Recap / Star Wars Rebels S2E15 "The Honorable Ones"

Kallus: You still haven't told me what "Karabast" means, you know.

Kallus: You really think we'll survive, with whatever's out there? Plus the temperature's dropping, and our only heat source is this ... thing. And who knows how long it'll last?
Zeb: You're so quick to give up hope. But Lasat never know when to give up, remember?

Zeb and Agent Kallus find themselves stranded on a frozen moon orbiting Geonosis, and learn there's more to each other than meets the eye as they're forced to work together to escape.

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Tropes in this episode:

• All There in the Script: According to the episode's script, the creatures Zeb and Kallus fought are called bonzami; and Kallus was rescued by a passing trader, with the Empire having stopped looking for him after using up the allotted time to search for a missing officer.
• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • When Zeb points out that the Geonosians were wiped out by the Empire, Kallus is skeptical. All he knows is that they're gone now, and doesn't see any reason why the Empire would go to such lengths. Zeb tells him to look for the answer, though he might not like it. It seems to get to Kallus.
  • After Kallus reveals the origin of his Fantastic Racism towards Zeb and why he's so motivated to put a halt on any sort of rebellion, Zeb replies that he can't judge them all the same. Kallus asks him if the same logic applies to Imperials, and Zeb claims it does, just only to the Imperials he knows.
• Attack Its Weak Point: Kallus and Zeb Go for the Eye with the creatures, and Kallus finally manages to kill one by firing into its mouth.
• Bittersweet Ending: Zeb is reunited with the crew, but Kallus politely turns down his offer to surrender himself. When Kallus finally makes it back thanks to a passing trader, the Empire having given up after a day, the cold acknowledgement of Admiral Konstantine and his spartan quarters (the glowing meteorite being his only apparent personal possession aside from his bo rifle) provides a somber juxtaposition between Zeb's "family" and the strictly-business relationship between Kallus' fellow Imperials.
• The Blade Always Lands Pointy End In: Zeb manages to stick Kallus to the ceiling of the ice cave by triggering the pike on Kallus' bo-rifle, then tossing him at the ceiling.
• Call-Back:
  • Kallus asking Zeb if he thinks all Imperials are the same is a subtle reminder about the whole ordeal the crew went through with Minister Tua, and it was Zeb who assumed in "The Siege of Lothal" that she was just as bad as every Imperial to the point of laying a trap for them.
  • In The Clone Wars episode "Duel of the Droids", R2-D2 fights a gold astromech with black highlights. Here, Chopper fights a black astromech with gold highlights.
• Call-Forward: The Empire was building something big over Geonosis, something ... moon-sized, perhaps?
• Character Development:
  • Kallus is ultimately revealed to have redeemable qualities and a sense of honour, and it's implied at the end of the episode he detests the lack of camaraderie and compassion among the Imperials, especially compared to what the Rebels have. He also comes to respect Zeb and seems to genuinely question his allegiance to the Empire after hearing of the state of Geonosis, and being treated kindly by Zeb.
  • Zeb also shows his development from a few episodes ago, in that he's lost his Survivor's Guilt from Lasan since discovering he's not the last Lasat, and also displays a much softer side when dealing with his wounded, helpless Archenemy Kallus.
• Continuity Nod:
  • The prequel films established that the Death Star was conceived and constructed on Geonosis, and the Darth Vader comics revealed that, in order to keep it a secret, the Empire cleansed the population of the planet.
  • The wrecked frames of Separatist command ships can be seen in orbit around Geonosis.
  • Kallus mentions fighting rebels under the command of Saw Gerrera on Onderon.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Kallus reveals that the first time he ever went on a mission his entire crew had been wiped out by Saw Gerrera's rebels, and a Lasat mercenary went around and made sure everyone was dead. For reasons Kallus doesn't understand, he was spared.
• A Day in the Limelight: For Zeb, as his second focus episode, and for Kallus, his very first.
• Determinator: When fighting Zeb, Kallus mockingly notes that "Lasat never know when to give up." Later, when they get stranded, Kallus is injured and cynical about the situation, so Zeb is the one that has to be optimistic about the situation and is the one who does most of the work, noting that Kallus' statement earlier is right.
• Enemy Mine: Zeb and Kallus are forced to work together to survive being stranded on a frozen moon. If they get rescued, the expectation is that one of them will be the prisoner to the other's rescue party (Zeb will have to turn himself in if the Empire comes for Kallus, but if the Ghost crew comes, they will treat Kallus fairly as a prisoner). They resolve to get rescued separately.
