Spectres

"Who are you people? I mean, you're not thieves exactly.''" "''We're not exactly anything. We're a crew. A team. In some ways, a family."

- Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren

The Spectres, also known as the Ghost team, the crew of the Ghost, the Ghost crew, Spectre cell, and formerly as the Lothal rebels and Lothal resistance cell, were a cell of resistance fighters who primarily operated on the Outer Rim planet Lothal before the Galactic Civil War. The rebels, who operated against the rule of the Galactic Empire, were headquartered in their ship, the Ghost, and also carried out operations on other nearby worlds. Each member of the rebellion had lost something to the Imperial regime and fought back in the hopes of someday liberating the galaxy from the Empire's rule. The rebels were part of a larger, disconnected rebel movement led by Senator Bail Organa and Ahsoka Tano. This movement would eventually give rise to the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Eventually the Spectres cell was merged with the larger Phoenix Cell.

The rebels were led by Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi survivor of Order 66. The other rebels were Hera Syndulla, the owner and pilot of the Ghost; Lothal orphan-turned-Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger; the Mandalorian explosives expert Sabine Wren; Garazeb Orrelios, the former captain of the Lasan High Honor Guard; and the astromech droid C1-10P, nicknamed "Chopper." Their operations attracted the attention of Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau, the Jedi hunter known as the Grand Inquisitor, the menacing Grand Admiral Thrawn, and even Darth Vader, all of whom pursued the rebels in an attempt to destroy them.

Description
"We have been called criminals, but we are not. We are rebels, fighting for the people, fighting for you."

- Ezra Bridger, transmitting using a pirated Imperial tower

The Spectres were a small resistance cell that operated off of the planet Lothal, primarily carrying out attacks against the operations of the Galactic Empire on the planet. For a time, the rebels were a five-person crew, with each crew member serving a different function. Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi survivor of Order 66, was the leader of the crew, while Hera Syndulla was the owner and pilot of the Ghost, the ship from which the rebels were headquartered. Garazeb Orrelios was a former member of the Lasan High Honor Guard and one of the few surviving members of the Lasat species, and he acted as the muscle of the crew. Sabine Wren was a Mandalorian warrior and explosives expert, as well as a graffiti artist; after attacks against the Empire, Wren would leave her own calling card, the starbird, behind so the Empire knew who had attacked them. The crew also had a droid, C1-10P, whom they nicknamed "Chopper." Five years before the Battle of Yavin, the rebels took in Ezra Bridger, a Lothal street orphan, as a member of the crew, and Jarrus trained him in the ways of the Force.

Origins
"We started by wanting to fight the Empire. Somebody had to do something about the terror and injustice they're spreading across the galaxy."

- Kanan Jarrus

The group that became known as the Spectres began with Hera Syndulla, who followed in the footsteps of her father, Cham Syndulla, a resistance fighter who led the Twi'lek Resistance against the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars and who later rebelled against the Empire. Her operations led her to an information-gathering mission on the planet Gorse, where she met Kanan Jarrus and learned that he was a Jedi who had survived the fall of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. After working together to help save Gorse and its moon, Cynda, from Count Denetrius Vidian and the Empire, Jarrus joined Syndulla and her cause.

Harrying the Empire
In the years that followed, the rebel crew of the Ghost grew with the inclusion of Sabine Wren, Garazeb Orrelios, and Chopper. They embarked on a campaign to raid Imperial supply ships, in order to steal their cargo and deliver them to other insurgents. After a successful raiding mission on Ryloth, Jarrus suggested that his crew should hit an convoy en route to the crystalline planet of Christophsis. Once again, the Ghost crew was victorious. Shortly thereafter, Hera Syndulla intercepted an Imperial signal that directed the rebels toward their next target, the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk. Emerging victorious once again, the Ghost crew then focused their attention on the world of Toydaria, where yet another Imperial convoy was headed. When they rebels left Toydaria behind, Sabine Wren suggested a stop at Lothal, a backwater planet in the Outer Rim, so the Ghost could be resupplied.

They carried out a number of attacks against Imperial operations on and around Lothal, including the raiding of an Imperial supply convoy, the destruction of TIE/ln space superiority starfighters on a landing pad, and a skirmish with stormtroopers in Capital City. These attacks against the Empire attracted the attention of Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau, who intended to destroy the rebels before they could spark a wider rebel movement.

The rebels sometimes worked for Cikatro Vizago, a Devaronian crime lord who ran the Broken Horn Syndicate on Lothal. One such job was the heist of weapons for Vizago, as well as supplies for the people of Lothal re-settlement camp 43, nicknamed "Tarkintown." During the mission, they were joined by Ezra Bridger, who intended to steal the supplies for himself before the crew taught him the value of helping others. These events led the rebels to rescue a group of Wookiees, who were being held as slaves by the Empire, from the spice mines of the planet Kessel. As a result, the Wookiees became allies of the rebels. Their actions on Kessel attracted the attention of the Grand Inquisitor, a Jedi hunter who intended to hunt down and kill Jarrus and Bridger, who had become Jarrus's Jedi apprentice after learning he had an affinity for the Force.

Short on funds and supplies, the crew of the Ghost accepted another job from Vizago to steal an Imperial shipment of T-7 ion disruptor rifles on the nearby planet of Garel. While on their mission, the rebels encountered the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, who had been sent by the Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa to prevent the weapons from falling into Imperial hands. As a result, the rebels came into contact with Senator Organa, who paid Kanan enough credits to cover their fuel and living expenses. Organa became one of the founders of a wider rebel movement, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, which the Spectres had a hand in forming.

Ezra initially had some difficulty adjusting to life on the Ghost and initially had an acrimonious relationship with Zeb and Chopper. Following a prank played on Chopper, Ezra and Zeb got into a fight. As punishment, they were sent by Hera to buy a list of groceries. While attempting to steal a crate of meiloorun fruits, Ezra and Zeb became entangled with the Imperials and stole a TIE fighter. After fleeing the Lothalian town of Kathol, the two rebels freed several farmers who had been arrested by Imperial forces. In the process, they managed to steal a crate of meiloorun fruits. Before returning to the Ghost, they hid their stolen fighter, which would be used in a later mission.

After receiving information that the Jedi Master Luminara Unduli was being imprisoned at the Spire prison, the crew of the Ghost traveled to Stygeon Prime to rescue her. Kanan, who had not completed his Jedi training, was uncomfortable with his own abilities to train Ezra and hoped that Master Luminara would be able to help. However, they stumbled into a trap staged by the Grand Inquisitor, who fought with Kanan and Ezra. Following a skirmish, the rebels managed to escape on the Phantom. As a result of their adventure, Ezra became more appreciative of his master Kanan and agreed to continue his Jedi training.

During a mission to destroy an Imperial kyber crystal shipment, Ezra infiltrated the Lothal Imperial Academy as an Imperial cadet in order to steal a decoder containing the coordinates of the shipment. While Hera and Kanan waited aboard the Ghost, the other rebels Sabine, Chopper, and Zeb remained on stand-by to evacuate Ezra. At the Imperial Academy, Ezra encountered Zare Leonis, an underground rebel sympathizer who had infiltrated the Academy to find his missing sister Dhara Leonis, a star cadet who had disappeared the previous year. After working together to steal the decoder, Chopper passed the decoder to his rebel colleagues, who were then able to intercept the kyber shipment. The rebels then passed the decoder to Merei Spanjaf, Zare's girlfriend and a skilled slicer who was trying to hack into the Imperial data network on Lothal. Using the decoder, Merei discovered that Dhara had been forcibly inducted into Project Harvester, a secret program for screening Force-sensitive Academy cadets. As a result of the kyber crystal mission, the Spectres gained new allies.

