Arvel Crynyd served the Alliance to Restore the Republic as a human male pilot during the Galactic Civil War. During the Galactic Civil War's fourth year, Commander Crynyd took part in the Rebellion's assault against the Galactic Empire's second Death Star during the Battle of Endor. As leader of Green Squadron, he piloted an RZ-1 A-wing interceptor. Crynyd met his death in the battle when he crashed his ship into the Super Star Destroyer Executor in a suicide attack. The battle concluded shortly thereafter with the destruction of the Death Star and the demise of Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine.
Prior to his service with the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Arvel Crynyd worked as a pilot flying Z-95 Headhunter craft for a Thyferran bacta cartel. Around 0 ABY, Crynyd, while under contract to the Bacta Cartel, stumbled upon a group of inexperienced Rebel pilots practicing near a derelict spacedock located on the fringes of the Western Reaches. Although Crynyd generally avoided the civil war to stay safe, he was drawn to the meticulously maintained A-wings the pilots were training with. Pieter, the group's more seasoned pilot, was initially wary of Crynyd and encouraged him to leave, but Crynyd impressed the pilots by executing a barrel roll. Offering to teach the trick to the other pilots, including Raf, Crynyd became a flight instructor for the Rebel Alliance, though he wasn't sure exactly why.
A year later, Crynyd learned of his former student Raf's death during a meeting with a contact on Koda Station. While there, he encountered Demms Ryx, a Volpai bartender. Ryx consoled Crynyd, and they reunited when Pieter and Crynyd returned to Koda Station to pick up A-Wing parts. Some time later, Ryx arrived at the abandoned spacedock where Crynyd trained pilots, expressing a desire to contribute. Ryx became a cook for the Alliance, eventually forming a romantic relationship with Crynyd. They raised a daughter named Starr, who was a toddler at the time of the Battle of Endor. Starr and Ryx resided on Cerea, and Crynyd visited them a few days before the battle.
As a commander, Crynyd served as a pilot in Green Squadron, piloting an RZ-1 A-wing interceptor in 4 ABY. After the Bothan Spynet discovered that Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine would be present on the second Death Star to oversee its completion, Alliance High Command concluded that an immediate assault on the space station was their only opportunity to weaken the Empire.
Crynyd, designated Green Leader, emerged from hyperspace with the entire Alliance Fleet above the forest moon of Endor, approaching the superweapon in his A-wing. He was the last squadron leader to report readiness and prepare to attack the Death Star, but he pulled up at the last moment on the orders of General Lando Calrissian when it became clear that the shield was still active. Green Squadron was instructed to stay close to Sector MV-7 as a massive formation of Star Destroyers appeared from the other side of the moon. The Alliance had fallen into a trap, but they resolved to fight to the end.
Initially, both sides engaged with only their starfighters, causing confusion among the rebels, which turned into horror when the Death Star demonstrated its full operational capability by destroying the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty with its superlaser. Following Calrissian's advice, the remaining Rebel forces moved alongside the Star Destroyers and engaged at close range, hoping the Death Star would not risk firing into its own fleet.
When the shield protecting the Death Star was deactivated, several fighters broke away to target the reactor for destruction. To provide them with time, Crynyd and his squadron attacked the Imperial flagship, the powerful Super Star Destroyer Executor, with two A-wings disabling its bridge deflector shields.
In response, Admiral Firmus Piett ordered the forward batteries to increase their firing rate to prevent any exploitation of vulnerabilities. As Crynyd attempted a trench run through the ship's superstructure, his fighter was struck by a laser bolt and began to spin out of control. Realizing his fate, Crynyd managed to regain minimal control of his starfighter and directed it on a collision course with the Executor's unshielded bridge tower. With a final cry of defiance, Crynyd's ship crashed through the bridge windows, killing himself, Piett, and the entire bridge crew in the resulting explosion.
Deprived of its command structure, the Executor lost primary power and fell into the Death Star's gravity well, colliding with the station and detonating in a massive explosion. Crynyd's sacrifice proved decisive, shifting the battle in favor of the Alliance, and the Death Star was destroyed soon after.
Following his death, Crynyd was honored posthumously during the celebrations on Endor. He received the Medal of Alderaan, a special Rebel Alliance award that conveyed similar honor to the Kalidor Crescent, for his actions during the battle. With Crynyd's death, command of Green Squadron passed to Shara Bey.
Crynyd was a human male characterized by light skin and brown eyes. As a seasoned pilot and instructor, Crynyd spent more time in an A-wing than anyone else in the Alliance Starfighter Corps. He held the A-wing in high regard, believing that skilled pilots could easily outmaneuver the TIE interceptor, the Imperial equivalent of the A-wing. Aware of the A-wing's weak shields and its vulnerability to Imperial-class Star Destroyers, Crynyd favored using them for reconnaissance and escort missions where speed was crucial. He was also courageous and committed to the Alliance's cause, willingly sacrificing his life by crashing his damaged starfighter into the Executor.
Before joining the Alliance, Crynyd avoided placing his faith in anything other than his starships and the experience of flying them. He struggled with vulnerability and sharing his emotions. Witnessing the dedication of the Rebels, and learning to believe in something through his relationship with Demms Ryx and their daughter, Crynyd became a devoted Rebel, albeit somewhat reluctantly. By the time he made his sacrifice at the Battle of Endor, Crynyd had come to believe in the people of the galaxy and the power of hope in the face of overwhelming odds.
As a pilot in the Alliance, Arvel Crynyd wore a green flight suit and helmet, and he piloted an RZ-1 A-wing interceptor.
Arvel Crynyd made his debut appearance in the 1983 film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and was first identified in the StarWars.com Databank. Hilton McRae portrayed him in an uncredited role. During the production of Return of the Jedi, the character was known as "Mad Maxx," a tribute to the film Mad Max, as evidenced in the film's storyboards.