Saw Gerrera

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

―Saw Gerrera^[4]

Saw Gerrera was a Human male rebel who served in the rebellion to take control of the planet Onderon from its king who had sided with the Separatists during the Clone Wars.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Saw Gerrera was a young^[5] male Human^[2] native from Onderon,^[5] a planet located in the Inner Rim region of the galaxy,^[6] and lived during the last years of the Galactic Republic.^[7] He had a sister named Steela Gerrera^[2] and they lived originally at Iziz.^[5] His sister Steela knew him the most and could easily cut through his bluster with a well-timed and affectionate jibe.^[8]

Saw Gerrera was a loyal follower of King Ramsis Dendup, the benevolent monarch of Onderon. He believed firmly in independence, and did not want to see his planet thrust into galactic warfare^[5]

Fighting for Onderon[]

Early fights against Rash[]

Saw gerrera detail — Saw Gerrera, a man who fought for the liberation of his planet.

In 22 BBY^[9] at the beginning of the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent Systems took control of Onderon^[2] after a local coup^[10] that saw Sanjay Rash taking the throne as the new king.^[2] The people of Onderon, though, began to reject Rash's rule,^[11] as they preferred the neutral stance championed by former monarch Ramsis Dendup.^[12]

Saw was one of the fervent young loyalists who refused to acknowledge Rash's rule,^[5] and openly rebelled against the crown.^[2] He and his sister Steela were cast out of the walled city of Iziz and forced to live in ruins amid the jungles of Onderon. There, Saw plotted against Rash's draconian rule.^[5]

Saw Gerrera, Steela Gerrera, Lux Bonteri, and others formed a movement to take back control of the system,^[2] which included patriots^[13] and outcasts.^[14] Nobody was appointed leader so Saw took it upon himself to be the unofficial leader of the Onderonian rebellion. He led those who opposed the government deep into the jungles of the planet and established a base of operations in the middle of old Onderon ruins.^[2] Saw looked down his nose at Lux Bonteri, the planet's nominal Senatorial representative. He believed words and politics have done Onderon little favor, and questioned Lux's effectiveness in the rebellion.^[5]

Help from the Republic[]

In 20 BBY^[10] Gerrera and Bonteri sent for help from the Jedi Temple who in turn sent Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and CT-7567 to help train the rebels. When the Jedi arrived, the rebels were trained in ways of how to disarm AATs and how to properly take out Droidekas. When the people had to divide into groups to train on taking out Droidekas, Tano was asked by Saw to help him practice throwing droid poppers.^[2] Saw was impressed with what he saw in the Padawan, in her combat skills and perhaps more.^[5]

While the rebels were testing their shooting abilities, a group of droids attacked the rebel's base, which escalated into a firefight. Gerrera and the other rebels held their own until an AAT was brought in. Gerrera and Bonteri, who failed to disarm the AAT during practice, tried again and succeeded. Following a successful defense of their position, Lux Bonteri proposed a plan that the Rebel forces hide in the middle of the capital of Onderon Iziz. That way they could blend into the masses and be hard to find. Saw agreed with Bonteri's plan.^[2]

Later, Gererra accompanied Bonteri, Steela, Tano, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Rex into the capital city where they split up to find supplies and reinforcements. The rebels started hit-and-run attacks on the droid army. The next step was to win the people's support. The rebel figured destroy the city power generator would deprive the droids of a recharge station. Following this, Kenobi, Skywalker and Rex returned to Coruscant while Tano remained as an advisor.^[15]

Saw reckless in Iziz Onderon — Saw shoots at some battle droids in Iziz.

While performing reconnaissance of the generator, Saw tore off a battle droid's head to gain information. Determining that the defenses were too heavily fortified for a direct assault, the rebels decided to hijack an AAT. To do that, they ambush a droid patrol so they'd summon reinforcements, including the tank. They then used the tank to destroy the generator, cutting power throughout Iziz, allowing the rebels to take out the droid under cover of darkness while winning the people's support. The rebels then decided on a leader, which they chose to be Steela, Saw walked out of their hideout in resentment.^[15]

Saw and Dendup are caught — Gerrera's failed attempt to liberate Ramsis Dendup.

Some time later, Steela addressed all of Iziz, denouncing the usurper king, Sanjay Rash, as a Separatist puppet. But as rain came down, Dono came by to alert the rebels that the Separatists are planning Ramsis Dendup's execution, accusing him of being behind their attacks. Steela decided that they would rescue him at the execution, despite Saw's insistence that it's an obvious trap. Frustrated, Saw set off for the palace and used an ascension cable to infiltrate the true king's prison. There, he convinces Dendup to retake his throne, but accidentally triggers a one-way shield, sounding the alarm and resulting in Saw's capture. He is then tortured by the super tactical droid Kalani for the whereabouts of his comrades. General Tandin stopped their barbaric torture, fearing it would kill Saw. Taking the young man to another interrogation room, Tandin questions Saw's motivations. In turn, Saw stated that he was a patriot, fighting for Onderon's freedom whereas men like Tandin allowed the Separatists to gain control.^[4]

The next day, Saw was brought to bear witness to Dendup`s execution. As expected, the rebels rose out of the crowd to free both men, and as he feared, it was a trap, as droids emerged from the crowd, cutting off their escape. But before Rash could recommence the execution, Tandin and the Onderon militia arrive to save them, having been convinced by Saw's arguments and helped them escape. Back at their hideout, Saw agreed to work alongside his fellow freedom fighters.^[4]

The rebels soon moved out of Iziz into the mountains. Though Saw believed they should take the fight directly to Rash, Lux argued that they want to avoid civilians causalities and they'd be depleting the droids' numbers. Unfortunately, Kalani dispatched droid gunships to annihilate the rebels. Despite the rebels' use of mountain terrain, the gunships were protected by ray shields. Even worse, the Jedi refused to directly intervene in the conflict. However, Skywalker sent Hondo Ohnaka to deliver rocket launchers to destroy the gunships, thus evening the odds. As Saw shot down the last gunship, it crashed near the rebel encampment and nearly sent both Steela and Lux falling off the edge of a cliff. Though Tano managed to use the Force to levitate Lux to safety, the still active gunship shot her in the arm before she could save Steela, sending her falling to her death. Saw cradled his sister's body, blaming himself for indirectly causing her death. Lux assured him he's not to blame, stating that Steela knew the risks.^[3]

Despite the loss of his sister, their victory won them the war. The Separatists decided to cut their losses and withdraw, as well as killing Rash. As a funeral is held for Steela in Iziz, Tano apologized to Saw for failing to save her. Saw accepted her apology but reminded her that the war is over now.^[3]

Personality and traits[]

"He fashions himself as our leader, though no one elected him."

―Steela Gerrera^[2]

Gerrera named himself the leader of the rebellion when there wasn't one.^[2] Saw's fiery determination often made him short-tempered, much to the chagrin of fellow rebels Steela and Lux.^[5] He was blunt, direct, and armed with a fiery temper that maked him a natural leader in the loose command structure of the Onderon rebels.^[8]

Gerrera was a talented soldier^[2] and a fierce fighter. He has a natural born initiative and instinct for command, which causes him to take point in any situation.^[12] He was able to help fight an entire group of droids^[2] and disarm an AAT with help from Lux Bonteri.^[15] He was also a skilled beast-rider, who flew a ruping into the thick of battle.^[16]

Behind the scenes[]

The character of Saw Gerrera was voiced by Andrew Kishino. He was originally conceived by George Lucas for the unproduced Star Wars: Underworld.^[17]

Saw's name was derived from the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, an icon of the 1950s Cuban Revolution.^[18]