The Stakes Heighten
Over the course of their missions against the Empire, the crew of the Ghost were supplied with information on Imperial targets by a mysterious individual known as "Fulcrum". During a supply run to Fort Anaxes, Sabine confided in her trust issues with Hera, who did not disclose that the rebels were part of a wider network but managed to allay Sabine's fears that their struggle was not in vain. After being ambushed by fyrnocks, they were rescued by their fellow crew, who picked them up and the Phantom, which had been unable to fly due to a fuel leak.

Later, the Spectres disrupted the Empire Day celebrations in Lothal's Capital City and fled the planet with the Rodian fugitive Tseebo, an Imperial Information Office employee with classified information about the Empire. Pursued by the Grand Inquisitor, Kanan and Ezra detached the Phantom above Fort Anaxes while the other crew of the Ghost traveled with Tseebo to rendezvous with "Fulcrum", who would ferry the fugitive to a safe place. Following a second confrontation with the Grand Inquisitor, Kanan decided that Ezra was ready for his Jedi Trials. The Master and his apprentice then departed to a hidden Jedi Temple on Lothal where Ezra passed his trials with the help of the Jedi Master Yoda and gained a kyber crystal, which he used to built his lightsaber.

Short on cash and having accidentally bet on Chopper during a game of sabacc, Kanan and Hera reluctantly accepted a job run from the "galactic entrepreneur" Lando Calrissian to help him steal a puffer pig from the crime lord Azmorigan. After escaping Azmorigan, the Ghost broke through the Imperial blockade above Lothal with some difficulty after Ezra and Zeb accidentally released the puffer pig. After losing their TIE pursuers, the crew of the Ghost dropped Calrissian at his farm estate on Lothal where they fought off Azmorigan and his henchmen. As payment for their services, the rebels took Calrissian's fuel tanks.

After hearing a broadcast from the dissident Senator Gall Trayvis to meet at the Lothal City Capitol Building in Lothal's Capital City, the rebels decided to attend the Senator's meeting. However, since they suspected it was an Imperial trap, Zeb attempted to contact Zare Leonis's girlfriend Merei Spanjaf to consult Zare. Merei instead told them to send Chopper to contact Zare, who subsequently arranged to meet with Ezra in the marketplace. There, Leonis revealed that the Empire was staging a major operation at the Senate Building. The rebels rescued Senator Trayvis and managed to elude their Imperial pursuers. However, Trayvis quickly revealed that he was an Imperial spy and attempted to apprehend Hera and Ezra. After knocking out Trayvis, the rebels fled back into hiding.

The rebel's activities on Lothal and the incompetence of the local Imperial authorities' efforts to apprehend them led Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the Governor of the Outer Rim Territories, to visit the planet to eliminate the rebel cell once and for all. Under Tarkin's direction, Agent Kallus and the Grand Inquisitor devised a plan to trap the rebels at the Imperial Communications Center near Jalath. The Spectres had wanted to issue a broadcast in order to counteract the Imperial propaganda on HoloNet. During the mission, Kanan was captured by the Imperials but Ezra managed to deliver his broadcast, which reached Lothal and several neighboring systems. In response, the Empire destroyed the main communications tower to prevent people from hearing their broadcast.

Despite Fulcrum's orders, the crew of the Ghost refused to abandon Kanan and devised a plan to rescue him. After Chopper infiltrated an Imperial communications cruiser and hacked into the Imperial database, the rebels discovered that Kanan had been transferred to the Mustafar system. The Imperials wanted to interrogate Kanan about his knowledge of Fulcrum and the rebel network. Using a stolen Imperial freighter, the rebels managed to infiltrate Tarkin's flagship Sovereign, rescue Kanan, and kill the Grand Inquisitor. After escaping the doomed warship, the rebels were picked up by Fulcrum and several members of the Phoenix Squadron. Following the rescue mission, the Spectres learnt that they were part of a wider rebel network and that Fulcrum was the Jedi Purge survivor Ahsoka Tano. In response, the Emperor dispatched Darth Vader to deal with the rebels once and for all.

At some later point, the crew of the Ghost helped to ferry the slicer Merei, her family, the Leonis family, and the fugitive poet Holshef into hiding on the planet Garel. Since the Spectres were unable to travel to Lothal, they made an arrangement with the Ithorian tavern keeper Old Jho to transport the Spanjafs and Leonises to the edge of the Garel system where the Ghost would pick them up. After sheltering the Lothalian fugitives Zeb, Sabine, Ezra along with Merei and her mother Jessa borrowed the Ghost and took part in an unauthorized mission to rescue Zare, who had been exposed as a traitor and scheduled for execution on Arkanis. Following a skirmish at Area Null, the rebels succeeded in rescuing both Zare and his sister Dhara.

A Greater Struggle
"General, the Spectres are the real deal."

- Ahsoka Tano, in a letter to Davits Draven

Following the rescue of Kanan, the crew of the Ghost joined the Phoenix Cell, which was part of a wider rebel network. On one occasion, the crew helped members of the Phoenix Squadron steal shield generators from an Imperial convoy. While Hera and the other rebels were happy to be part of a large struggle, Kanan was reluctant to commit himself to the rebel network since he was still traumatized by the Clone Wars. Shortly later, the rebels returned to Lothal to rescue the Imperial Minister Maketh Tua, who was planning to defect from the Empire. However, Tua was killed by an explosion during the escape attempt, which was then blamed on the crew of the Ghost.

The Spectres then infiltrated the Imperial Complex in Capital City where they were ambushed by Darth Vader, who engaged Kanan and Ezra in a lightsaber duel. The rebels managed to escape Vader in a stolen shuttle but were unable to flee offworld due to an Imperial blockade. After the rebels discovered that Imperial forces had razed Tarkintown to the ground in retaliation for its inhabitants accepting rebel help, they resolved not to return to Lothal in order to avoid endangering the local people. With the help of Calrissian's droid W1-LE, the Spectres managed to flee the Lothal system by creating sensor buoys that replicated the signal of the shuttle and baffled the Imperial trackers.

Unknown to the rebels, Darth Vader had attached a homing beacon to their shuttle with the intention of tracking down the Phoenix rebel fleet. The Spectres managed to rejoin the Phoenix but were soon followed by Darth Vader in his TIE Advanced starfighter. Vader's TIE fighter ravaged the Phoenix A-wing starfighters and destroyed the Phoenix flagship Phoenix Home. During the battle, Ahsoka flew with the crew of the Ghost and managed to probe the mysterious TIE pilot, whom she discovered was her former master Anakin Skywalker. Despite the arrival of Imperial reinforcements, the crew of the Ghost then managed to flee into hyperspace with the surviving Phoenix forces.

Following the destruction of Phoenix Home, the rebels were on the run. While the rebels discussed their next move, Ahsoka sent the crew of the Ghost to seek out an old friend on the desert planet of Seelos. This old friend turned out to be the former Clone Captain Rex, who lived with two other Clone veterans Gregor and Wolffe in an antiquated AT-TE walker. Despite initial tensions, Rex agreed to supply the rebels with a list of abandoned Republic bases and facilities in the Outer Rim in exchange for the rebels taking part in a joopa hunt. The rebels' mission was complicated by the arrival of an Imperial attack force of AT-AT walkers led by Agent Kallus, a perennial foe of the crew of the Ghost. With the help of the clones, the rebels managed to defeat the Imperials. Rex then accompanied the rebels back to the Phoenix fleet.

