Ezra Bridger

Ezra Bridgeris afictionalcharacterin theStar Warsfranchise,voiced byTaylor Gray.He is featured as themain protagonistof the animated seriesStar Wars Rebels(2014–2018) and appears in related works. Ezra also appears inForces of Destiny(2018) with Gray reprising his role. The character makes his live-action debut in the television seriesAhsoka(2023), portrayed byEman Esfandi.

Ezra Bridger
Star Warscharacter
Ezra as depicted in the last two seasons ofRebels
First appearance	"Property of Ezra Bridger" Rebels (2014)
Created by	Dave Filoni
Voiced by	Taylor Gray(Rebels,Forces of Destiny) Adrian Petriw(Droid Tales)
Portrayed by	Eman Esfandi(Ahsoka)
In-universe information
Full name	Ezra Bridger
Alias	Jabba the Hutt Dev Morgan Lando Calrissian Brom Titus
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Occupation	JediPadawan(formerly)
Affiliation	Jedi Order Galactic Empire(as a spy) Rebel Alliance Crew of theGhost(Spectre Six) Gold Squadron (briefly)
Family	Ephraim Bridger (father, deceased) Mira Bridger (mother, deceased)
Masters	Kanan Jarrus(deceased) Maul(claimant; deceased)
Homeworld	Lothal

InRebels,Ezra is introduced as a 14-year old orphanedstreet urchinandcon artistwho joins the crew of theGhostin freeing his home planet ofLothalfrom the tyranny of theGalactic Empireand is taken under the wing ofKanan Jarrus,who trains him in theJediarts, and later formerSithMaul,who trains him in how to wield thedark side of the Force.Ezra and the crew join theRebel Allianceto assist them in their fight to free the galaxy as a whole, and face enemies such as theInquisitors,Darth Vader,andGrand Admiral Thrawn—the latter of whom Ezra sacrifices himself to defeat, disappearing with him into another galaxy. InAhsoka,years after the fall of the Empire,Sabine Wrentravels to the other galaxy to rescue Ezra; while Ezra returns to the galaxy with Thrawn, Sabine andAhsoka Tanoare left stranded in his place.

The character has received a generally positive critical reception, with his character dynamics withHondo Ohnakaand Thrawn receiving particular praise.

Creation and development

Taylor Gray,the original voice actor of Ezra Bridger, with the action figure of the character

Concept

Executive producerDave Filonidescribes the character as a "con artist". Creative executive Rayne Roberts said: "[Ezra] doesn't really trust anyone; that [is] his motto. He has that kind of hard edge at times but knows how to turn on the charm when it comes to getting what he wants and [is] very charismatic — [one] would want to be his friend."The episode "Empire Day" reveals that Ezra was born on the same day theGalactic Empirewas inaugurated, and that he has been living on his own since he was seven, after his parents,EphraimandMira Bridger,were arrested for speaking out against the Empire.According toTaylor Gray,Ezra lives alone in the streets ofLothal,relying on his "street smarts" – as well as subconsciousForceabilities – to survive.

Voice acting

The character is voiced byTaylor Gray.On his character, Gray stated: "He's a pickpocket, he's a little thief. But he's doing it all because he needs to survive."Executive producerGreg Weismansaid: "We see this whole series very much through Ezra's eyes. As his eyes get opened to what the Empire's capable of, his eyes are opened to the fact that there are people who care, who are trying to fight the good fight, and he becomes one of them."

Appearances

Television

Star Wars Rebels

Ezra made his debut appearance on television in the short film "Property of Ezra Bridger", set before the two-part series premiere "Spark of Rebellion". Ezra first encounters members of the crew of the starshipGhostwhen he interferes in their hijacking operation by hijacking the shipment from them himself.Kanan Jarrus,a Jedi and the leader of the group, discovers Ezra's Force-sensitivity and seeing potential in Ezra offers to train him in the ways of the Force. Ezra soon joins theGhostcrew and begins his Jedi training.

In "Path of the Jedi",Yoda's voice leads Ezra to akyber crystal,which he uses to build his first lightsaber, which, after being constructed, is blue and features in the hilt a built-in stun blaster patterned after his street urchin trademark weapon, an energy slingshot. In the second-season episode "Legacy",he discovers that his parents were killed in a prison revolt. In"Shroud of Darkness"it is revealed that Kanan fears Ezra might turn to the dark side, which partially happens when the former Sith Lord,Mauldraws him closer in "Twilight of the Apprentice"and in further episodes claims him as his" apprentice ", showing a marked interest in him. His first lightsaber is also destroyed by Darth Vader. In the season 3 premiere episode"Steps Into Shadow",Ezra has replaced it with a green-bladed lightsaber. In the same episode, Ezra is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander of the Phoenix Squadron and also assumes field leadership of theGhostcrew, due to Kanan's blindness preventing him from continuing the role. But due to his reckless leadership at the time, he was suspended from command as Lieutenant Commander, until further notice. The episodes "Shroud of Darkness", "The Holocrons of Fate"and"Twin Suns"reveal Ezra's main motivation of the third season, to" find the key to destroying theSith",who he interprets as the exiled Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. But after eventually finding and talking to Kenobi, Ezra realizes that his true mission is to be with the other rebels and help them fight against the Empire. During the season 3 finale, by taking command of a squad during the battle againstGrand Admiral Thrawn's fleet, it shows that at this point Ezra's status as Lieutenant Commander has been fully restored.

