Alphabet Squadron

Description

In the weeks and months following the Battle of Endor, New Republic pilots often faced uncertain mission parameters. To better handle any challenges and, hopefully, improve the success rate of a squad, teams were frequently assembled with diverse starships. Reflecting this philosophy, Alphabet Squadron consisted of five pilots, each piloting a unique 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]

History

Formation

Following the Battle of Endor, a pivotal moment in the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance that saw the apparent death of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station, Lieutenant Yrica Quell was chosen by Agent Caern Adan, along with four other New Republic pilots from the Rebel Alliance's successor government, to form the newly established Alphabet Squadron.

Agent Caern Adan, from New Republic Intelligence, tasked Alphabet Squadron with locating and eliminating the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing, a mysterious and lethal force of TIE fighters seeking retribution. Quell requested permission from General Hera Syndulla to operate her new squadron from the Lodestar. Syndulla granted her request, but clarified that Alphabet Squadron would be under her direct authority, not Caern Adan's, in exchange for her support.

Quell spent the next few weeks putting her team through training simulations. As a former Imperial pilot trained at the Academy, she was accustomed to discipline and procedure, and her expectations were not met. Gradually, the team improved enough for Syndulla to approve space flight training missions. Although the pilots were individually skilled, they lacked effectiveness as a team, a fact recognized by both Quell and Syndulla. The squadron still had much to prove, and Quell needed to demonstrate her leadership abilities to Syndulla.

Mission to Abednedo

Alphabet Squadron was dispatched by Syndulla to Abednedo on a mission to investigate reports of remaining Imperial forces on the planet following Operation: Cinder, with possible connections to Shadow Wing. After an encounter with a Verpine smuggler, the team was ambushed. They attempted to escort the smuggler's freighter, which carried Imperial captives, back to base, but the freighter was destroyed in an engagement with TIE bombers.

Mission to the Harkrova system

Following their unsuccessful mission on Abednedo, which highlighted their lack of teamwork and trust, Syndulla assigned Alphabet Squadron a non-combat mission. Their task was to gather supplies from an old rebel base located on a forest moon within the Harkrova system. Syndulla explained to Quell that this mission was an opportunity for the unit to develop as a team.

While Quell was away investigating a potential pirate scout ship overhead, the rest of the team experienced a peculiar phenomenon inside the old Jedi temple where the supplies were stored. The team members relaxed, shared stories, and bonded with each other. Upon their return to the Lodestar a few days later, Quell reported a successful mission to Syndulla, including the visual phenomena reported by her team. Syndulla expressed slight disappointment that Quell had not personally experienced the event, thus missing out on the team bonding.

Salvage operation on Argai Minor

At some point after the Battle of Endor, while Alphabet Squadron was either training or on a mission, the New Republic deployed several starfighter squadrons to Argai Minor to support ground forces fighting against Imperial forces operating from the Treinhaus Citadel. The fighting was intense and brutal.

Later, New Republic Intelligence suspected that Imperial forces on the planet were receiving logistical support from external sources. They wanted to determine if the enemy's supply lines extended to Pandem Nai, the location of Shadow Wing. Given their expertise on Shadow Wing and their recent return from the Harkrova system, Syndulla sent Alphabet Squadron to assist with patrols during the citadel salvage operation.

Battle in the Haldeen sector

After the New Republic's victory on Argai Minor, Alphabet Squadron provided support to Hail Squadron's Y-wings in a battle against a Star Destroyer that had been struggling through the Haldeen sector for several weeks. Together, the two squadrons managed to destroy the Star Destroyer, securing another victory for the New Republic.

