Saw Gerrera

"I'm not a terrorist. I'm a patriot. And resistance is not terrorism."

- Saw Gerrera

Saw Gerrera was a human male resistance fighter who, as a leading member of the Onderon rebels, fought against the Confederacy of Independent Systems on Onderon during the Clone Wars. He and his sister, Steela Gerrera, were instrumental in the rebel liberation of their homeworld during the Battle of Onderon. He later became a key member in the fight against the Galactic Empire and the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. His tactics against the Empire led him to be seen as an extremist, one whose notoriety was recognized by the Empire and, many years later, the New Republic.

In the early resistance against the Separatist Alliance on Onderon, Gerrera and his fellow soldiers were outnumbered and out-fought by the Separatist Droid Army. They requested help from the Jedi High Council, which led the Grand Army of the Republic in its fight against the Separatists, but the Jedi Order chose not to become actively involved in the fighting on Onderon. Instead, they sent a team of advisors&mdash;Generals Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Commander Ahsoka Tano, and Clone Captain CT-7567 ("Rex")&mdash;to train the Onderonian fighters. The Jedi and Captain Rex taught them proper techniques and strategies for taking on the battle droid army, and, through their efforts, the rebels began to turn the tide. Gerrera came to resent that the rebels chose Steela as their leader, and he was soon captured in an ill-concocted solo effort to rescue the deposed king Ramsis Dendup from the Separatists. They were both rescued by the rebels, who eventually mounted a final battle against the Separatists. Through their efforts, the rebels liberated their world and returned Dendup to the throne. The fight, however, came at a personal cost; Steela was killed during the final battle, and Gerrera was left to mourn his sister.

At the end of the Clone Wars, the Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire. Gerrera fought against the Imperial Military and led a resistance group known as the Partisans from the desert moon Jedha. His resistance cell, a continuation of the fighters from the Clone Wars, was one of the first in the group of cells that formed the Rebel Alliance. He was later involved in the Rebel mission to steal the plans to the Imperial superweapon known as the Death Star, by which time his more-extreme tactics had come to stand in stark contrast with those of Alliance leaders Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. During the time of the New Republic, Senator Ransolm Casterfo suggested that Gerrera and his Partisans, though part of the Rebel Alliance, engaged in terrorist tactics.

Clone Wars
A human male born on the planet Onderon, Saw Gerrera and his sister, Steela, were both supporters of Onderon's ruler, King Ramsis Dendup, during the galaxy-spanning conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems known as the Clone Wars. Dendup chose to remain neutral in the war, a decision Gerrera agreed with. However, Dendup's refusal to join either side brought the Confederacy to Onderon, and he was ousted from the throne and replaced with the puppet king Sanjay Rash. Saw refused to recognize Rash as the rightful ruler of Onderon, and rebelled against the crown before being cast out of the Onderonian capital of Iziz along with Steela. In the jungles of Onderon, the Gerrera siblings, along with Lux Bonteri&mdash;the son of the late Onderonian senator Mina Bonteri&mdash;formed a resistance movement to drive the Separatists off of Onderon and reinstate Dendup as king.

Battle of Onderon
At an abandoned outpost in the jungle, Gerrera and Bonteri then contacted the Jedi High Council for help in freeing Onderon from the Separatists. After Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and his apprentice, Padawan Ahsoka Tano arrived to train them, Saw was eager to fight the battle droids. During their training, Saw fought with Bonteri when he became frustrated. Despite his difficulty, Saw was able to perfect his droid poppers rolling technique. When the battle droids found them, Saw and several other troopers tossed explosives at the battle droids. With Bonteri, he was able to take out a AAT. After the skirmish, the Gerrera siblings, the Jedi, and their fellow resistance members moved back into Iziz to take the fight to the Confederacy and Rash.

Gerrera then fought the droids in Iziz's streets. However, his sister believed that the people of Onderon were still afraid that the resistance couldn't prevail the more powerful occupational forces. Saw then went along with Bonteri's plan to destroy the power generators. He took the head of a patrol droid and along with Steela and Bonteri, they planned the attack on the power generators. After stealing an AAT, Gerrera was able to blast through the gates and destroy the power generators. After the attack, Saw wanted to continue the fight instead of Bonteri's plan to assure the people. However, Saw was disappointed when his sister was chosen to lead the resistance.

Gerrera continue fighting the battle droids and destroyed an AAT. However when Dono informed the Gerrera siblings and the resistance of Rash's intended execution of Dendup, Saw decided to rescue him before his execution. He was secretly followed by Dono. Saw was able to infiltrate the Unifar Temple and find Dendup. He was able to make his way inside and told him that the Jedi were helping them free themselves from the Confederacy. However, as Gerrera tried to make his escape, a shield block his way out and he was surrounded by destroyer droids.

Gerrera was then tortured and interrogated by Generals Kalani and Tandin for information to no avail. Tandin then ended it and interrogated Gerrera himself. Gerrera was able to convince that he should help them restore Dendup to the throne and free Onderon from the Confederacy.

Tandin then stood by as Rash and Kalani's magnaguards prepared to execute Dendup in Yolahn Square. However, he and Dendup were then freed by his sister and the other resistance members. They were also able to escape when Tandin and the Royal Miltia.

At The nest, Gerrera urged his sister to fight the battle droids in Izix not in the highlands. When the battle droids and AAT come upon them, Gerrera led an attack from the backs of Rupings from the sky. However, he and the other ruping riders came under by the droid gunships. He tried to bomb one but was shot down and was then saved by Tandin.

He, Bonteri, his sister and Ahsoka then attempted to find a way to beat the battle droids and their gunships. After receiving a shipment of rocket launchers from Skywalker through pirate captain Hondo Ohnaka, Gerrera was able to shoot down one of the gunships. He then watched as his sister fell to her death and mourned her and blamed himself. Gerrera then attended Steela's funeral at Yolahn Square in Iziz.

Age of the Empire
"What will you do when they catch you? What will you do if they break you? If you continue to fight, what will you become?"

- Saw Gerrera to Jyn Erso

Following the Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire, Gerrera fought against the Imperial Military, organizing a group that became known as the Partisans. During this time, he hired a Lasat mercenary and fought an Imperial platoon under ISB Agent Kallus when they were sent to Onderon to bring peace.

His Partisan group become one of the many cells that would form the Rebel Alliance.

At some point during this time, Gerrera's right leg was replaced with a prosthetic.

Behind the scenes
The character of Saw Gerrera was voiced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars by Andrew Kishino and played by Forest Whitaker in Rogue One. He was originally conceived by George Lucas for the unproduced Star Wars: Underworld.

Appearances

 * Catalyst
 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (novel)
 * Bloodline
 * Catalyst
 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
 * Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (novel)
 * Bloodline
 * Bloodline