Jan Dodonna/Legends

"I think General Dodonna is quite the tactician."

- Cesi Eirriss

Jan Dodonna was one of the first generals in the Rebellion's military. Dodonna was a native of the planet Commenor and a probable descendant of Forn Dodonna.

Loyalist (65 BBY–19 BBY)


At a young age, Dodonna joined the Judicial Forces, where he began his military career fighting pirates and criminals throughout the Republic in the decades before the Battle of Naboo.

Throughout his long period of service, Dodonna showed a strong grasp of tactics and strategy, and along with his old friend Adar Tallon, Dodonna revolutionized the tactics of space combat. He was one of the first captains of a Star Destroyer in the days of the Galactic Republic, having served in both the Stark Hyperspace War and the Clone Wars.

During the latter conflict, Dodonna, along with Terrinald Screed, commanded the first fleet of Victory I-class Star Destroyers during the Siege of Foerost in a campaign to decide control of the Core Worlds. He was also, along with Plo Koon, a member of the Republic negotiating team during the Battle of Rendili. Several months later he commanded the Republic fleet at the First Battle of Cato Neimoidia, at which he had apparently temporarily been given the rank of commander.

Sometime during the war, he served alongside Nejaa Halcyon and his father Ken Dodonna. He also convinced his old friend, Sagoro Autem, to quit his mercenary ways and join the Navy.

As the Republic became the Galactic Empire, Dodonna served loyally for a time, even advising Autem to keep quiet about his feelings on the alleged "Jedi Rebellion."

Rebel (19 BBY–0 BBY)


Eventually, Dodonna left on ideological grounds, at first refusing to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic, an act he considered treasonous. He retired to Commenor's moon Brelor to raise his son Vrad. The Emperor felt leaving him alive was too dangerous, however, and ordered his assassination. Dodonna escaped with nothing but his nightclothes, helped by a Rebel team led by General Roons Sewell which had been sent to warn him of the plot.

Dodonna joined the Rebellion and was immediately commissioned to general by Alliance officials, and placed under the command of General Sewell. His first major victory was at the Silken Asteroids, where he successfully coordinated the defense of a small Rebel base against Imperial incursion.

After the untimely death of General Sewell, Dodonna was placed in command of all Rebel starfighter operations by Mon Mothma. With the help of Walex Blissex, designer of the Victory-class Star Destroyer, Dodonna modified the R-22 Spearhead into the fast, nimble A-wing starfighter, and he created the Battle Analysis Computer that would later see use at the Battle of Bakura. His son Vrad also joined the Alliance and become a starfighter pilot.

During his time in the Alliance High Command on Dantooine, Dodonna performed different field missions alongside tactics prodige Risiev Credal, who was his protegée (shared with Colonel Beryl Chiffonage).

With plans brought to him by Princess Leia and downloaded from R2-D2, Dodonna helped plan the attack on the Death Star. The data showed that the defenses of the Death Star were built around large-scale attacks, but he found that a small thermal exhaust port on the station would be vulnerable to attack, and designed the starfighter attack that was successful in destroying the battle station. Shortly afterwards he was called in to deal with the short-lived super-vaporator project on Tatooine, though this soon fell through.

Captive (0 BBY–6 ABY)


Following the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire blockaded Yavin 4 while Darth Vader waited for the Super Star Destroyer Executor to be completed. When it was, Vader brought it to finish the Rebels, but was stopped by a suicide strike delivered by Vrad. Heartbroken, Jan set up the Yavin base to explode, taking out a number of TIE Fighters and buying more time for the evacuation. He was believed to be killed in the blast, but in reality he had been captured by Imperial forces.

He was eventually sent to Lusankya. The Imperials were unable to turn him into a sleeper agent. Dodonna spent several years at Lusankya becoming leader of the prisoners there. Dodonna later encountered Corran Horn, a member of Rogue Squadron, and aided in Horn's escape. When offered to join him in freedom, he declined, saying Ysanne Isard would take it out on the other prisoners. He stayed at Lusankya until he was moved by Isard] Eventually, Rogue Squadron found the surviving Lusankya prisoners, and Dodonna was finally freed.

Elder Statesman (6 ABY–24 ABY)
After being freed, Dodonna served on the New Republic council, and gathered together an ad-hoc advisory body consisting of himself and other such aged luminaries as Vanden Willard, Pashna Starkiller, and his old friend Adar Tallon. Calling themselves the "Gray Cadre", they advised the New Republic during the resurgence of the Empire under the clone of Palpatine.

After the defeat of the cloned Emperor, Dodonna was given a special appointment to the Inner Council's High Command as "Executive Advisor", where he adopted the issue of re-integrating Coruscant's feral Humans into society. Shortly afterward, Dodonna returned to retirement, settling on New Alderaan, where he peacefully passed away prior to the start of the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Behind the scenes

 * Jan Dodonna's only film appearance was in A New Hope, where he was played by Alex McCrindle. He was voiced by Clive Revill in the game Star Wars: X-wing (Special edition) and Jarion Monroe in the game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds.
 * A character named Forn Dodonna from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was more than likely intended to be an ancestor of Jan's.
 * The name "Jan" is a Dutch/German/Polish/Czech equivalent of the name "John."
 * Dodonna's name may have been inspired by Dodona Manor, the home of 1953 Nobel Peace Prize winner George C. Marshall, who served as United States Army chief of staff during World War II and as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under President Harry S. Truman.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Republic: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Republic 78: Loyalties
 * The Farlander Papers
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika
 * Star Wars Empire: Darklighter
 * Star Wars Empire: The Short, Happy Life of Roons Sewell
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (novel)
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * Play It Again, Figrin D'an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe
 * Scoundrel's Luck
 * Star Wars Missions 1: Assault on Yavin Four
 * Star Wars Missions 2: Escape from Thyferra
 * Tag & Bink Are Dead
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Marvel Star Wars 9: Showdown on a Wasteland World
 * Marvel Star Wars 10: Behemoth from the World Below
 * Marvel Star Wars 11: Star Search
 * Vader's Quest
 * Star Wars Empire: Idiot's Array
 * Star Wars 3-D
 * Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
 * Classic Star Wars Volume 2: The Rebel Storm
 * Classic Star Wars Volume 3: Escape to Hoth
 * A Valentine Story
 * The Truce at Bakura
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap
 * X-wing: The Bacta War
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * Dark Empire
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Champions of the Force
 * I, Jedi
 * Betrayal
 * Exile