Attack on Pandem Nai

Later, the New Republic discovered the location of the Empire's new base on Pandem Nai. Alphabet Squadron spearheaded the attack on Shadow Wing, who had seized control of Orbital One, a tibanna gas mining station in orbit. Following intense combat with TIE fighters, the squadron eliminated Colonel Shakara Nuress, Shadow Wing's leader, and detonated the station's reactor. This caused Orbital One to disintegrate and fall towards the planet's surface, igniting the mining pods around the station's rim. Although the battle was won, the falling debris posed a threat to the inhabitants below. Quell and her pilots worked quickly to vaporize as much debris as possible with their weapons, saving countless lives.

Campaign in the Cerberon system

Around 5 ABY, Alphabet Squadron participated in a New Republic campaign within the Cerberon system, carrying out numerous missions against Imperial forces occupying the system.

Bombardment of Verzan

When Syndulla's Barma Battle Group bombarded the Galactic Empire's airless garrison world of Verzan, Alphabet Squadron utilized proton bombs to augment the Lodestar's fire, aiming to breach the fortress world's defenses.

Troithe operation

The New Republic launched an attack on Imperial forces commanded by Governor Hastemoor, who were shielded within the capital city of the planet Troithe. Alphabet Squadron joined the operation, fighting alongside Hail and Meteor Squadrons, the MC75 Star Cruiser Temperance, and ground troops from the 61st Mobile Infantry. New Republic forces captured Troithe's main spaceport within a single day of combat.

Mission to capture Troithe guerrillas

Alphabet Squadron received a mission from the New Republic to capture Imperial guerrillas and gather intelligence about their supplier. The squadron divided into two groups. Kairos, Lark, and Tensent assisted ground forces in capturing the guerrillas and destroying their hideout on Troithe, succeeding before the Imperials could send out an alert. Quell and Chadic's target was located in an asteroid field concealing a dozen TIE fighters and a cargo shuttle. They engaged the TIEs in a skirmish, and the rest of Alphabet joined the battle in the asteroid field. Afterward, they searched for survivors and scanned all communication frequencies to ensure the cargo shuttle had not sent a distress signal before returning to Troithe.

Attack on Cerberon

During Sundulla's absence with the Temperance, the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing launched a surprise attack on New Republic forces in the Cerberon system. Alphabet Squadron scrambled their starfighters to defend the Lodestar, but without their commanding officer Yrica Quell, who had been arrested, and Kairos, who was recovering from injuries sustained in a previous battle. The Imperials initiated a diversionary attack, using the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier Aerie and a squadron of training drones led by Colonel Soran Keize to draw Alphabet and Meteor Squadrons into a fight above Catadra. This left the Lodestar vulnerable to attack from the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Edict above Troithe. Before reaching Catadra, Lark received a warning from "Blink," an enemy TIE pilot, to return to Troithe, just as the Edict initiated system-wide jamming, disrupting all communications and sensors. Lark realized Shadow Wing was the enemy and raced back to warn the Lodestar with Tensent. With the New Republic starfighters above Catadra no longer a threat, including the complete destruction of Meteor Squadron, Shadow Wing launched all their TIEs, which were hidden within a debris field, and attacked the Lodestar. The Lodestar crashed on Troithe, along with the Edict after the planetary defenses crippled it. While the planetary shield was momentarily offline, Shadow Wing's TIEs infiltrated the city. The attack resulted in significant losses for Alphabet Squadron, including Chadic being shot down over Catadra, and Lark and Tensent being shot down over Troithe. Furthermore, New Republic forces were scattered across the system and suffered heavy casualties.

Behind the scenes

Alphabet Squadron made its debut in the 2019 canon novel Alphabet Squadron, written by Alexander Freed. An Alphabet Two appeared by voice during the Battle of Exegol in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition, a 2020 novel by Rae Carson. In an interview with Alex Damon from the YouTube channel "Star Wars Explained," Freed was asked if this meant Alphabet Squadron was present at the battle. Freed stated that at least one member of Alphabet Squadron was at the Battle of Exegol, suggesting it could be either known characters or a legacy squadron. However, he noted that his statement did not determine author Carson's intent in including Alphabet Two.