Cham Syndulla/Legends

"You sing a song of a legend. I'm just a soldier, Gobi."

- Cham Syndulla

Cham Syndulla was a male Twi'lek on Ryloth. Before the Clone Wars, the galaxy-wide conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, began, Syndulla held tensions with the Republic, specifically with Ryloth's Twi'lek Senator, Orn Free Taa. Syndulla mistrusted Taa, believing him to be lazy and indifferent to the Twi'lek people. Senator Taa mistrusted Syndulla, believing that he sought power with his reputation amongst the people.

After the Clone Wars had begun, Techno Union Foreman and Separatist Council member Wat Tambor invaded Ryloth. Syndulla led the Twi'lek freedom fighters against the Separatist droid forces on the plains of Cazne. Even with the death of many Separatists, Syndulla was forced to retreat, and his fighters set up camp in the remains of several destroyed droid vehicles. After Jedi Master and High General Mace Windu arrived on the planet to invade and liberate it by retaking the capital city of Lessu, Syndulla resolved his issues with Senator Taa, and helped Windu to retake the city and capture Tambor.

Tensions with the Republic
"Cham Syndula was a radical before the War. He is very unpredictable." "He can't be trusted! I know Syndulla seeks to gain power! We were political rivals."

- Supreme Chancellor and Senator Orn Free Taa on Syndulla

Years before the Clone Wars, the galaxy-wide conflict between the Galactic Republic, the dominant government of the time, and a faction of separatist planetary and and sectorial governments seeking to leave it, known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Syndulla had political rivalries with the Republic. The tensions were specifically held against his planet's Twi'lek Senator, Orn Free Taa. Syndulla did not trust Taa, believing him to be indifferent to his people's fate while he remained in "comfortable Coruscant," the galactic capital and headquarters of the Galactic Senate. Because of Syndulla's favoritism and reputation among the Twi'lek people, Taa himself believed that Syndulla sought to gain power on Ryloth, thus disbanding the democracy that Taa represented in the Senate.



Leading the resistance
"When the droids swept over Ryloth, the Republic was unable to help us. We were forced to surrender, and we came here unarmed. The Separatists brought tanks to exterminate us."

- Cham Syndulla to Mace Windu on the droid invasion

During the Clone Wars, Corporate Alliance Magistrate and Separatist Council member Passel Argente visited Lessu, the capital city of Ryloth, to meet with Artruk, a Twi'lek broker Argente had hired to conceal treasures from conquered worlds. While Argente and Artruk conferred, Syndulla and fellow Twi'lek Voyla spied on the pair, watching another outlander coming to steal from their planet. Syndulla noticed that Argente was bringing treasures to Ryloth, not stealing from it. Syndulla also noticed the presence of Separatist battle droids, and suspected that the War was coming to Ryloth. However, Techno Union Foreman and fellow Separatist Council member to Argente, Wat Tambor, had also been spying on Argente, using a spy RA-7 protocol droid that he had previously planted with Argente through Trandoshan scavenger Gha Nachkt. When Tambor noticed Argente's treasures, he sought to steal them, and ordered Ryloth moved to top priority for a Separatist invasion.

After the Confederacy invaded, Syndulla formed the freedom fighters, a group of his admirers, to fight the droids. The freedom fighters were the first to engage the droid forces, and a furious battle erupted on the plains of Cazne. The plains soon became littered with scars and craters. Although many Separatists were killed, the droid forces continued to overwhelm the Twi'lek fighters, and they were forced to go into hiding, though they continued to fight and ambush droid squadrons.

When Syndulla's friend and minstrel, Gobi Glie, wrote a song about him, Syndulla was uncomfortable about being considered a legend, calling himself a mere soldier. Gobi informed him that having legends was important, and a strength the Twi'lek people had over the droid forces of the Separatists.

Alliance with the Republic
"I was wondering when you'd find me, Master Jedi." "General Syndulla, I've come for your help." "What makes you think you'll get it?"

