Hera Syndulla (Rebels S3)
Name: Hera Syndulla (as of Rebels Season 3)
Type: Rebel Commander
Species: Twi’lek
Homeworld: Ryloth
Gender: Female
Born: 29 BBY / 971 GC
Died: —
Hair Color: None
Eye Color: Green
Height: 1.76 meters
Weight: 50 kg
Skin: Green
DEXTERITY 3D
Blaster: 6D
Dodge: 6D+2
Running: 3D+2
Vehicle Blasters: 6D+1
KNOWLEDGE 2D
Alien Species: 4D+1
Languages: 3D
Planetary Systems: 6D
Streetwise: 5D
Survival: 4D+1
Tactics: 5D
Tactics: Phoenix Squadron 5D+2
Value: 5D
Willpower: 6D
MECHANICAL 4D
Astrogation: 6D+1
Communications: 4D+2
Sensors: 5D
Space Transports: 7D+1
Space Transports: VCX-100 8D+2
Starfighter Piloting: 6D+1
Starfighter Piloting: A-Wing 7D
Starfighter Piloting: Y-Wing 6D+1
Starfighter Piloting: B-Wing Prototype 6D+1
Starship Gunnery: 5D+2
Starship Shields: 6D
PERCEPTION 3D+1
Bargain: 5D+1
Command: 5D+1
Persuasion: 5D+2
Search: 4D+1
STRENGTH 2D+2
TECHNICAL 3D
Computer Programming/Repair: 4D+1
Droid Programming: 5D
Droid Repair: 5D+1
Starfighter Repair: 5D
Starship Weapon Repair: 3D+2
Special Abilities:
Head-tails: Twi’leks can use their head-tails to communicate in secret with each other, even if in a room full of others. The complex movement of the tails is, in a sense, a “secret” language that all Twi’leks are fluent in.
Force Sensitive: N
Force Points: 2
Dark Side Points: 0
Character Points: 13
Move: 10
Equipment: Blurrg-1120 Holdout Blaster (4D, 3-10/20/35), Modified CEC VCX-100 Light Freighter “Ghost”
Game Note : Blurrg-1120 Holdout Blaster: The character may make two shots as a single action. This counts as a single action but increases the task difficulty by one rank. If shooting at a single target make one roll, if shooting at two targets roll vs each.
Background: Hera Syndulla was a Twi’lek female revolutionary who became a central figure in the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire and the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Born the daughter of General Cham Syndulla on Ryloth with a brother who died young, she saw firsthand the devastation of the Clone Wars and the reign of the Empire on her homeworld. Syndulla became an expert pilot and left her homeworld and her father’s planetary resistance behind, setting off across the galaxy to build her own resistance movement against the Empire aboard her starship, the Ghost. Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi who survived Order 66, joined her during the Gorse conflict and eventually became her lover and father of her son. Her crew, the Spectres, mounted an insurgency on Lothal and was eventually comprised of Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren, Lasat survivor Garazeb Orrelios, Syndulla’s life-long astromech droid Chopper, and Padawan Ezra Bridger.
The small rebellion Hera led on Lothal gained the notice of Senator Bail Organa and his efforts to coordinate activities between various rebel cells across the galaxy. Hera and the Spectres joined one of these cells, Phoenix Cell, and she eventually became Phoenix Leader. With Phoenix Cell, Syndulla helped expand their forces, gain new allies, and establish a base of operations on the remote world Atollon, though they were unable to help Lothal as the Empire strengthened its grip on the planet. As the rebellion began to grow larger and become more of a threat, the Empire selected Grand Admiral Thrawn and gave him the task of dismantling the rebels. Hera continued to lead Phoenix Cell and became an influential leader of the rebellion. Hera’s cell was among the first to join the formal Rebel Alliance upon its creation. Thrawn, however, located their base and launched an offensive against them on Atollon. Although they were significantly weakened and their base was destroyed, Hera, the Spectres, and several starships managed to escape the onslaught.
With their base gone, Hera and Phoenix Cell joined the Massassi Group on Yavin 4, where Hera continued to lead the rebellion against the Empire. Hera and the Spectres returned to Lothal not long after, seeking to finally free the planet from the Empire. Despite initial setbacks in gaining support from the Alliance, Hera led a squadron of fighters to destroy the Imperial Armory Complex on Lothal, but Thrawn’s fleet managed to crush her forces and take her prisoner. Without Alliance support, the Spectres led a rescue mission to free her. As they made their escape, Kanan sacrificed himself to save Hera and the others from the explosion of the Imperial fuel depot. With newfound determination following Kanan’s death, Hera, the Spectres, and various allies they made along their journey managed to defeat Thrawn and free Lothal from the Empire. Sometime after the liberation, Hera gave birth to Kanan’s son, Jacen Syndulla.
