Skirmish over Lothal

In 5 BBY, a skirmish occurred over the plains of the Outer Rim planet Lothal between the VCX-100 light freighter known as the Ghost and a TIE fighter flown by decorated pilot Baron Valen Rudor of the Galactic Empire. The Ghost downed Rudor's TIE fighter, leaving him to crash in Lothal's open plains on the outskirts of Capital City.

After the crash, Rudor and his fighter were discovered by Ezra Bridger, a young orphan who had been on the ground to witness the firefight taking place overhead. Bridger helped a trapped Rudor open the stuck cockpit hatch and in return, ungrateful for the boy's help, Rudor chastised Bridger for touching his ship. Bridger repaid the pilot's rebuke by stealing several components from the TIE fighter, including the pilot's helmet, to sell on the black market. Rudor used the fighter's still-functioning weapons to open fire on the boy, but Bridger was able to unknowingly use the Force to evade him and incapacitate the downed pilot. Not long after, Bridger encountered the very rebels who had shot Rudor down, joined their crew, and began training as a Jedi.

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