Star Wars Rebels Season 3: 6 Big Things We Still Haven't Seen

There is something else concerning Lothal that a lot of people will have forgotten, as it was an understated and yet to be revisited piece of information. Throughout Season 1, the reason for the Empire’s occupation of Lothal was to do with stripping the planet’s resources to fuel their factories and refineries.

But as mentioned in The Siege of Lothal, there is something more.

No, there is another reason. Known only to a few. And ordered by the Emperor himself.”

- Minister Tua (The Siege of Lothal)

Minister Tua uses this piece of information to bargain her way off Lothal when she suspects her life may be in danger. Sadly the Rebels never managed to extract the full truth behind this tease, as Tua’s life is lost in the escape, but the question remains: what is on Lothal that the Emperor wants?

This was mentioned in the season premiere and then never heard of again, despite the Rebels making their way back in both Legacy and A Princess on Lothal. Granted they had other things on their mind, but this does seem to be a big thing that has otherwise gone untouched.

So let’s speculate:

The secrecy surrounding this information hints towards something big, and there’s nothing bigger in this universe than the Death Star itself, currently under construction in some quadrant of the galaxy. We also know that one of Rogue One’s writers (Gary Whitta) will be penning a few episodes of Star Wars Rebels himself, so there may be some references or connections coming our way to the blockbuster side of the business. We also know that Lothal housed a Jedi Temple. Admittedly now in ruins, Vader mentioned that the Emperor would be pleased with this discovery, despite its current state. But what would the Emperor want with a Jedi Temple?

Crystals. Ezra received his first Kyber Crystal from the Temple, way back in Path of the Jedi and even in Breaking Ranks, the Ghost intercepted a shipment of that were in the possession of the Empire. When the ship was blown up and the crystals with it, the result was a powerful explosion that was remarkably similar to the firepower of the completed Death Star. If the Emperor knew of a Jedi Temple on Lothal, that housed such crystals in large quantities then that could be the real reason they occupied the planet. To find them and build their superweapon.

Filoni and his team love to the play the long game, and I hope that we do get the answer to this question, otherwise it will remain a cheap trick that was used to create some mystery. I don’t believe that will be the case. They’re great at what they do and I have faith that whatever the reason, the payoff will be well worth it.