Brunson was a human female who served as a captain in the Galactic Empire's Imperial Navy. She commanded an Arquitens-class command cruiser dispatched to Geonosis, the former site of the Death Star's construction, in 2 BBY, in response to a triggered proximity sensor. There, she discovered the rebel starship known as the Ghost on the planet. Hoping to earn herself and her crew promotions, she attempted to destroy the rebels using TIE bombers, rocket troopers, and finally by trapping the rebels in an underground cavern in an attempt to bury them alive. When she used her cruiser to block their escape, the Ghost fired two proton torpedoes, resulting in the destruction of her ship.
Captain Brunson was in command of an Arquitens-class command cruiser.
Brunson was a young captain in the Imperial Navy who commanded an Arquitens-class command cruiser. About two years before the Battle of Yavin she responded to a proximity alert on the planet Geonosis which had been triggered by a visit by the rebel cell Spectres, who were on a mission to find Saw Gerrera and investigate the disappearance of the Geonosian species. After one of her crew informed her that they had picked up live-readings on Geonosis, Captain Brunson deployed two TIE bombers to scout for intruders.
The TIE bombers soon discovered the rebel ship Ghost and strafed it. After the bomber crew transmitted a holographic image of the Ghost, Brunson recognized the ship as belonging to the Phoenix Cell, which was part of the rebellion. The Ghost managed to destroy the bombers. In response, Captain Brunson ordered her crew to pinpoint the rebel ship's last known location. She believed that they had fled into the depths of Geonosis. Brunson was proven right when they discovered that the Ghost had descended into a deep air shaft to rendezvous with their comrades, Saw, and the Geonosian Klik-Klak.
Brunson's light cruiser managed to trap the Ghost inside the air shaft. She then dispatched a squad of rocket troopers to board the rebel ship. However, the rebels managed to repel the boarders and destroy the entire squad. In response, Brunson ordered her crew to open fire on the rebel ship and to collapse the air shaft on top of them. Despite her efforts, the Spectres outwitted Brunson by using their laser cannons and proton torpedoes to blast through the Imperial light cruiser, setting it ablaze before fleeing into space. Captain Brunson survived the explosion but her light cruiser was destroyed.
Brunson's light cruiser destroyed.
As a result, the Spectres and Saw escaped offworld with imagery evidence of the poison canisters which the Empire had used to exterminate the Geonosians. In addition, they obtained a deflector core and helped Klik-Klak to escape with the last Geonosian queen egg into the deepest levels of Geonosis.
Brunson was later seen being escorted away from Grand Admiral Thrawn's office on board his flagship, the Chimaera, by a pair of stormtroopers, along with Commander Brom Titus and Captain Slavin. The three had been interviewed by the Grand Admiral as part of his investigation into the identity of a rebel spy in the local Imperial ranks. The group was passed by Lieutenant Yogar Lyste and Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus. The former referred to the trio as officers of the Sector Command.
Brunson earned the high rank of captain at a young age, proving herself to be a gifted but ultimately inexperienced commanding officer. She was an ambitious climber, regarding her duties on Geonosis with disdain and eager to destroy the Ghost in hopes of being promoted. This proved to be a naive decision on her part as she didn't fully appreciate the Ghosts feared reputation. Her attempt to trap the Ghost using her ship to block their escape resulted in her own ship being split in two by a pair of proton torpedoes. The Ghosts pilot Hera Syndulla remarked upon the captain's inexperience.
Unlike other Imperial officers, she did show some degree of camaraderie towards her subordinates, expressing her desire to see them all promoted. She could also be officious and petty towards them, as demonstrated when she responded to an officer's report that they had lost their rocket troopers by slapping him on the back of his head.
Brunson, voiced by Leslie L. Miller, first appeared in "Ghosts of Geonosis," the tenth and eleventh episodes of the third season of Star Wars Rebels, which aired on January 7, 2017. Brunson was named after Jessica Brunson, the look development production coordinator for the series.