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- "If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing!"
- ―Hera Syndulla
Hera Syndulla was a female Twi'lek rebel who lived during the transitional period between the fall of the Galactic Republic and rise of the First Galactic Empire. Born as a scion to an influential family on Ryloth, she would see the devastating effects of the Clone Wars and the tyrannical Empire that arose to supplant it. Daughter to famous Twi'lek Resistance leader Cham Syndulla and an adept pilot, Syndulla would travel across the galaxy in hopes of forming her own resistance movement against the Empire in her VCX-100 light freighter Ghost. Sure-footed and determined, she kept a secret Blurrg-1120 holdout blaster in her boot and, following the Gorse conflict, eventually fell in love with Jedi Purge survivor Kanan Jarrus, whom she successfully convinced to become a rebel. Leading a misfit group of rebels known as the Spectres on the agricultural backwater of Lothal, she would play a key part in the early rebellion against the Emperor's New Order and become a General in the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
Biography
Early life
- "War. It's all you've ever known, isn't it? You were so young when you survived the Clone War. No wonder you are as equipped in spirit to fight as well as you do. War is in your blood...You were forged by it."
- ―Grand Admiral Thrawn, to Hera
Artwork of Hera with her parents.
Born on the planet Ryloth to her father Cham Syndulla and her mother, Hera was a little girl during the time of the Clone Wars. Her father Cham was a prominent Twi'lek revolutionary who had fought against the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the Clone Wars and later against the Galactic Empire.[11] She and her mother hid underground while the Separatist Droid Army occupied her homeworld. When the Republic's Clone Army came, Hera looked up at their ships and decided to become a pilot, prompting her to leave her family and home to pursue what she loved.[8] During her childhood, Hera grew up on tales of how the purrgil, large space-dwelling creatures, had inspired people to develop the hyperdrive. As she grew older however, Syndulla came to regard the purrgil as a menace because they endangered hyperspace travel by crashing into ships. While working as a pilot, she lost more than one friend to collisions with purrgil.[12]
During the Battle of Ryloth, A BTL Y-wing starfighter crashed in front of her home. Though the pilot died, Hera managed to pull an old astromech droid named Chopper from the wreckage. Following the defeat of the Separatists, the Galactic Republic became the Galactic Empire which refused to leave Ryloth. As a result, the Twi'lek Resistance led by her father Cham launched a resistance struggle against the Empire. During this resistance struggle, Hera's mother was killed and Cham came to prioritize Ryloth's freedom over his own family. As a result, strains developed in the relationship between Hera and her father. Hera was angry at Cham for neglecting her while Cham was upset with his daughter for devoting more attention to Chopper, whom he labeled a "second-rate junk pile". Hera's relationship with Cham was further strained when she joined the wider rebellion against the Empire rather than taking part in the Twi'lek resistance struggle.[11]
Age of the Empire
The Gorse conflict
Tracking down Count Vidian
- "This thing hasn't flown in years!"
"You've got to talk to it right."
"I thought I was a good pilot. But you—you're amazing." - ―Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla
Hera saves Kanan from Captain Sloane
Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, Hera became a first rate starship pilot[1] and left her homeworld in 12 BBY,[13] joining a rebel network led by a mysterious figure known as Fulcrum, who was the former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano.[6] Despite her differences with her father Cham about Ryloth's struggle, she was still inspired by his reputation and work as a rebel leader to follow his path.[11] As a rebel operative, Hera tailed the movements of Count Denetrius Vidian, the Emperor's efficiency expert, who was charged with speeding up production on Imperial worlds and was reputed for his disregard towards the lives of other sentients. After learning that Vidian would be visiting the Gorse system from the Gorse–based surveillance operative Hetto, Hera traveled to the system in her VCX-100 light freighter Ghost. Hetto worked at the Transcept Media Solutions' Myder's Mynocks surveillance division and had managed to contact Hera via HoloNet.[2]
By masking the Ghost's transponder signal, Hera managed to infiltrate the mining moon of Cynda, which was home to vast reserves of thorilide, crystals used in the manufacture of deflector shields. Upon landing, she knocked out a stormtrooper, who demanded to see her ID. While there, she witnessed Vidian murdering the Neimoidian guild director Palfa for refusing to implement an age cap on workers. Later, she witnessed a freight pilot named Kanan Jarrus standing up to Vidian when the Count accosted an elderly worker named Okadiah Garson. While Hera admired Kanan's courageous and wanted to recruit him, she decided to focus on her mission to investigate Vidian's reason for visiting the Gorse system. Unknown to Hera, Kanan was a former Jedi Padawan who had survived the Jedi Purge.[2]
After returning to her ship, Hera managed to intercept the mining companies' signals and discovered that a dissident miner named Skelly had resisted Imperial arrest and conducted an illegal test bombing in the mining moon's Zone Forty-Two. Skelly was captured by Kanan who handed him over to Moonglow Polychemical. Kanan was angry that Skelly's actions had endangered the lives of miners. Viewing him as a potential ally, Hera decided to break him free and tracked him down to Moonglow Polychemical's refinery in Shaketown. To free Skelly, Hera hired a local criminal gang called the Sarlaccs to steal the company's hovertruck. This distraction allowed Hera to free Skelly from his restraints. She then told Skelly that she would make contact with him.[2]
While Hera had paid the gang's leader Charko fifty Credits and promised another fifty after the diversion, Charko then demanded another hundred credits. When Hera was unable to pay, Charko and his men attempted to rob her. Hera was rescued by Kanan, who fought the Sarlaccs off and won her admiration. Before leaving, Hera told him her name. Later, using a tracking device she had slipped into Skelly's utility pocket, Hera tracked down Skelly to his apartment to his home in Crispus Commons, a housing project for homeless Clone Wars veterans. Hera had hoped to recruit Skelly to the rebellion but dismissed him as a conspiracy theorist after Skelly claimed that prolonged baradium mining could destroy Cynda. He claimed that the mining companies were covering this information up.[2]
Believing Skelly to be a "crackpot", Hera left to meet with her local contact Hetto at a pub in Gorse City called The Asteroid Belt, whom she regarded as the main reason for her visit to the Gorse system. However, Hera was unable to meet up with her contact Hetto because he was arrested by Imperial forces, who had been monitoring his HoloNet activities. Before his arrest, Hetto arranged for his Sullustan colleague Zaluna Myder to meet up with Hera and gave her a data cube containing the information she wanted to pass to Hera. Instead, she met Kanan and Zaluna, with the latter informing her about Hetto's arrest. Zaluna managed to pass Hera information that Hetto had downloaded from the Imperial channel to the Transcept database including information about a mysterious individual named Lemuel Tharsa, a freelance mining consultant who worked for the Empire.[2]
Zaluna departed shortly before the arrival of Skelly, who had come to ask Kanan to lend him his ID. Skelly had learned that Count Vidian would be conducting an inspection of the Moonglow Polychemical refinery. Skelly wanted to convince Vidian to halt thorilide mining on Cynda. Hera and Kanan expressed scepticism about the success of Skelly's plan. Before they could argue further, an Imperial stormtrooper patrol arrived. Despite their differences with Skelly, Kanan, Hera, and the establishment's owner Okadiah hid Skelly in a closet. While Kanan refused to lend Skelly his ID card, Hera managed to convince Kanan to lend her his ID card so that she could spy in Vidian and find out why he was visiting the Gorse system. Kanan complied provided "no crazy stuff" took place.[2]
Saving Cynda
- "They're not trying to make a difference. They're just trying to strike back."
"And I understand that. But if people who have a beef with the Empire act solely in their own interests, it won't do anybody else any good. In fact, it might make it harder for any kind of real rebellion flower—" - ―Kanan and Hera discussing strategies to fight the Empire
Kanan rescuing Hera aboard the Forager.
Hera and Kanan managed to infiltrate Moonglow Polychemical in a hoverbus with the help of Okadiah Garson, who worked for the company as a bus driver. While Hera infiltrated the facility, he would wait outside with the bus and pretend that he was having engine trouble. After she returned, he offered to travel with her on her starship Ghost. Hera hid in the refinery's ventilation shafts. Her mission was complicated when Skelly infiltrated the facility and tried to convince Vidian to halt mining operations on Cynda. However, Vidian was unwilling to listen to reason and attacked Skelly. She later witnessed Vidian callously murdering Moonglow's Boss Lal Grallik, after she informed him that the refinery could not meet the Empire's decision to triple Gorse's thorilide quota. When her grieving husband Gord Grallik arrived, Hera identified Vidian as his wife's murderer.[2]
After leaving the refinery, she found that Kanan had been detained by the Imperial Navy Captain Rae Sloane for lacking proper identification. Sloane also wanted to detain Hera for similar reasons but released the two after Vidian cut his tour short and made plans to return to Sloane's Imperial Star Destroyer Ultimatum. However, Skelly bombed Vidian's shuttle Truncheon in an attempt to assassinate the Count. Vidian survived and he and his surviving entourage commandeered the hoverbus and headed to a spaceport where another shuttle was waiting. Hera and Kanan followed Vidian in a hovertruck while Skelly continued the pursuit on his speeder bike.[2]
Skelly bombed Vidian's shuttle but was unable to kill him. Vidian tried to attack Hera and Kanan but was distracted by a vindictive Gord, who had come to seek justice for his wife's murder. While Vidian killed Gord, Hera along with Kanan and Skelly escaped in the hoverbus. Hera drove the bus through the streets of Shaketown and managed to outrun and destroy several pursuing Imperial Troop Transports and two TIE fighters. The three rebels managed to land the bus in a quarry and soon discovered that Zaluna had accidentally stowed aboard in the bus' toilet. Zaluna helped the fugitives by leading them through routes that were not being watched by surveillance cameras.[2]
The rebels sought refuge at Okadiah's establishment, The Asteroid Field. There, she counselled Skelly to join forces with other like-minded rebels rather than acting against the Enpire solely in his own self interest. During this meeting in a small, crowded room, Hera began to form an informal rebel consisting of herself, Kanan, Skelly, and Zaluna; the latter decided to join after learning that she had been dismissed by the Empire from her job at Transcept Media due to her friendship with Hetto. Zaluna feared that the Empire would soon find out that she was in the company of known rebels.[2]
After watching material from the hoverbus surveillance cab, Hera and her fellow rebels discovered that Vidian had come up with a new plan to destroy Cynda in order to gain direct access to its thorilide. The rebels' fears were proven when Vidian conducted a test bombing on the mining site on Cynda. This explosion was witnessed by many people on Gorse including Hera and her companions. Since Kanan's friend Okadiah and his team had recently gone up to the moon, Hera and the rebels traveled there on Kanan's cargo hauler Expedient. Upon arriving, they discovered that the explosion had claimed the lives of all the miners including Okadiah, who died in Kanan's arms while Hera while watched.[2]
Satisfied with the results of the test bombing, Count Vidian and Captain Sloane ordered that all empty mining cargo ships in the Gorse system follow the Ultimatum to his depot in the Calcoraan system. Vidian planned to use the freighters to unload Baradium-357 onto Cynda in order to detonate the moon. To cover up the test bombing, the Empire claimed that Moonglow Polychemical's negligence had cause the explosion and nationalized the company's assets. Imperial media claimed that Vidian was organising a heroic effort to stabilize Cynda. Resolving to stop Vidian, Hera and her rebel cell traveled on the Expedient to the Calcoraan Depot.[2]
Infiltrating the facility, Hera and Kanan managed to find their way into Vidian's personal chambers, which included an advanced medcenter. The two were quickly ambushed by Vidian but were saved when Skelly and Zaluna incapacitated the count with a sleeping serum. After downloading the cybor's mind into a portable terminal and holoprojector, the rebels discovered that Vidian had once been the "mining consultant" Lemuel Tharsa before he had succumbed to Shilmer's syndrome. They also found out that Vidian had faked the test bombing results on Cynda to show that the detonation would not destroy the moon's thorilide crystals; when the original report showed otherwise. Kanan came up with a plan to foil Vidian's plot by informing Captain Sloane of Vidian's deception. Posing as an agent of the Emperor, Kanan was able to appeal to Sloane's patriotism and successfully convinced her to forward the original report to the Emperor.[2]
Hera and her fellow rebels then traveled back to the Gorse system to stop Vidian's plan. Upon arriving, Kanan used the Expedient to harass the freighters and prevent them from unloading their baradium cargo onto Cynda's surface. The rebel freighter managed to shoot down several TIE fighters before breaching Vidian's flagship Forager. Once aboard, Hera and her companions fought their way through the factory ship to Vidian's command centre. Despite losing Skelly in the factory, the rebels managed to confront Vidian. The cyborg Count managed to overpower the rebels and blinded Zaluna during the struggle. Before Vidian could detonate Cynda, he was stopped by an unlikely opponent: Captain Sloane.[2]
By this stage, the Emperor had discovered Vidian's deception. Acting in the name of the Empire, Sloane ordered her crew to shut down the Detonation Link and instructed her stormtroopers to arrest the Count. Still defiant, Vidian revealed that he could still control the detonation link. Undaunted, Sloane ordered Imperial forces to bombard and destroy Vidian's ship. During the ensuing bombardment, Hera, Kanan, and Zaluna managed to escape in an escape pod. Kanan also revealed his identity by using the Force to save them from being crushed to death by a falling catwalk. Meanwhile, Vidian was killed by a vengeful Skelly, who detonated a bomb that destroyed the Forager; saving Cynda from destruction. After transporting Zaluna to a safe world to live out her days, Hera and Kanan decided to travel together as rebels on her ship Ghost.[2]
The Spectres
Hera and her rebel cell
Following the Gorse conflict, Hera, Kanan, and Chopper formed a rebel cell known as the Spectres that was based on the Ghost. They were eventually joined by the Lasat warrior Garazeb Orrelios and the former Mandalorian Imperial cadet Sabine Wren.[14] After raiding an Imperial supply convoy on Kanan's suggestion, Hera, Kanan, and Chopper found themselves under attack by Imperial TIE fighters. When the attack disabled both the Ghost's shields and internal communications system, Hera and Kanan began giving Chopper conflicting orders over what to fix first. A comment from Kanan passed on to Hera by Chopper aggravated her enough to go on the offensive and destroy a TIE fighter herself. Chopper wound up destroying the final starfighter, and his efforts were praised by Hera before she took the Ghost into hyperspace.[9]
Another mission required Sabine to create a diversion so the Ghost could take off. After Hera signaled Sabine that they were in position, the Mandalorian detonated an explosive in a TIE fighter landing platform, drawing attention from the departing Ghost. As she flew away, Hera remarked to Sabine that the explosion was even visible from her position.[15]
Enter Ezra Bridger
Sometime later, Sabine, Zeb and Kanan were tasked with stealing some crates containing blasters from the Empire. As part of the plan, Hera and Chopper would pick up the rebels and their stolen supplies outside the city. During, Hera's rebel companions encountered Ezra Bridger, a fourteen year old orphan who lived on the streets of Lothal's Capital City. Ezra tried to steal several of the crates but reluctantly hitched a ride aboard the Ghost. This proved to be Hera's first encounter with the young Ezra, who later became a valuable crew member of the Ghost and Kanan's Jedi Padawan. After losing their Imperial pursuers in space, Hera and her crew returned to Lothal and sold the stolen blasters to the Devaronian crime lord Cikatro Vizago. The rebels then gave the proceeds to the poor people of Tarkintown, who had been dispossessed by the Empire.[16]
Hera and her companions then embarked on a mission to rescue several Wookiee slaves that were being transported on an Imperial transport ship to the spice mining planet of Kessel. Unknown to the Spectres, the Imperial Security Bureau agent Kallus had planned to lure them into a trap. When Zeb and Chopper objected to the presence of the stowaway Ezra, Hera and Sabine argued that they could not dump the human youth since he knew too much. Hera also promised to keep an eye on the young human youth. When they went to rescue the Wookiees from an Imperial transport, their transmissions were blocked. Hera and Ezra noticed a Star Destroyer coming out of hyperspace taking them aboard. Hera told Ezra to warn the other rebels who had gone aboard. When he did, they escaped the imperials except for Ezra himself who was grabbed by Agent Kallus.[16]
Following their escape from the Imperial trap, Hera successfully convinced her rebel comrades to rescue Ezra from the Star Destroyer. After they escaped again, Hera said Ezra's parents must be worried sick and was upset to hear that he had no parents. While Ezra was on board the Lawbringer, he learned that the Wookiees were really being held in the Spice Mines of Kessel so the rebels went there to save them. Hera was forced to flee the scene when the Ghost was ambushed by TIEs. She ran a "22 pickup" to rescue her comrades. Upon returning to Lothal, Ezra returned Kanan's holocron that he had grabbed earlier. After noticing that Ezra had opened the holocron, she realized that the teenager was strong in the Force. However, Ezra also stole Kanan's lightsaber prior to their disembarkation and Kanan followed Ezra to his hideout to retrieve it. In the end, Kanan managed to convince Ezra to return his lightsaber in return for training the boy as his Padawan. As a result, Ezra became a crew member of the Ghost.[16]
Theft of disruptors
Hera talking with Ezra about the T-7 ion disruptors.
