assignments, they pass by a black astromech droid, which is revealed to be Chopper in disguise. Ezra manages to signal the droid with his fingers, but this is noticed by Leonis, who suspects something is amiss about Dev. Later that night, Chopper rendezvous with Sabine and Zeb in the Imperial Academy's garage. Sabine then informs the Ghost that Ezra has passed his test and infiltrated Imperial headquarters. Meanwhile in space, Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus receive Sabine's message and discuss their mission. Kanan expresses concern for Ezra's safety and emphasizes that the other rebels should be prepared to evacuate Ezra as soon as he has acquired the decoder. When Kanan expresses a desire to have infiltrated the Academy himself, Hera jokes that he would have "made quite a cadet."

Returning to the Imperial Academy, Ezra approaches Agent Kallus' office carrying two new datapads. As the ISB agent exits, Ezra announces that he has Kallus' new datapad and offers to leave it on his desk. However, the ISB agent insists on taking it with him. In Kallus' absence, Ezra enters his office and retrieves the decoder from Kallus' network terminal. Before he can leave the room with the stolen decoder, Ezra is intercepted by Leonis. Instead of reporting him, Leonis cautions Ezra against exiting Kallus' office with the decoder, as it would trigger the sensor and initiate a lockdown of the entire academy. The two cadets then discreetly exit into a corridor.

Elsewhere in the Academy, Sabine reports to the Ghost that the "kid" has not emerged with the decoder. Hera instructs Sabine to allow Ezra one more day. Aboard the Ghost, Kanan questions the significance of the decoder, prompting Hera to respond that it is crucial for halting the kyber crystal shipment.

Following the encounter in Kallus' office, the two cadets converse in an empty corridor. Ezra informs Zare that his friends require the decoder to intercept an Imperial shipment. When Ezra inquires how Zare knew about the sensors, Leonis reveals that his sister Dhara Leonis, who was the top cadet at the academy, informed him about it. He also recounts her disappearance. While the Empire claims that Dhara ran away, Leonis does not believe their account. Having established trust, the two rogue cadets agree to finish in the top three places the following day in order to re-enter Imperial headquarters. While exchanging names, Ezra maintains his alias, Dev Morgan.

The next day, Ezra and the other cadets must once again ascend from the Well. However, this time, the Cadets must utilize their E-11 medium blaster rifles to shoot targets in order to activate the panels containing the repulsorlift platforms. During the assessment, Oleg, influenced by Taskmaster Grint's lesson, shoots at the other cadets. As Ezra, along with Zare and Jai, reach the top, Ezra is compelled to turn on Jai in order to fulfill their mission. He shoves Jai in the back, causing him to fall to a platform below. Commandant Aresko seizes the opportunity to use Ezra's actions as a lesson that victory must be achieved at all costs. When Jai expresses anger at Ezra's betrayal, he simply replies that "I did what I had to do" before departing.

Later at Imperial headquarters, Ezra and Zare await Minister Maketh Tua's departure from her office before initiating their plan. While Zare distracts Agent Kallus with a fabricated order for podracer parts, Ezra seizes the opportunity to climb into the crawlspace between Tua and Kallus' offices. With Kallus' back turned, Ezra employs the Force to levitate the decoder into his grasp. While returning to Tua's office, Ezra overhears a conversation between Commandant Aresko and the Grand Inquisitor. Aresko had identified him and Jai Kell as cadets meeting his "special criteria." The Inquisitor informs Aresko that he will arrive the following day to personally test them. If the tests prove conclusive, he will take them into his custody.

Ezra passes the decoder to Chopper, who then relays it to Sabine and Zeb. Utilizing Chopper's holoprojector, Ezra informs his fellow rebels about Jai's predicament and the Grand Inquisitor. When Zeb expresses reservations about confronting the Inquisitor, Ezra thanks Zeb and Sabine for teaching him to advocate for others. Before concluding his communication, Ezra informs them that the decoder contains the deep space coordinates of the Imperial convoy and requests that they attack the Academy at noon the following day. Above Lothal, Hera and Kanan utilize the decoder's coordinates to locate the convoy. While Kanan is displeased with Ezra's delayed departure, Hera urges him to concentrate on the mission so that they can swiftly return to Lothal.

