Pablo Hidalgo - Star Wars: A New Hero

a New Hero

written by

pablo hidalgo

Illustrations are concept art developed for

Star Wars Rebels by

the Lucasfilm
Animation Art Department

Note: This book features illustrations created by the team that makes the Star Wars Rebels animated
series. This art was used to determine the look and feel of the characters and environments in the
early stages of the shows creation. Some designs and details will be different from what appears in
the finished series.

Copyright 2014 Lucasfilm Ltd. & or TM. All rights reserved. Published by Disney Lucasfilm
Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For
information address Disney Lucasfilm Press, 1101 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201.

ISBN 978-1-4847-0945-0

Visit www.starwars.com

My name is Ezra Bridger.

I lived alone on the planet Lothal. I know what youre

thinking Where are his parents? The truth is I dont know.
But thats just fine. I live my life the way I want to. Or try to,
anyway. It isnt always easy, and its gotten a whole lot more
complicated lately.

Ive lived my whole life on this planet. I know the ins and outs
of this world and how to avoid the wrong kinds of attention.
These are important things to know, because this planet isnt
the easiest place to live on these days.

Lothal is such a tiny speck

in such a great big galaxy that its hard to imagine
it being the center of anyones attention. Were way
out on the edge; fly past us and before long youll
run out of galaxy. Thats how deep this planet is in
the Outer Rim Territories.

This sounds like an astronomy lesson, right? I wouldnt know. I didnt learn my lessons in
a classroom. I learned everything I know from the spacers who come into town and from
overhearing people talk in the marketplaces. Ive taught myself what I need to survive by
keeping my eyes and ears open.

Most of Lothal is just seemingly endless grasslands. The most excitement youll find in
these parts is a Loth-cat chasing down a Loth-rat for a quick snack. Walk far enough
and youll see the grasslands broken up by huge old stones sticking straight up from
the ground. Where these rocks crowd together makes a good place to hide and lie low.
Remember that, because its good to have hiding places these days.

In the grasslands, farmers and ranchers make a living
through hard, honest work. Theyre good people, but
Ive never been one for farming.

When they think its safe and no Imperials are listening, the old pilots at the spaceport
talk about a time when there wasnt an Empire. I dont know anything about that. Seems
to me the Imperials have always been around. But lately theyve become a lot harder to
ignore. Even out in the grasslands, where theres nothing around, you might see Imperial
ships soar by.

You always hear them first.

Twin ion engines make TIE fighters howl as they fly by
on patrols, looking for trouble. Im too small to show
up on their scopes, and thats fine by me.

The city is filling up with soldiers in
white armor. They call themselves
stormtroopers , and the
Empire uses them to keep order on Lothal.
They say theyre here to protect us. What
theyre really here to protect are the factories,
farms, and minesto profit the Empire. They
dont care about Lothal, or the people who
work hard. They only care about what theyre
taking out of Lothal.

What makes it worse is that, underneath
those white stormtrooper helmets and
black TIE fighter pilot helmets, a lot of the
Imperials actually come from here. There are
training academies set up now that turn good
Lothal folks into soldiers of the Empire.

I guess a lot of people here, being so used to living out
on the edge of nowhere, signed up because they wanted
to connect to something bigger. Cant they see what
theyre signing up for?

The city is filling up with soldiers in
white armor. They call themselves
stormtroopers , and the
Empire uses them to keep order on Lothal.
They say theyre here to protect us. What
theyre really here to protect are the factories,
farms, and minesto profit the Empire. They
dont care about Lothal, or the people who
work hard. They only care about what theyre
taking out of Lothal.

What makes it worse is that, underneath
those white stormtrooper helmets and
black TIE fighter pilot helmets, a lot of the
Imperials actually come from here. There are
training academies set up now that turn good
Lothal folks into soldiers of the Empire.

The Empire only wants power. Its the
biggest bully in the galaxy. It wants to
tell people how to live and what to think.
And if you disagree with the Empire,
you disappear. No one is safe. So people
on Lothal just go through their days,
pretending that life is okay and normal,
even though theyre really afraid.

Imperial ships keep appearing in the skies
over Lothal. Somebody in the Empire has
decided that Lothal and its minerals are
worth guarding. Huge Star Destroyers
ships bigger than you can imaginefly
overhead. You cant help feeling small
against ships that big.

And you certainly dont feel safe.

The Empire only wants power. Its the
biggest bully in the galaxy. It wants to
tell people how to live and what to think.
And if you disagree with the Empire,
you disappear. No one is safe. So people
on Lothal just go through their days,
pretending that life is okay and normal,
even though theyre really afraid.

Imperial ships keep appearing in the skies
over Lothal. Somebody in the Empire has
decided that Lothal and its minerals are
worth guarding. Huge Star Destroyers
ships bigger than you can imaginefly
overhead. You cant help feeling small
against ships that big.

And you certainly dont feel safe.

Me, I avoided the Empire by living outside Capital
City. Ive made myself a little roost at the top of an
old communications tower. These towers used to
serve a purpose here. They were used to guide the
few visitors who came to Lothal to the spaceports.
That was before the Empire. Now the Empire
controls most of the traffic in and out, and it has
left these old towers empty. Thats how Imperial
progress works. Throw away the old. I wont let this
one go to waste, though.

From here, I can see Capital City. I can see the smoke coughed out by the factories
where a lot of Lothal people work, slaving away to make more and more TIE fighters for
the Empire. Its hard to imagine a worse way to spend a beautiful Lothal day. Its easier
to imagine what Lothal might have been like if its people hadnt been so quick to let the
Empire settle here.

I can imagine what this planet might be like without the Empire, with people who werent