Running low on fuel and supplies, the crew of the Ghost decided to accept another job from the crime lord Vizago to steal a shipment of weapons from the spaceport on Garel, a planet near Lothal. While Hera traveled to Garel in the Ghost, her comrades took a Star Commuter 2000 transport shuttle. After a fire fight with the Imperial authorities on Garel, Hera and her fellow rebels escaped Garel with the weapons. These weapons turned out to be illegal T-7 ion disruptor rifles, which had been used during the Imperial subjugation of Lasan, Zeb's homeworld. While the Imperial Senate had banned these firearms, the Imperial Minister Maketh Tua had wanted to restart production on Lothal. During their escape, the rebels also picked up the protocol droid C-3PO and his astromech companion R2-D2; who had been sent on a secret mission by Senator Bail Organa to prevent the T-7 disruptors from falling into the hands of the Empire.[17]
The presence of the T-7 disruptors distressed Zeb, who was one of the few Lasat to survive the Fall of Lasan. After Zeb locked Ezra out of his cabin, Hera told the teenager about the role that these weapons had played in the destruction of his species. Upon returning to Lothal, the Ghost rendezvoused at a pre-arranged location with Vizago. Unknown to Hera and the other crew members, C-3PO, who was unaware of his master's true mission and believed that the rebels were "criminals", made an emergency call to Agent Kallus and revealed their whereabouts. Before the rebels could complete their transaction with Vizago, they were attacked by an Imperial force led by Kallus. Vizago fled without paying the crew of the Ghost. However, the rebels were unwilling to allow the disruptors to fall into Imperial hands again and fought against Kallus' forces.[17]
During the fighting, Hera helped Sabine to open the crates containing the disruptors and then used one to shoot down one of Kallus' AT-DP walkers. Meanwhile Sabine and R2-D2 succeeded in overloading the disruptors, causing them to explode and effectively denying them to the Empire. In the midst of the skirmish, Ezra also managed to save Zeb from being killed by Kallus, who had played a role in the genocide of the Lasat species. Kanan asked Hera to get the boy on board while he himself took the Lasat on the ship. Following their skirmish with Imperial forces on Lothal, Hera and her crew headed into space where they rendezvoused with C-3PO's and R2-D2's owner, Senator Organa on the Tantive IV. The grateful Senator paid them generously for returning his droids and destroying the disruptors.[17]
Acquiring supplies
- "Enough. This is my ship you're wrecking, and I want you off."
- ―Hera, to Ezra and Zeb
Hera expelling Zeb and Ezra, giving them a market list.
After Zeb and Ezra made a mess in the cargo hold of the Ghost, Hera sent them off the ship to buy supplies in a local Lothalian town. Among the items Hera requested was a meiloorun fruit, something not commonly found on Lothal. Because of its rarity, Hera hoped Ezra and Zeb would be gone longer, leaving her and Kanan some time to relax. Some time later, Hera received a call from Zeb, who had stolen a TIE fighter. Kanan then instructed them to hurry to the meeting point. When Ezra and Zeb failed to return in time, Hera began to worry. Thankfully, the two eventually returned. After hearing them out, the entire crew boarded the Ghost.[18]
The Stygeon trap
The rebel fighter Phantom and the "fleet".
Later, Hera and her fellow rebels received a transmission from the outspoken dissident Senator Gall Trayvis that the Galactic Empire had imprisoned the Jedi Master Luminara Unduli at the Spire, a prison on remote Stygeon Prime. Despite the risks involved in breaching the fortified Imperial prison, the rebels decided to rescue the imprisoned Jedi so that she could assist Ezra's Jedi training. Upon arriving in the Stygeon system, they left the Ghost behind in Chopper's hands while Hera flew the rest of the crew towards the prison on the Phantom, the Ghost's auxiliary vessel. While Kanan, Ezra, Zeb, and Sabine infiltrated the prison complex, Hera remained aboard the Phantom to evacuate her comrades once they had freed Luminara.[19]
Unknown to Hera and her comrades, Luminara had already died but the Empire had preserved her remains in order to lure surviving Jedi to their deaths. Upon reaching Luminara's cell at the lower levels of the complex, Kanan and Ezra were ambushed by the Grand Inquisitor, a Force sensitive agent of the Empire tasked with hunting down Jedi Purge survivors. After a brief lightsaber duel, Kanan and his Padawan managed to escape into the vast prison complex. Meanwhile, Hera was waiting aboard the Phantom when the ship's sensors detected something approaching the shuttle. At first, Hera thought that it was a TIE fighter. However, the intruder turned out to be a group of tibidees, winged flying creatures native to the Spire, that mistook the Phantom's jamming signal for a mating call. Hera was forced to detach the shuttle from the side of the prison but was followed by the creatures. Through some unknown means, Hera managed to convince the tibidees that she was a friend and that the Imperials were the enemies.[19]
Meanwhile, Kanan and Ezra managed to reunite with Sabine and Zeb. The four rebels then made their way to a hangar bay while dodging the Inquisitor's twin-bladed lightsaber and the prison's automated blast doors. After unlocking the hangar bay's blast doors, the four rebels found themselves trapped by a force of stormtroopers and a blaster fight broke out. Hera and the Phantom returned in the midst of this skirmish with a large fleet of tibidees, which proceeded to attack the stormtroopers. Hera managed to evacuate her rebel comrades and they returned to the Ghost. Despite their failure to rescue Luminara, Kanan's relationship with his Padawan Ezra improved as a result of their experiences in the Spire.[19]
Destroying a kyber crystal
Hera and Kanan fleeing the exploding kyber crystal.
Later, Hera and Kanan sent Ezra on a mission to infiltrate the Academy for Young Imperials on Lothal to steal an Imperial decoder containing the location of a powerful Kyber crystal. Ezra infiltrated the Academy disguised as a Cadet named Dev Morgan. He was also assisted by Chopper, Sabine, and Zeb who remained outside the Academy's parameters to help Ezra evacuate once he had completed his mission. Meanwhile, Hera and Kanan remained aboard the Ghost while waiting for Sabine to transmit the coordinates of the Kyber crystal. With the assistance of a disillusion Imperial Cadet named Zare Leonis, Ezra succeeded in stealing the decoder. As a result, Hera and Kanan learnt that the kyber crystal was being transported by a convoy consisting of three Gozanti-class cruisers. However, Ezra decided to delay his exit in order to protect another Cadet named Jai Kell from being abducted by the Inquisitor for Project Harvester, a secret Imperial project to identify Force-sensitive individuals.[20]
Despite this unexpected development, Hera convinced Kanan to focus on their mission to destroy the kyber crystal. Using the decoder's coordinates, the Ghost intercepted the Imperial convoy. While Kanan used the Phantom to harry the convoy's TIE fighter escorts, Hera used the Ghost's weapons systems to attack the middle Gozanti cruiser; which Kanan had determined was ferrying the kyber crystal. Hera managed to destroy the cruiser before it could make a jump into hyperspace. This created a massive explosion which consumed the other cruisers and the TIE fighters. Hera and Kanan narrowly managed to escape into hyperspace and returned to Lothal. By that time, Ezra and Jai Kell had managed to escape from the Academy with the assistance of Chopper, Sabine, and Zeb. After reuniting with their comrades in Lothal's wilderness, Hera helped Jai and his mother to hide from the Empire.[20]
Mission to Fort Anaxes
Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren settling their differences on Fort Anaxes.
Later, Hera along with Sabine and Ezra participated in a mission provided by Fulcrum, Hera's secret contact and a key leader of the rebel network. During the course of their mission their shuttle, the Phantom, was attacked by several TIE fighters. This narrow brush with death led Sabine to question Fulcrum's reliability and to ask Hera to reveal her source. Wanting to protect knowledge of the rebellion from the Empire, Hera refused to disclose this information to Sabine. Dissatisfied with Hera's response, Sabine insisted on accompanying her on their next supply run to Fort Anaxes, an abandoned asteroid base used by the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Wanting to resolve this conflict peacefully, Hera obliged and the two women departed on the Phantom for Fort Anaxes.[21]
Unknown to the two women, Ezra and Zeb had failed to fix a leak in the Phantom's fuel line. This would have serious ramifications for Sabine and Hera. Unaware of this problem, Hera and Sabine departed in the Phantom. During their journey, Sabine asked more probing questions which Hera tactfully dodged. However, Sabine was not fooled and persisted with her questioning. At that point, Fulcrum contacted Hera to inform her that their supplies had been unloaded and were waiting for them on Fort Anaxes. When Sabine attempted to talk to Fulcrum, Hera was forced to break off communications. Upon their arrival, they discovered that Fulcrum had already fled their rendezvous point. However, Hera found a small symbol left by Fulcrum on one of the supply crates which she promptly hid from Sabine.[21]
After arriving at Fort Anaxes, Sabine asked Hera to confirm that she and Kanan trusted her. With the fight against the Empire escalating, Sabine explained that she needed to know more about Fulcrum in order to know that her struggle was not in vain. She recalled that during her time at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore, she was a blind follower of the Empire but that it had ended up being a nightmare. Hera understood Sabine's concerns and assured the younger woman that she trusted her. However, she explained to Sabine that could not disclose all that she knew about the wider Rebellion to avoid that information falling into the hands of the Empire. Unlike Sabine, Hera knew that their cell was part of a wider rebel network. Finally, she asked Sabine to have faith in her and Kanan.[21]
While they were loading the supplies onto the Phantom, Hera and Sabine were attacked by a pack of fyrnocks, deadly silicon-based lifeforms which had driven the Republic personnel from the asteroid base. While attempting to flee, they discovered that the Phantom's fuel tank was faulty. Hera also contacted their crew mates on the Ghost for help. After discovering that the fyrnocks could not withstand sunlight, Hera and Sabine devised a plan to use Rhydonium explosives to kill the creatures. However, they quickly ran out of explosives. When it seemed that they would be devoured by fyrnocks, the crew of the Ghost came and rescued them. Once safely aboard the Ghost, Hera assured Sabine that she trusted her even more as a result of their adventure at Fort Anaxes. In return, Hera asked Sabine if she could trust her and promised the Mandalorian girl that she would eventually understand the cause they were fighting for. Sabine agreed and promised that she would try.[21]
Empire Day
Hera and the other crew watching Ezra and his new lightsaber.