With the help of Rex, the rebel network gained access to information on abandoned Republic bases and facilities. Sabine, Zeb, Chopper, and Ezra traveled on the Phantom to an abandoned Republic medical station to salvage medical supplies. During the course of their mission, they encountered two Inquisitors known as the Seventh Sister and the Fifth Brother, who ambushed them. Following a struggle, the four rebels managed to escape and warn their fellow rebels about the existence of more Inquisitors.

Later, the crew of the Ghost took part in a mission to collect fuel cells to relieve the people of the frigid planet of Rinn, which was experiencing an energy crisis. While most of the rebels went to explore the streets of Garel City, Ezra and Chopper stayed aboard the Ghost to clean and repair the ship. Shortly later, they received a distress transmission from the crime lord Cikatro Vizago's starship, the Broken Horn. Ezra and Chopper abandoned their chores and traveled on the Phantom to rescue Vizago. Upon arriving in the Broken Horn, they encountered Hondo Ohnaka, who claimed he had acquired the Broken Horn during a sabacc match with Vizago.

The two rebels agreed to help Hondo deliver a shipment of five power generators to an unknown customer, who turned out to be the crime lord Azmorigan, an old enemy of the crew of the Ghost. After a skirmish with Azmorigan, Ezra, Chopper, and Hondo traveled back to Garel. On the journey back, they discovered and freed the captive Vizago, who drove Hondo off his ship. Hondo fled on the Phantom with the power generators. Enraged at having lost his cargo, Vizago sent Ezra and Chopper back to Garel in an escape pod. Fortunately for them, the Phantom had been programmed to fly back to the Ghost. Vizago agreed to surrender the power generators to the crew of the Ghost in return for keeping the proceeds from his sale to Azmorigan.

The crew of the Ghost later helped the Phoenix cell deliver supplies to the famine-stricken planet Ibaar, which was being blockaded by an Imperial fleet. After the failure of the first blockade run, Hera along with Sabine and Zeb traveled to the planet Shantipole where they made contact with the Mon Calamari engineer Quarrie, who had designed a prototype Blade Wing starfighter. Following a test run, Hera agreed to pilot the prototype starfighter, which proved crucial during the Phoenix rebels' second attempt to break the Imperial blockade. During the second blockade run, Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper helmed the Ghost which managed to deliver the supplies to the Ibaarians. Meanwhile, Hera successfully tested the Blade Wing's combat prowess by destroying an Arquitens-class command cruiser. Due to the success of the mission, Hera was promoted to Phoenix Leader; tying the crew of the Ghost closer to the rebel network. In addition, the Phoenix Squadron agreed to produce more B-wing starfighters. The rebels also received an unexpected boost when Quarrie installed a hyperdrive in the Phantom.

As Phoenix Leader, Hera gained more responsibilities in the Phoenix Squadron. She dispatched Sabine, with Ezra and Chopper as back-up, on a mission to pick up a courier who would respond to the phrase: "It's a long way to Alderaan." This courier turned out to be a GNK-series power droid called EG-86. Before the rebels could complete their mission, they were cornered by the bounty hunter Ketsu Onyo, a former friend of Sabine who had left her for dead and joined the Black Sun crime syndicate. Following a struggle in Garel's spaceport and space, the rebels and Ketsu were forced to work together to escape an Imperial light cruiser. They managed to escape the Imperials by exploding a stolen passenger shuttle and escaping into hyperspace in Ketsu' ship Shadow Caster. With Kestu's help, Sabine succeeded in delivering EG-86 to other members of the rebel network.

Following the disappearance of a rebel patrol in the Del Zennis system, Ezra along with Commander Sato traveled there to investigate its disappearance. They were quickly captured by a new Imperial warship known as the Imperial Interdictor, which was equipped with four Gravity well projectors that were capable of pulling ships out of hyperspace. In response, Hera devised a rescue mission which involved sending Kanan and Rex (who were disguised as stormtroopers) and Chopper (disguised as an Imperial astromech droid) to infiltrate the warship. This rescue mission proved successful and the rebels not only succeeded in rescuing their compatriots but also managed to destroy the Imperial Interdictor and two Imperial light cruisers.

Later, Kanan along with Ezra, Chopper, and Zeb agreed to help the former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, who had been tracking down the Inquisitors. She discovered that the Inquisitors were also involved in kidnapping Force-sensitive children and sent the crew of the Ghost to investigate a set of coordinates on the planet Takobo's Hammertown. The four rebels managed to rescue two infants named Alora and Pypey from the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister but were unable to defeat the two Inquisitors in combat. Ahsoka arrived on the scene and managed to defeat the two Inquisitors. Together with Ahsoka, the crew of the Ghost managed to flee Takobo before the arrival of Imperial reinforcements.

Eluding the Empire
Following an Imperial assault on the planet Garel, the crew of the Ghost and the rest of the Phoenix rebels were forced to flee into hiding. After escaping their Imperial pursuers, the rebels split into two groups. While Hera, Sabine, and Zeb joined the rest of the Phoenix fleet, Ezra along with Kanan and Chopper traveled back to Lothal. Ezra had received a Force vision of his parents Ephraim and Mira Bridger, which had coincided with a prison break-out on that planet. After arriving, Ezra and his companions managed to track down a former prison inmate called "Prisoner X-10", who used to be the former Governor Ryder Azadi. From Azadi, Ezra and his companions learned that his parents had heard his passionate broadcast which had inspired them to stage a break-out. However, they were killed during the escape attempt. Having learned about the fate of his parents, Ezra was able to make peace with his past.

The Spectres subsequently participated in a mission to obtain ships for the Rebellion. Senator Bail Organa had heard about the Phoenix rebels' losses on Garel and sent his adopted daughter Princess Leia Organa to deliver three Sphyrna-class corvettes to the rebels. Since the Alderaanians could not be seen directly supporting the rebels, Princess Leia had arranged for the corvettes to be delivered to Lothal, where they would be stolen by the rebels there. Hera relayed their instructions to Kanan and Ezra, who infiltrated the Imperial depot where Leia was scheduled to arrive. The two rebels, who were disguised in Imperial uniforms, managed to make contact with Princess Leia.

However, the rebels' problems were complicated when the Imperial lieutenant Yogar Lyste fastened gravity locks to the ships. After reuniting in Lothal's wilderness, the crew of the Ghost rescued Ryder Azadi, who had been detained by a roving Imperial patrol, and pretended to "kidnap" Princess Leia. With the help of Leia and Azadi, the rebels devised a plan to infiltrate the Imperial depot and steal the three corvettes. While Leia along with Kanan and Ezra entered the base under the ruse of having escaped the rebels, Chopper, Sabine, Kanan, and Azadi disabled the gravity locks on the corvettes. During the ensuing raid, Hera and Zeb provided air support by using the Ghost to harry the Imperial garrison. The mission proved successful and the rebels succeeded in delivering all three Hammerhead corvettes to the Phoenix Group.

Hera and Sabine later led a mission to negotiate safe passage through the Concord Dawn system with Fenn Rau, the leader of a Mandalorian faction known as the Journeyman Protectors. With the Empire hunting them down, the rebellion needed a short cut into the Lothal sector. However, the rebel mission was attacked by Rau's Fang fighters and Hera was gravely wounded. Rau had aligned the Protectors with the Empire and represented the Empire on Concord Dawn. Following the attack, Sabine along with Kanan and Chopper took part in a mission to destroy the Protectors' Fang fighters. After a second failed round of talks with Rau, the rebels destroyed the remaining Fang fighters and kidnapped Rau, who agreed to grant the rebels safe passage through the system in return for keeping his capture a secret from the Empire.

