Vanguard (Nebulon-B)

"Phoenix Nest to Vanguard. Welcome to Atollon, General Dodonna.''" "''Thank you, Commander Sato. This day has been a long time coming. Hopefully we can finally deal a blow to the Empire and show the rest of the galaxy what we're capable of."

- Commander Jun Sato welcomes General Jan Dodonna, aboard the Vanguard, to Atollon

The Vanguard was an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate commanded by General Jan Dodonna that was a part of the Rebel Alliance's fleet. Dodonna took the Vanguard and several other ships that were a part of his unit to the planet Atollon in the year 2 BBY, home to the Phoenix Squadron Rebel unit. Dodonna's forces and Phoenix Squadron, led by Commander Jun Sato, planned to attack an Imperial factory on Lothal, however the location of Phoenix Squadron's base was discovered by the Imperial grand admiral Thrawn, who brought his fleet to Atollon in an effort to crush the Rebellion. The Vanguard was destroyed in the ensuing battle, though Dodonna and several members of the ship's crew managed to escape shortly before its destruction.

Description
The Vanguard was an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate manufactured by Kuat Drive Yards. Like all Nebulon-B frigates, the Vanguard was armed with twelve turbolasers and twelve laser cannons, with the main turbolaser and laser cannon located at the low-end of the ship's bow. The frigate was also equipped with powerful dual tractor beams, and at the top of the Vanguard's port side was its primary communications array.

Commanders and crew
During the battle of Atollon the Vanguard was commanded by General Jan Dodonna, a human male from Commenor. The frigate's bridge crew during the battle consisted of at least five Rebel soldiers.

Behind the scenes
The Vanguard appeared in the twenty-first episode of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels' third season, "Zero Hour," which aired on March 25, 2017, on Disney XD.