• Enemy Rising Behind: The first bonzami makes its entrance by approaching Zeb from behind through one of the passages, while he's threatening to give Kallus a few more broken bones.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Kallus indicates he was not pleased to take part in such a slaughter on Lasan.
• Fade to White: Happens twice after Zeb and Kallus escape the cave to show how much time passes while they look for a ride off the moon.
• Fantastic Racism: When Zeb hears Kallus' story of a Lasat killing wounded men, he tells Kallus not all Lasat are the same, to which Kallus asks if that holds true of Imperials.
• Foil: Through Zeb and Kallus we get a harsh reminder of the differences between the rebellion and the empire thanks to their homecomings. Zeb is welcomed home with joy by a family that loves him, heading inside to a bunk he shares with Ezra, painted by Sabine, full of personal items and personality. Kallus limps in to... nothing, greeted with nothing more than the acknowledgment of his presence by Konstantine, to walk into a lonely cabin with nothing but a cot, a footlocker, and a sink. The warming stone Zeb found and gave to Kallus is the only element of personality in the room.
• Foreshadowing: Kallus mentions a Lasat mercenary who fought for Saw Gerrera and how he slaughtered his unit with extreme prejudice. Come Rogue One and "Ghosts of Geonosis", we see how much of an extremist Saw Gerrera is, showing that Kallus was not stretching the truth in any way to make himself the victim.
• Friendly Address Privileges: When Zeb and Kallus reach the surface, the former allows the latter to call him "Zeb". Kallus reveals he at least knows his first name is "Garazeb", but every other time, Kallus has referred to him as "the Lasat", a "rebel" or using pronouns.
• Heel Realization: The seed of doubt appears to be planted in Kallus' mind about the rightness of the Empire's cause by the end of the episode.
• Heinousness Retcon: In the season one episode "Droids in Distress", Agent Kallus gloats to Zeb about how he took a bo-rifle (a weapon only wielded by the honor guard of Zeb's species, the Lasat) from a Lasat he killed, and that he was the one who gave the order for the Imperial forces to use the T-7 ion disruptors (weapons meant to take down starships) to decimate the population of Lasan. However, during an Enemy Mine situation in this episode, Kallus admits that he was given the bo-rifle after defeating its owner in combat (as per Lasat tradition). It is also revealed that Kallus wasn't the one who gave the order to use the disruptors, and had only claimed credit to make Zeb angry.
• Honor Before Reason: When they first leave the escape pod, Zeb notes that he could just kill Kallus on the spot, but wants to beat him in a fair fight.
• Immune to Bullets: The creatures in the cave are only annoyed by blaster fire. When the first one is driven off, it comes back with a friend and is even more determined.
• Jaw Drop: Kallus' reaction when Zeb throws his bo-rifle out of the cave, followed by a look of quiet indignation when Zeb throws the meteorite and transponder up as well.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: Subverted. While Zeb feels the temptation to finish Kallus off since he's incapacitated, he'd rather wait until Kallus is properly healed to do it.
• Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Both Kallus and Zeb agree that if they make it out alive, they won't tell their allies and enemies about what happened after they part ways, mostly to protect their reputations.
• Lured into a Trap: The crew are led into one by Agent Kallus. It results in him and Zeb getting stranded on a Geonosian moon, the former with a broken leg.
• Meaningful Name: Ultimately subverted, as Kallus proves to not be nearly as callous as he lets on.
• The Namesake: "The Honorable Ones", as in, plural. Zeb isn't the only character in the episode who proves to have a sense of honor.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Had Zeb not been so recklessly obsessed with taking on Kallus, he wouldn't have gotten stranded on Bahryn. However, this does wind up causing a Heel Realization for Kallus, so it all evens out.
• Nothing Personal: Kallus admits this word for word about the massacre of Lasan, and it's strongly implied he feels this way about his job in the Empire as a whole.
• Oh, Crap!: Plenty.
  • When they notice the escape pod is out of control and heading for the moon, Zeb and Kallus stop fighting and look at each other. Kallus also lets out a panicked scream just before the pod actually crashes.
  • Kallus, in fact, is in a near-constant state of Oh, Crap! in the episode, largely because he's injured and stranded with his archenemy in the middle of nowhere.
  • Zeb has a rather snarky one when the bonzami makes its entrance.
  • When Kallus starts to lose his grip on Zeb when they're climbing out of the cave, and one of the bonzami briefly grabs him by his foot.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Kallus earned his bo-rifle by defeating a Lasat Honor Guardsman in battle, who gave it to him per Boosahn Keeraw before dying of his wounds.
• Pardon My Klingon:
  • Zeb's ever-versatile "Karabast!" Lampshaded.