After Ezra received a tip-off from his one-time business partner Hondo Ohnaka, the crew of the Ghost rescued two Lasat named Gron and Chava the Wise from Nixus Hub 218. The two Lasat were on a quest to find Lira San, a legendary safe refuge for the Lasat species. Zeb reluctantly agreed to help his compatriots in their quest by fulfilling an ancient Lasat prophecy. Using his bo-rifle to interact with the Force, Zeb guided the Ghost through a collapsed star cluster that led them to Lira San. There, Zeb and the other Lasat discovered that Lira San was the original Lasat homeworld and that it was already teeming with millions of Lasat. Due to his role in the rediscovery of Lira San, Zeb gained a greater sense of destiny and confidence. The crew of the Ghost then departed back into the known galaxy.

Short of fuel, the rebels raided a Mining Guild Asteroid Belt Gas Refinery to obtain more fuel for the Ghost and the Phoenix Squadron. On the way, they encountered a herd of purrgil, large space-dwelling creatures capable of traveling through hyperspace. While Hera and Zeb manned the ship's controls, Kanan, Sabine, Chopper, and Ezra raided the facility and fought with Mining Guild security forces under Boss Yushyn. With the help of the purrgil, the rebels managed to steal the fuel canisters and to power up the Ghost. They then traveled into hyperspace with the purrgil.

Later, the Spectres took part in a mission to steal an Imperial Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier orbiting the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth. Phoenix Squadron had sustained the loss of one starfighter during a mission and needed a place to land their remaining vessels. In response, Commander Sato suggested that they steal the Imperial fighter carrier. Hera and the crew of the Ghost made contact with the Twi'lek Resistance and their leader Cham Syndulla, her father. Together, the rebels hatched a plan to steal the carrier. However, the mission was complicated by Cham's own agenda to destroy the carrier. After a struggle with both Cham's resistance fighters and Imperial reinforcements, the crew of the Ghost managed to capture the fighter carrier for the rebellion.

The rebels later traveled to Geonosis with Rex to investigate an Imperial construction module. However, they quickly stumbled into a trap set by Agent Kallus. Following a struggle, the rebels with the exception of Zeb managed to escape back to the Ghost and flee into space. Zeb fled into an escape pod but was followed by Kallus. Together, the two landed on the icy moon of Bahryn where they struck up an unlikely friendship to survive the cold and to fight off several bonzami predator]]s. Meanwhile, the other crew of the Ghost embarked on a search-and-rescue mission for Zeb. After some frantic searching, Zeb was able to activate his transponder which enabled his fellow rebels to pick him up on Bahryn.

Several months later, Kanan, Chopper, and Ezra scouted the planet Oosalon as the site of a potential rebel base. However, Kanan and Ezra were ambushed by two Inquisitors known as the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister. Despite escaping, Kanan realized that he and Ezra would be unable to help the rebellion as long as the Inquisitors were hunting them down. Together with Ahsoka, Kanan, Ezra and Chopper left their comrades behind on the Ghost while they traveled on the Phantom to the Jedi Temple on Lothal to seek answers from Master Yoda on how to deal with the threat of the Inquisitors. On Lothal, Kanan passed his Jedi trials and became a Jedi Knight while Ezra met with Yoda. The Jedi and Chopper managed to escape before the Inquisitors and Darth Vader arrived.

Finding a new base
Later, the crew of the Ghost took part in a mission to steal fuel from the Imperial depot at Horizon Base. The Phoenix rebels had identified Berzite's moon in the Yost system as a potential site for a rebel base but the fleet's fighter-carrier lacked sufficient fuel to travel there. While Kanan, Hera, Ezra, Zeb, and Sabine raided the heist, Chopper was assigned to guard the ship. However, the droid neglected his duties and became distracted by a droid leg being sold. Despite stealing the fuel, the other rebels were forced to leave Chopper behind when he was nowhere to be found. While the other rebels headed back to the Phoenix fleet, Chopper fled aboard an Imperial cargo ship and befriended a maltreated Imperial inventory droid named AP-5. Joining forces, they managed to seize control of the ship and drive out most of the Imperial crew with the exception of the captain.

Meanwhile, Hera and the other rebels managed to return to the fleet only to find it under attack from Imperial forces under Admiral Kassius Konstantine. With some difficulty, they managed to dock in the rebel fighter carrier and deliver the necessary fuel supplies. Chopper and AP-5 then informed Hera that the Empire had set a trap in the Yost system. Despite being attacked by the Imperial captain, AP-5, with Chopper's help, managed to relay the coordinates for Atollon to Hera and Commander Sato. Using this information, the rebel fleet was able to flee to Atollon. Chopper and AP-5 rejoined them there with their stolen cargo ship. Sabine also managed to repair AP-5, who had been badly damaged by the Imperial captain, using parts from Chopper's stolen droid leg.

The Spectres aided the Phoenix Squadron's efforts to establish a base on Atollon. In honor of Chopper's efforts to find the planet, the base was named Chopper Base. While delivering supplies to Chopper Base, tensions developed between Hera and Kanan over the latter and Ezra's plans to travel with the former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano on a quest to the planet Malachor. Hera wanted to accompany Kanan and Ezra but Kanan insisted that it was a journey alone for the Jedi to make. After the disappearance of Lieutenant Dicer, the crew of the Ghost and Rex were involved in a confrontation with a nest of spider-like creatures called krykna. Following a struggle, the crew of the Ghost managed to escape the krykna. Later, Kanan made a promise to Hera to return safely before departing with Ezra and Ahsoka for Malachor.

While Hera, Sabine, and Zeb stayed behind on Atollon, Kanan, Ezra, Chopper accompanied Ahsoka on a mission to seek knowledge on how to defeat the Sith from the Malachor Sith temple. During the course of their mission, the Jedi and Ahsoka encountered an Inquisitor known as the Eighth Brother. During the struggle, Ezra was separated and encountered the former Sith apprentice known as Maul; who sought to tempt Ezra over to the dark side of the Force. Together, Ezra and Maul worked to obtain a Sith holocron which Maul claimed contained the knowledge necessary to defeat the Sith. Meanwhile, Kanan and Ahsoka captured the Eighth Brother with the help of Chopper. However, they were later ambushed by the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister.

With the help of Maul, the Jedi and Ahsoka managed to drive the Inquisitors away. Since the Inquisitors had alerted Darth Vader to their presence, Maul convinced the Jedi and Ahsoka to work with him to place the holocron in the temple's obelisk. Maul managed to slay the Inquisitors but then blinded Kanan and attacked Ahsoka. Despite being blinded, Kanan managed to use his Force powers and other senses to push Maul into a chasm. Meanwhile, Ezra placed the holocron in the temple's obelisk only to discover that the Sith temple was a battle station capable of destroying all life.

The rebels' predicament was further aggravated by the arrival of Darth Vader, who bested Ezra and destroyed his lightsaber. Working together, Ezra and Kanan managed to remove the Sith holocron; causing the temple to undergo an implosion. Ezra and Kanan managed to flee with Chopper aboard the Ghost but Ahsoka stayed behind to confront her former mentor. The Sith temple imploded and Ahsoka was presumed dead by Ezra and Kanan. Upon returning to Chopper Base, the Spectres were forced to come to terms with Kanan's blindness and Ahsoka's presumed death. The events on Malachor increased Ezra's interest in the dark side and he managed to open the Sith holocron in secret.

The shadow of Thrawn and Maul
Due to his blinding, Kanan retreated from the forefront to meditate in the Force. Two years before the Battle of Yavin, his apprentice Ezra took up a greater leadership role in the rebellion. Ezra led the Spectres on a mission to rescue the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka from the Imperial prison on Naraka. While Ezra's Force powers and combat skills had grown, his use of the Sith holocron strained relations with Kanan. After rescuing Hondo, the rebels learned that the Empire was dismantling old Y-wing starfighters at Reklam Station inside the gas planet of Yarma.

