Arro Basteren, a male human soldier, spent his formative years on the planet of Ertegas. He later enlisted in the Alliance to Restore the Republic to oppose the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War. He became a private within the Marine Corps of the Rebel Alliance Special Forces, working primarily as a spotter for the sniper, Serchill Rostok. General Davits Draven considered Basteren, along with other soldiers exhibiting fearlessness and self-awareness, for a possible operation to infiltrate the headquarters of Saw Gerrera's Partisans located on Jedha. Later, in 1 BBY, he and other soldiers volunteered for an unauthorized mission to steal the Death Star's plans from the [Citadel Tower](/article/citadel_tower] situated on the planet Scarif. During the ensuing battle, Basteren died, but his actions were crucial in transmitting the plans to the Alliance Fleet.
Born on the agriworld Ertegas within the Anoat sector, Arro Basteren was a male human soldier. Growing up, he defended his family's harvests from dangerous predators like woshrikes, honing his eyesight and developing his skill in spotting and eliminating threats. He eventually joined the ranks of the Alliance to Restore the Republic to combat the Galactic Empire during the [Galactic Civil War](/article/galactic_civil_war]. Serving as a private in the Marine Corps of the [Rebel Alliance Special Forces](/article/rebel_alliance_special_forces], he naturally transitioned into the role of a scout.
Within the Rebel Alliance, Basteren served as a spotter for the well-known sniper Corporal Serchill Rostok, identifying targets using Q4-E quadnoculars and relaying the information to Rostok. His main responsibility involved maintaining awareness of the situation and environmental conditions during combat. His service led to recognition from General Davits Draven for his bravery and self-awareness. Consequently, when Draven questioned the likelihood of [Jyn Erso](/article/jyn_erso], a former member of Saw Gerrera's [Partisans](/article/partisans], successfully contacting Gerrera on the moon of [Jedha](/article/jedha], he suggested Basteren and other soldiers to Mon Mothma, the Rebellion chancellor, for a potential raid on the Partisan headquarters within Jedha's Catacombs of Cadera. Draven submitted Basteren's biography to Mothma, suggesting they begin with these soldiers to form a larger squad.
In 1 BBY, after Erso succeeded in her mission to connect with Gerrera and discovered the Empire's Death Star superweapon, Basteren and the same group of Rebel soldiers volunteered to join her in an unsanctioned mission to steal the Death Star's plans from the [Citadel Tower](/article/citadel_tower] on Scarif. This volunteer squad adopted the callsign "Rogue One" and infiltrated the planet's defenses using the stolen Zeta-class Heavy Cargo Shuttle SW-0608. On Scarif, Basteren was part of a squad assigned to create a diversion and draw the Empire's forces away, enabling Erso and a small team to infiltrate the Citadel and retrieve the plans. He and his comrades ultimately sacrificed their lives in the battle to ensure the successful transmission of the plans to the Alliance Fleet.
The intelligence update to Mon Mothma, which included Draven's recommendation and Basteren's biography, was eventually incorporated into The Rebel Files. This was a collection of documents pertaining to the Rebel Alliance, compiled by the archivist Hendri Underholt. The files were recovered in 34 ABY after being lost during the bombardment of Durkteel in 4 ABY. The documents were then passed on to General Leia Organa of the Resistance, and subsequently read by several Resistance members. Caluan Ematt, a Resistance officer and former Rebel, read Draven's endorsement of Basteren and his fellow soldiers. He remarked that Draven's selection was insightful, as demonstrated by Basteren's volunteering for the unauthorized Scarif mission, which ultimately led to his demise.
Arro Basteren was a human male characterized by fair light skin, brown hair, and blue eyes.
As a member of the Rebel Alliance Special Forces, he possessed bravery and resilience. General Davits Draven considered Basteren to be among a group of Rebel soldiers who demonstrated the true fearlessness required for high-risk missions, along with the self-awareness necessary to survive for more than a minute under such circumstances.
Arro Basteren was an exceptional rebel soldier. He possessed keen eyesight and an aptitude for discovering and eliminating enemies, skills honed by protecting his family's crops from woshrikes and other dangerous creatures on his homeworld.
During the Battle of Scarif, Basteren wore a blue vest over a blue jacket, paired with brown pants and boots. The vest featured an orange patch on the right lapel and white and red insignias on the left lapel. He also wore a black and tan helmet and a brown [belt](/article/belt] with several containers attached. His equipment included an A-300 blaster rifle and Fabritech Q4-E quadnoculars, which featured an imaging screen capable of detecting approaching Imperials. The quadnoculars were secured around his neck with a blue strap. On a previous occasion, Basteren wore a green jacket with a yellow patch below his right shoulder and a larger tan-colored helmet.
The character of Private Basteren was portrayed by James Harkness in the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, released in North America on December 16, 2016. His last name was revealed in the film's credits, while his first name was first documented in the reference book Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, written by Pablo Hidalgo and published on the same day.