Back on Lothal, Ezra quietly awakens Jai from his bunk and instructs him to follow and trust him. He and Leonis then escort Jai to a nearby storeroom where they inform him about the Inquisitor. Due to Ezra's earlier betrayal, Jai is initially hesitant to believe them and suspects it is a scheme to have him expelled from the Academy. When Jai suggests that the Inquisitor might assist him in ascending the Empire's hierarchy, Leonis recounts the story of his sister's disappearance. Persuaded by Zare's account, Jai reluctantly agrees to participate in their escape plan, which entails them winning the following day's challenge.

Meanwhile, in deep space, the Ghost emerges from hyperspace in front of the Imperial convoy transporting the kyber crystal. The convoy comprises three Imperial Gozanti-class cruisers, which are guarded by several escort TIE fighters. Utilizing the Force, Kanan senses that the kyber crystal is located in the middle cruiser. Kanan detaches the Phantom from the Ghost and utilizes it to draw the TIE fighters away from the convoy. With the convoy undefended, Hera seizes the opportunity to attack the cruisers.

Back at the Imperial Academy, Ezra and Zare's plan encounters another unforeseen complication when he fails to secure a spot in the top three. While Zare and Jai win the race, they are accompanied by the obstinate Oleg. As a reward, the three cadets are permitted to ride with an Imperial combat driver in one of the Academy's AT-DP walkers. When Jai expresses dismay, Ezra instructs him to adhere to the plan while he devises a means to board the walker. Meanwhile, Chopper plants a bomb on the leg of another AT-DP walker.

Leonis, Jai, and Oleg inspect the AT-DP walker's controls under the supervision of the driver. Outside, the bomb on the other AT-DP walker detonates, causing the walker to collapse. The explosion is heard by Jai and Zare, who interpret it as their cue to initiate their escape plan. Jai utilizes a stolen blaster to stun the driver. Oleg then questions his actions. In response, Jai stuns him. Leonis climbs into the walker's chair and heads towards the exit. However, Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint swiftly realize that Leonis and Jai's walker has been hijacked and order that the Academy's blast doors be sealed.

Meanwhile in deep space, the captain of the middle Gozanti cruiser orders his ship to jump into hyperspace while the other ships provide cover for their escape. However, Hera manages to utilize the Ghost's laser cannons to inflict several precise strikes on the cruiser's engines, triggering a massive explosion that obliterates all of the surrounding Imperial ships. As a green explosion engulfs the cruisers and TIE fighters, Kanan manages to dock the Phantom with the Ghost. Hera and Kanan then jump into hyperspace and return to Lothal.

Back at the Academy, Leonis and Jai utilize their hijacked walker to disable a third AT-DP walker, causing it to obstruct the closing blast doors. However, their walker comes under attack from an Imperial Troop Transport. Utilizing his Force abilities, Ezra climbs aboard the hijacked AT-DP walker, leading Commandant Aresko to believe that Dev is attempting to apprehend the hijackers. Before Ezra can enter the walker, it is struck by the Troop Transport, causing it to topple forward.

The walker's head lands outside the blast doors, which are obstructed by the third crippled walker. Several stormtroopers approach the hijacked walker but are shot down by Sabine. Together with Sabine, Zeb, Chopper, Ezra, and Jai flee on a landspeeder. However, Leonis chooses to remain behind in order to locate his sister. To maintain his cover, Zare pretends to shoot at the fleeing rebels and "traitors" in the presence of the approaching Aresko, Grint, and several stormtroopers.

Once Bridger and Kell return to the Ghost, the rebels agree to assist Kell and his mother in evading the Empire. While alone, Kanan and Ezra seize the opportunity to converse in private. When Kanan asks his apprentice about the mission's outcome, Ezra confides that he had forgotten what it was like to be alone. Despite disliking Chopper's grumpiness and Zeb's odor, he admits that he missed the Ghost during his time at the Imperial Academy. When Kanan jokingly says "at ease cadet," Ezra responds with a mock "Sir, Yes Sir." Back at the Academy, the Inquisitor learns about the escape, reveals he knew Bridger from the rebels' previous encounter with him, and tells Leonis that he wants to know everything Leonis knows about the rebels.

Part 3: Infiltration of Jason Fry's junior novel Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks, which is told from the point of view of the Imperial cadet and rebel sympathizer Zare Leonis, was adapted largely from the events of this episode.