While Ezra and his team undertook a recon mission to Reklam Station, Kanan encountered a powerful Force-wielded named the Bendu; who taught him to overcome his fears so that he could be there for Ezra. Meanwhile, Ezra disobeyed orders and ordered his team to steal the Y-wings without consulting with Hera and Commander Sato. Despite freeing the Ugnaught laborers and stealing the starfighters, Ezra's actions destroyed the Imperial junkyard and drew the attention of Grand Admiral Thrawn. The team managed to escape with the help of the Phoenix rebels, Hera, and Kanan but the ship Phantom was destroyed. Due to his actions, Ezra was suspended from his position as Lieutenant Commander.

Later, Maul kidnapped Hera, Zeb, Chopper, and Sabine and forced Kanan and Ezra to bring him the Sith holocron from Malachor and Kanan Jarrus' holocron. Maul hoped to combine the powers of the two. Following a trial, Ezra and Kanan managed to retake the Sith holocron from a krykna cave near the Bendu's domain. Meanwhile, the other rebels tried to overpower Maul but were bested by the former Sith apprentice. Ezra and Kanan rendezvoused with Maul at an abandoned Mandalorian station. Maul made Ezra to help him to combine the two holocrons in order to see visions of the future. Meanwhile, Kanan freed the other rebels. Despite rescuing Ezra and recovering both holocrons, they failed to stop Maul from escaping.

Following their encounter with Maul, the Spectres took part in the rebel response to an Imperial attack on a rebel food convoy near Teralov. Hera assigned Sabine on an undercover mission to extricate several defecting cadets from the elite Skystrike Academy. Ezra, Kanan, and Chopper were stationed aboard a rebel CR90 corvette that would pick up Sabine and the defecting cadets. Despite some difficulties, Sabine and two Imperial cadets Wedge Antilles and Hobbie managed to escape with the help of Agent Kallus, who told Sabine that he and Zeb were even. Meanwhile, Hera and Zeb escorted a second food convoy to Teralov. The Spectres later joined their comrades in welcoming Wedge and Hobbie into the rebellion.

The Spectres later took part in a supply run to the planet Ryloth, which was blockaded by an Imperial fleet. After rescuing Hera's father Cham Syndulla and fellow Ryloth fighter Numa from an Imperial patrol, the Spectres learned about the military advances made by Grand Admiral Thrawn. At Hera's urging, the Spectres joined Cham's rebels in undertaking a mission to recover the Kalikori, a family heirloom that belonged to Hera's late mother. While Hera, Ezra, and Chopper infiltrated the former Syndulla residence, the other Spectres and Cham's rebels staged a diversionary attack in the Tulara Ravine. Hera and Ezra were captured by Thrawn and failed to recover the Kalikori. However, they were able to escape when Chopper used explosives to sabotage Captain Slavin's attempted prisoner exchange. The two rebel cells then retreated into Ryloth's plains.

The Spectres and Rex later undertook a mission to salvage proton bombs from a derelict Separatist supply ship on Agamar. While Hera and Sabine stayed aboard the Ghost, the other rebels explored the supply ship only to be captured by the Separatist super tactical droid Kalani. Rex, Ezra, and Kanan reluctantly agreed to take part in a simulated battle in order to rescue Zeb. Meanwhile, Chopper managed to elude capture and dispatched a distress signal to Imperial forces under Governor Arihnda Pryce. While Hera and Sabine escaped a TIE patrol, the other Spectres and Rex joined forces with Kalani to escape Imperial forces. During the mission, the rebels also gained a new shuttle called Phantom II.

After the rebellion lost contact with the Protectors, Hera dispatched Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper to escort Fenn Rau on a mission to investigate the situation on the third moon of Concord Dawn. Meanwhile, Kanan and Zeb stayed aboard a rebel CR90 corvette with Hera. On the third moon, the rebels and Rau discovered that the Imperial Viceroy of Mandalore Gar Saxon had decimated the Protectors. Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper managed to escape Saxon following a skirmish and with the help of Rau. Admiring Sabine's courage and loyalty, he decided to join the rebellion.

The Spectres later joined forces with Phoenix Squadron to evacuate rebel sympathizers on Mykapo. Their ship the Ghost was involved in a brief skirmish above Mykapo with an advance Imperial rebel patrol and a local rebel cell called the Iron Squadron. After eliminating the Imperial forces, Hera sent Kanan and Zeb down on the Phantom II to assist with the evacuation efforts while she, Ezra, Sabine, and Chopper went to meet with the Iron Squadron. Despite their failed attempt to convince the Squadron to leave Mykapo with them, Ezra and Sabine persisted and managed to convince the squadron with the exception of captain Mart Mattin to leave with them. The Spectres and Mattin's comrades later took part in a successful mission to rescue Mattin from Imperial forces led by Admiral Konstantine.

At the urging of Ezra, the crews of the Ghost struck a deal with the pirate Hondo and the crime lord Azmorigan to recover cargo from an Imperial cargo ship that was trapped in the planet Wynkahthu's upper atmosphere. Hondo managed to persuade the Spectres to help by pointing to the presence of proton bombs aboard the ship, a commodity desired by the rebellion. With the help of the former Imperial inventory droid AP-5, the rebels planned a successful mission to extract the bombs and the treasures inside. Despite the presence of armed Imperial sentry droids, the rebels and their confederates succeeded in achieving their objectives before the cargo ship was destroyed by a vortex.

Later, Ezra along with Kanan and Chopper undertook a mission to infiltrate the Imperial Armory Complex on the planet Lothal. The Phoenix Squadron had learned from an informant that the Empire was developing a new weapon and planned to destroy the factory. After establishing contact with Ryder Azadi's local rebel cell, Ezra and his team infiltrated the factory with the help of the former farmer Morad Sumar. Despite Sumar's death, they managed to escape a lockdown implemented by Grand Admiral Thrawn and steal the plans with the help of Agent Kallus, who identified himself as Fulcrum. After returning to Ryder's base, the rebels discovered that Thrawn was developing a new prototype starfighter that was equipped with deflector shields. Meanwhile, Thrawn took an interest in the rebel cell's attachment to Lothal.

Following Ezra and his team's mission, Hera began planning an attack on the Lothal Imperial factory. She planned to deploy her crew and a small part of Phoenix Squadron. Ezra was charged with carrying out reconnaissance work on Imperial military movements. However, Ezra was relieved of his duties after succumbing to dark side attacks from the former Sith Maul. While Hera and the rest of the team proceeded with their mission, Ezra, Kanan, and Sabine stayed behind to deal with Maul. They followed Maul to the planet Dathomir. After fighting off the spirits of fallen Nightsisters, Ezra and his friends learned that the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi held the key to destroying the Sith.

Later, the Spectres and Rex undertook a mission on behalf of Senator Organa to find the rebel operative Saw Gerrera, who had traveled to Geonosis to investigate the apparent disappearance of the Geonosian species. After linking up with Saw, the rebels encountered the Geonosian Klik-Klak and obtained a deflector core. During the mission, the rebels learned that Klik-Klak was the guardian of a Geonosian queen's egg and that the Empire had perpetrated genocide against the species. Despite a tense relationship with Saw, the rebels managed to work together to escape an Arquitens-class command cruiser commanded by Captain Brunson.

