Jan Dodonna/Legends

Jan Dodonna was one of the first Generals in the Rebellion's military. Dodonna was a native of the planet Commenor.

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 Rendilli Crisis. 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.

As the Republic became the Empire, Dodonna served loyally for a time, even advising Sagoro 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 which had been sent to warn him of the plot.

One of Dodonna's first feats was to drive out Imperial forces from the Silken Asteroids.

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 Rebels, becoming a starfighter pilot.

With plans brought to him by Princess Leia and downloaded from R2-D2, Dodonna helped plan the attack on the Death Star I. The data showed that the defenses of the Death Star were built around large scale attacks, he found a small thermal exhaust port on the station would be vulnerable to attack, and designed the starfighter attack that was successful in destroying the Death Star. 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 kamikaze strike delivered by Vrad. Heartbroken, he 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, until he was moved by Ysanne 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.
 * 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 Czech equivalent of the name "John".

Appearances

 * The Dreadnaughts of Rendili
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Republic 78: Loyalties
 * Star Wars Empire: Darklighter
 * Star Wars Empire: The Short, Happy Life of Roons Sewell
 * Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * 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 3-D
 * Classic Star Wars Volume 2: The Rebel Storm
 * Classic Star Wars Volume 3: Escape to Hoth
 * Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * X-wing: The Bacta War
 * Dark Empire