Is Ezra Bridger Alive or Did He Die in ‘Rebels’?

From saving Ahsoka to defeating The Empire, Ezra Bridger is already a legend in Star Wars. However, his story is far from over, as the good guys in ‘Ahsoka’ are determined to find and rescue the young Jedi, hoping that his sacrifice at the end of ‘Rebels’ didn’t lead to his death. Although his death wasn’t shown in the animated series, fans have long speculated that Ezra Bridger has met his end. Now, things completely changed with episode 6 of ‘Ahsoka’ release, so let’s see what happened to Ezra over the last decade.

Ezra Bridger is Alive. Following his sacrifice, both he and Thrawn were taken to the ancient Nightsisters’ homeworld called Peridea. Ezra Bridger spent the last ten years escaping Thrawn’s forces on the planet and allied himself with Noti, snail-like creatures capable of incredible camouflage. Sabine discovered that Ezra was alive when she followed Noti to his hiding place. He most likely survived all these years due to his resourcefulness and the fact that he was used to running away from Imperial forces.

Now that we’ve witnessed Ezra’s ultimate fate, and the fact that he is set to play a major role in the ‘Ahsoka’ series, let’s see what was his journey like so far.

Did Ezra Bridger die after ‘Star Wars Rebels’?

There was never any evidence to suggest that Ezra Bridger died after Purrgils dragged the ship into deep space at the end of ‘Star Wars Rebels.’ However, Some people, including the Senate Committee of the New Republic, believe that Ezra and Thrawn died in deep space. On the other hand, Sabine, Hera, and Ahsoka believed he was still alive and that they could save him if they followed the path left behind by the Purrgils.

Being one of the last Jedi, Ezra is an important part of the ‘Star Wars,’ so killing him off would be an extremely unpopular decision with the fan base. He grew into a fan-favorite Jedi after his introduction in ‘Rebels’ as a young orphan living on Lothal.

In the animated show, he meets and joins the Spectres as they fight Imperial forces. Under the guidance of his mentor, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra begins to develop his Force abilities and becomes an important asset to the Rebellion. He also resists the Sith lord Darth Maul’s attempts to turn him to the dark side and eventually helps defeat him.

Throughout the series, Ezra goes on various missions alongside the Ghost crew to undermine the Galactic Empire’s hold on Lothal and other systems. He forms close bonds with his fellow crew members, including Hera Syndulla, Zeb Orrelios, and the droid Chopper, but most importantly, he falls in love with Sabine Wren.

Ezra’s connection to the Force grows stronger over time, and he also learns to communicate with animals, which is how he summons the Purrgils in the end. Ezra also turns out to be one of the few Jedi who can unlock The World Between Worlds, something The Empire wishes to control.

In the final season, Emperor Palpatine gives Ezra the chance to reunite with his family if he supports the empire. While the offer is tempting, the young Jedi resists and uses his abilities to summon Purrgils to get rid of Thrawn and his forces for good, enabling the rebels to liberate Lothal.

In his goodbye message to his friends, he tells Sabine that he is counting on her, which suggests he is alive and wants to be found. While Sabine and Ahsoka lost the Starmap that could lead them to Ezra in ‘Ahsoka,’ they encounter a school of Purrgils in episode 3, which suggests that they can locate Ezra if they follow the path left by the Starwhales.

So, what really happened? Well, according to the latest events presented in episode 6 of ‘Ahsoka’ Purrgils transported both Thrawn and Ezra to the faraway planet in a different galaxy called Peridea. Ezra managed to escape from Thrawn and survive for the last decade through his resourcefulness and allying himself with the local populace, most notably Noti, snail-like creatures capable of incredible camouflage.

Sabine Wren discovered Ezra when Thrawn let her go peacefully because he was hoping that she would lead him to Ezra, and as he mentioned, he really didn’t have enough forces to spare to send them hunting over a desolate planet in search of the rogue Jedi.

Whether Ezra will survive the events of ‘Ahsoka’ remains to be seen, but for now, we have a confirmation that he indeed survived the end of rebels, despite his incredible sacrifice, which now, ultimately, may prove to be in vain.

Why did Ezra sacrifice himself in ‘Rebels’?

Ezra sacrificed himself to defeat the Empire by ensuring they didn’t have access to Grand Admiral Thrawn, Palpatine’s best tactician. The Empire was also trying to convince Ezra to turn to the dark side so they could use his powers to unlock the World Between Worlds.

The World Between Worlds allows certain beings, including Ezra, to move between space and time and could be used to traverse galaxies. That means Ezra could also use it to return to the main galaxy after the end of ‘Rebels,’ although it is unclear whether he took up that option.

By getting both himself and Thrawn trapped in a distant galaxy, Ezra denied The Empire and the Dark Sisters the opportunity to use either him or Thrawn to further their mission. In his message to Sabine, he said that as a Jedi, he had to make that tough decision that no one else could.

Has Ezra Bridger turned to the dark side?

One fan theory suggests that Ezra could have turned to a Sith due to Thrawn’s influence during their isolation in the distant galaxy. Ezra has always been tempted by the dark side, first by Maul and then by Palpatine, so this theory has some credible backing.

After being orphaned and before meeting Kanan, Ezra used the dark side, but mostly to survive. With Kanan’s guidance, Ezra was able to overcome Maul’s influence. However, he was still vulnerable to the dark.

This turned out to be false, at least by what we’ve seen so far. Ezra and Thrawn separated at one point after arriving at Peridea, and it seems that the Jedi has been eluding Thrawn for quite some time now. The chances that Ezra has turned to the dark side are minimal at beast.

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