Hera Syndulla was a Twi’lek female revolutionary who became a central figure in the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire and the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Born the daughter of General Cham Syndulla and Eleni Syndulla on Ryloth with a brother who died young, she saw firsthand the devastation of the Clone Wars and the reign of the Empire on her homeworld. Syndulla became an expert pilot and left her homeworld and her father’s planetary resistance behind, setting off across the galaxy to build her own resistance movement against the Empire aboard her starship, the Ghost. Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi who survived Order 66, joined her during the Gorse conflict and eventually became her lover and father of her son. Her crew, the Spectres, mounted an insurgency on Lothal and was eventually comprised of Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren, Lasat survivor Garazeb Orrelios, Syndulla’s life-long astromech droid Chopper, and Padawan Ezra Bridger.
The small rebellion Hera led on Lothal gained the notice of Senator Bail Organa and his efforts to coordinate activities between various rebel cells across the galaxy. Hera and the Spectres joined one of these cells, Phoenix Cell, and she eventually became Phoenix Leader. With Phoenix Cell, Syndulla helped expand their forces, gain new allies, and establish a base of operations on the remote world Atollon, though they were unable to help Lothal as the Empire strengthened its grip on the planet. As the rebellion began to grow larger and become more of a threat, the Empire selected Grand Admiral Thrawn and gave him the task of dismantling the rebels. Hera continued to lead Phoenix Cell and became an influential leader of the rebellion. Hera’s cell was among the first to join the formal Rebel Alliance upon its creation. Thrawn, however, located their base and launched an offensive against them on Atollon. Although they were significantly weakened and their base was destroyed, Hera, the Spectres, and several starships managed to escape the onslaught.
With their base gone, Hera and Phoenix Cell joined the Massassi Group on Yavin 4, where Hera continued to lead the rebellion against the Empire. Hera and the Spectres returned to Lothal not long after, seeking to finally free the planet from the Empire. Despite initial setbacks in gaining support from the Alliance, Hera led a squadron of fighters to destroy the Imperial Armory Complex on Lothal, but Thrawn’s fleet managed to crush her forces and take her prisoner. Without Alliance support, the Spectres led a rescue mission to free her. As they made their escape, Kanan sacrificed himself to save Hera and the others from the explosion of the Imperial fuel depot. With newfound determination following Kanan’s death, Hera, the Spectres, and various allies they made along their journey managed to defeat Thrawn and free Lothal from the Empire. Sometime after the liberation, Hera gave birth to Kanan’s son, Jacen Syndulla.
In the following years during the Galactic Civil War, Hera continued to be one of the most crucial leaders in the Alliance. Hera took part in the Alliance’s pivotal moments on Scarif, Mako-Ta, Hoth, and eventually, Endor, the battle which saw the death of Emperor Palpatine and the fracture of the Empire. Following the battle, the Alliance reorganized into the New Republic, with Syndulla as one of its top military leaders. She continued to oversee the Barma Battle Group, which included Alphabet Squadron, throughout the aftermath of Endor, and participated in the Empire’s final defeat at the Battle of Jakku.