As the Galactic Republic fell, a small group of senators began to plan look for ways to stand against the coming empire. All along the Outer Rim, pockets of resistance fighters sprung up. These men and women from a variety of planets would one day come together to form the Rebel Alliance, and the rest is Star Wars history.
Much of the Rebel Alliance that was shown in the original Star Wars trilogy has been expanded on in books, comics, and animated series, showing is the people who not only ran the rebellion but the lesser-known figures who played an important part in the destruction of Emperor Palpatine and the Empire. Some of the names are very familiar, while others remain in the shadows. These are the ten most important members of the Rebel Alliance.
10 Senator Bail Organa
During the final days of the Galactic Republic, Bail Organa served as the Senator from Alderaan. He witnessed the Clone Troopers turn on the Jedi younglings and, while still serving as a public official, began working with others to form the organization that would become known as the Rebel Alliance.
At first, Senator Organa watched as the separate resistance groups kept the Empire busy, but he knew that these cells would need to come together if there was any hope in defeating Palpatine. The first cell he took a serious interest in was the Spectres, working out of Lothal. Sadly, Bail Organa would not live to see the fall of the Empire. Bail Organa died in the destruction of Alderaan by the Death Star.
9 Senator Mon Mothma
The representative of Chandrila in the Galactic Senate, Mon Mothma watched alongside her fellow senator Bail Organa as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine used his power to take over the government during the Clone Wars, leading to the creation of the Empire. It was Mothma who first saw the need to form an alliance to fight against Palpatine, turning to Senators Organa and Amidala to help her.
Soon after their first meeting, the Clone Wars would come to an end with the Palpatine executing Order 66 - activating a chip in the brains of the clones that would make them kill any and all Jedi. Mon Mothma's plans for a resistance were put into action.
8 General Leia Organa
The adopted daughter of Bail Organa, Princess Leia Organa took a leadership position in the Rebel Alliance and was entrusted with the Death Star plans that were stolen by Rogue One. After the death of her adopted family and the world she called home, Leia became more invested in the Rebellion, becoming a general and serving on the ground for many battles, including the Attack on Cymoon 1 to destroy the Empires Weapons Factory Alpha facilities, the Battle of Hoth, and most importantly, the Battle of Endor.
Without General Leia, the Rebel Alliance would never have been able to destroy the first Death Star, giving them the chance to turn the tides of the Galactic Civil War and destroy the Empire. It wouldn't be until near the end of the war that Leia would learn that her biological father was none other than Darth Vader.
7 Luke Skywalker
Raised on a moisture farm on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker dreamed of leaving his desert planet and seeing the galaxy. What he never imagined was they he would become an integral part of the Rebel Alliance and play a major role in the fall of the Empire. Luke was raised to believe that he was a normal man, but in truth, he was the son of one of the most powerful Force users turned Sith Lord, Darth Vader. It would be Luke's refusal to believe that his father's soul could not be saved that would lead to the seeming death of Lord Palpatine and the fall of the Empire.
6 Kanan Jarrus
A Padawan when the Clone Wars ended, Kanan Jarrus was one of a handful of Jedi who were able to escape from the clones during Order 66. With his Jedi Master dead, Kanan went into hiding, joining Janus Kasmir's crew of smugglers. After a few years, Kanan gave up the smuggler life and became a pilot and bartender on Gorse. It was here that he met Hera Syndulla. Together the two would form a resistance cell on Lothal named Spectres.
This crew would include the two leaders, the droid Chopper, the Mandalorian Sabine Wren, one of the last Lasats Garazeb Orrelios, and Ezra Bridger. Spectres would go on to become one of the most important cells in the early days of the rebellion, even facing off against Darth Vader a number of times.
5 Jyn Erso
The daughter of Galen Erso, Jyn Erso became a member of the Rebel Alliance when she was tracked down by Captain Cassian Andor in the hopes that she could lead them to the man who raised her, Saw Gerrera. Gerrera took in Jyn after her father was abducted by the Empire and forced to design their ultimate weapon, the Death Star.
After the death of Saw Gerrera at the hands of the device her father created, Jyn joined with Cassian and a group of rebels who agreed to travel to the planet of Scarif and steal the Death Star plans. This team, given the callsign Rogue One, would succeed in stealing the Death Star schematics, but it would cost them all their lives.
4 Saw Gerrera
The leader of the Onderonian Resistance during the Clone Wars, Saw Gerrera worked with the Jedi to remove the Separatist leadership of his planet. While the Jedi could not get directly involved, Anakin Skywalker taught Saw the guerrilla war tactics that would become Gerrera's main form of fighting.
When the Galactic Republic fell to the Empire, Gerrera created a new military organization called Partisans that would take the fight to the Empire. Years of war and the death of his sister drove Gerrera to extremes that the Rebel Alliance was not comfortable with.
3 Ahsoka Tano
The former Padawan of Anikan Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano left the Jedi Order shortly after she was wrongfully accused of being a traitor to the Republic. Ahsoka fought in the Siege of Mandalore alongside the Clone Troopers and was able to survive Order 66 with the help of one clone named Rex. With the Empire believing she was dead, Ahsoka took on the codename "Fulcrum" and worked with resistance cells, most notably Spectres, to weaken the Empire. Ahsoka was one of the first to come to realize that Darth Vader was actually Anakin Skywalker.
2 General Jan Dodonna
Commander of the Massassi Group - one of the largest rebel cells to come out of the fall of the Republic, Jan Dodonna was a decorated military officer who served in the navy of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. Dodonna was a member of the Alliance High Command, serving under Chancellor Mon Mothma. Dodonna was put in charge of the Battle of Yavin, leading to the destruction of the first Death Star.
When the Rebel Alliance was betrayed by Queen Trios, who revealed the location of the Mako-Ta space docks to the Empire, Jan Dodonna used his ship to hold off the Imperial Star Destroyers long enough for the rest of the Rebel Alliance to escape. Dodonna's ship was destroyed, killing him, but his sacrifice saved the other members of the High Command.
1 Commander Jun Sato
Commander of the Phoenix Cell, Jun Sato led the Phoenix Squadron, one of the Rebel Alliance's most effective teams during the early days of the rebellion. When Captain Hera Syndulla and the Spectres officially joined the Rebel Alliance, they worked alongside Phoenix Cell.
Sato and Phoenix Squadron established Chopper Base on the planet Atollon, creating the first headquarters for the Rebel Alliance. During the Battle of Atollon, Sato ordered the evacuation of his ship, Phoenix Home, before taking the controls himself and using the ship to ram into Admiral Konstantine's Star Destroyer. The move killed Admiral Konstantine, but it also cost Sato his own life.