On Empire Day, Hera Syndulla and her rebel companions visited a cantina in Lothal's Capital City. Around that time, the Rodian Tseebo, who worked for the Imperial Information Office had gone missing and the Imperial authorities had launched a manhunt. Zeb was present at the cantina when three TIE fighter pilots visited the building and briefly accosted a Rodian customer, whom they later released after determining that he was not Tseebo. During the Empire Day celebrations that night, the Ghost's crew decided to destroy a new TIE Advanced v1 prototype that was displayed to the Lothalian public. While Kanan planted a thermal detonator on the TIE's repulsorlift platform, Zeb and Sabine distracted the Imperials by lighting colorful fireworks.[22]
Prior to the explosion, Hera left early to prepare the Ghost for take off and to pick them up at a rendezvous point. The Spectres succeeded in destroying the TIE prototype but the Imperials responded by imposing a citywide lockdown. With air travel prohibited, Hera was unable to bring the Ghost to their rendezvous point. Shortly later, she was joined by Zeb, who had managed to escape the lockdown. However, Kanan promised to transmit a new rendezvous point as soon as they had found one. The other rebels managed to escape the lockdown and also rescued Tseebo, who had been hiding in Ezra's former home. Hijacking an Imperial troop transport, her rebel companions managed to break out of the security cordon and enter the highway but were pursued by Agent Kallus. Hera then flew the Ghost to their new rendezvous point and picked them up.[22]
Hera and her rebel comrades then fled into space but were pursued by several TIE fighters led by the Grand Inquisitor, who piloted his own IE Advanced fighter. During a brief dogfight Chopper, who was manning the rear turret, was hit by laser fire; forcing Zeb to take over. Hera also ordered Sabine to man the Ghost's nose gun and Ezra to fix the ship's navicomputer. While Ezra was unable to repair the navicomputer, Tseebo succeeded in eliminating the problem by transmitting hyperspace coordinates directly to the Ghost's computer. Thus, the rebels were able to escape into hyperspace. However, the Inquisitor succeeded in planting an XX-23 S-thread tracker on the Phantom, the Ghost's auxiliary ship.[23]
After escaping the Imperials, Hera and the other rebels held a meeting to discuss what to do with Tseebo. Ezra was resentful towards the Rodian for not saving his parents Mira and Ephraim Bridger. Tseebo then interrupted the meeting to announce that the Imperials were tracking the Ghost. Under Hera's orders, Chopper scanned the Ghost and detected the tracker's on the hull of the Phantom. When Hera suggested dumping the Phantom in hyperspace, Kanan responded that he and Ezra could use the shuttle as a decoy to keep the Imperials from their true target: Tseebo. While Kanan and Ezra kept the Inquisitor busy, Hera would arrange a rendezvous with the mysterious rebel agent known as Fulcrum, who would then arrange Tseebo's welfare. After agreeing to this plan, the rebels parted company.[23]
While Kanan and Ezra grappled with the Inquisitor on the asteroid Fort Anaxes, Hera and the other Ghost crew arrived at their rendezvous point with Fulcrum's corvette in deep space. Prior to boarding the blockade runner, Tseebo confided in Hera that he had failed Ezra's parents and told her that he had volunteered for a cybernetic implant in order to make up for the wrong he had done. He also told Hera that he knew the fate of Ezra's parents. Before Tseebo left, Hera agreed to share this information with Ezra when he was ready. Later, the Spectres were rejoined by Kanan and Ezra, who had escaped from the Inquisitor on Fort Anaxes. However, Ezra was troubled after inadvertently tapping into the Dark Side during his confrontation with the Inquisitor.[23]
Following Ezra's confrontation with the Inquisitor, Hera supported Kanan when he decided to take the young Padawan for his Jedi Trials at the Jedi Temple on Lothal. She encouraged her companion by telling him that he had to help Ezra following the events at Fort Anaxes. Following Ezra's successful Jedi Trials, Hera and the other crew of the Ghost were present when he presented his new lightsaber.[24]
Calrissian's job
Hera working with Calrissian
After Zeb and Kanan lost Chopper in a game of sabacc with the entrepreneur Lando Calrissian, Hera took on a job from the man in order to reclaim her droid. She was also incensed towards Zeb and Kanan for gambling on Chopper. Lando attempted to ingratiate himself with the crew members one at a time while simultaneously turning them against one another, a tactic Hera quickly took notice of.[25]
When they rendezvoused with Lando's contact the crime lord Azmorigan, Hera went aboard with Lando and Kanan. Lando subtly informed Hera of his plan without actually giving her instructions. To everyone's shock Lando offered Hera as payment to the gangster Azmorigan in exchange for his mysterious piece of cargo. Hera chose to play along with Lando's ruse despite the imminent danger it put her in. Using her natural allure she knocked out Azmorigan and one of his guards using a food tray, which she wryly referred to as very useful. Using the escape pod Lando mentioned she managed to escape back to the Ghost. Upon arriving back on the Ghost, she punched Lando in the stomach and reprimanded him for endangering her and her crew. However, she continued his job nonetheless.[25]
Despite Lando's instructions, Ezra and Zeb opened the box containing the mysterious piece of cargo, which turned out to be a puffer pig. The frightened animal wreaked havoc aboard the Ghost and prevented Hera from returning to the Ghost's cockpit by inflating itself and blocking the passage. Using the Ghost's signature modulation, Kanan piloted the ship past the Imperial blockade on Lothal and managed to evade several pursuing TIE fighters. After breaking past the Imperials, Hera reprimanded Lando for his divide and conquer tactics and asserted herself as the commander of the crew, instructing Lando to follow her command. Calrissian also revealed that his plan was to use the puffer pig for mining; the Empire had banned private entrepreneurs from owning the animal in order to maintain a monopoly on mining.[25]
After escaping the Imperial blockade, Hera along with her crew and Calrissian made their way to Calrissian's farm. There, they were confronted by Azmorigan, who had been angered by Calrissian's theft of his puffer pig and had come to exact revenge on the shady entrepreneur. Hera and her crew became caught up in a shootout between the rebels and Azmorigan. During the fighting, Azmorigan took Zeb hostage and threatened to kill the Lasat if they did not hand Lando over to him. However, Chopper resolved the situation by firing on Azmorigan, allowing Hera and the rebels to regain the upper hand. Hera then demanded that the defeated crime lord leave, a demand that he acquiesced to. With Azmorigan gone, Calrissian returned Chopper to Hera. Since Calrissian did not have the credits to repay them for their "job", Chopper with the approval of Hera and the other crew, stole Calrissian's fuel canisters; which the entrepreneur conceded as fair payment for their risky mission.[25]
Exposing Trayvis
Following the latest transmission from Gall Trayvis, the crew attempted to meet with him personally, after Hera and Ezra managed to decode the senator's hidden message. After sneaking into the senate building and meeting Trayvis they were immediately ambushed by Agent Kallus and his men. Trayvis suggested they surrender, but they managed to escape capture with Sabine's aid. The crew fled into the sewers with Kallus in pursuit, but the senator's curious behavior began to arouse Hera's suspicions. Trayvis lagged behind and began asking her for information on their group and their activities. While Hera had long been inspired by the broadcasts of Trayvis as a voice of resistance against the Empire, she quickly realized the senator was not what he appeared.[26]
Suspicious that his ineptitude during the escape was in fact an attempt to get them captured, she gave him her blaster and requested cover while she and Ezra deactivate a large industrial fan, blocking their exit. Her theory proved correct as the deceitful Trayvis attempted to prevent them from escaping by holding them at blaster point. Hera turned his tactics against him and coaxed him into revealing his own secrets as an Imperial agent. Fortunately Hera had given Trayvis an uncharged blaster, allowing her to punch him unconscious and escape with the crew. Disheartened by the revelation of the senator's deceit, Ezra expressed his concerns to Hera. She reassured him that things would get better as long as they had hope.[26]
Confronting Tarkin
Hera conferencing with Fulcrum.
The Spectres' activities eventually attracted the attention of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, who decided to implement a final solution to the rebel problem there. Unhappy that Imperial propaganda was casting them in a negative light, Hera and her rebel comrades participated in a mission to hijack the Imperial communications tower on Lothal. While her rebel comrades assaulted the compound, Hera remained aboard the Ghost's auxiliary ship, the Phantom, to evacuate the team after they finished inserting a data spike onto the communication tower's main computer. However, Tarkin along with Agent Kallus and the Inquisitor had planned to trap the rebels and quickly surrounded the complex. Following a brief struggle, the Imperials succeeded in capturing Kanan.[27]
Hera was unwilling to abandon Kanan but she reluctantly complied and escaped with the other rebels. Despite losing Kanan to the Empire, Ezra succeeded in making a heartfelt broadcast that was heard by many on Lothal and the neighboring system. In response, Tarkin ordered his patrol transports to destroy the Imperial communications tower, which disrupted communications throughout Lothal. Following Kanan's capture, Hera reassured Ezra that their efforts had not been for nothing. She also assured her fellow rebels that their fight against the Empire was not over yet.[27]
Mission to Mustafar
Hera and her crew pose with their stolen TIE fighter.
Following Kanan's capture by the Empire, Hera received orders from Fulcrum not to rescue Kanan and take her crew into hiding. She reluctantly complied but later changed her mind after Ezra and his companions disobeyed her orders. Using the lead that Ezra had obtained from the Devaronian crime lord Cikatro Vizago, they learned that the Empire had begun using courier droids to deliver data in the wake of the communication tower's destruction. To ascertain Kanan's whereabouts, Sabine Wren disguised Chopper as an Imperial courier droid. Then, the disguised droid boarded an Imperial communications cruiser in orbit and then transmitted the coordinates to Hera. After completing his work, he contacted Hera who brought the Ghost into space and attacked the cruiser, buying enough time for Chopper to return to the Ghost. After returning to Lothal, Hera and the other rebels learnt that Kanan was being transported to the Mustafar system, which Kanan had earlier described as a place where Jedi went to die.[28]
Later, Ezra and Zeb revealed to Hera and Sabine that the TIE fighter they had stolen had not been destroyed but was in fact hidden. Hera then decided to use the TIE fighter to infiltrate Tarkin's Star Destroyer Sovereign and rescue Kanan. The rebels then traveled to Mustafar in a stolen Imperial freighter. When approaching the Imperial fleet, Hera asked Ezra if Kanan was alive. Seeing through the Force, Ezra told her that he could sense Kanan's presence aboard the Sovereign. Under the pretext of delivering a TIE fighter, Sabine flew the stolen starfighter, which she had repainted, into the Sovereign's hangar bay. Sabine then used several inbuilt EMP devices to knock out the ship's power and stormtroopers.[6]
Hera and her rebel companions with the exception of Chopper then boarded the Star Destroyer; Chopper stayed behind to look after their stolen Imperial freighter. While Ezra went to find Kanan, Hera along with Sabine and Zeb fought the ship's stormtroopers. After learning from Ezra that Kanan had escaped and defeated the Inquisitor, the rebels fled the ship. The Sovereign's reactor core had been damaged during a duel between Kanan and the Inquisitor; forcing Grand Moff Tarkin to order a general evacuation of the Star Destroyer. Hera and her rebel comrades escaped in two stolen TIE fighters but were pursued by a swarm of TIE fighters. Fortunately for Hera, the rebels were rescued by a fleet of rebel starships, which included the Ghost, Chopper's stolen freighter, and two blockade runners. After linking up with Chopper's freighter, the rebels escaped into hyperspace.[6]
Upon boarding Chopper's stolen Imperial freighter, they were greeted by two rebel soldiers and a hologram projection of Senator Bail Organa, the man who had earlier rewarded them for destroying the T-7 ion rifles. After the Senator introduced himself, Hera revealed to her rebel comrades that their cell group had been part of a wider rebel network that was dedicated to overthrowing the Galactic Empire. Shortly later, they were joined by the enigmatic Fulcrum, who revealed herself as Ahsoka Tano, an ex-Jedi Padawan who had survived Order 66. In response to the rebels' successes, the Emperor sent his apprentice Darth Vader to deal with them.[6]
Rescuing a Defector
Hera and Kanan discussing their differences.