Ezra becomes somewhat lost after the death of his master, Kanan, but begins to understand Kanan's final lessons after he penetrates the Jedi Temple in "A World Between Worlds".His connection to the Force-sensitive creatures ofLothalincreases and in the penultimate episode "A Fool's Hope",and the one-hour series finale"Family Reunion – and Farewell"(both of which aired March 5, 2018) Ezra summons both the Loth-Wolves and thePurrgilto defeat Thrawn, Pryce and the Imperial forces on Lothal. Because the Purrgil have shattered the bridge observation ports on Thrawn'sStar Destroyeronto, which he has been taken, Ezra uses the Force to create a protecting air pocket for himself and Thrawn, and deliberately and selflessly allows himself to be taken away with Thrawn by the Purrgil.

Forces of Destiny

Ezra appears in theStar Wars Forces of Destinyepisode "A Disarming Lesson", in which Ahsoka Tano provides Ezra a lesson in finding his inner strength and trusting in the Force.

Ahsoka

Ezra Bridger as portrayed in live-action by Eman Esfani onAhsoka

Ezra made his live action debut in the seriesAhsokawithEman Esfandiportraying him.He first appears in "Part One: Master and Apprentice"in a hologram message that he recorded before his disappearance before making a physical appearance in"Part Six: Far, Far Away."At the end of the series, he and Thrawn both return to the galaxy.

Novels

On August 5, 2014,Del Rey BookspublishedStar Wars: Ezra's Gamble,a prequel novel to theRebelsshort film "Property of Ezra Bridger".

Video games

Bridger, as he appeared in the first half of the series, appears in the following video games:

• As a playable character in thetower defensemobile gameStar Wars: Galactic Defense
• As a playable character in therun and gungameStar Wars Rebels: Recon Missions
• As a playable character in thetoys-to-lifegameDisney Infinity 3.0,sold as a standaloneNFCfigure
• As a bonus playable character inLego Star Wars: The Force Awakens,available in theStar Wars Rebelscharacter pack sold asdownloadable content
• As a playable character inAngry Birds Star Wars II,in which he is represented by the bird Red in itsRebelslevel set
• As a bonus playable character inLego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga,available in theStar Wars Rebelscharacter pack sold asdownloadable content

Bridger, as he appeared in the second half of the series, appears in the following video games:

• As a playable character in theturn-basedmobilerole-playing gameStar Wars: Galaxy of Heroes,classified as an attacker that frequently attacks out of turn and dispels buffs
• As a playable squad leader in the mobileMOBAgameStar Wars: Force Arena

Lego

Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales

Ezra appears in theLego Star Wars: Droid Talesepisode "Mission to Mos Eisley", which adapts his role in theRebelsfirst-season episode "Droids in Distress". He is voiced byAdrian Petriw.

Merchandise

AFunko Popfigurine of Ezra Bridger was announced on September 27, 2016.The Black Seriesproduced a 6-inch figure of Ezra Bridger as a part of aStar WarsandThe Mandalorianline.

Critical reception

Ezra Bridger has received generally positive feedback from fans and reviewers.Screen Rantranked him seventh on a list of the best characters fromStar Wars Rebels,saying "his arc across the four seasons is fantastic, and he truly grows and matures into a great character"as well as praising his "beautifully completed [series] personal arc" following the conclusion of the fourth season.Comic Book Resourceswriter Ian Goodwillie praised the character for his second season depiction as "a character [who] had pointed out the inherent reality of the Clone Wars", comparing him toMauland praising his mentorship withHondo Ohnaka,while Kelsey Yoor complimented the characters' utilization of "the archetypal teachings ofJoseph Campbell,particularly regardingThe Hero's Journey.Colliderpraised Ezra's relationship withGrand Admiral Thrawnand "fitting" conclusion to their character arc,whileDork Side of the Forcepraised him as "one of the best characters in the entire story universe" ofStar Warscanon.

Relationships

Main article:Jedi

Jedi Ordermaster-apprentice relationship
Yoda Count Dooku Mace Windu Qui-Gon Jinn Depa Billaba Younglings Obi-Wan Kenobi Kanan Jarrus Anakin Skywalker Luke Skywalker Ezra Bridger Ahsoka Tano Leia Organa Sabine Wren Ben Solo Rey Din Grogu
Notes:

Further reading

• O'Neil, Shana (July 26, 2018)."Star WarsEchoes: Rey and Ezra Bridger, Alone and Searching for Belonging ".starwars.RetrievedJuly 26,2018.
• O'Neil, Shana (January 23, 2018)."RebelsRevisited: 5 Essential Ezra Bridger Episodes ".starwars.RetrievedJanuary 23,2018.

External links

• Ezra Bridgerin theStarWarsDatabank
• Ezra BridgeronWookieepedia,aStar Warswiki