It has been over five years since the finale of Star Wars Rebels premiered. Every day since then, fans loyal to the series and the characters have anticipated the search for Ezra, the threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return to the galaxy proper, and any future stories with Ahsoka and Sabine Wren working together. This month, with the release of the unofficial fifth season of Rebels, more widely referred to as the Ahsoka series, that anticipation has reached a fever pitch. While watching Rebels in its entirety before Ahsoka‘s two episode premier on August 23 might be a task too daunting for many, here are five(ish) must watch episodes of Rebels that you need to watch in order to be ready for the story to come.

1-Twilight of the Apprentice Parts 1 and 2 (Season 2 Finale Episodes 21 and 22)

In these episodes, both Ahsoka and Kanan show Ezra what it means to be a Jedi through their self-sacrificing actions. While dueling with Maul, who is attempting to recruit Ezra to be his apprentice, Kanan is blinded. Despite this he is able to defeat Maul and, with Ezra, stop the Sith Temple, which is also a weapon of mass destruction (because Star Wars). Kanan has to trust in Ezra, Chopper, and the Force itself to give him the sight he no longer has. This same faith in friends is the foundation of Ezra’s sacrifice in taking Thrawn beyond the known galaxy at the end of the series.

Ahsoka’s sacrifice is not to be overlooked, though. In her fight against Darth Vader, she is confronted with the reality that Anakin Skywalker, her former master, has become the Sith Lord. Ezra, recently beaten down by said Sith Lord, tries to save Ahsoka from what is certain to be her death. She Force pushes him away, showing Ezra that one does not abandon someone when its difficult and that everyone’s fight might not be the same, an idea that will later be driven home when they reunite in World Between Worlds.

2-Trials of the Darksaber (Season 3 Episode 15)

Trials of the Darksaber is arguably the best episode of Star Wars Rebels. Despite Ahsoka’s absence, this episode will shape the series because of its importance to Ahsoka’s new partner in crime, Sabine Wren.

Sabine, a Mandalorian of Clan Wren, spends the majority of the series running away from her history. When she recovers the legendary Darksaber from Maul, that past can no longer be avoided. After training with Kanan and continually failing, Sabine learns that she has to face her past in order to wield the weapon and shape her own future. The context might be different for Ezra than it was for Sabine, but Sabine’s experience with bringing her past into focus to shape her future is not far off from what an exiled Ezra will face in returning to the galaxy. Ahsoka might be able to find him, but Sabine is the one who can truly bring him home.

3- Jedi Night (Season 4 Episode 10)

Where Trials of the Darksaber is the best episode of the series, Jedi Night is the most despondent. In its climactic moment, Kanan performs the most important act in the entire series by sacrificing himself to save the rest of the Ghost crew.

Prior to that, Hera is captured and tortured by the likely big bad of Ahsoka: Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn taunts her with her Kalikori, a Twi’lek heirloom passed down from one generation to the next. After Kanan’s sacrifice, Hera will add him to her family history. By doing so, and by finally professing her love for him, Hera shows her priorities shifting from the fight to her found family. With the reuniting of that family as a central idea in Ahsoka, the Kalikori could come into play as a reminder of these roots, whether that be in its physical form or simply through the idea that family is central to a fulfilling life worth fighting for.

4- World Between Worlds (Season 4 Episode 13)

In an effort to make sure that Kanan’s sacrifice is not in vain, Ezra opens the World Between Worlds, a mystical Force plane wherein there are doors and paths linking all times and places together.

One such time and place is the duel between Ahsoka and Darth Vader on Malachor. Through this the portal, Ezra is able to see the moments after Ahsoka Force pushed him out of the Sith Temple. Knowing she cannot defeat Vader, nor can she abandon Anakin, Ahsoka plants her white blades into the temple floor. As the temple crumbles, Ezra reaches through the portal and pulls Ahsoka from that moment and into the World Between Worlds.

Having learned of the power the World Between Worlds holds, Ezra finds the moment when Kanan sacrifices himself. He is tempted by the idea, the desire, to pull Kanan from that moment as he did Ahsoka. It is Ahsoka who stops him from giving into such temptation. “Kanan gave his life so you could live,” she tells him. “You can’t save your master, and I can’t save mine.” Ezra concedes in this moment because he understands that Kanan, like Luke on Crait, was teaching the final and most important lesson of being a Jedi.

As Ezra and Ahsoka leave the portal, Palpatine appears. In the mad dash to escape the clutches of the Emperor, Ahsoka returns to Malachor. But not without a mission. “When you get back, come and find me,” Ezra says. “I will. I promise,” Ahsoka replies. This moment sets up her return at the end of the series and lays a foundation for Ahsoka’s motivation to find Ezra in her self-titled series.

5- Family Reunion and Farewell (Series Finale Season 4 Episode 15)

The series finale, particularly the epilogue, promises that Ahsoka will fulfill her commitment to Ezra. In the final shot of the series, Ahsoka returns and reunites with Sabine, launching what will be the starting point for the Ahsoka series. In that final shot, Sabine says, “Ezra’s out there somewhere, and its time to bring him home.”

That home is not simply Lothal. It is the found family that is central to Rebels and Star Wars itself. Both Sabine and Ahsoka have found and lost families. But, as the trailer shows, they have also found and lost each other. Through their reunion their Ghost family can become one again. However, if they fail they will lose more than just family. They will lose hope. They will lose the foreboding war that Thrawn is sure to bring. They will lose they galaxy. They will lose …. everything.