Following the events in the Mustafar system, Hera and the crew of the Ghost learned that they were part of a larger rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Hera and her crew mates joined the Phoenix rebel cell fleet and took part in a mission to steal shield generators from the Empire to help defend the fleet. During the mission, Hera flew the Ghost in support of Phoenix Squadron, a squadron of A-wings, and a fleet of rebel blockade runners led by Commander Jun Sato. The fleet attacked a group of Imperial freighters and knocked supplies loose from one of the vessels. After the Ghost secured the cargo, Hera and the rest of the fleet fled into hyperspace. While the rebels failed to capture shield generators, they succeeded in securing more fuel supplies.[7]
Later, Hera was present on the bridge of the rebel command ship Phoenix Home when Chopper received a holographic transmission from the disillusioned Imperial Minister Maketh Tua, who wanted to defect from the Empire in exchange for providing vital Imperial intelligence. Against fleet protocol, Kanan had ordered Chopper to play the message. In response, Hera instructed the astromech droid to mask their signal by only using one-way visual communication. After some discussion, Hera and her rebel colleagues agreed to rescue Minister Tua. Following their meeting, Hera confronted Kanan and scolded him for breaching fleet protocol. When Kanan expressed his discomfort about the rebels being involved in a military operation, Hera reminded the Jedi that they were part of a larger struggle against the Empire. However, Kanan was reluctant to join the rebellion due to his traumatic experience with the Clone Wars and the Jedi Purge.[7]
For the mission, the rebels traveled to Lothal in a Star Commuter 2000 shuttle. After further discussions and passing through the Imperial blockade above Lothal, Hera and the other crew headed to their pre-arranged rendezvous point while Chopper and Zeb stayed aboard the shuttle. As part of the plan, the rebels would rescue Minister Tua while she was boarding a shuttle for a scheduled meeting with Grand Moff Tarkin. During the rescue operation, Hera along with Ezra and Sabine Wren attacked Tua's Imperial escorts from the rooftop while Kanan infiltrated the Imperial escorts disguised as a Stormtrooper commander. However, Agent Kallus had learnt about Minister Tua's planned defection and had set a trap for the rebels. Tua was killed during a shuttle explosion that was subsequently blamed on the rebels. With their plan in tatters, Hera and her rebel comrades were forced to flee into hiding.[7]
Escaping the Siege
Fleeing from Imperial forces, Hera and her fellow rebels boarded the Star Commuter 2000 after Chopper and Orrelios arrived. However, the shuttle was shot down by an AT-DP walker and the rebels were forced to flee to Ezra Bridger's former home, which served as one of their safe houses. However, they were pursued by stormtroopers. Deducing that the forces in the Imperial complex would be stretched thin since the garrison was hunting for them, the rebels hatched a plan to sneak in and steal a shuttle in order to escape Lothal. While Kanan retained his stormtrooper disguise and Bridger impersonated an Imperial cadet, Hera and the other rebels hid in several crates. This ruse allowed them to infiltrate the Imperial complex where they managed to steal several Imperial shield generators. Before they could make their escape, Hera and her rebel comrades were confronted by the Sith Lord Darth Vader. The Sith Lord proved more than a match for Kanan and Ezra with the rebels barely managing to escape the complex in a stolen shuttle.[7]
Knowing that Darth Vader had imposed a blockade around Lothal, the rebels decided they had to smuggle themselves off Lothal. Hera suggested turning to their old friend, Lando Calrissian for help. Hera and Kanan contacted Calrissian who was offworld at the time. Calrissian reluctantly agreed to assist their escape in return for the rebels giving him three of their stolen shield generators. Following the events on Lothal and the destruction of Tarkintown, Hera and her comrades decided not to return to the plant in order to avoid endangering the planet's people. With the help of Calrissian's droid W1-LE, Sabine created sensor buoys that could replicate the signal of the shuttle and throw of the Imperial forces hunting for them. This ploy allowed the Ghost crew to evade the Imperial blockade. Unbeknownst to Hera and the rebels, Darth Vader had planted a tracking device on the shuttle in order to track the rebels to his true objective: the Phoenix rebel fleet.[7]
While traveling back to the Phoenix rebel fleet, the rebels voted to continue fighting alongside Phoenix Squadron. Shortly after arriving back at the fleet, the Phoenix rebels were attacked by a lone TIE Advanced x1 starfighter piloted by Darth Vader, the Sith Lord they had encountered on Lothal. During the space battle, Vader inflicted significant damage on the fleet's A-wing starfighters and the rebel flagship Phoenix Home, which had to be abandoned. Hera and her crew flew the Ghost during the fighting but were forced to retreat with the arrival of Imperial Star Destroyers. Towards the end of the space battle, Hera devised a plan to trap Darth Vader's TIE fighter by flying the Ghost between two Star Destroyers and tricking them into activating their tractor beam projectors. This plan worked and the Ghost managed to jump into hyperspace; leaving Vader's starfighter behind to be trapped in their place.[7]
Mission to Seelos
Following the destruction of Phoenix Home, Hera and her fellow rebels were again on the run from the Empire. At the suggestion of Ahsoka Tano, she and other the crew of the Ghost traveled to the planet Seelos to seek out one of her old friends: the former Clone trooper Captain Rex. While Ezra, Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb traveled down to Seelos' surface on the Phantom, Hera and Chopper stayed behind to repair the Ghost. The other Spectres succeeded in making contact with Rex and his two comrades Wolffe and Gregor.[29]
After some difficulty, they succeeded in winning over Rex and Gregor. Hera's comrades on Seelos were mollified to learn that the three clone veterans had removed their brainchips, which allowed them to ignore the order to carry out the Jedi Purge. When Kanan contacted Hera to confide his mistrust of the clones, Hera counseled him to remember that not all Clones were bad and reiterated that they had saved millions of lives including her own. However, Wolffe, who believed the rebels were a threat, sent a coded transmission to the Empire.[29]
This transmission was picked up by Admiral Kassius Konstantine and Agent Kallus, the latter a perennial foe of the rebel band.[29] Hera and Chopper were aboard the Ghost when Konstantine's Star Destroyer Relentless exited hyperspace above Seelos. In response, Hera and Chopper turned off all systems aboard the Ghost to avoid detection. Meanwhile, the other Spectres and the three Clone veterans succeeded in defeating a force of AT-AT walkers led by Agent Kallus and escaping offworld. Thus, the rebels succeeded in recruiting the Clone troopers for the rebel cause.[30]
Double Trouble
Using the intelligence provided by Rex, Hera discovered that there was an abandoned Old Republic medical station in space. She sent Sabine, Chopper, and Zeb on a mission to retrieve these medical supplies for the rebellion. Unknown to Hera, Ezra, who was unhappy with a recent levitation lesson, followed the other rebels. The younger rebels traveled on the Phantom to the space station where they were trapped by two more Inquisitors known as the Seventh Sister and the Fifth Brother. Following a skirmish, Zeb managed to rescue his three comrades and return to the rebel fleet on the Phantom. Hera along with Rex and Kanan were present when the four rebels brought back news that the Empire had more Inquisitors.[31]
Finding Power Cells
Later, Hera and her rebel companions participated in a mission to find a new supply of power cells to help the people of the frigid planet of Rinn, who were experiencing an energy crisis. While Hera and the other Ghost crew left to look for power cells on Garel, she ordered Ezra and Chopper to clean the Ghost. In the midst of Hera's absence, Ezra and Chopper embarked on a mission to rescue the Devaronian crime lord Cikatro Vizago, whose ship the Broken Horn had been hijacked by the pirate Hondo Ohnaka. During the mission, Ezra and Chopper managed to obtain five power generators which the rebels used to aid the people of Rinn.[32]
The Blade Wing
Following the encounter with Hondo, Hera and Phoenix Squadron took part in a mission to deliver relief supplies to the planet Ibaar, which was facing starvation due to an Imperial blockade around the planet. The rebels tried to break through the blockade but were repelled by Agent Kallus' fleet. The Phoenix rebels sustained considerable casualties including the loss of their transport ship and Phoenix Leader. Defeated, Hera and her rebel comrades were forced to retreat into hyperspace.[8]
After returning to the Phoenix fleet, the rebels discussed a new strategy to get supplies through the Imperial blockade. During the meeting, Captain Rex suggested that the rebels get in contact with a Mon Calamari engineer named Quarrie, who was developing a prototype heavy assault starfighter. However, Rex mentioned that Quarrie would only discuss his ship in person on the planet Shantipole, which had a reputation for being a death-trap where few starships returned. After most of the Phoenix pilots declined to participate in that mission, Kanan convinced a reluctant Hera to take on that assignment. While Hera believed that her place was with the Phoenix fleet, she reluctantly agreed to take up the mission after Kanan pointed out that the Phoenix fleet's starships could not break through the blockade.[8]
Hera and the crew of the Ghost traveled to Shantipole. While Hera, Zeb, and Sabine traveled down to the planet in the Phantom, Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper traveled on the Ghost to rendezvous with a supply ship in preparation for a second attempt to break the Imperial blockade of Ibaar. While traveling through Shantipole's atmosphere, the Phantom was struck by a bolt of lightning which damaged its starship systems. With much difficulty, Hera managed to fly the crippled Phantom to a landing field where Quarrie was said to live. Despite the electrical damage, Hera managed to land the Phantom in one piece. Shortly later, they were greeted and welcomed by Quarrie, who invited Hera to test his prototype Blade Wing starfighter. When Hera offered to go for a spin in the Blade Wing, Quarrie declined but offered to help them repair the Phantom.[8]
While Quarrie was making repairs to the Phantom, Hera took the opportunity to ask Quarrie why he was unable to transmit the plans for his ship to Rex. In response, Quarrie replied that he would not hand over his ship to any pilot and then asked Hera why she had risked her life to come to Shantipole. Hera then recounted how she had developed a love for flying during her childhood when she witnessed Republic ships liberating her world. Syndulla's passion for flying had led her to leave her family and later to join the Rebellion. Hera also mentioned how she felt at peace when flying even in the middle of a conflict. Touched by her words, Quarrie allowed Hera to fly the Blade Wing.[8]
With Quarrie's permission, Hera took the prototype Blade Wing on its maiden flight. Despite its engines cutting off initially during a dive, Hera managed to regain control of the starfighter and flew through a nearby canyon without any further problems. After passing Sabine, Zeb, and Quarrie on one run, Hera began testing the Blade Wing's weaponry on a wrecked starship. Under Quarrie's instruction, Hera toyed with the starfighter's multi-cannon system and used it to destroy the wrecked ship with one fiery blast. Having completed its maiden flight, Syndulla taxied back on the runway. Hera's successful test flight coincided with a transmission from Kanan informing her and her companions that the rebels were preparing to launch a second run on the Imperial blockade at Ibaar.[8]
However, Hera and her companions faced an unexpected problem when Sabine discovered that the multi-cannon's firing system had drained the Blade Wing's hyperdrive. There was not enough time for Quarrie and the rebels to address the ship's problem. Fortunately for Hera, she learnt that Quarrie had upgraded the Phantom's hyperdrive system. Using this knowledge, Hera had the Blade Wing attached to the Phantom. Hera, Sabine, Zeb, and Quarrie then traveled to Ibaar on the Phantom. Upon exiting hyperspace, the Blade Wind detached from the Phantom. Their arrival was timely because the Phoenix fleet was about to launch its second run against the Imperial blockade. The Ghost had been designated as the new transport vessel.[8]
The Phoenix fleet allowed Hera and Sabine to fly the Blade Wing starfighter ahead. Using the starfighter's multi-cannon system, they destroyed one of Kallus' Arquitens-class light cruisers. This allowed Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper to break through the Imperial blockade with the Ghost and deliver the much-needed relief supplies to the people of Ibaar. Following their successful mission, Commander Jun Sato credited Quarrie's Blade Wing starfighter with breaking the Imperial blockade and informed the rebels that Senator Organa was willing to manufacture more B-wings in secret. Quarrie agreed to supervise the manufacture of the rebellion's Blade Wings and also praised Hera for her recent victory. At the recommendation of Kanan, Commander Sato promoted Hera to the position of Phoenix Leader.[8]
Phoenix Leader
As Phoenix Leader, Hera's responsibilities and standing in the rebellion increased. On the planet Garel, she sent two pilots to pick up fighter parts in Garel City's market place. Shortly later, she send Sabine, Chopper, and Ezra on a mission to pick up a courier at Garel City Spaceport and transport him to Havoc Outpost. While Hera did not know what the courier looked like, she told Sabine and her companions that he would answer to the code-phrase: "It's a long way to Alderaan". Hera placed Sabine in charge of this mission and made Chopper and Ezra her back-ups. The courier turned out to be a GNK-series power droid named EG-86.[33]
Sabine's mission was complicated by the arrival of her estranged former friend Ketsu Onyo and a stormtrooper patrol. During the fighting in the spaceport, Ezra was separated from his team but managed to return to Hera. Meanwhile, Sabine and Chopper completed the mission with Ketsu's assistance. Hera was present when Sabine and Ketsu returned from their mission. After congratulating Sabine, she also thanked Ketsu for her help.[33]
Later, Phoenix Leader Hera and the other crew of the Ghost received a distress transmission from Commander Jun Sato, whose CR90 corvette Liberator had been pulled out of hyperspace and captured by an Imperial Interdictor, a prototype warship equipped with gravity well projectors. Ezra had also been captured since he had an accompanied Sato, who had traveled to the Del Zennis system to investigate a lost patrol. When Kanan told the crew of the Ghost to gear up for a rescue mission, Hera countermanded his order and ordered Kanan to go with Rex and Chopper to rescue their rebel comrades.[34]
Disguised as stormtroopers, Kanan and Rex managed to infiltrate the Imperial Interdictor and rescue Ezra, Sato, and his men. Chopper also managed to sabotage the Imperial Interdictor's gravity well projectors; causing two Imperial light cruisers to collide with it and destroying all three vessels. By working together, Kanan overcame his animosity towards Rex and developed a friendlier relationship.[34]
Escaping Garel
Under the leadership of Commander Sato and Phoenix Leader Hera, the Phoenix rebel cell established a presence on the planet Garel. However, Garel was only intended as a temporary measure since the rebels did not want to endanger its inhabitants. While discussing plans with Kanan to establish a permanent base for the Rebellion, Hera and Kanan were interrupted by Ezra Bridger, who had experienced a Force vision of his parents Ephraim and Mira Bridger. In response, Hera and Kanan decided that it was time to share what Tseebo had told her about the fate of Bridger's parents. The Bridgers had been imprisoned within a vast network of Imperial prisons that spanned the entire galaxy. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to determine which prison Ezra's parents had been sent to.[35]
Later that morning, Hera received word from Commander Sato that there had been a break-out from an Imperial prison on Lothal the previous night. Hera was present when Kanan instructed Ezra to use the Force to focus on a list of the Lothalian prisoners. Ezra selected Prisoner X-10, a man whom they later discovered was Ryder Azadi, the former Governor of Lothal. Shortly later, Sabine informed Hera and the other rebels that an Imperial fleet had just departed Lothal. Ezra viewed this as a sign that he was predestined to go to Lothal and convinced Hera and the other rebels to make preparations to depart from Garel City. Shortly later, the rebels were attacked by the Imperial fleet.[35]
After escaping stormtroopers, Hera and her rebel companions departed on the Ghost for space but were blocked by a fleet of Star Destroyers. While airborne, Ezra departed with Kanan and Chopper on the Phantom to continue his mission to find his parents. Meanwhile, Hera and Sabine manned the helm of the Ghost while Zeb manned the ship's rear turret cannon. After Commander Sato's command ship Liberator was trapped by the tractor beam projector of the Star Destroyer Relentless, Hera used the Ghost to knock out the projector. Despite the ship's laser cannons being jammed, Hera managed to ram into the projector; freeing Commander Sato's ship. Hera and the surviving Phoenix rebels then fled into hyperspace.[35]
Rendezvous on Lothal
Following the escape from Garel, Hera along with Zeb and Sabine traveled to Lothal to rendezvous with Princes Leia Organa, the daughter of the Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa, who was secret supporting the rebellion. While chatting via hologram with Kanan, she informed him that Senator Organa had sent his daughter to supply three Hammerhead corvettes to the rebels. Since the Alderaanians could not be seen directly supporting the rebels, Bail and Leia had arranged for the rebels to steal the ships on Lothal, an Imperial world. Kanan in return informed her about their meeting with Ryder Azadi, the former governor of Lothal who had informed Ezra about the fate of his parents. The crew of the Ghost arrived on Lothal in the midst of a skirmish between Kanan, Ezra, Chopper, Leia, and Imperial forces, who had attempted to arrest Chopper and Ryder.[36]
Syndulla and the crew work alongside Princess Leia Organa.