While Hera, Kanan, Ezra, and Sabine joined the Phoenix rebels on a training exercise, Zeb was made Chief of Security and stayed behind to guard Chopper Base. Chopper and the former Imperial inventory droid AP-5 also stayed behind to keep him company. The three rebels played an important role in neutralizing the Imperial E-XD infiltrator droid EXD-9 which had infiltrated the base. Working together, they reprogrammed EXD-9 into an improvised bomb which destroyed an Imperial Star Destroyer. After Zeb reported the incident, Hera and the other Spectres returned to the base in time to receive a recorded message from Fulcrum praising them for their ingenuity in neutralizing the infiltrator droid.

At the urging of Fenn Rau and the other Spectres, Sabine Wren agreed to learn how to wield the Darksaber, an ancient Mandalorian symbol of power and leadership. Hera and Fenn wanted Sabine to lead the Mandalorians over to the rebellion. After overcoming her self-doubt and fears, Sabine learned how to wield the Darksaber under the tutelage of Kanan and Ezra. Putting her skills and training into action, Sabine along with Ezra, Kanan, Chopper, and Fenn traveled to the Clan Wren stronghold on Krownest on a mission to seek the support of Sabine's family for the rebellion. While Ursa Wren was initially unwilling to break with the Empire, she changed her mind after Viceroy Gar Saxon tried to exterminate her family. After Sabine defeated Saxon and Ursa killed the Viceroy, she stayed behind with Fenn to help her family reunify the Mandalorians. Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper rejoined the rebellion.

After learning that Grand Admiral Thrawn was tracking Agent Kallus' Fulcrum transmissions, Ezra, Chopper, Kanan, Rex, and AP-5 took part in a mission to rescue the rogue ISB agent. This mission involved infiltrating Thrawn's flagship Chimaera and deleting data on Atollon's location Kallus managed to evade detection by framing Lieutenant Yogar Lyste while the Spectres and Rex escaped on a stolen Imperial shuttle. However, Thrawn realized that Kallus was the real rebel spy but decided to use Kallus to ferret out Chopper Base.

Joining the Alliance
While Kanan volunteered for a supply run, Hera and the remaining Spectres undertook a mission to ferry the former Imperial Senator Mon Mothma through the Archeon Nebula. Despite being pursued by a prototype TIE Defender and Star Destroyers, the Spectres managed to safely deliver Mothma to the planet Dantooine where she gave a speech that was broadcast across the galaxy. Shortly later, they were joined by the rebel fleet and the Rebel Alliance came into existence.

Hera later sent Chopper along with AP-5 and Wedge Antilles on a mission to steal a set of clearance codes from the Imperial Security Bureau station on Killun 71. The rebels needed these codes for their upcoming raid on Lothal. Hera tasked AP-5 with stealing the codes due to his familiarity with the Empire. However, the mission was complicated when Chopper was hijacked by a team of Imperial slicers based aboard a Gozanti-class cruiser.

The Imperial-controlled Chopper tried to expose the other rebels to zero gravity space and transmit Chopper Base's location to the team's controller LT-319. However, AP-5 managed to help the Spectres regain control of their ship and restore Chopper's programming. In retaliation for tampering with Chopper, Hera transmitted a large amount of data which overloaded the Imperial cruiser's systems, causing the ship to explode. The Spectres and Wedge then rescued AP-5 from space but the droid was upset with them for breaking his solitude.

After Ezra received apparent messages from Kanan's Jedi holocron and the Malachor Sith holocron indicating that Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was in danger from Maul, the Spectres, Rex, and Commander Sato met to discuss the predicament. With Kanan unsure, Hera counselled Ezra to stay behind on Atollon for the upcoming strike on Lothal. Despite Hera's advice, Ezra and Chopper traveled on an errant mission to Tatooine to find Kenobi. After being attacked by Tusken Raiders and enduring trials in the desert, the two were rescued by Master Kenobi. With Kenobi's help, the two returned to Atollon on Maul's starship Nightbrother while Kenobi defeated and killed Maul once and for all.

Later, the Spectres along with Phoenix Squadron and General Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group prepared to launch their attack on Lothal. However, Grand Admiral Thrawn learned about their attack and the location of Chopper Base. He blockaded the Atollon system with his Seventh Fleet, trapping the rebels in the system. With the rebel fleet unable to jump into hyperspace due to an interdictor vessel, Captain Syndulla convinced the rebels to launch an attack on the blockade so that Ezra and Chopper could seek help offworld aboard the Nightbrother. Despite heavy losses, Ezra and Chopper managed to flee into hyperspace after Commander Sato rammed his flagship Phoenix Nest into Admiral Konstantine's interdictor cruiser.

After Mon Mothma was unable to help, Ezra solicited the aid of Sabine and Clan Wren. While the Spectres and the other rebels dug in for Thrawn's ground assault, Ezra managed to convince Ursa Wren to send volunteers and starships to Atollon. Meanwhile, Kanan unsuccessfully petitioned Bendu but the enigmatic Force-wielder unleashed a storm against the rebels and Imperials. Thrawn's forces stormed the base but the Spectres and the remaining rebels managed to escape due to Bendu's attack. Meanwhile, Ezra and the Mandalorians destroyed Thrawn's second interdictor cruiser. This allowed the surviving rebel forces including the Spectres to flee to Yavin 4.

Beyond Atollon
In return for Clan Wren's help during the Battle of Atollon, Hera managed to convince Mon Mothma to allow Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper to assist Sabine and Clan Wren's forces on a mission to Mandalore to rescue Sabine's father Alrich Wren. Following a skirmish at an Imperial prison, the Spectres and their Mandalorian allies managed to rescue Alrich with the help of Lady Bo-Katan Kryze. After Governor Tiber Saxon deployed a powerful energy weapon known as the Duchess, the Spectres undertook a join mission with their Mandalorian allies to destroy the weapon. This mission was important for Sabine since she had a role in building the weapon. The rebels and their Mandalorian allies destroyed the Duchess and Tiber Saxon's Star Destroyer.

After Hera's Y-wing squadron survived an Imperial ambush, the Spectres at the request of Mon Mothma undertook a mission to plant a spike on the Imperial relay on the planet Jalindi. The mission involved Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper landing on the relay before being extracted by the other Spectres aboard the Ghost. However, the Spectres were detected and a skirmish broke out with Imperial forces under Commander Brom Titus. The Spectres received help from an unlikely source in the form of Saw Gerrera, the leader of the Partisans. Saw destroyed the Jalindi relay and Titus' light cruiser Marauder and then rescued Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper.

Saw then enlisted Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper on a mission to investigate why the Empire had sterilized Geonosis. Their mission involved hitchhiking Freighter 2716 at Faos Station and then traveling to the Tonnis sector. Aboard the freighter, they encountered a squad of death troopers and discovered that the freighter was transporting a large kyber crystal and various civilians who had been conscripted for some unknown project. While Saw was determined to discover what the Empire was building, Sabine and Ezra also insisted on rescuing the civilians.

Instead of discovering the weapon, the freighter rendezvoused with Captain Slavin's Star Destroyer in the Tonnis sector. Unwilling to concede defeat, Saw sabotaged the ship's hyperdrive, destabilized the kyber crystal, and then escaped a U-wing with his fellow Partisan Edrio. After fighting off the death trooper commander DT-F16 and her troops, the three Spectres and civilians escaped the doomed freighter aboard a Lambda-class shuttle. They narrowly escape an explosion triggered by the unstable kyber crystal which destroyed both the freighter and Slavin's Star Destroyer. Sabine and her team were picked up by Hera and Kanan. While the Spectres succeeded in recruiting new rebels, they were still no closer to uncovering the Empire's secret project.

