Phoenix Cell

Phoenix Squadron was an elite starfighter unit and part of a cell of resistance fighters who rebelled against the Galactic Empire in the years prior to the Battle of Yavin. The cell was led by Commander Jun Sato and was part of the wider rebel network operated by Senator Bail Organa and Ahsoka Tano.

Organization
Phoenix Squadron piloted A-wing starfighters and were carried aboard Sato's command ship Phoenix Home. The squadron could also be carried aboard the fleet's blockade runners using docking tubes. Following the destruction of Phoenix Home, the squadron lacked a permanent home and docked with the rest of the Phoenix fleet. After the rebels stole an Imperial fighter carrier from Ryloth, the squadron was housed on that starship.

History
Several years prior to the Battle of Yavin, Phoenix Squadron flew on missions with the crew of the Ghost. Several members of the squadron were lost in battle with Darth Vader. The survivors then scattered with the rest of the fleet. Phoenix Squadron also took part in the rebel relief of Ibaar where the-then Phoenix Leader was killed during the first attempt to break the Imperial blockade. Later, Hera Syndulla was promoted as the new Phoenix Leader after she succeeded in using a prototype B-wing starfighter to break the blockade.



Later, Phoenix Squadron and the rest of the Phoenix rebel cell escaped an Imperial attack on rebel installations on Garel. The squadron was later seen with the rest of the fleet above the Lothal system after a raid on an Imperial depot on Lothal to acquire three Hammerhead corvettes, which had been supplied by the Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa's adopted daughter Princess Leia Organa.

After regrouping, Phoenix Squadron, under the command of Hera Syndulla, was sent on a mission to the Mandalorian colony of Concord Dawn to request safe passage through the system, however Fenn Rau, the leader of the Protectors denied their request. Acting in the name of the Empire, Rau and the Protectors opened fire on Phoenix Squadron, killing two of the pilots and severely injuring Syndulla. In retaliation, the rebels Kanan Jarrus and Sabine Wren with the support of Chopper destroyed the Protectors' Fang fighters and captured Fenn Rau.

Phoenix Squadron sustained the loss of another pilot during a mission to steal supplies from the Empire. With the squadron lacking a place to land and house their starfighers, Commander Sato approved a mission by the crew of the Ghost to steal an Imperial fighter carrier orbiting Ryloth. The crew of the Ghost were aided by the Ryloth resistance leader Cham Syndulla and his associates Numa and Gobi Glie. Phoenix Squadron aided the operation by sending two RZ-1 A-wing interceptors to harry the TIE/sa bomber carrying the two rebel groups. After completing their part, the starfighters jumped into hyperspace. The acquisition of the fighter carrier was a boon for the squadron and the rebellion.

Following the heist above Ryloth, the former Imperial fighter carrier became Phoenix Squadron's new base and headquarters. Members of the squadron fought against Imperial forces which attacked the rebel fleet. After the Ghost returned with stolen fuel supplies from Horizon Base, the fleet prepared to depart for the Yost system. However, Chopper and his new friend AP-5 informed Hera and Commander Sato that the Imperials had set a trap in that system. Instead, AP-5 and Chopper sent coordinates to Atollon, a planet with no Imperial presence. Phoenix Squadron accompanied the rest of the fleet there.

While meeting with Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Admiral Kassius Konstantine, Agent Kallus, and Governor Arihnda Pryce, Grand Admiral Thrawn reported that Phoenix Squadron had destroyed Mining Guild ships using the Sereeda Waypoint. He quickly deduced that the rebels planned to attack the Imperial salvage plant Reklam Station inside the planet Yarma. Later, Phoenix A-wings engaged with Governor Pryce's Imperial TIE fighters above Yarma. Thrawn allowed the rebels to escape since he wanted to destroy the entire rebellion.

Later, the Imperial Viceroy Gar Saxon chided his relative Sabine Wren, a fellow member of House Vizsla, for abandoning the Imperial Academy to join Phoenix Squadron. Saxon trapped Sabine and her companions Ezra and Chopper on the third moon of Concord Dawn as part of a plot to capture Fenn Rau. The rebels managed to escape with the help of Rau, who decided to join the rebellion.

After Commander Sato received intelligence that the Empire was planning to impose martial law on Mykapo, Phoenix Squadron and the Lothal rebels traveled there to evacuate rebel sympathizers. The Phoenix Squadron pilots Phoenix Two and Phoenix Three escorted a Hammerhead corvette and the Phantom II which evacuated the civilians. Later, Phoenix Squadron rendezvoused with the rest of the rebel fleet in deep space. Elements of Phoenix squadron would later take part in Commander Sato's attempt to rescue his nephew Mart Mattin from Admiral Kassius Konstantine during a brief skirmish over Mykapo.

Later, the Phoenix Squadron decided to take out the Lothal City Imperial Armory Complex on the planet Lothal, which manufactured vehicles for the Imperial Military. After the disillusioned Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus informed the Phoenix Squadron that the Empire was developing a new weapon, the Squadron dispatched Ezra, Kanan, and Chopper to infiltrate the factory and to solicit the help of Ryder Azadi's rebel cell. As a result of the mission, the rebels discovered that Grand Admiral Thrawn was developing a new fighter initiative.

Behind the scenes
Phoenix Squadron appears in the television film premiere of Star Wars Rebels Season Two. While the Databank entry describes Phoenix Squadron as an elite starfighter squadron, Thrawn's conversation in Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow implies that Phoenix Squadron also included the other rebel ships within the Phoenix rebel cell including the Lothal rebels' attack shuttle Phantom. This discrepancy has not yet been resolved by Lucasfilm.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
 * Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow