Massassi Group

"He commands one of the largest rebel cells that I know of. With him and his fleet, we have a real shot at taking out the Imperial factories on Lothal."

- Kanan Jarrus, on Jan Dodonna and his rebel cell

The Massassi Group, also known as the Massassi unit, was considered to be one of the largest rebel cell that fought against the Galactic Empire in the years prior to the Battle of Yavin. Aligned with a |rebel network, this rebel cell had many members and was led by General Jan Dodonna, The unit was based at the Great Temple on Yavin 4. Eventually the Massassi group, along with other rebel cells, would organize and become the Alliance to Restore the Republic and its base grew to be the Rebel Alliance's main hidden fortress. The unit was instrumental in the battles of Scarif and Yavin, in the latter of which it was able to destroy the Death Star battle station.

Formation
General Jan Dodonna, a former bridge officer on a Venator-class Star Destroyer during the Clone Wars, became disillusioned with the Galactic Empire and defected to the growing rebellion, a loose collection of rebel cells secretly coordinated by Imperial Senator Bail Organa, and by 5 BBY, he led a team of rebels against the Empire. Leevan Tenza was a member of this group, however an incident where he disobeyed orders and preemptively engaged an Imperial target led to his court-martial and defection to Saw Gerrera's Partisans.

Obtaining Y-wings
"We have orders to deliver these bombers to General Dodonna's unit. They're part of a wider rebellion we're working to build."

- Hera Syndulla, referring to the Y-wing bombers stolen by the Phoenix Squadron

In 2 BBY, members of Phoenix Squadron, which also operated as part of the rebel network, managed to steal five antiquated Republic Navy BTL Y-wing light bombers from an Imperial salvage yard, which they planned to deliver to the unit. The Y-wings eventually made their way to Dodonna's unit, where they would become part of Gold Squadron, the cell's starfighter squadron led by Gold Leader Captain Jon "Dutch" Vander, protecting rebel convoys as well as attacking a few soft Imperial targets.

Escorting Mon Mothma
Shortly after the delivery of the Y-wings, Senator Mon Mothma was forced to flee her homeworld of Chandrila as a branded traitor after publicly denouncing the Empire. Gold Squadron took on the duty of protecting the Senator and escorting her to Dantooine, where they would rendezvous with other rebel cells. Mothma's Taylander shuttle, the Chandrila Mistress, rendezvoused with the Ghost for refueling of the shuttle's Y-wing escort, Gold Squadron. The rebel ships were attacked by TIE fighters, an Arquitens-class cruiser and a Gozanti-class cruiser, and the Chandrila Mistress' hyperdrive was damaged. Mothma and her crew were forced to evacuate onto the Ghost, and the rebels fled into hyperspace. At the advice of Phoenix Leader Hera Syndulla, the rebels took the old smuggler's route through the Archeon Nebula to escape the Lothal sector undetected. However, an experimental TIE/D Defender starfighter decimated the squadron, until it was stopped by Vander and Ezra Bridger (flying as Gold Two). The remaining squadron members, Vander and the original Gold Two, then arrived safely with the Senator at Dantooine. General Dodonna would arrive with Jun Sato and the rest of Phoenix Squadron shortly after, and, with the arrival of the other cells, the Alliance to Restore the Republic would be formed.

Battle of Atollon
General Dodonna and the Massassi Group later arrived at Atollon to assist Commander Jun Sato and Phoenix Squadron in the long-planned attack to take out the Imperial Armory Complex on Lothal. However, the Massassi Group's trajectory, in addition to ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus's Fulcrum transmission's trajectory, allowed Grand Admiral Thrawn and his Seventh Fleet to locate Chopper Base on Atollon.

When the Seventh Fleet arrived, the Massassi Group attempted to retreat, but were prevented from jumping into hyperspace by the Imperials' Interdictor cruisers. Both the Massassi Group and Phoenix Squadron then fought Thrawn's forces, in an attack intended by Hera, Sato and Dodonna as a diversion to allow Lieutenant Commander Ezra Bridger to escape in the Gauntlet to inform the Alliance High Command and Senator Mon Mothma of Thrawn's siege. Ultimately, Sato sacrificed himself and his ship, the Phoenix Nest, by ramming Imperial Admiral Kassius Konstantine's Interdictor to allow Ezra to reach hyperspace.