Return to Lothal
Despite their many offworld adventures with the Rebel Alliance, the Spectres would always find themselves drawn back to Lothal. This led Kanan to speculate that Ezra had a special connection to the planet. After receiving information from their local contact Ryder Azadi, the Spectres undertook a mission to gather intelligence for the Rebellion on the Empire's new TIE Defender starfighter. Traveling to Lothal, the Spectres infiltrated the planet aboard the smuggler Cikatro Vizago's freighter Broken Horn. While entering the planet's atmosphere, Ezra found that much of Lothal was covered in smoke and that the plains had been burned.

Upon landing in Capital City, the Spectres managed to avoid a stormtrooper search party by using puffer pigs as a distraction. Ezra and Sabine then sought out the bartender and rebel contact Jho at his bar only to discover that Jho had already been executed by the Empire. Old Jho's Pit Stop had been taken over by the Imperial TIE pilot Baron Valen Rudor. Ezra and Sabine narrowly avoided capture with the help of Jai Kell, a Force-sensitive cadet whom Ezra had helped escaped from the Lothal Imperial Academy. Meanwhile, Hera and Kanan shared a brief passionate moment. Despite being pursued by Imperial forces, the Spectres managed to escape through the sewers and rendezvous with Ryder Azadi and his local insurgents.

After linking up with Ryder's group, the two rebel cells traveled to a remote Imperial testing facility in Lothal's wilderness where the Empire planned to test their new TIE Defender Elite. Sabine devised a plan that involved her and Ezra stealing the fighter's flight data recorder. The rebels' mission was complicated by the arrival of their long-time enemies Grand Admiral Thrawn and Governor Pryce. Before the test pilot Vult Skerris could fly the TIE Defender, Ezra and Sabine stole the starfighter and escaped. The two rebels managed to defeat three TIE Interceptors and crash-land the fighter in the wilderness. The two rebels recovered the flight data recorder but hid the fighter's hyperdrive since Ryder's U-wing lacked one. Ezra and Sabine also encountered a mythical loth-wolf, which helped them find their way back to the other rebels. Ezra later related this encounter to Kanan, who concluded that "all paths were coming together."

The following day, Ezra along with Zeb and Jai Kell set out to find the TIE Defender's hyperdrive while the other rebels waited at the Lothal resistance camp. The Spectres' efforts to recover the hyperdrive were complicated by the arrival of the Noghri Rukh, who had been dispatched by Thrawn to ferret out the rebels. Despite being pursued by Rukh and Imperial reinforcements, the Spectres and Lothal resistance managed to recover the TIE Defender's hyperdrive and install it on Ryder's U-wing. Hera and Chopper departed Lothal with the flight data recorder aboard the U-wing while Kanan, Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb stayed behind with Ryder. Hera and Chopper escaped the Imperial orbital blockade and returned to Yavin 4 with the necessary information. Meanwhile, Kanan and the others escaped through a series of tunnels and caves into Lothal's southern hemisphere with the help of a pack of loth-wolves. Kanan deduced that the loth-wolves were linked to the Force and had a special connection with Lothal.

While Hera worked to convince the Alliance leadership to attack the Imperial factories on Lothal, the other Spectres and Ryder encountered the Mining Guild ore crawler Crawler 413-24 in Lothal's plains. The ore crawler was stripping the planet's surface of minerals to fuel Lothal's factories, in the process razing the planet's plains. The rebels fought and killed two Trandoshan Mining Guild overseers Seevor and Proach and freed the slaves aboard the crawler including Vizago, who had helped smuggle them into Lothal earlier. The Spectres also narrowly avoided capture from an Imperial patrol. By liberating the slaves, the Spectres gained new recruits for the Rebellion. Hera later informed her comrades that the Alliance leadership had authorized a strike on Lothal.

Accompanied by Chopper, Hera led a squadron of T-65B X-wing starfighters on a mission to raid the Lothal Imperial factories. Meanwhile, the other Spectres planted explosives on the turrets of the air defenses outside the Imperial Armory Complex. Though Hera and Chopper managed to take out the Imperial ace pilot Vult Skerris and a light cruiser, much of the rebel strike force was wiped out by Thrawn's fleet and TIE fighters. Hera and some of the pilots including Mart Mattin and his astromech droid R3-A3 managed to crash-land in Capital City. With the strike team in tatters, the rebels on the ground withdrew from the city. Kanan also encountered a loth-wolf which addressed him by his birth name of Caleb. Chopper along with Matt managed to flee into the sewers but Hera was captured by Rukh, who handed her over to Governor Pryce.

Kanan's death
Following the failed attack on the Imperial Armory Complex, the remaining Spectres regrouped at the Lothal cliff dwelling. They mounted a rescue mission which involved constructing three Loth-bat gliders. While Zeb and Chopper assisted with the lift-off, Kanan, Ezra, and Sabine traveled on the loth-bat gliders to the "Dome", the center of Imperial power on Lothal. Meanwhile, Hera held out against Governor Pryce's interrogation long enough for Kanan to rescue her. Despite being pursued by Rukh, Hera and Kanan managed to escape to the Lothal City fuel depot where they were joined by Ezra and Sabine, who had stolen two patrol transports.

That night, Hera expressed her love for Kanan. However, they were pursued by Governor Pryce, who had assembled a phalanx of AT-AT walkers. Determined to destroy the Spectres once and for all, Governor Pryce bombarded the fuel depot. However, Kanan used the Force to hold back the explosive wave long enough for his rebel comrades to escape on the patrol transport. Kanan was killed during the ensuing explosion. Kanan's death had a profound impact on his fellow Spectres, particularly his lover Hera Syndulla. Ezra was devastated by the loss of his mentor. Sabine and Zeb sought revenge against the Empire while even Chopper was sorrowful.

While surveying Capital City, Sabine and Zeb discovered that Kanan's death had not been in vain. The destruction of the fuel depot had wiped out the Empire's fuel supply on Lothal and damaged Thrawn's TIE Defender factory; disrupted TIE Defender production on Lothal. Sabine and Zeb also defeated Rukh in combat but spared his life. Meanwhile, Ezra was kidnapped by a pack of loth-wolves who were led by a white alpha male known as "Dume." From "Dume", Ezra learnt that the Empire was threatening the Lothal Jedi temple. Back at the Lothal cliff dwelling, Chopper convinced Hera to honor Kanan's sacrifice by adding a piece of his Jedi holocron to her Kalikori, which Kanan had recovered from Thrawn's office. Having made peace with Kanan's passage, the rebels then proceeded on a mission to save the Lothal Jedi Temple.

Return to the Lothal Jedi Temple
Using Ezra's connection to the Force, the Spectres were able to ride a pack of loth-wolves to the Lothal Jedi Temple, which lay in the planet's northern hemisphere. There, they discovered that the Empire and Mining Guild had begun excavating the Lothal Jedi Temple in order to access its powers. While Hera, Zeb, and Chopper monitored the outskirts of the Imperial excavation site, Ezra and Sabine infiltrated the camp disguised as scout troopers. Using the Lothal Jedi Temple key stone provided by the loth-wolves, Ezra began to unlock the painting of the Mortis gods.

Though Sabine was captured by the Imperial Minister Veris Hydan, Ezra managed to unlock the portal and enter the World between worlds, a mystical dimension of the Force that connected all space and time. There, he discovered a portal which led to the time of the Mission to Malachor and rescued Ahsoka Tano before Darth Vader could finish her off. After Tano convinced Ezra to honor his fallen master's sacrifice, the two then escaped Darth Sidious, who tried to capture them. Meanwhile, Zeb, Hera, and Chopper managed to help Sabine escape from Hydan's command center.

