From the moment Ezra sacrificed himself to save his Rebel friends, many of us believed he had given his life to bring down one of the Empire’s most dangerous figures, Grand Admiral Thrawn.
However, in the latest series, Ahsoka, we’re surprised to see both Ezra and Thrawn alive and well.
This revelation has left fans wondering: how did they survive that intense situation aboard the Chimaera, with its windows shattered and the ship pulled into hyperspace?
I think I’ve found the answer.
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Ezra’s Use of a Protection Bubble
One theory for how Ezra and Thrawn survived that hyperspace jump could be Ezra’s use of a Force Protection Bubble, or Force Bubble.
If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a defensive technique that lets a Jedi create a shimmering blue sphere of energy around them, shielding them from all kinds of dangers—laser blasts, lightsaber strikes, and even the vacuum of space.
It’s a powerful ability, and it might have been exactly what Ezra needed in that life-or-death moment on the Chimaera.
From the scene, we see Ezra fending off wave after wave of stormtroopers, and once he seals the doors, the Purrgils begin pulling the Chimaera into hyperspace.
Just as the jump happens, it’s likely that Ezra uses this Protection Bubble to shield himself and Thrawn from the shattered windows and the pull of the vacuum outside.
That’s why we see shards of glass floating around Ezra—the bubble contains and protects him from the surrounding chaos, keeping the debris from touching him as the Chimaera makes its hyperspace leap.
But still, this is just a fan theory; it’s not confirmed by any official Star Wars source.
Dave Filoni Confirms Their Survival—but Leaves Key Questions Unanswered
Even though we last saw Ezra and Thrawn pulled into hyperspace on the Chimaera, Rebels creator Dave Filoni has confirmed that they both survived.
However, his explanation is not clear, in a 2018 episode of Rebels Recon, series creator Dave Filoni addressed this curiosity.
When asked about their destinies, Filoni stated
“Oh I’ve thought a lot about that, yeah,” Filoni said when asked what happened to them.
“I wonder. And it’s one of those things where you go, ‘boy, I’d love to do an end credits scene,’ but as tempting as that is, I go, ‘well, if I ever cover that, then I want to do it right.’ And I don’t want to commit to things right now, becasue things might change. So I have a lot of theories about it and what I think happens and where they are. I’ll say this much: they’re not dead. Both of them survive it. Both Ezra and Thrawn I would say survive it.”
As you can see, Filoni’s answer keeps us guessing—it’s more of a non-explanation than a clear answer, leaving fans to fill in the gaps.
Maybe this could even be an opening for a future Star Wars project that we may not know about yet.
George Lucas’s “Air in Space” Concept
Here’s a fun possibility that might explain how Ezra and Thrawn survived, even with shattered windows: George Lucas’s own quirky take on physics in the Star Wars galaxy.
Paul Duncan, author of The Star Wars Archives: Episode IV-VI, shared a great quote from Lucas about how he sees space in Star Wars.
While discussing the Millennium Falcon’s flight style, Lucas mentioned wanting a bit of “drift” in the freighter’s turns, almost as if it were flying through the air. Lucas’s words? “In my world, there’s air in outer space…when I want it.”
So, applying that here, maybe the Chimaera had a “pocket” of breathable atmosphere around it, keeping Ezra and Thrawn alive just long enough for the Purrgil’s hyperspace jump.
It’s definitely unconventional, but we all know Star Wars loves to prioritize story over strict realism. If Lucas can have “air in space” whenever he feels like it, then maybe Ezra and Thrawn had a little “Lucas-style” atmosphere to help them survive that intense leap into the unknown.