Warning: This infobox has missing parameters: restored and unrecognized parameters: members
Alphabet Squadron was a New Republic starfighter squadron tasked by New Republic Intelligence Agent Caern Adan with tracking down the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing, known as Shadow Wing. The squadron also flew during the Battle of Exegol three decades later.
History
- "Alphabet Squadron to Ready Room One."
- ―Alphabet Squadron receive orders on the Lodestar
During the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance, following the decisive Battle of Endor which resulted in the apparent death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the DS-2 Death Star, Lieutenant Yrica Quell and four other New Republic pilots, the successor government of the Rebel Alliance, were selected by Agent Caern Adan to join the newly formed Alphabet Squadron.[1]
Alphabet Squadron was tasked by Agent Caern Adan of New Republic Intelligence to track down and destroy the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing, a mysterious and lethal force of TIE fighters who were exacting vengeance. Quell asked General Hera Syndulla for permission to operate her new squadron from the Lodestar, Syndulla agreed but made it clear that in return for her support, Alphabet Squadron would be under her direct command and not Caern Adan's.[1]
For the next few weeks, Quell put her team through training simulations, which failed to meet Quell's expectations as an ex-Imperial pilot who was trained at the Academy and used to discipline and procedure. Slowly, the team improved enough for Syndulla to approve space flight training sorties. Individually, the pilots were good, but they were not effective as a team, and both Quell and Syndulla knew it. The squadron still had a lot to prove and Quell had to prove to Syndulla that she could also lead them.[1]
Mission to Abednedo
- "You are not authorized for combat operations. You want to prove yourselves? This is your opportunity."
- ―Hera Syndulla briefs Alphabet Squadron
Syndulla sent Alphabet Squadron to Abednedo on a mission to investigate reports of Imperial holdouts that remained on the planet after Operation: Cinder, with potential links to Shadow Wing. After meeting with a Verpine smuggler, the team were ambushed and attempted to escort the smuggler's freighter with Imperial captives on board, back to base, but the freighter was destroyed when they were engaged by TIE bombers.[1]
Mission to the Harkrova system
- "I was off-site at the time."
"Too bad, I think you would've liked it" - ―Quell and Syndulla debrief the temple phenomena
Following Alphabet Squadron's failure on the Abednedo mission, due to their lack of teamwork and trust with one another, Syndulla sent the Squadron on a non-combat mission to gather supplies from an old rebel base on a forest moon in the Harkrova system. Syndulla told Quell, the mission was an opportunity for the unit to grow as a team.[1]
Quell was offsite investigating a possible pirate scout ship overhead, when the rest of team experienced a strange phenomena within the old Jedi temple where the cache was stored. Having spent time together, the team members relaxed and shared old stories with each other. On their return a few days later to the Lodestar, Quell reported a successful mission to Syndulla, and of the visual phenomena reported by her team, to which Syndulla was a little disappointed that Quell hadn't experienced personally, therefore missed out on bonding with her team.[1]
Salvage operation on Argai Minor
- "We want to know if their supply lines reached all the way to Pandem Nai. Since Shadow Wing is your speciality, you get first crack."
- ―Hera Syndulla to Yrica Quell
Sometime after the Battle of Endor, while Alphabet Squadron were either training or on a mission, the New Republic sent several starfighter squadrons to Argai Minor, to assist ground forces battling against the Imperial forces who operated in the Treinhaus Citadel. The fighting had been brutal.[1]
Later, when New Republic Intelligence suspected Imperial forces planetside had been receiving logistical support from elsewhere, they wanted to know if the enemy supply lines reached all the way to Pandem Nai, home to Shadow Wing. Due to their speciality in Shadow Wing and back from the Harkrova system, Syndulla sent Alphabet Squadron to assist with patrols during the citadel salvage operation.[1]
Battle in the Haldeen sector
Following the New Republic's victory on Argai Minor, Alphabet Squadron supported Hail Squadron's Y-wings in a battle with a Star Destroyer that had been limping through the Haldeen sector for weeks. Both squadrons managed to destroy the Star Destroyer, providing another victory for the New Republic.[1]
Attack on Pandem Nai
- "We failed to take Pandem Nai, This is now a rescue mission"
- ―Quell to Alphabet Squadron during the destruction of Orbital One
Sometime later, the New Republic discovered the location of the Empire's new base on Pandem Nai. Alphabet Squadron led the attack on Shadow Wing, who had seized control of the tibanna gas mining station, Orbital One, located in orbit. After intense fighting with TIEs, the squadron killed Shadow Wing's leader Colonel Shakara Nuress, and detonated the station's reactor, which caused Orbital One to break apart and fall towards the surface of the planet. The battle was over, however the falling debris remained a threat to the inhabitants below. Quell and her pilots raced to vaporise all the debris they could with their weapons, saving as many lives as they could.[1]
Battle on Exegol
Alphabet Squadron was active during the First Order–Resistance war. A pilot with the callsign Alphabet Two checked in during the Resistance's battle against the Final Order at the Battle of Exegol when the Galaxy fleet arrived.[2]
Characteristics
Alphabet Squadron consisted of five pilots, each flying a different starfighter:
- Alphabet Leader: Yrica Quell (X-wing)[1]
- Chass na Chadic (B-wing)[1]
- Kairos (U-wing)[1]
- Wyl Lark (A-wing)[1]
- Nath Tensent (Y-wing)[1]
Behind the scenes
Alphabet Squadron first appeared in the 2019 canon novel Alphabet Squadron, authored by Alexander Freed.[1]
Appearances
- Alphabet Squadron (First appearance)
- Alphabet Squadron audiobook
- Shadow Fall
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition (Voice only)
Sources
NYCC 2018: Alphabet Squadron Revealed and More from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)- First Look — Marvel's New Star Wars: TIE Fighter Series and Alphabet Squadron Novel Covers on StarWars.com (backup link)
- SWCC 2019: 12 Insights and Announcements from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