While Hera manned the controls of the Ghost, Zeb and Sabine brought the other rebels aboard. To perpetuate the ruse that Leia was a loyal Imperial citizen, the rebels pretended to kidnap her and Kanan and Ezra, the latter wearing Imperial uniforms. After escaping back aboard the Ghost, Hera and his fellow rebels learned about the passing of Ezra's parents and offered the youth their condolences. They then moved on to discuss their plans to "steal" Leia's three Hammerhead corvettes. Since Leia's ships were "stolen" by rebel elements frequently, the local Imperial official Supply Master Yogar Lyste had fitted the three corvettes with gravity locks to deter futures thefts. Using Azadi's expertise with gravity locks, the rebels hatched a plan to "steal" the ships.[36]
In order to infiltrate the Imperial depot, Kanan and Ezra posed as Imperial personnel who pretended to have rescued Leia from the rebels. While the Imperials were distracted, the crew of the Ghost and Ryder Azadi disabled the gravity locks and stole the starships. During the raid on the Imperial depot, Hera and Zeb manned the Ghost and harried the depot's two AT-AT walkers. The acquisition of the three Hammerhead corvettes supplemented the Phoenix rebel cell's depleted forces. After completing their mission, Hera and her comrades rejoined the Phoenix fleet in space.[36]
Injured over Concord Dawn
Hera converses with Sabine and Kanan after waking from her coma.
With the Empire bearing down on their usual hyperspace routes, Sabine suggested the rebels try to use a route through the Mandalorian colony Concord Dawn. Hera and Sabine flew with Phoenix Squadron to the planet, where they were greeted by the Journeyman Protectors' leader Fenn Rau. On learning they were rebels, Rau, who was employed by the Empire, opened fire. Hera was injured while providing covering fire for the squadron to escape, and just managed to make the jump to hyperspace to reunite with the fleet as her fighter detonated around her. Sabine swore revenge, but Kanan refused, believing he could negotiate with Rau, having known him during the Clone Wars. The two confronted Rau, and at Kanan's behest, Sabine spared his life. After Rau reluctantly allowed the rebels passage, Hera came out of her coma and praised Sabine for making the right decision, quipping she behaved more like a Jedi than a Mandalorian. Sabine responded she'd been raised right.[37]
Voyage to Lira San
Hera and her crew traveled on the Ghost to Nixus Hub 218, a spaceport on the icy planet of Nixus. Ezra had received a tip from his one-time "business partner" Hondo Ohnaka about the arrival of two refugees at Hub 218. After landing, Hera praised Ezra for taking the lead on this mission. When they approached the cargo section, they discovered Imperial stormtroopers arresting two Lasat refugees, who had been hiding in a cargo container. Hera watched while her rebel companions assaulted the Imperials and freed the Lasat captives. Shortly later, Hondo turned up and revealed that he was Ezra's mysterious source.[38]
The Lasat identified themselves as the former Lasan High Honor Guardsman Gron and the mystic Chava the Wise. From Gron, Hera and the other rebels learned that Zeb had once been a captain in the Honor Guard. As the rebels made their way back to the Ghost, Chava told them that she and her companion were searching for the legendary Lasat planet of Lira San, which was rumored to be a safe refuge for the Lasat species. The rebels were pursued by more stormtroopers but they managed to escape back to the Ghost with the help of Hondo, who sealed several exits to prevent the Imperials from pursuing them. During the gunfight, Hera exchanged fire and managed to shoot down several stormtroopers with her blaster.[38]
Hera and Kanan exchanging fire with stormtroopers on Nixus.
After boarding the Ghost, Hera and her crew fled into hyperspace. Hera and her co-pilot Sabine piloted the Ghost during the ship's journey. Hera offered maps to help Chava and Gron find Lira San but Chava revealed that the planet did not exist on any official star charts. Instead, Chava and Gron began a ritual to help them find Lira San. Chava also discussed an ancient Lasat prophecy which stated that Lira San would only be found if the "child" saved both the "warrior" and the "fool". While initially reluctant, Zeb agreed to take part in order to save his people. Later, Hera and the other rebels were present when Zeb used his bo-rifle to pinpoint Lira San's location on a holographic map generated by Chopper. After determining Lira San's location, Hera set a course for Wild Space, a region which lay beyond the Outer Rim Territories.[38]
As the Ghost approached Wild Space, Hera was forced to pull the ship out of hyperspace when its sensors picked up a new obstacle: an imploded star cluster which blocked their path to Lira San. The rebels' problems were further compounded when an Imperial light cruiser captained by Agent Kallus exited hyperspace behind them. Hera and Sabine manned the Ghost's controls as the ship attempted to brave the maelstrom ahead. At that point, Zeb fulfilled the ancient Lasat prophecy by using his bo-rifle to guide the Ghost through the maelstrom ahead. Hera and Sabine were initially taken by surprise but were relieved when their ship entered the gravitational field intact. Meanwhile, the Imperial cruiser was forced to retreat due to damage from the gravitational pull of the star cluster.[38]
Upon entering the imploded star cluster, the Ghost jumped into hyperspace. Hera and her crew were knocked out by a bright blast of light. When they awoke, they found themselves in an unknown region of space. Shortly later, they sighted Lira San in the horizon. Hera and the other rebels stayed aboard while Zeb along with Gron and Chava traveled down to Lira San in the Phantom. The three Lasat subsequently discovered that Lira San was the original homeworld of the Lasat species and that it was home to millions of Lasat. While Gron and Chava elected to settle on Lira San, Zeb returned to rejoin the crew of the Ghost. When Hera told Chopper that he had to put all of Zeb's things back in his room, the astromech droid groaned but complied. Having accomplished their mission, Hera and her crew returned to the known galaxy via the safe route which Zeb had discovered through the maelstrom.[38]
Joining forces with the purrgil
With the Ghost low on fuel and power, Captain Syndulla traveled to a Mining Guild Asteroid Belt Gas Refinery to obtain fuel for her ship and the Phoenix rebel cell. Hera and her co-pilot Sabine were piloting the Ghost when Ezra heard shrill cries in the distance. These cries came from the purrgil, large space-dwelling creatures that were capable of hyperspace travel. Fearful of the purrgil herd, Hera wanted to fire on the space creatures but Kanan managed to talk her out of it. Ezra then advised Hera to fly the Ghost in the same direction as the purrgil in an effort to calm them.[12]
This tactic worked and the purrgil calmed down. When Ezra sensed that the purrgil were trying to communicate with them, Hera expressed skepticism and dismissed the purrgil as "big, lumbering menaces" that imperiled hyperspace travel. When the purrgil began showing signs of being startled, Zeb suggested that Hera was troubling them. However, the crew of the Ghost quickly discovered the real source of the disturbance when two Mining Guild TIE fighters attacked the purrgil. Despite her dislike for the space creatures, Hera and her crew came to their aid and managed to shoot down both fighters.[12]
After the dogfight, Hera and Sabine realized that the purrgil were traveling towards the same asteroid gas refinery they were heading to. With the ship low on power, she ordered her crew to switch off all power appliances. While conversing with Ezra, Hera confided her personal animosity towards the purrgil. In her childhood, Hera had heard tales about how the purrgil had inspired the development of hyperspace travel. However, she had since grown to view the purrgil as a menace to hyperspace travel since they collided into starships. She had lost more than one of her friends to the space creatures. Ezra then suggested that the purrgil were ignorant of the damage they were causing.[12]
Shortly later, the Ghost arrived near the asteroid gas refinery, which was based on a large planetoid. Under Hera's orders, Sabine and Chopper landed the ship on a cliff overlooking the refinery. After the crew had assembled in the cockpit, Hera and Sabine outlined their plans to steal Clouzon-36 fuel canisters from the refinery. As part of the plan, Sabine along with Kanan, Chopper, and Ezra would jump onto the refinery's bridge . They would then plant explosives to destroy the platform before seizing the fuel canisters lying on the main landing platform, where they would be picked up by the Ghost.[12]
While Hera and Zeb stayed aboard to maintain the Ghost, the other rebels landed on the gas refinery. After Ezra convinced the other rebels to delay their plan to blow up the refinery, Hera grumbled when she learned that this change was linked to the purrgil. When the rebels had secured the landing platform, Sabine contacted Hera and Zeb to bring the Ghost down. Hera initially complained that she would have to brave enemy fire until Sabine reminded her that their job as rebels did not come with guarantees. Once they had landed, Hera stayed at the controls of the Ghost while Zeb powered up the ship using one of the canisters. The other rebels also loaded their stolen canisters onto the ship.[12]
When the Ghost had almost finished powering up, Hera and her crew found themselves encircled by the Mining Guild boss Yushyn, several armed Rodian guards, and two more TIE fighters. Yushyn demanded that the rebels surrender. However, Ezra and the purrgil attacked the Mining Guild forces. This commotion allowed the crew of the Ghost to escape the landing zone. Before leaving, the Ghost destroyed the gas refinery in order to deny its services to the Empire. Later in space, they were reunited with Ezra who explained that the purrgil depended on the Clouzon-36 fuel to survive and to jump into hyperspace. After the purrgil jumped into hyperspace, Hera decided to follow them; having overcome her prejudices towards the space creatures.[12]
A difficult family reunion
Hera and her father Cham had a strained relationship after she left Ryloth.
Later, Hera and the crew of the Ghost were involved in a mission to deliver supplies to a Hammerhead corvette over an ice planet. Supported by Phoenix Squadron, they managed to hold off several Imperial TIE fighters and an Imperial Star Destroyer. Once the supplies were delivered, the Hammerhead corvette, the Ghost and Phoenix Squadron managed to escape into hyperspace however Phoenix Two was killed by enemy fire. With the rebellion losing pilots and starfighters rapidly, Hera realized that the rebels needed a safe place to land and shelter their starfighters. Hera and Kanan consulted with Commander Jun Sato, who suggested that the rebels steal an Imperial fighter carrier sighted above Ryloth, the homeworld of Hera's Twi'lek species. Realizing that they needed local assistance, Hera contacted her father Cham Syndulla, with whom she had not spoken with for years.[11]
Cham agreed to help and arrived with two colleagues Numa and Gobi Glie on a Nu-class attack shuttle. After exchanging greetings, Hera briefed both her rebels and the Ryloth rebels about her plan to infiltrate and hijack the Imperial fighter carrier using a stolen TIE/sa bomber. Disagreeing with his daughter's plans, Cham instead advocated destroying the fighter carrier to show the Ryloth resistance's strength. After some disagreement, Cham and his rebels reluctantly agreed to support Hera's plan. Following the meeting, Hera retreated to a separate room with Chopper and Ezra.[11]
While repairing Chopper, Hera told Ezra and the astromech droid about her difficult relationship with Cham. Her father was a freedom fighter who had devoted his entire life to fighting both the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Empire for a free Ryloth. After her mother died, Cham had neglected his daughter in order to commit his life to the rebellion. Shortly later, Cham entered the room and told them that they needed to prepare for their mission. After Ezra departed, Hera engaged in a tense conversation with her father. Cham chided his daughter for her close relationship with Chopper and for not devoting her life to freeing Ryloth. Speaking in a Twi'lek accent, Hera responded that the rebels were fighting to free everyone including Ryloth. Unable to resolve their differences, Cham stormed out of the room.[11]
As the Spectres and their Twi'lek allies traveled to Ryloth, Cham ingratiated himself with Hera's crew and regaled Kanan and Ezra with a recollection of his exploits during the Clone Wars. Knowing her father better however, Hera warned Kanan not to fully trust him. After exiting hyperspace, the two rebel groups entered their stolen TIE bomber and approached the fighter carrier. Two rebel A-wing starfighters then exited hyperspace and attacked the rebel's bomber. This ruse allowed the rebels to dock in the fighter carrier's hangar bay under the pretext of seeking refuge. Hera then deliberately crash-landed the bomber to convince the Imperials that the damage was real.[11]
The acquisition of the Imperial fighter carrier boosted the Phoenix rebels' forces.
Before Hera and her rebel comrades could begin their mission, Cham and the Twi'lek rebels stunned them and proceeded with their original mission to destroy the fighter carrier. Later, Hera woke up and kicked Chopper to rouse the droid. Chopper freed her from her restraints and helped free the other rebels. After Ezra and Sabine informed her that the Twi'leks had a bag of detonators, Hera realized that they were going to blow up the fighter carrier and resolved to stop them. Hera and Chopper followed Kanan and Ezra as they navigated their way through the ship's corridors and dodged stormtroopers and closing blast doors. Together, the four rebels made their way to the command bridge. There, Ezra used a Jedi mind trick to force the Imperial commander to order a general evacuation of the fighter carrier.[11]
Meanwhile, Sabine and Zeb managed to overpower Numa and Gobi in the munitions racket. On the bridge, Hera and her rebels confronted her father Cham, who had sabotaged the ship's hyperdrive. Hera tried to reason with her father again. She pointed out that if the rebels destroyed the fighter carrier, the Empire would send another. However, if they stole the carrier, they could use it to fight back against the Empire. Cham responded that he wanted revenge against the Empire for exploiting Ryloth's resources and its people. He wanted to destroy the ship to show what the Ryloth resistance could accomplish. Hera responded that Ryloth's freedom struggle was part of a greater rebellion against the Empire. In the end, Hera managed to win over her father by telling him that he had inspired her to join the rebellion against the Empire.[11]
Working together with the Twi'lek rebels, the crew of the Ghost resolved to prevent Imperial reinforcements from retaking the fighter carrier. They managed to use the ship's weapons systems to shoot down several TIE fighters and an Imperial landing craft. The two rebel cells also managed to destroy an Imperial light cruiser by throwing a rigged TIE bomber into its path, causing it to explode. After Chopper repaired the hyperdrive, Hera and the rebels managed to escape into hyperspace.[11]
Following the successful heist, Hera reconciled with her father. Cham commended his daughter for galvanizing the Ryloth rebels through her actions in stealing the fighter carrier. In return, Hera thanked her father for teaching her the importance of leadership. Hera and her rebels watched as Cham and his Twi'lek comrades departed on their shuttle for space.[11]
Mission to Geonosis
Hera and the rest of the Ghost's crew arrive at the Geonosis construction field.