- Cham Syndulla and Mace Windu



When Jedi Master and High General Mace Windu sought to retake Lessu from Tambor's command, Windu needed the aid of Syndulla's freedom fighters. Syndulla brought Windu and two ARF troopers, Stak and Razor, into the freedom fighters' hideout under a destroyed C-9979 landing craft. Even though their supplies were short, and despite his misgivings about the Republic, Syndulla expressed the Twi'lek tradition of hospitality.

Syndulla was at first reluctant to ally himself, still keeping his previous political lashes with Senator Taa in mind. After Clone Commander Ponds, the clone commander who was accompanying Windu and leading Lightning Squadron, reported to Windu that the Separatists had begun a campaign of destroying several Twi'lek villages, Syndulla agreed to negotiate with Taa. Entering a holoconference with Taa, Syndulla exchanged verbal blows with the Senator before Windu restrained the pair from bickering and helped them to establish peace. Taa promised that the Republic's clone army, the soldiers cloned from Jango Fett created to fight in the war, would not occupy Ryloth after the Separatists fled. Syndulla stated that he believed in democracy and would not seek power. Syndulla rallied his fighters and joined forces with Windu.

Seeking to invade the capital city of Lessu, Windu and Syndulla were faced with a problem: the only access to the city was via a plasma bridge, and its controls were inside the city itself. Windu took Razor and Stak to infiltrate an MTT carrying Tambor's treasures, and get into the city via the bridge, while Ponds, Syndulla and Tae Boon, Syndulla's second-in-command, led the forces. Once the Jedi and the two clones were detected by battle droids with scanners, Syndulla and Ponds attacked the droids. Windu and the clones managed to get across, although the bridge was deactivated once more.

Windu held off the droid forces while Stak and Razor activated the bridge. Syndulla led the charge toward the bridge, and it was activated just in time. Entering the city, Syndulla held off the droid forces while Windu went to capture Tambor. After Tambor was cornered, several Hyena-class bombers dove toward the city, but the timely intervention of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano in their fighters stopped the attack. Tambor surrendered, and Syndulla thanked Windu for his help. Later, Syndulla joined Windu, Ponds and Senator Taa in watching a parade following the battle.



Personality and traits
"Another armed occupation is not a free Ryloth. How long before I am fighting you, Master Jedi?"

- Cham Syndulla to Mace Windu

Syndulla was a role model to the people he led, and possessed great leadership skills. Syndulla also possessed humility, and disagreed with Gobi's song illustrating his reputation; Syndulla believed himself to be a soldier, not a legend. While he was in command of the resistance, he garnered much favor and a strong reputation amongst his people, which built Senator Orn Free Taa's mistrust of him. He also held influence among the Twi'lek people; Voyla's agreement with Syndulla's views about Taa is a possible example of Syndulla's influence.

Syndulla distrusted Senator Taa, believing him to be either blind to or uncaring of the Twi'leks' fate while he remained on Coruscant in the Senate. Syndulla also believed that any sort of armed occupation was bad for Ryloth, and did not even trust the Grand Army of the Republic. However, Syndulla truly cared for his people. He was able to see sense, and would not hold onto his personal disputes with Senator Taa, if doing so meant the loss of his people's freedom.

Behind the scenes
Cham Syndulla first appeared in the web comic Covetous, but was not identified till a later appearance. Syndulla was voiced by Robin Atkin Downes, and appeared in an episode from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, "Liberty on Ryloth", as well as the web comic leading into it, The Ballad of Cham Syndulla.

Syndulla was originally a conniving religious figure affiliated with the Separatists. However, because of later changes due to a lack of sense in the plot, Syndulla was changed to a freedom fighter leading the Twi'lek resistance.

Appearances

 * The Clone Wars: Covetous
 * The Clone Wars: The Ballad of Cham Syndulla