Disney’s Secret Way of Linking Star Wars History
Star Wars history is filled with strange names, some of which hide some very special meanings. That is particularly true of Ezra Bridger, the Star Wars Rebels character who came back in such a big way in Ahsoka. As it turns out, franchise guru Dave Filoni gave the young protagonist this name because he saw Ezra as “a bridge between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy,” calling it “a bridging of topics.”
It Makes Ezra Mean More
We love this quote because it makes Ezra Bridger such a major part of Star Wars history on several different levels. On the most literal level, Star Wars Rebels begins five years before A New Hope, so that makes the show itself a narrative bridge between the original two trilogies.
Ezra, meanwhile, begins as a character older than Anakin in The Phantom Menace but younger than Luke in A New Hope, making him a great protagonist for young fans who are easing their way into the franchise’s more adult content.
Young And Old
Speaking of younger fans, another way Ezra bridges Star Wars history is by natively appealing to young fans of the prequels. Older fans grumbled (heck, they’re still grumbling) at how silly the prequels were, but in retrospect, it’s clear that George Lucas was primarily focused on creating a new generation of fans and wanted to appeal to their juvenile humor.
In short, a young fan who laughed at Anakin and Jar-Jar in TPM would like Ezra, a youthful character who entered those early battles armed with nothing more than a slingshot and a serious crush on Sabine.
Ezra’s Evolution
Fortunately for audiences, Ezra matured over time: he traded the slingshot for a lightsaber and traded the schoolboy crush for serious Jedi training. Dave Filoni didn’t elaborate on this part, but we think that Ezra bridges Star Wars history in another way by growing up alongside his target audience.
Someone who watched the prequels at an early age and watched Rebels as a young adolescent would see Ezra’s changing priorities and growing maturity as a mirror of their own.
Ahsoka
Interestingly, Ezra is still serving as a kind of bridge for Star Wars history by helping lure fans of Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka. Right now, the Star Wars content on Disney+ is a strange mixture of nostalgic adult shows (including Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor) and more kid-friendly fair (including Young Jedi Adventures and The Book of Boba Fett).
Filoni seems to want Ahsoka and future shows to find that balance between being serious and being fun, and dropping the lighthearted Ezra Bridger into a serious tale about the return of the Empire is a great way of achieving this goal.
Ezra Vs. Thrawn
We’ve been major fans of Ezra Bridger and Star Wars Rebels from the beginning, so it was great to discover that the character was named for his ability to bridge different eras of Star Wars history.
Now, it looks like we are headed to a final showdown between Ezra and Thrawn, and it will be thrilling to see who comes out on top. Remember, Ezra–bringing an army of space whales again will be considered cheating by our galactic panel of judges.