After rebel intelligence discovered that the Empire was once building something above Geonosis, Hera and the crew of the Ghost were tasked with acquiring any information they could find aboard an Imperial construction module above the planet. Upon arrival, Hera ordered Chopper to conduct a planetary scan, but no life was detected. Hera assured the crew they don't know the Geonosians were dead for sure and continued towards the construction module. While Hera, Chopper, and Rex stayed aboard the ship, the other rebels ventured into the complex. Before long, they discovered that they had stumbled into a trap set by Agent Kallus, a perennial enemy of the Spectres. A firefight ensued and the Ghost came under attack from three hidden All Terrain Defense Pod walkers. An Imperial astromech droid closed the blast doors on the rebels but was soon dispatched by Chopper, who proceeded to re-open the doors, allowing the other rebels, with the exception of Zeb, to escape back aboard the Ghost and flee into space.[39]
Meanwhile, Zeb fled into an escape pod while pursued by Kallus. Due to a malfunction in the pod's engines, the two foes crash-landed into a cave on the icy moon of Bahryn. Meanwhile, Hera piloted the Ghost and led three TIE fighters on a wild chase. After destroying two of the TIEs, Hera flew the Ghost through one of the construction modules and Kanan used one of the ship's rear turrets to fire on the final pursuing TIE, causing it to collide with an AT-DP walker. Once they were safe, Hera supervised the rebels' efforts to locate Zeb.[39]
After a few hours, they were able to pick up Zeb's transponder signal from Bahryn. Zeb and Kallus had managed to overcome their differences and struck an unlikely friendship to overcome the cold and ward off several bonzami beasts. Hera landed the Ghost near Zeb's shelter. Zeb offered Kallus a place aboard the ship but the Imperial agent opted to wait for his Imperial comrades. Hera and her crew greeted Zeb at the Ghost's exit ramp and together they returned into space.[39]
Parting with the Jedi
After Ezra, Kanan, and Chopper had returned from a mission to scout Oosalon as a potential rebel base site, Kanan instructed Hera to meet them in deep space without the rest of Phoenix Squadron. Hera complied with Kanan's instructions and rendezvoused with the Phantom in deep space. Once Kanan and Ezra had entered the Ghost, Hera asked Ezra how the Phantom was faring. Ezra replied that she should ask Chopper, who had been flying the ship. Hera and Zeb later learned that the two Jedi had run into two Inquisitors known as the Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister on Oosalon. Hera listened while Kanan expressed his fears that the Inquisitors would make it hard for him and Ezra to help the rebels establish a base.[40]
The Ghost was also hosting Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi Padawan who was an ally of the rebels. Later, Hera along with Zeb and Sabine watched Kanan, Ezra, Ahsoka, and Chopper depart into hyperspace on the Phantom from the Ghost's windows. When Sabine asked where their comrades were going, Hera replied that it was sometimes best not to know. In the absence of Hera and the other rebels, the three Jedi traveled to the Jedi Temple on Lothal where they experienced Force visions from Yoda. They managed to escape the temple before the Inquisitors and Darth Vader arrived.[40]
Heist at Horizon Base
Later, the rebel leadership identified Berzite's moon in the Yost system as a potential site for a rebel base. However, they lacked enough fuel to travel there. At the suggestion of Sabine's friend Ketsu Onyo, Hera and the crew of the Ghost agreed to raid the Imperial fuel depot at Horizon Base for supplies. Upon traveling there, Hera devised a plan which involved the rebels raiding the depot while Chopper stayed behind with the Ghost to watch out for Imperial forces. When Chopper coveted a droid leg on sale nearby, Hera reminded him that they were not on Horizon Base to ship and that they had an urgent mission. However, Chopper disobeyed Hera's instructions and visited the stall.[41]
Meanwhile, Hera and her other companions approached the fuel depot but found it heavily guarded. When Hera reiterated that they could not leave without the fuel, Kanan told them to get the fuel "quietly with no complications." The rebels managed to steal the fuel but were pursued by Imperial stormtroopers. Since Chopper was not around, they were forced to leave him behind. Once in hyperspace, Ezra raised the matter of going back to Horizon Base to rescue Chopper. However, Hera was still angry with Chopper for disobeying her orders and criticized the astromech droid for only looking out for himself. She then stressed that the rebel fleet was more important. Shortly later, they received a transmission from Commander Sato that the rebel fleet was under attack.[41]
Upon exiting hyperspace, they found the Phoenix rebel fleet under attack from Imperial forces under Admiral Konstantine. Hera then approached the rebel fighter carrier to unload the fuel supplies but was harried by several TIE fighters and laser fire from Konstantine's Star Destroyer Relentless. After some difficulty, Hera managed to land the Ghost with the help of Ketsu's starship Shadow Chaser.[41]
While the fighter carrier was being refueled, Hera received a transmission from Chopper, who had managed to hijack an Imperial cargo ship with the help of the former Imperial inventory droid AP-5. Hera was still annoyed with Chopper and informed him that they were about to travel to the Yost system. Overhearing the conversation, AP-5 warned Hera that the Empire had set a trap in that system. While Hera was initially skeptical, Chopper backed AP-5 up and defended him as a friend. Hera was surprised that Chopper had managed to find a friend. AP-5 then revealed he knew another planet called Atollon that had no Imperial presence.[41]
Hera relayed this information to Commander Sato, who alerted the fleet about their change of location. AP-5 tried to send the coordinates but was attacked by the Imperial cargo ship's captain and badly damaged. Chopper managed to knock out the captain and then relayed the coordinates to Hera and Commander Sato. Due to AP-5 and Chopper's actions, the rebel fleet was able to escape the trap at the Yost system and reached Atollon. There, they were reunited with Chopper and AP-5.[41]
After scanning the system, Hera and Kanan were satisfied that there was no Imperial presence there; making it safe for the rebels to start up a base. Hera was present when Sabine repaired AP-5 using parts from Chopper's stolen droid leg. She and the other crew also watched the verbal exchange between the two droids with bemusement.[41]
Securing Chopper Base
Kanan bids Hera farewell with a goodbye hug before setting off on his mission to Malachor.
Following the discovery of Atollon, Hera and the Spectres aided the Phoenix rebels with the establishment of Chopper Base. The Ghost delivered supplies to the rebel base. During one supply run, Hera and Sabine took the opportunity to watch a lightsaber training session between Ezra and Kanan. After Ezra was unsettled by Sabine's comment about his lightsaber skills, Hera assured him that she meant that his skills were good. Upon landing at Chopper Base, Hera delivered a supply of power generators to the former inventory droid AP-5.[42]
While at Chopper Base, Hera took the opportunity to express her unease with Kanan about his plans to travel with Ezra and the former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka to the planet Malachor. Hera feared that she would lose her lover Kanan but he stressed that their mission was necessary for the survival of the Rebellion. Later that evening, Hera and her crew responded to a distress call from Sabine and Rex. Earlier, Sabine and Rex had visited the base's northern perimeter to respond to the disappearance of Lieutenant Dicer, who had vanished after planting a sensor beacon. However, the two rebels had come under attack from several krykna, large spidery creatures that were native to Atollon.[42]
Piloting the Ghost, Hera and her crew managed to scare off the krykna and rescue Sabine. However, Rex was taken captive by the creatures. After assigning Chopper to guard the ship, Hera and the other rebels ventured into the krykna's underground lair. Aware of the Jedi's imminent departure, Hera instructed Kanan and Ezra to search one part of the lair while she and the other rebels searched a different part. Shortly layer, Hera and her companions stumbled into the krykna's nest where they managed to free Rex but were unable to find Dicer. After rejoining Kanan and Ezra, the rebels and Rex fled back to the Ghost.[42]
Once aboard, Hera attempted to fly the ship but the Ghost was held down by a web spun by the krykna. While Ezra, Kanan, and Zeb manned the ship's laser cannons, Hera instructed Sabine to divert all auxiliary power to the hull. This had the effect of shocking the krykna but it failed to drive them away. After Hera's rebel companions managed to recover the sensor market and break free of the web, Hera was able to fly the Ghost back to the safety of Chopper Base.[42]
On the way, she disagreed with Rex's assessment that they should abandon the base. She contended that the rebels should not give up because they had already poured so much effort into finding the base. At the advice of Kanan, Hera and the Phoenix rebels decided to erect a perimeter fence around the base consisting of sensor markers to ward off the krykna. Before Kanan and Ezra left for Malachor, she spoke with her friend. When Kanan tried to assure her that he would be alright, she sensed that he was lying and confided that she preferred that they face their challenges together. Kanan then promised Hera that they would see each other again. Before leaving, he embraced her.[42]
Staying behind on Atollon
Hera along with Sabine, Zeb, and Rex stayed behind while Ezra, Kanan, Chopper, and Ahsoka traveled to Malachor. Hera and the other rebels were present at Chopper Base's runway when the Phantom returned. After the ship had landed, Hera embraced her friend, whose eyes were covered by a blindfold. Later, Hera and the other rebels were aboard the Ghost as they came to terms with Kanan's blindness and Ahsoka's apparent death on Malachor.[43]
Working with Hondo
Hera stumbles upon a meditating Kanan
Later, Hera flew Ezra and his team to the planet Naraka during a mission to rescue Hondo Ohnaka from the Imperial prison there. While Ezra and his strike team freed Hondo and his Ugnaught companion Terba, Hera remained airborne with the Ghost. At Ezra's instruction, she carried out a "44 scoop" and safely evacuated the rebels and Hondo. Once in the cockpit, Hera asked Zeb and Ezra whether the AT-DP walker had been helping them. Ezra then explained that he "had to do what he did." After Sabine mentioned that Hondo's companion Terba had died, Hera reminded Ezra that he was responsible for everyone under his wing. In response, Ezra retorted that he was not responsible for Terba's death and stormed off. Hondo also thanked Hera for the rescue but then demanded to be paid.[44]
After returning to Chopper Base, Hera reminded Hondo that they had repaid him by rescuing him from the Imperial prison. She rebuffed him when he tried to bribe her into selling the Ghost. At the briefing, Hera watched as Hondo detailed the Imperial salvage operation at Reklam Station in the gas planet of Yarma. Hondo explained that his friend Terba had been a laborer there who had worked on dismantling decommissioned Y-wing starfighters. When Hera asked about the Y-wings, Rex reassured her that they were reliable combat starfighters. When Ezra advocated with proceeding with the mission, Hera advised sending a reconnaissance mission first. As a compromise, Commander Sato promoted Ezra to Lieutenant Commander and placed him in charge of the mission to Reklam Station.[44]
When Hera told Ezra that his master would be proud, he shrugged that his master was never there. After the briefing, Hera found Kanan meditating at the edge of Atollon Base. She told him that she had expected to see him at the briefing. Hera also told Kanan to reassure Ezra that he was not to blame for the events that occurred on Malachor earlier. Later, Hera contacted Ezra to inquire about his progress with the recon mission. Despite Ezra's explanation that things were good, Hera and Sato quickly deduced that Ezra had unilaterally embarked on a recovery mission. Ezra and Sato then gave orders to mobilize the Phoenix fleet. Hera then departed on the Ghost and was joined by Kanan, who had returned from his meeting with the enigmatic Force-wielder known as the Bendu.[44]
At Yarma, Hera flew the Ghost to the disintegrating Reklem Station. Kanan opened the rear exit and rescued Ezra from falling into the volatile depths of the gas planet. Ezra then tried to apologize for getting the Phantom destroyed but Hera told him to explain later. The Ghost and the rebel fleet then escaped into hyperspace after the Imperial tactician Grand Admiral Thrawn allowed them to escape. After arriving back at Chopper Base, Hera reprimanded Ezra for disobeying his orders, endangering his team, and getting the Phantom destroyed. As punishment, she relieved him of his duties as Lieutenant Commander. When Zeb tried to vouch for his friend, Hera explained that Ezra had been responsible for the mission. She then informed Sabine that the five stolen Y-wings had been transferred to General Jan Dodonna's unit.[44]
Prisoners of Maul
Hera along with Chopper, Zeb, and Sabine were taken prisoner by the former Sith apprentice Maul, whom Kanan and Ezra had earlier encountered on Malachor. Maul had lured the rebels into a trap by attacking the crew of a Hammerhead corvette and forcing them to send a distress signal to the Ghost. Once aboard the Ghost, Maul overpowered the rebels and took them prisoner. After securing them in restraints and posting repurposed tour guide droids as sentries, Maul contacted Kanan and Ezra and demanded that they hand him the Sith holocron and Kanan's Jedi holocron in return for the save return of their friends. Later, Maul forced Hera to take him on a tour of the Ghost. Hera took him on a tour of the cabins before entering Kanan's quarters.[45]
Hera tried to hold out by Maul used a mind probe to discover the location of Kanan's holocron. He found it inside a shelf and "thanked" Hera for not putting up a strong resistance. While Maul was preoccupied with trying to open the Jedi holocron, Hera and the other rebels tried to escape. At her direction, Zeb kicked Chopper into two of Maul's tour guide droids. After knocking out Maul's droids, the rebels fled down the ladder into the cargo hold. However, Maul followed them. Hera then instructed Chopper to activate the magnetizer in order to trap the cyborg Dark Sider. Despite their best efforts, Maul used his lightsaber to break free and then attacked the rebels with his Force powers. After beating them into submission, Maul warned Hera and Sabine that they were only alive as long as they were useful to him.[45]
Later, Maul took his prisoners to the Mandalorian space station Vizsla Keep 09 where he had agreed to rendezvous with Ezra and Kanan. Despite promising Ezra that he would spare his friends, Maul secretly ordered his droids to execute the prisoners. However, Kanan managed to destroy the tour guide drops before they could execute Hera and her crew. Hera and the other rebels then rushed to the command center where they found that Maul and Ezra had activated both holocrons. Hera shouted for Ezra but could not see him in the bright pink glow. However, Kanan could see his apprentice and convinced Ezra to close his eyes, ending the ceremony. Despite escaping Maul and recovering the holorons, they failed to prevent the former Sith from escaping.[45]
Recruiting a defector
After Imperial forces destroyed a rebel convoy to Teralov, Hera attended a briefing chaired by Commander Sato. During the briefing, Sato shared a recording from a rebel agent called Fulcrum who informed them that several cadets at the elite Imperial Skystrike Academy were planning to defect to the rebellion. When Ezra asked whether Fulcrum was Ahsoka Tano, Hera explained that Fulcrum was a pseudonym for several rebel agents. Hera assigned the former Imperial cadet Sabine on an undercover mission to rescue these cadets. She and Zeb then left to escort a new supply convoy to Teralov. Later, Hera and the other rebels welcomed Sabine and the two cadets Wedge Antilles and Hobbie at Chopper Base.[46]
Return to Ryloth
- "It is a pity our first encounter might well be our last."