The Massassi Group lost many of their cruisers and starfighters. The survivors then retreated to Chopper Base. There, they attempted to hold off Thrawn's ground forces. Dodonna, Captain Syndulla, and what remained of their forces then retreated following Ezra's return with forces from Clan Wren, who executed a strike to destroy the remaining Interdictor. Despite the Bendu's attacks, the Massassi Group and what remained of Phoenix Squadron were then able to escape the blockade. Together they went to Yavin 4.

Mission to Jalindi
In 1 BBY, the Spectres were assigned by Rebel Alliance leaders Mon Mothma, Bail Organa and Jan Dodonna to spy on a newly-constructed communications relay on Jalindi at the suggestion of former ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus. Their mission was to insert a spike in it, so the Rebels could spy on Imperial Fleet activities to make it easier for their forces to carry out operations. The Ghost crew was able to easily sneak into the upper atmosphere of Jalindi and install the spike, but the sudden arrival of Commander Brom Titus in his Arquitens-class command cruiser, the Marauder, forced the Spectres to scuttle their mission and destroy the relay instead. The sudden arrival of notorious extremist Saw Gerrera and his lieutenant Edrio in their U-wing starfighter further complicated things, as Gerrera had already made plans to destroy the relay, tossing proton bombs onto the station's dish. He then invited Spectres Sabine Wren, Ezra and Chopper onto his ship before the bombs went off. Gerrera's U-wing and the Ghost left Jalindi, but the sudden arrival of a Star Destroyer forced both ships to flee into hyperspace before Hera could pick up her people.

Mission to Faos Station
After the failed mission at Jalindi, Saw Gerrera requested Ezra and Sabine's help on a mission to Faos Station, in order to discover what the Empire was transporting in a supposed civilian ship, Freighter 2716. The rebels soon discovered that the freighter was transporting a large kyber crystal to the Tonnis sector, where it rendezvoused with a Star Destroyer. Gerrera sabotaged the crystal and escaped with Edrio, while Ezra and Sabine escaped with prisoners they found onboard in a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle. The kyber crystal soon exploded, destroying both the freighter and the Star Destroyer.

Mission to the Ring of Kafrene
In 0 BBY, Captain Cassian Andor traveled to the Ring of Kafrene to meet with one of his underground contacts, Tivik, a member of Saw Gerrera's Partisans, and learned about the Empire's possession of a superweapon, eventually known to be the Death Star. Andor was forced to kill Tivik when Imperial troops closed in, as he had suffered a broken arm that made him unable to escape the area. Andor then escaped back to Yavin 4 with the intel.

Extraction of Jyn Erso on Wobani
Members of the Massassi Group then participated in the liberation of Jyn Erso from Imperial Detention Center & Labor Camp LEG-817 on Wobani.

Members
The Massassi Group, as one of the largest rebel cells in the galaxy, had many members. Known personnel included:

Ships

 * Braha'tok-class gunships
 * Orion&dagger;
 * CR90 corvettes
 * Vigilant&dagger;
 * EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates
 * Vanguard&dagger;
 * 1 Sheathipede-class transport
 * Phantom II
 * Taylander shuttle
 * Chandrila Mistress&dagger;
 * 1 VCX-100 light freighter
 * Ghost
 * 1 YT-1300 light freighter
 * Millennium Falcon
 * 1 Kom'rk-class fighter
 * Nightbrother
 * BTL Y-wing starfighters
 * BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bombers
 * Gold One&dagger;
 * UT-60D U-wing starfighter/support crafts
 * Bravo One
 * LMTR-20&dagger;
 * T-65B X-wing starfighters
 * Blue One&dagger;
 * Red Five
 * T-65C-A2 X-wing starfighters