In the following years during the Galactic Civil War, Hera continued to be one of the most crucial leaders in the Alliance. Hera took part in the Alliance’s pivotal moments on Scarif, Mako-Ta, Hoth, and eventually, Endor, the battle which saw the death of Emperor Palpatine and the fracture of the Empire. Following the battle, the Alliance reorganized into the New Republic, with Syndulla as one of its top military leaders. She continued to oversee the Barma Battle Group, which included Alphabet Squadron, throughout the aftermath of Endor, and participated in the Empire’s final defeat at the Battle of Jakku.
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. Upon meeting Ezra, Hera developed a sort of motherly bond with the boy as she had with the other crew members. 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. Hera was also in love with Kanan, she usually confiding in him and frequently called him “love.” 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. While an adept fighter, Hera also cared for her crew and knew how to motivate them to reach a common goal.
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. Her skills of deduction proved invaluable when her suspicions of Gall Trayvis allowed her to expose the man as an Imperial agent. 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.
As with other Twi’lek females, many considered her attractive, particularly Kanan but also less savory characters as well, including Okadiah Garson, Azmorigan, and Lando Calrissian. 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. 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.
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, and was a key organizer of the early Alliance, whose original goal was to seek a diplomatic solution. 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. She also viewed the rebel struggle as a larger galactic-wide struggle that went beyond the planet Lothal. Her concern for the galaxy put her at odds with her father, 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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. 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 counseled Kanan not to hold back her training but to let her fully embrace the Darksaber’s power. 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.
Hera typically spoke in a colloquial Galactic accent but occasionally reverted to her native Rylothian accent. Hera was a brave and creative pilot who was willing to undertake difficult challenges including smuggling the rebel leader Mon Mothma through the dangerous Archeon pass. Hera also had a deep respect for Mon Mothma and the two women became friends. Hera respected Mothma for her outspoken criticism of the Empire and her long-term strategic vision for the rebellion. Mothma in return complimented Hera for her willingness to take dangerous risks and courageous leadership.
Hera had a strong bond with Chopper and sought revenge on the Imperial intelligence officers who had reprogrammed her droid into a double agent. This led her to destroy an entire IGV-55 surveillance vessel with all hands aboard. Hera was distraught when she thought that she had lost Chopper and expressed elation when he rebooted. Hera was a courageous and skilled military commander who cared for the well-being of the rebellion and had a good working relationship with her fellow commanders Sato and Dodonna. She was not intimidated by Grand Admiral Thrawn and refused to surrender. Hera loved Kanan and pleaded with him to come back safely after his unsuccessful mission to solicit Bendu’s help against the Empire.
At times, Hera’s devotion to the rebellion led her to regard the Spectres as important assets of the Rebel Alliance. She regarded Kanan as her partner and companion. Hera distrusted Saw Gerrera for his aggressive and violent methods and expressed concern when Saw enlisted Ezra, Sabine, and Chopper on one of his operations. Like Ezra, Hera believed the Spectres had a special connection with Lothal and was willing to accept a dangerous mission there. Hera’s romantic feelings for Kanan led them to share a passionate embrace while on an undercover mission on Lothal.
As a passionate rebel leader, Hera successfully lobbied for the Rebel Alliance to take out the TIE/D Defender factories on Lothal and to aid the people of Lothal, who were suffering under Imperial oppression. Hera’s fearlessness and devotion to the rebel cause led her to lead a strike attempt on Lothal’s Imperial factories. Hera also cared for her subordinates and was willing to risk capture in order to ensure that her underlings Chopper and Mart Mattin escaped Imperial forces. Hera’s iron resolve and fighting spirit enabled her to hold out against both Governor Pryce and Grand Admiral Thrawn during interrogation. After Kanan rescued her, Hera confided her feelings for Kanan.
Hera was devastated by the death of her partner Kanan and initially blamed herself. However, Chopper helped her to realize the significance of Kanan’s sacrifice. To honor his memory, she attached a piece of his Jedi holocron to her family heirloom, the Kalikori. Kanan’s death led Hera to be more careful about the lives of her rebel cell members. Though Hera was frightened that the Emperor had taken an interest in the Lothal Jedi Temple, Zeb convinced her to persevere with the mission. Despite Kanan’s death, Hera could still sense his comforting presence.
Hera also used her persuasive communications skills to recruit several old friends of Ezra including Gregor, Wolffe, Hondo, Melch, and Ketsu Onyo into helping Ezra to liberate his homeworld of Lothal. Despite her initial misgivings about Hondo, she decided to trust his plan to latch onto an Imperial cargo ship in order to get the Ghost through the Imperial blockade above Lothal. As a result, Hera came to trust Hondo. After Ezra helped trap Governor Pryce, Hera praised Ezra for his victory. Respecting her as a leader and mother figure, Ezra recognized her and the other rebels’ contributions to their victory.
During the Liberation of Lothal, Hera showed leadership and resolve. She endorsed Sabine’s plan to send rebel teams to reactivate the shield generators. Hera also respected Ezra’s decision to leave and confront Grand Admiral Thrawn alone. Out of respect for Hera’s leadership and motherly role, Ezra left a meiloruun fruit for her before departing into uncharted space with Thrawn.