- ―Grand Admiral Thrawn, to Hera
Hera and Ezra sneaking through her own house.
Later, Hera and her crew returned to her homeworld of Ryloth on a supply mission. On the way, she rescued her father Cham and his comrade Numa from an Imperial patrol. While father and daughter were happy to see each other, Hera was saddened to learn that Imperial forces had invaded their provincial home of Tann province and captured their home. Hera was further devastated to learn that her mother's heirloom, the kalikori had also been left behind. Hera was determined to recover the heirloom but insisted in going along. However, Cham and her entire crew insisting on coming with here; saying that whatever was important to Hera was also important to them.[47]
While Cham and the others created a diversion, Hera and Ezra sneaked into her family estate, which had been converted into an Imperial base disguised as a scout trooper and a captured Twi'lek insurgent. There, they rendezvoused with Chopper, who had traveled there disguised as an Imperial droid. Once inside, they headed to Cham's old office. Along the way, they passed by Captain Slavin and the blue-skinned Grand Admiral Thrawn; the mastermind behind the recent Imperial advances in Tann province. After recovering the Kalikori, Hera and Ezra proceeded to find their way out.[47]
Hera and Ezra attempted to escape through a secret passage in the basement but found that it had been converted into a command center. With Chopper's help, the two rebels tried to get pass the stormtrooper sentries guarding the front door. However, Hera ran into Thrawn and Slavin. Slavin mistook her for a servant and chastised her for not staying in the kitchen. Hera tried to leave but Thrawn ordered the stormtroopers including a disguised Ezra to bring her to his officer for questioning. Once there, Hera pretended to be a peasant girl who tried to steal the Kalikori to obtain money for her family.[47]
Slavin was fooled by her charade but Thrawn quickly deduced that the servant girl was none other than the rebel fighter Hera Syndulla, the daughter of Cham and a key rebel operative. With Hera's cover blown, Ezra attempted to shoot Thrawn and Slavin but Thrawn stunned him first. Hera was then forced by her Imperial captors to carry Ezra to a cell. Upon arriving in the cell, the trooper knocked her to the ground. Thrawn apologized that it would be their last meeting but promised to keep the Kalikori in a place of honor. When Hera responded that she would rather destroy the artifact then let it fall into the hands of an enemy, Thrawn mocked her about not respecting her history. He then thanked Hera for her hospitality before leaving Captain Slavin to "finish the job."[47]
Captain Slavin then contacted Hera's father Cham and offered to free Hera and Ezra if he agreed to surrender by dawn. If he rejected Slavin's terms, Slavin threatened to execute Hera and Ezra. However, the Imperials had failed to capture Chopper; mistaking him for an Imperial droid. The astromech droid entered Hera's cell to inform her and Ezra about Cham's plan to surrender in order to free them. When Ezra suggested escaping, Hera advised against it because there were too many stormtroopers around. She instead told Ezra and Chopper they would proceed with the exchange. However, she gave Chopper orders to plant explosives throughout the building in order to create a diversion that would allow everyone to escape.[47]
At dawn, Cham arrived aboard the Ghost outside the Syndulla household. Hera and Ezra were led by Captain Slavin to the Ghost. Slavin agreed to Cham's request for a simultaneous exchange and the two parties crossed. In secret, Slavin had given his men orders to shoot the Ghost and capture the rebels. However, Hera ordered Chopper to activate the explosives. This created an explosion which knocked out the Imperials and allowed all of the rebels to flee aboard the Ghost. After Thrawn allowed them to escape in order to observe an "experiment", the rebels fled into Ryloth's wasteland. There, Hera affirmed her love for her father, Kanan, and her crew. In her view, her family were more important than the Kalikori.[47]
Mission to Agamar
Later, Hera and Sabine flew the other Spectres and Rex to the planet Agamar to salvage proton bombs from a derelict Separatist supply ship. When Hera asked them if anything could go wrong, Ezra assured them that they would be alright since they had Rex, a veteran of the Clone Wars, with them. Despite Ezra's confidence, the rebels' mission when awry when the rebels encountered a Separatist holdout led by the super tactical droid Kalani; who forced them to take part in a simulated battle. In the end, the two factions joined forces to fight off Imperial forces that had been sent by Governor Arihnda Pryce.[48]
Meanwhile, Hera and Sabine took the Ghost to raid a fuel depot but were pursued by three TIE fighters. While both had not heard from the other rebels, they agreed that Rex and Kanan would contact them if they needed help. Hera and Sabine their Imperial pursuers. Later, Hera contacted Kanan via intercom to inquire about the progress of the mission. Without telling her about their adventure with Kalani, Kanan told Hera they had not found the proton bombs but that they had instead found a new transport for the Ghost.[48]
Trouble on Concord Dawn
After the rebellion lost contact with the Protectors Camp on the Third moon of Concord Dawn, Hera summoned Sabine Wren and Fenn Rau for a briefing at the war room. During the meeting, Fenn Rau, who was a prisoner of the Phoenix rebel cell, reassured the rebel leaders that his men were not setting a trap and offered to investigate the matter. Hera allowed Fenn to return but issued orders that he be kept in magnetic binders. She also dispatched Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper to escort Rau on a recon probe on Concord Dawn. She gave them strict orders not to land the ship and to avoid contact with hostiles. Finally, Hera warned the other rebels not to lose the Phantom II since they had just gotten the ship. During the mission, Fenn and the rebels discovered that the Imperial Viceroy Gar Saxon had wiped out the Protectors. With his group destroyed, Fenn decided to join the rebellion.[49]
Evacuation of Mykapo
When Commander Sato received intelligence that the Empire was planning to impose martial law on the planet Mykapo, Hera led the Spectres and Phoenix Squadron on a mission to evacuate rebel sympathizers there. Upon arriving in the Mykapo system, Hera and her fellow rebels discovered a YT-2400 light freighter being attacked by TIE fighters. After directing a Hammerhead corvette to evacuate the civilians, Hera and her crew came to the assistance of the freighter, whose crew were a local rebel cell called the Iron Squadron. The Iron Squadron declined Hera's offer of assistance and destroyed an Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser.[50]
After the skirmish, Hera and Kanan reported on their encounter with Iron Squadron to Commander Sato. Sato believed that his nephew Mart Mattin had taken command of Iron Squadron following the death of his father. He asked Hera to bring his nephew back. After Kanan and Zeb left to assist with the evacuation, Hera docked the Ghost with the Iron Squadron's freighter Sato's Hammer. Hera along with Ezra, Sabine, and Chopper met with Mart and his crew Gooti Terez, Jonner Jin, and their astromech droid R3-A3. Despite her best efforts, Hera was unable to convince the Iron Squadron to leave Mykapo with them.[50]
Hera reluctantly allowed Ezra, Sabine, and Chopper to stay behind on the Phantom II and reason with Iron Squadron. Meanwhile, Hera and the rest of Phoenix Squadron returned with the rebel fleet and the evacuated civilians. In her absence, Ezra and Sabine managed to convince Gooti, Jonner, and R3-A3 to leave with them. However, Mart stayed behind and attempted to take on an Imperial force led by Admiral Konstantine. Mart was no match for Konstantine's forces and sustained damage to his ship's engine. However, he managed to send out a distress signal to the rebels.[50]
Back at the Ghost, Hera convened a meeting with her crew, the Iron Squadron, and the holographic forms of Rex and Commander Sato. Since Sato was far away, Hera agreed to lead a rescue mission to save Mart. Hera and her team traveled back to the Mykapo system in the Ghost. While outrunning Konstantine's starfighters, Hera managed to contact Mart and learned that the Imperials had attached a magno-mine to Sato's Hammer. Under Hera's instruction, Chopper and R3-A3 managed to dislodge and deactivate the mine. They then reattached it to one of the Sato's Hammer's cargo containers.[50]
Hera managed to pick up Mart, his ship, and the droids. Shortly later, Commander Sato arrived with reinforcements and attacked the Imperials. Hera then flew over Konstantine's light cruiser and Mart dropped his bomb, which damaged the cruiser. Hera and the rebels escaped just as Grand Admiral Thrawn arrived on his Star Destroyer Chimaera. After returning to Chopper Base, Commander Sato thanked Hera and her crew for rescuing his nephew. They then watched as Sato embraced Mart, who in turn embraced his crew.[50]
Mission to Wynkahthu
Hera and the Spectres met with the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka and his new associate Azmorigan aboard the Ghost to discuss working together to recover cargo from a stranded Imperial cargo ship inside the planet Wynkahthu. Hera distrusted Hondo and was hostile towards Azmorigan due to their unpleasant encounter with Lando Calrissian. When Azmorigan recognized Hera as the "feisty one" who had hit him, she labeled him a "bag of bantha fodder" who had tried to buy her from Calrissian. Hondo managed to convince Hera and her crew to work with them after revealing that the cargo ship was carrying proton bombs, a commodity desired by the rebellion.[51]
After studying the location of the Imperial cargo ship, Hera reluctantly agreed to send her crew to help Hondo and Azmorigan salvage their "treasures" in return for obtaining the proton bombs. Since they were unable to offload the cargo from the ship due to the dangerous windy conditions and a nearby vortext, Hera assigned the former Imperial inventory droid AP-5 with the task of formulating a plan to board the ship and access its cargo. Unhappy with Ezra's cozy relationship with Hondo, Hera assigned Zeb leadership of the mission. When Ezra protested, Hera reminded the young Jedi that Hondo was untrustworthy.[51]
Hera, Kanan, and AP-5 stayed aboard the Ghost's command bridge while Zeb and his salvage team boarded the Imperial cargo ship. While the salvage team explored the Imperial ship, Hera and her crew received word from Sabine, who was stationed in the Ghost's cargo bay, that the winds were picking up. As a result, Hera requested a status report from Zeb. By that stage, the salvage team had reached the Imperial ship's cargo bay. Once the rebels had opened the cargo ship's doors, Hera flew the Ghost towards the cargo bay. Zeb then used the grappling guns to fire magnetic cables which stuck to the hull of the Ghost. These were used to ferry the proton bombs and other cargo aboard the Ghost.[51]
The recovery mission was complicated by the presence of Imperial sentry droids aboard the ship. One of the sentry droids captured Azmorigan and Zeb and locked them away in the brig. To complicate matters further, a lightning bolt struck the cargo ship and cost it to list towards the vortex. Hera ordered Ezra to evacuate the cargo ship. Following a brief skirmish with the sentry droids, the rebels and their confederates managed to flee back with the Ghost. The salvage team also rescued the Ugnaught Melch, one of Hondo's workers who had smuggled himself aboard a treasure chest. Hera took the opportunity to taunt Hondo about "things not working out." With both sides having achieving their goals, Hera ordered Hondo and his crew to continue their conversation aboard their ship.[51]
Mission to the Imperial Armory Complex
Hera along with Sabine, Zeb, and Commander Sato stayed behind while Ezra, Kanan, and Chopper undertook a mission to infiltrate the Imperial Armory Complex on Lothal. Hera corresponded with their local contact Ryder Azadi by hologram after Ryder lost contact with Ezra's team due to an Imperial lockdown. Hera recognized the new Imperial commander as Grand Admiral Thrawn, whom she had previously encountered on Ryloth. She and her comrades listened as Ryder informed the Phoenix Squadron about his plan to attack the factory's east gate.[52]
After Ezra and his team had stolen the plans and escaped the factory, Hera and Zeb were present when Sabine decrypted the plans, which turned out to be the blue print for a TIE Defender, a new starfighter that was equipped with deflector shields. Hera and Kanan feared that the new starfighter would pose a danger to the rebellion if manufactured in large numbers. When Hera learnt that the Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus had helped Ezra's team escape, she advised her comrades to exercise caution in dealing with Kallus until they could discern what game he was playing.[52]
The Spectre of Maul
Following the events on Lothal, Hera briefed the Spectres, Rex, and other members of Phoenix Squadron on its planned strike on the Imperial Armory Complex. She planned to send a small unit instead of the entire squadron. When she noticed that Ezra Bridger was distracted, Hera reminded him to stay focused because he had been assigned leadership of the mission. She briefed Ezra that his mission involved infiltrating Lothal and collecting intelligence on the Imperial orbital defenses.[53]
Hera then informed Ezra that the strike team would be leaving as soon as they have loaded up. When Hera asked for questions, Sabine Wren asked if Grand Admiral Thrawn was on Lothal. She responded that there had been an increased capital ship presence above Lothal but that there was no confirmation of Thrawn's presence. At that point, Ezra became distressed after seeing visions of Maul. When he fainted, Hera asked Kanan what was wrong but her mate had no answers.[53]
Later, Hera and the other Spectres were present in Ezra's quarters when the boy awoke. When Hera asked what happened, the boy claimed that he saw Maul. This led Hera to suspect that Ezra had seen a Force vision. When Chopper told Ezra to get up, Hera chastised the astromech droid. Ezra then insisted that he was alright and able to proceed with the mission. In private, Hera talked with Kanan, who was concerned that Ezra was still affected by his last encounter with Maul and the holocrons. Kanan's concerns were validated when a maddened Ezra attacked a rebel trooper, whom he mistook for Maul.[53]
As a result, Ezra was relieved of his role in the Lothal strike. When Hera proposed delaying the mission and staying behind with Ezra, Kanan advised her to proceed with her original plan and reassured her that he would take care of Ezra. Hera departed on the Ghost while Ezra, Kanan, and Sabine stayed behind to deal with the threat of Maul.[53]
Mission on Geonosis
At the request of Senator Organa and Commander Sato, Hera, her fellow Spectres, and Rex accepted a mission to find Saw Gerrera and investigate the apparent disappearance of the Geonosian species. Upon arriving above Geonosis, Hera noticed that the Imperial construction module and the debris that they had seen during their last mission to the planet had been cleared away. Hera flew the Ghost through a sandstorm towards a Geonosian structure where Rebel Command had last picked up Saw's signal.[54]
Hera split her crew into two teams. She assigned Rex, Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper with exploring the structure while Zeb and Sabine were tasked with tracing a nearby power source. Rex's team soon encountered Saw and helped him to capture a Geonosian who he believed knew what the Empire was building on Geonosis. Meanwhile, Sabine and Zeb discovered a military grade deflector shield generator in the middle of the desert. Hera stayed aboard the Ghost and maintained contact with her teams via comlink.[54]
Since Rex's team was underground, Hera had trouble contacting them until they reached an air shaft which led to the surface. Kanan then warned Hera about the presence of operational battle droids on the planet. Shortly later, Sabine and Zeb were surrounded by several droidekas after extracting the deflector core. Saw and Rex's team managed to disable the droidekas by capturing the Geonosian, whom Ezra later nicknamed "Klik-Klak". After Sabine and Zeb returned to the Ghost with the deflector core, Hera allowed Zeb to enter the labyrinth with a communication device in order to find Rex's team.[54]
After establishing contact with Kanan, Hera agreed to rendezvous with Rex's team inside the air shaft. Hera managed to evacuate her ship and Zeb just as they came under attack from two TIE bombers. Zeb and Sabine managed to shoot down the bombers but the Empire was now alerted to their presence. Hera rendezvoused with Rex's team, Saw, and Klik-Klak in the air shaft. Aboard the Ghost, Hera exchanged pleasantries with Saw. She also privately warned Kanan about Saw's harsh methods. However, disagreement soon emerged between the rebels when Saw reneged on an earlier agreement with Kanan and tried to forcibly take Klik-Klak offworld for interrogation.[54]
The Spectres and Saw put aside their differences to rebel a Jumptrooper boarding party that had been dispatched by Captain Brunson's Imperial light cruiser. While her comrades and Saw repelled the Jumptroopers, Hera took the Ghost into the depths of Geonosis. At the bottom, the rebels discovered evidence that the Empire had perpetrated genocide against the Geonosians. Experiencing a change of heart, Saw allowed Klik-Klak to retreat with the last Geonosian queen egg into the deep levels of Geonosis.[54]
After collecting visual imagery of the poison canisters, the Spectres and Saw fled aboard the Ghost. Captain Brunson attempted to bury them alive by collapsing the air shaft on top of them. However, Hera outmaneuvered the Imperial captain by ordering her crew to fire cannons and proton bombs at her light cruiser. This set the Imperial cruiser ablaze and allowed the rebels to flee into hyperspace. Later, Hera informed Commander Sato and Senator Organa that they had obtained visual evidence of the Imperial poison canisters. Commander Sato commended the Spectres for rescuing Saw and obtaining a deflector core. When Kanan warned Ezra that not all their allies shared their values and reasons for fighting the Empire, Hera responded that they should be content that Saw was not the Empire.[54]
Training exercise
Captain Syndulla along with Kanan, Ezra, and Sabine departed on a training exercise with the rest of the Phoenix rebels including Wedge Antilles and Hobbie. Prior to departing, she assigned Captain Zeb the position of Chief of Security at Chopper Base. When Zeb pleaded not to be left behind, Hera reassured him that Chopper and the inventory droid AP-5 would keep him company. She and the other Spectres then departed on the Ghost for the exercise.[55]
In her absence, Zeb and his droid companions neutralized the Imperial E-XD infiltrator droid EXD-9, who had infiltrated Chopper Base. They then reprogrammed the infiltrator droid into an improvised bomb that destroyed a Star Destroyer. The following day, Zeb contacted Hera to report that he had managed to resolve the incident. Hera was annoyed to have to return to Chopper Base and was bemused to receive a message from Fulcrum congratulating the rebels for neutralizing the infiltrator droid. She then watched at Zeb playfully muzzled AP-5 before he recount the full details of the event.[55]
Sabine's trials
After learning about the significance of the Darksaber from Kanan and Fenn Rau, Hera convened a meeting of her crew in the Ghost's common room to discuss the matter of training Sabine to wield the ancient lightsaber so that she could rally the Mandalorians over to the rebel cause. When Sabine expressed self-doubt and refused to take on the role, Hera explained that the rebels needed her family's help to rally the Mandalorians over to the rebel cause. Hera stressed that the Mandalorians could help with their planned assault on Lothal. After some contemplation, Sabine reluctantly agreed to undergo training with the Darksaber.[56]
While Hera stayed behind with the other rebels, Sabine along with Kanan and Ezra traveled into the wilderness for her training. After two days, Hera contacted Kanan to request an update. When she learned that Kanan was making Sabine train with sticks, Hera pointed out that he had not held back Ezra's training. Kanan responded that he was trying to be careful; prompting Hera to reply that he was doubting Sabine's abilities because she was not Force-sensitive. When Hera asked what supplies they needed, Kanan replied that all they needed was patience and understanding.[56]
Later, Sabine stormed out from training after disagreeing with Kanan's methods. Hera and Kanan corresponded via hologram. When Kanan opined that it was too dangerous for Sabine to train with the Darksaber since she had not found balance yet, Hera countered that inhibiting her training would hamper her commitment. Hera pointed out that Sabine had already been hurt by her family. She opined that letting Sabine claim ownership of the Darksaber would allow her to face her demons. Despite Kanan's reluctance, Hera reminded her mate that it was not about him. Kanan ultimately took up Hera's advice and Sabine was able to come to terms with her past and training.[56]
Galactic Civil War
During the theft of the Death Star plans, Hera, now a general in the Rebel Alliance, was called to the command room at Base One before the Battle of Scarif took place.[10]
Personality and traits
Hera Syndulla and her blaster.
Hera's personality was somewhat two-sided; while she exuded a no-nonsense style of command, she was also known for being a very warm and compassionate individual. As a highly capable pilot and captain, Hera took good care of her ship, as well as her crew.[1] Upon meeting Ezra, Hera developed a sort of motherly bond with the boy as she had with the other crewmembers. She was a true believer in the rebel cause and inspired hope in the rest of the crew. She was also the only other crew member aware of Kanan's test after Ezra stole the latter's holocron.[16] Hera was in love with Kanan[57] and usually confided in him. She was more than capable of putting her foot down when she saw conflict within the crew, such as sending Ezra and Zeb out on an errand together when the two had been fighting.[18] While an adept fighter, Hera also cared for her crew and knew how to motivate them to reach a common goal.[1]
A smart, tactful and highly observant individual, Hera could quickly detect a threat. As Lando Calrissian successfully played her crew members off one another to his own ends, Hera caught on to his trickery and put the con-man in his place.[25] Her skills of deduction proved invaluable when her suspicions of Gall Trayvis allowed her to expose the man as an Imperial agent.[26] She also remembered when the Jedi and clones fought in the Clone Wars, at one point being saved from death by them, and encouraged Kanan to trust Captain Rex and put aside his past animosity towards clones.[29]
As with other Twi'lek females, many considered her attractive, particularly Kanan but also less savory characters as well, including Okadiah Garson,[2] Azmorigan, Lando Calrissian[25], and even Agent Kallus.[26] She knew how to use her natural charm and beauty to her advantage when necessary, as seen when she manipulated the gangster Azmorigan in order to escape his ship.[25] Due to her negative experiences with the criminals Azmorigan and Hondo, Hera was reluctant to work with them until Hondo convinced her that doing so would benefit the rebellion's interests. She despised their company to the extent that she ordered them to leave the ship once both parties had achieved their objectives.[51]
Despite her love for Kanan, Hera was deeply committed to the rebel cause. Her pragmatism led her to accede to Ahsoka Tano's advice that they not rescue him in order to avoid exposing the rebellion to the Empire. While Hera was angered that her crew had disobeyed her orders by embarking on a search for Kanan, she was mollified when Ezra revealed that he had a plan.[28] She also viewed the rebel struggle as a larger galactic-wide struggle that went beyond the planet Lothal.[7] Her concern for the galaxy put her at odds with her father Cham Syndulla, who was solely focused on achieving Ryloth's freedom. Despite their differences, she managed to convince her father and his rebel cell to help her crew to steal an Imperial fighter-carrier.[11]
Hera also had a love for flying which resonated well with her leadership aspirations in the rebellion. Due to her role in obtaining a prototype B-wing starfighter, Hera was promoted to Phoenix Leader.[8] While Hera regarded the space-faring purrgil as a pest for endangering interstellar travel, she came to respect them after the purrgil helped the Spectres to raid a Mining Guild refueling station.[12]
Hera also had a relationship with the astromech droid Chopper which dated back to the Clone Wars. She adopted the droid after rescuing him from a downed Y-wing fighter. Hera cared for Chopper and looked after the outdated astromech droid. She understood binary and regarded Chopper as an indispensable member of her crew.[11] While Hera was angry with Chopper for allowing himself to be distracted during a raid on a fuel depot, she was mollified after Chopper and his new-found friend AP-5 helped find the rebellion the site for a new base on the planet Atollon.[41]
Hera was also skilled at undercover work. She could also change her accent in order to conceal her identity. Hera also displayed considerable fortitude and defiance when being interrogated by Grand Admiral Thrawn. Her courage and willingness to infiltrate her former home to recover a family heirloom the Kalikori gained Thrawn's respect. Despite losing the Kalikori to Thrawn, Hera came to realize that her crew and her father were her family and more important than old heirlooms. Hera was willing to let go of the past if it meant furthering the rebel cause.[47]
Cognizant of the Empire's military capabilities, Hera tried unsuccessfully to convince Mart Mattin and his Iron Squadron to accompany them back to the rebel fleet. Later, Hera led a successful mission to rescue Mart from the Empire.[50] Despite the disillusioned Imperial Agent Kallus' help in obtaining plans for Thrawn's TIE Defender initiative, Hera still distrusted the Imperial. She cautioned her comrades to be careful with him until they could verify his trustworthiness.[52]
Hera also cared for her rebel crew. She displayed maternal instincts when Ezra was tormented by Maul's visions. Hera wanted to abort her recon mission to Lothal but Kanan managed to convince her to proceed with the mission.[53] Due to her close rapport with Sabine, Hera was privy to Sabine's doubts, fears, and troubled relationship with her family. Knowing that Sabine was a fearsome warrior and strong leader, Hera counselled Kanan not to hold back her training but to let her fully embrace the Darksaber's power.[56] As a rebel leader, Hera was aware of Saw Gerrera's harsh methods; which caused her not to trust him fully. Still, she regarded him as being better than the Empire.[54]
Hera typically spoke in a colloquial Galactic accent but occasionally reverted to her native Rylothian accent.[11]
Skills and abilities
Besides being an able and effective leader, Hera was also a skilled pilot.[16] She was able to fly various ships including the Ghost, Phantom[21], and a prototype B-wing starfighter.[8] Hera was also familiar with physical combat and once assaulted the gangster Azmorigan and one of his men.[25] Later, she knocked out the Imperial agent Gall Trayvis in physical combat after tricking him into holding an unloaded blaster. As a seasoned rebel operative, Hera could tell when a blaster was unloaded.[26]
While Hera was a capable fighter who could come up with ingenious escape plans, she was no match for the Force powers of the former Sith apprentice Maul. Despite her strong will-power, Hera could not stop Maul from retrieving information on the location of Kanan Jarrus' holocron from her mind.[45] As a seasoned rebel commander, Hera was familiar with various Imperial strategies and traps.[50]
Behind the scenes
Hera Syndulla was first revealed as a character from the forthcoming animated series Star Wars Rebels at the January 2014 Nuremberg International Toy Fair, where the character was included on the packaging of a LEGO Star Wars Rebels set.[58] A video introducing the character, who would be voiced by Vanessa Marshall, was released on February 20, 2014.[59] Hera shares a surname with Cham Syndulla, a Twi'lek character from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. Cham Syndulla was revealed to be her father on February 23, 2015.[60]
According to the StarWars.com blogger James Burns, Hera Syndulla was named after the ancient Greek goddess Hera, whose name means "protector." Hera was the wife and the sister of the Greek god Zeus and was the goddess of women, childbirth, and marriage. Simon Kinberg and Dave Filoni also confirmed that Hera and several other characters in the television series were named after historical and Biblical characters in order to give their names a sense of purpose and meaning that would reflect their characters.[61]
Hera did not speak with a Twi'lek (French) accent until the episode "Homecoming", in the scene where she argues with her father. When she auditioned for the role, Vanessa Marshall read Hera's dialogue with her own accent, before being asked if she could do it in a French accent. Marshall, who is fluent in French, responded she would, but the topic did not come up again, presumably as it was decided it would be hard for viewers to understand. Eventually, Dave Filoni emailed her asking if she ever thought Hera would use a Twi'lek accent if she returned to her homeworld: Marshall replied, "Only if she was angry." She later likened it to "someone from Tennessee or Texas, or something like that, when they get into an argument with their father, all of a sudden, they're a Southern belle. It demonstrates a kind of vulnerability that goes straight to the core of who she is. Even in that moment, she can't un-do that accent. But I think that's how much she loves him and yearns to connect with him, that she even lets that guard down to speak in their shared accent."[62]
General Syndulla is namedropped in an easter egg in the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which Dave Filoni clarified was meant to be Hera (as opposed to her father), which is a reference to a forthcoming storyline.[63]
Non-canon history
Hera Syndulla appears in Angry Birds Star Wars II. At one point, she and Sabine rescued the street orphan Ezra Bridger from stormtroopers. They escaped from Agent Kallus, and Hera let Ezra join her crew aboard the Ghost.[64]
In the LEGO Star Wars Rebels Movie Shorts, Hera, Kanan, and Zeb were drinking in the Mos Eisley Cantina when Ezra called for a rescue. The three left aboard the Ghost and managed to rescue him. Ezra then suggested they charge the Star Destroyer's bridge and hide behind it, and eventually the warship jumped to hyperspace.[65] At another time, the Ghost was damaged by a Star Destroyer, forcing it to go to a space station for repairs. The rest of the crew was separated, and Hera went to a space station to make repairs. She avoided Imperials while she and Chopper collected parts. The rest of the crew arrived in time to finish repairs to their starship.[66]
Appearances
Non-canon appearances
- Angry Birds Star Wars II
- LEGO Star Wars Movie Short (Rebels: Saving the Phantom)
- LEGO Star Wars Movie Short (Rebels Ghost Story)
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales — "Mission to Mos Eisley" (In flashback(s))- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (DLC)