    Kallus: Karabast, karabast! What does that even mean?!
  • Ezra tells Chopper not to be a sleemo (Huttese for slime ball) and get on with searching for Zeb.
• Percussive Maintenance: When Zeb brings out the portable heater, he has to lightly whack it a few times to make it work properly.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Lasat have their own warrior code (Boosahn Keeraw), one of the rules being that a defeated warrior must surrender his weapon to the victor. Zeb's a lot less angry about Kallus having a bo-rifle once he finds out that Kallus at least earned it.
• Rapid-Fire "No!": When the pike holding Kallus on the ceiling by his injured leg from a pit of bonzami starts to loosen.
• Revenge Before Reason: Zeb's hatred towards Kallus over his own safety brought him even worse peril than having to be killed by the Empire.
• Sadistic Choice: As Kallus points out, Zeb can either activate the transponder, which will likely draw in the Empire first, or take his chances with the beast in the cave. Zeb instead modifies the transponder signal to a generic frequency any ship can pick up, increasing the chances that the Ghost crew will arrive first.
• Sleep Cute: Kallus and Zeb, to the disgust of both upon awakening.
• The Social Darwinist:
  Kallus: That is the order of things. The strong survive, the weak perish.
  Zeb: Is that what happened on Geonosis? The weak needed to perish?
• Stab the Scorpion: Played with. Kallus was aiming for Zeb at first, but then changes his mind and shoots the bonzami behind him.
• Take a Third Option: After Kallus reveals that his bo-rifle was given by and taken from a Lasat honor guard he defeated, Zeb cannot rightfully take away Kallus' bo-rifle according to Lasat honor rules. So how does he deprive Kallus of it without taking it away? He splints Kallus' injured leg with it.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Zeb and Kallus vs the moon. Lessens somewhat once Kallus reveals that rather than steal his rifle from a Lasat corpse, he earned it by besting a member of the Honor Guard. He also reveals he lied about ordering the massacre on Lasan, having participated and didn't expect such a slaughter.
• Villainous Friendship: Averted with Kallus and Konstantine. Despite getting along far better than they do with the Inquisitors, Konstantine barely acknowledged Kallus when he greeted him for the first time since his rescue, proving that their relationship is truly just a professional one, and once again that for Imperial soldiers, there is no friendship in war.
• Villainous Valor: Kallus demonstrates that he doesn't really live up to his name, as he saves Zeb several times and, despite considering it a few times, never betrays him. Toward the end he even tries to apologize for what happened on Lasan.
• Villain Protagonist: Kallus.
• Villains Never Lie:
  • Averted. We find out now, over a season later, that Kallus lied in a previous episode about ordering the use of the disruptors on Lasan. While he did participate in the genocide, he wasn't the one in command.
  • To a lesser degree, Kallus implied that he took the bo-rifle from the corpse of the Lasat he killed, when in actuality the Lasat gave it to him. Zeb then informs Kallus that it's a Lasat tradition to give up one's weapon to a stronger opponent when bested in combat.
• What You Are in the Dark: For both Zeb and Kallus. Zeb could very easily leave the injured Kallus to die in a multitude of ways while he escapes the cavern, but he chooses to stay and help him out. Likewise, Kallus has a chance to shoot Zeb on multiple occasions, but instead twice shoots the beast in the cavern to protect Zeb. Finally, once the Ghost locates them, Zeb gives Kallus the choice of either leaving with him as a prisoner or waiting for his own rescue, and doesn't rat Kallus out when he chooses the latter.
• Whole-Plot Reference:
  • To Pitch Black, for a second time in this series. A roguish Proud Warrior Race Guy and his enemy (who gets taunted for being "afraid of the dark") are forced to team up after being stranded on a moon at nightfall. They have to avoid getting eaten by a predator with a pickaxe-shaped toothed beak.
  • Possibly to an episode of another Disney show, TRON: Uprising: Two enemies — a rebel and a commander of a tyrannical regime — crash in an isolated location after a skirmish and have to team up to survive. One is injured and the other provides some medical aid. The seemingly evil commander is revealed to have a Dark and Troubled Past. Finally, the two go their separate ways, with the enemy commander retreating to their quarters and reflecting on the events.
• Worf Had the Flu: Usually Kallus would've had no problems surviving on his own, but the impact of the escape pod he and Zeb are in knocks him out of position, causing his legs to take the force of the impact and breaking one of them. This actually ends up saving Kallus' life as Zeb can't bring himself to kill the man when he's helpless.
• Worthy Opponent: They start out despising each other, but Zeb and Kallus come to respect each other, even if they can't agree with each other.

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