While Sabine returned to Malachor, Ezra exited the portal on Lothal. Before escaping with his rebel comrades, Ezra sealed the portal to the World between worlds. This caused the Lothal Jedi Temple to sink into the ground, taking Hydan with it. The Spectres escaped in a stolen Mining Guild excavation driller. Reflecting on the sunken Lothal Jedi Temple, Ezra and Hera finally made with Kanan's death.

Liberation of Lothal
As part of Ezra's plan to liberate Lothal, Hera traveled to the planet Seelos with Rex and Kallus to recruit the former Clone Commandos "Gregor" and "Wolffe", the pirate Hondo Ohnaka, the Ugnaught Melch, and Ketsu Onyo. Back on Lothal, Ezra devised a plan which involved using the former Governor Ryder Azadi to lure Governor Pryce into a trap. Governor Pryce and Rukh led a fleet of patrol transports and stormtroopers to attack the Lothal cliff dwelling. Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper took part in the defense of the rebel base.

Governor Pryce's forces eventually overwhelmed the Spectres and the Lothal resistance and proceeded to take them captive. However, Hera and her reinforcements had managed to slip pass the Imperial blockade on the Ghost and attacked Pryce's forces. Pryce and her stormtroopers were defeated when Ezra unleashed a pack of loth-wolves on the Imperials. The Spectres managed to capture Pryce and several stormtroopers but Rukh managed to escape. With Pryce capture, the rebels then proceeded on the next stage of their plan: driving the Empire out of Lothal.

Using the captive Governor Pryce, the Spectres and their rebel allies managed to infiltrate the "Dome". After subduing the guards and seizing control of the command center, the rebels proceeded with Ryder's plan which involved using Protocol 13 to order a mass evacuation of Imperial forces on Lothal. As part of Protocol 13, the Imperial forces would evacuate aboard the Dome, which turned out to be a mobile Imperial Planetary Occupation Facility. The plan worked and the Imperial forces returned to the "Dome". Before the rebels could take-off into space, Grand Admiral Thrawn returned aboard the Chimaera and blocked their path.

Thrawn then bombarded Capital City. In order to stop the bombardment, Ezra traveled up to the Chimaera to discuss terms with Thrawn. Meanwhile, Hera split the rebel forces into two teams and sent them to restore the deflector shields. Sabine and Chopper remained with Hera and the captive Pryce in the command center while Zeb accompanied Kallus and Gregor to the south tower. Aboard the Chimaera, Ezra confronted Thrawn who brought him into a chamber containing a reconstructed section of the Lothal Jedi Temple. The Emperor appeared in a holographic projection and tried to convince Ezra to open the portal to the World between worlds by offering him the chance of reuniting with his parents.

However, Ezra recalled his late master Kanan's teachings and rejected the Emperor's offer. Enraged, the Emperor ordered several Royal Guards and stormtroopers to kill him but Ezra collapsed the temple structure on top of them. Meanwhile, the Spectres and their rebel comrades succeeded in restoring the Imperial Complex's shield generators. This allowed them to protect Capital City from Thrawn's bombardment. In addition, Ezra arranged for Wolffe, Mart Mattin, and Cikatro Vizago to summon a pod of purrgil which devastated Thrawn's Seventh Fleet. Using the Force, Ezra commanded the purrgil to take him, Thrawn, and the Chimaera into uncharted space.

Following Ezra's departure, the Spectres and other rebels brought the "Dome" into Lothal's upper atmosphere. After evacuating aboard the Ghost, the rebels detonated the "Dome" with most of the Imperial forces on Lothal aboard including Governor Pryce. Due to their efforts in liberating Lothal, the Spectres and their local allies won the respect of the local population.

Legacy
Following the liberation of Lothal, the remaining Spectres continued fighting for the Rebellion. Hera and Chopper would see service during the Battle of Scarif and the Battle of Endor. Hera would also later bear a son named Jacen Syndulla, who shared his mother's love for flying. Following the Galactic Civil War, Zeb would take his former adversary Kallus to Lira San where the two settled among the Lasat population there. In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, Sabine would travel with the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano to find Ezra, who had not surfaced for several years.

Members
"We were a well-oiled unit. Things were going good. And then, this Loth-rat came along."

- Kanan Jarrus, referring to Ezra Bridger

The earliest member of the crew to begin rebelling against the Empire was Hera Syndulla, a Twi'lek female who was inspired to fight by her father, Cham Syndulla. Hera (codename Spectre-2 ), the owner and pilot of the Ghost, became dissatisfied with life under the Empire and its treatment of her people, and so she began seeking like-minded individuals to join a resistance movement. This led her to Gorse, where she met Kanan Jarrus (codename Spectre-1). Jarrus was a human male who trained as a Jedi under Jedi Master Depa Billaba during the Clone Wars. At the time, he was known by his birth name of Caleb Dume. Billaba was killed during the execution of Order 66, but Dume survived and heard a message from Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi warning all Jedi that the Grand Army of the Republic had been turned against the Jedi Order. At the urging of Kenobi's message, Dume went into hiding and changed his name to Kanan Jarrus, spending years as a transient and taking odd jobs before joining Syndulla's cause.

Over the next several years, the cause would be joined by others. Sabine Wren (codename Spectre-5 ), a human female, hailed from the planet Mandalore and was a trained Mandalorian warrior, whose expertise was in explosives. She was also an artist and enjoyed giving her explosive work some flare, filling them with many different colors. She also left behind her own calling card, the starbird, after attacks in order to let the Empire know that it was the rebels who attacked them. Another member of the crew was Garazeb Orrelios (codename Spectre-4 ), a male Lasat who survived the fall of his home planet and the near-destruction of his species. Orrelios was the muscle of the group and possessed a strength that he used when fighting stormtroopers, who he called "bucketheads." He was devastated by the destruction of his species and possessed a great antipathy for the Empire. The crew also had their own astromech droid, Chopper (codename Spectre-3 ), who, despite his grumpy demeanor, was an essential member for the crew who often repaired the ship.

Five years before the Battle of Yavin, the crew was joined by Ezra Bridger (codename Spectre-6 ), a human male orphan who grew up on the streets of Lothal. Unknowingly, Bridger possessed an affinity for the Force, an affinity that was detected by Jarrus. In order to train the boy and continue the way of the Jedi, the crew took Bridger in, and he joined them on many missions while training with Jarrus to become a Jedi. One such mission was when he temporarily joined the Imperial Academy on Lothal in order to steal the decoder with the location of the kyber crystal. During the mission, he met fellow cadet Zare Leonis, whose sister, Dhara, was a star pupil at the Imperial Academy before she vanished. The Empire claimed that Dhara ran away, but Leonis believed that she was taken by the Empire, and possibly the Grand Inquisitor. He remained behind in the Academy when Bridger left, but he became an ally of the rebels and passed information to them.

By the time of the Battle of Endor, the crew had been joined by Jacen Syndulla (codename Spectre-7).

Behind the scenes
The Spectres are the primary characters of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels, and made their full series debut in the premiere television film Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion.

Although various sources have identified Kanan Jarrus as the leader of the Spectres, Star Wars Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to a Galaxy Far, Far Away states that Jarrus's Spectre-1 code name was given to him so that Imperials will incorrectly assume he is the group's leader, and states of Hera Syndulla, "Even though she is Spectre-2, this Twi'lek is the pilot and leader of the rebels."

Non-canon appearances

 * Angry Birds Star Wars II
 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * LEGO Star Wars Movie Short
 * LEGO Star Wars Movie Short
 * Club Penguin Star Wars Rebels Takeover
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
 * Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes