The rebel group led by Berch Teller was established and commanded by Berch Teller, a former agent of Republic Intelligence, in the aftermath of the tragic Antar Atrocity. The membership of this group was diverse, drawing from various species such as humans, Koorivar, and Gotals. Individuals like Teller, the journalist Anora Fair, the film director Hask Taff, the Mon Calamari physician Artoz, the Koorivar Cala, the Gotal Salikk, and the information dealer Knotts were all present on Antar 4 when the Antar Atrocity occurred. Their shared trauma instilled in them a profound animosity towards the Empire, especially towards Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, who orchestrated the Antar Atrocity. In 14 BBY, these dissidents, aided by Dodd Rancit, the Director of the Naval Intelligence Agency and a rival of Tarkin, initiated an insurgency against the Galactic Empire. Rancit provided them with surplus Separatist weaponry, communication devices, and crucial intelligence. After seizing Tarkin's personal ship, the Carrion Spike, the insurgents launched attacks on several Imperial sites before being defeated by Tarkin in a battle close to the Gulf of Tatooine. The Empire secretly executed the surviving insurgents, although Teller managed to evade capture.
The beginning of the rebel cell of Berch Teller can be found in the events of the Antar Atrocity around 18 BBY. During the period of the Clone Wars, the moon known as Antar 4 sided with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Despite this, a substantial number of the native Gotals and the immigrant Koorivar remained loyal to the Galactic Republic. Captain Berch Teller, along with Knotts, both operatives of Republic Intelligence, provided training and resources to the Gotal and Koorivar loyalist fighters, who were engaged in a guerrilla conflict against the Separatist government. After the Great Jedi Purge, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine reorganized the Galactic Republic, transforming it into the Galactic Empire.
Following the conclusion of the Clone Wars, the newly formed Empire responded severely to those who had supported or sympathized with the Separatists. Imperial forces, commanded by Admiral and adjutant general Wilhuff Tarkin, launched a brutal crackdown on Antar 4 in order to compel former Separatist worlds like Raxus Secundus, Kooriva, and Murkhana to fully surrender all former Separatists. This operation resulted in the mass execution of many Gotal and Koorivar loyalists. The Antar Atrocity garnered significant attention in the media within the Core Worlds because of the efforts of several journalists, notably Anora Fair and the Zygerrian filmmaker Hask Taff.
Despite the disappearance of multiple journalists, the media coverage sparked public outrage, which led the Emperor to reassign Tarkin to pacification operations within the Western Reaches. At some point, Tarkin was promoted to the rank of Moff and appointed as the commander overseeing a network of bases that supported the top-secret Death Star project. Tarkin's involvement in the Antar Atrocity made him the target of intense hatred from Teller, as well as from other survivors and witnesses of the massacres.
Teller left his position as the head of security at Desolation Station, one of the stations providing services to the Death Star. Using his connections in intelligence, Teller managed to secretly move Anora, Hask, the Gotal pilot Salikk, and the Koorivar expert in munitions and surveillance, Cala, into hiding. Another crucial member of the group was Knotts, a former operative of Republic Intelligence, who used his role as an information broker on Lantillies to assist the group.
The cell of Teller was also supported by Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit, who was a rival of Moff Tarkin. Rancit, who had also worked for Republic Intelligence, deeply resented the Imperial Security Bureau for hindering the rescue of loyalist operatives on Antar 4. He was also angered by being removed from his command of the supply station Sentinel Base in favor of Tarkin, who was a close associate of the Emperor. As the Director of the Naval Intelligence Agency, Rancit used funds from the agency's secret budget to provide Teller's cell with restricted weapons, confiscated Separatist war materials, and communication jamming devices. Knowing that Teller and Knotts had previously worked for Republic Intelligence, he also made it easier for them to gain access to Imperial depots and armories.
Moreover, Teller's cell received assistance from scientists and technicians who possessed high-level security clearances. Some of these individuals held grudges against the Empire and decided to join Teller's group. One of these recruits was Dr. Artoz, a Mon Calamari systems engineer and a former Mon Calamari Knight who had fought against the Separatists. Artoz was particularly valuable to the dissident group because of his knowledge of stealth technology.
By 14 BBY, Teller's group included members from a variety of species, including humans, Koorivar, Gotals, and at least one Mon Calamari. Their military resources included a heavily modified Providence-class Dreadnought that served as Berch Teller's warship, an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate, a small number of Z-95 Headhunters and Tikiar starfighters, and a large quantity of vulture droids and droid tri-fighters. Teller's warship had been constructed by the Tenloss Syndicate and the Crymorah Syndicate with the secret support of Vice Admiral Rancit.
In 14 BBY, Teller and his fellow dissidents decided that it was the right moment to begin their campaign against the Galactic Empire, especially targeting Moff Tarkin. Since the Antar Atrocity, Teller and his insurgents had held a deep-seated desire for revenge against Tarkin, who was a well-known supporter of the Emperor's New Order. The dissidents used their communication equipment to create a fraudulent holo-transmission, falsely claiming that Rampart Station was under attack. As part of this deception, the insurgents impersonated Lieutenant Thon, the commander of the base. Their objective was to attack Sentinel Base, which served as Moff Tarkin's headquarters.
However, Moff Tarkin recognized that the transmission was fake and ordered the Venator-class Star Destroyer named Electrum to execute a microjump to the edge of the Sentinel Base's system. As the insurgents' Providence-class Dreadnought emerged from hyperspace and began bombarding Sentinel Base, Tarkin used the Electrum to ambush the intruders from behind. Although the insurgents escaped into hyperspace, the Imperials managed to capture several Vulture droids and droid-tri fighters, which were examined to determine where they came from. Because of the Separatist equipment, Tarkin and his officers initially thought that the attackers were Separatists who had not surrendered.
As the next step in their plan, Teller and his insurgents decided to steal Tarkin's personal corvette, the Carrion Spike, which was equipped with an advanced hyperdrive and stealth technology. Teller intended to transform Tarkin's corvette from a symbol of Imperial power into a symbol of resistance against the Empire. Their plan was to raid Imperial targets across the galaxy and broadcast holovids of their attacks on the HoloNet, mimicking the successful Separatist Shadowfeed broadcasts during the Clone Wars. Teller tasked Anora and Hask with the creation and streaming of these holovids.
Vice Admiral Rancit helped the dissidents by placing a stash of communication jammers at a former medcenter on Murkhana, a former Separatist world. As a diversion, he arranged for Naval Intelligence to leak information about the communication cache to the Imperial Security Bureau. Acting on this information, ISB case officer Stellan sent the Koorivar ISB asset Bracchia to "confirm" the discovery. In response to the discovery of the Murkhana communication cache, the Emperor sent Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader on a mission to Murkhana to investigate the cache, as the ISB feared it was a sign of an upcoming insurgency campaign.
Anticipating Tarkin's trip to Murkhana, the information broker Knotts negotiated an agreement with the Crymorah syndicate to supply fuel cells to Faazah, the Sugi crime lord. The insurgents then tricked Sergeant Crest and the stormtroopers guarding the Carrion Spike with a fake transmission, pretending it was from Tarkin. Teller, along with the insurgents Salikk, Dr. Artoz, Cala, Anora, and Hask, then captured Tarkin's corvette, killing the ship's captain, communications officer, and two stormtroopers. Despite easily taking control of the ship, Hask accidentally damaged the airlock.
Tarkin and Vader pursued the insurgents to the edge of the Murkhana system aboard Faazah's ship, the Parsec Predator, but the insurgents managed to escape into hyperspace on the Carrion Spike. The Imperials were able to track the insurgents using Darth Vader's meditation chamber and a paralight tracker that was integrated into the ship's hyperdrive. After traveling through the Fial system, Teller's insurgents went to the Galidraan system to attack Galidraan Station, which orbited the planet Galidraan III. Using the stealth technology of the Carrion Spike, the insurgents inflicted significant damage to the station and destroyed its V-wing and ARC-170 starfighters.
The Carrion Spike also disabled the Parsec Predator, the ship Tarkin and Vader had commandeered, before heading to the edge of the Galidraan system. After ejecting Vader's meditation sphere, the insurgents destroyed the system's hyperspace buoy before escaping into hyperspace. The dissidents then raided the TaggeCo mining facilities on Lucazec. The insurgents also broadcast their attack on the HoloNet, which caught the attention of the Emperor and the Imperial Ruling Council. As a result, the Emperor dispatched reinforcements, including Darth Vader's black Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor, to assist Tarkin and Vader in their search for the stolen ship.
Having been warned by Vice Admiral Rancit to avoid Gromas in the Perkell sector, the insurgents instead traveled to Phindar in the Mandalore sector to acquire the special fuel needed by the Carrion Spike. Teller impersonated the Imperial Commander Abel LaSal and convinced the Phindian administrator of the orbiting tanker to allow his ship to refuel. However, the Phindian administrator alerted Tarkin and Vader to the presence of the Carrion Spike. Supported by Imperial reinforcements, Tarkin and Vader traveled to the Phindar system to intercept the insurgents. A dogfight ensued between the stolen Carrion Spike and the Imperial forces. Teller's insurgents flew the Carrion Spike around the tanker to hinder Tarkin's Yellow Squadron of V-wings.
Before the Imperial escort carrier Goliath could launch its proton torpedoes at the Carrion Spike, the insurgents jumped into hyperspace. Before leaving, they detonated an explosive device that had been planted in a used fuel cell left on the tanker. Three hours later, the insurgents transmitted another holovid of the incident in the Phindar system. In response to this attack, Vice Admiral Rancit persuaded the Emperor to deploy Imperial forces to protect Imperial installations along the Perlemian Trade Route and the Hydian Way. Furthermore, the Empire deployed several interdictor vessels from the Deep Core Security Zone to aid in the search for the Carrion Spike.
Following the Phindar dogfight, the insurgents headed to the Expansion Region near Thustra and Aquaris. During the journey, Cala discovered that the Empire was still tracking them with a paralight tracker. After Dr. Artoz destroyed the paralight tracker, Teller transmitted coordinates claiming that the insurgents were traveling aboard the Carrion Spike to the Obroa-skai system. Teller arranged with Knotts to send the YT-1000 light freighter Reticent as a decoy. The Koorivar captain of the Reticent was transporting Sephi flyers to the medcenter on Obroa-skai. Acting on this false information, Tarkin and Vader deployed three interdictor vessels and several Imperial warships to Obroa-skai. However, one of the interdictors, a prototype Immobilizer 418 cruiser, malfunctioned and pulled a large number of starships out of hyperspace. This caused a massive space accident in which 1,100 passengers died when the MC80 Star Cruiser Stellar Vista collided with a CC-7700 frigate.
Following the Obroa-skai accident, Vader and Tarkin interrogated the crew of the Reticent and learned about the information broker Knotts. Vader also learned from one of his Crymorah contacts that the late Sugi crime lord Faazah had received a shipment of fuel cells before their visit to Murkhana. After checking the HoloNet database, Tarkin discovered that Knotts, Teller, and the other insurgents were connected to the Antar Atrocity. He also realized that Teller had been impersonating Imperial officers. Tarkin also deduced that the insurgents were being aided by Vice Admiral Rancit, who had been in contact with Teller while stationed at Sentinel Base. Meanwhile, the Emperor conducted his own investigation and questioned both the Koorivar asset Bracchia and his ISB case officer Stellan. The Emperor learned that the ISB had been tipped off by Naval Intelligence, a subdivision of Imperial Intelligence.
Meanwhile, Teller's insurgents attack the Imperial facility in the Nouane system but were repelled by Imperial lasers. The Carrion Spike suffered significant damage, and the dissidents decided to transfer to Teller's carrier. Despite receiving assurances from Vice Admiral Rancit that they could attack the Imperial Academy on Carida, Teller and his insurgents suspected a trap. They set the Carrion Spike to travel on autopilot to Carida. Rancit had indeed planned to destroy them and the Carrion Spike above Carida to eliminate evidence of his involvement with the insurgents and to gain recognition for destroying them. However, Tarkin and Lord Vader were already aware of Rancit's plan.
Lord Vader traveled to the Carida system and confronted Vice Admiral Rancit aboard the Secutor-class Star Destroyer Conquest. Vader stopped Rancit from destroying the Carrion Spike before executing him for his treachery. Despite the loss of Rancit, the redeployment of Imperial forces to defend Imperial installations had forced the Empire to divert warships away from protecting the convoy escorts traveling to the marshaling stations that led to the Death Star construction site on Geonosis. While this benefited Teller and his dissidents, Moff Tarkin had already determined the insurgents' true target.
Unaware that Rancit had been exposed and executed, Berch Teller's insurgents gathered all their warships and starfighters to ambush a convoy transporting supplies to the Death Star. The convoy was scheduled to exit hyperspace near the Gulf of Tatooine before proceeding to the marshaling stations Pii and Sentinel Base, which led to Geonosis. Although the insurgents were unaware of the Death Star's existence, Dr. Artoz suspected that the Empire was constructing something there. While Artoz believed that any rebellion had little chance of success, Teller insisted that they should maintain hope and continue to resist the Empire.
Teller's cell caught the Death Star convoy off guard. They used the firepower of their capital ships and the agility of their droid-tri fighters to overwhelm the convoy ships. Desperate, the Imperial escort ships and frigates formed a defensive perimeter around the cargo ships and transports. However, Teller's forces inflicted significant casualties and damage through attrition. While the insurgents had only a few Headhunters and Tikiars, their numbers were bolstered by a large number of droid-tri fighters.
Responding to the convoy's distress, Tarkin ordered his V-wings to engage the insurgents' Nebulon-B frigate and Providence-class carrier. When the insurgents repositioned their carrier between Tarkin's Imperial Star Destroyer Executrix and the convoy, Tarkin ordered his gunners to open fire on the Nebulon B-frigate, destroying it. While the Executrix engaged the remaining carrier, Imperial V-wings fought the insurgents' droid fighters. Tarkin unleashed the Executrix's firepower on the insurgents' carrier, damaging the ship's systems and disabling the master control computer.
With the insurgents' carrier disabled, Salikk realized that they could not escape into hyperspace and urged Teller to flee on a Z-95 Headhunter to fight another day. Tarkin then led a boarding party onto the insurgents' carrier. His stormtroopers found thirteen dead crew members on the remaining carrier and captured at least 26 insurgents, including Anora Fair, Hask Taff, Knotts, and Dr. Artoz. When Tarkin questioned them about Teller and mocked them, the insurgents remained silent. When Anora taunted Tarkin, predicting his downfall and making an obscene gesture, one of the stormtroopers struck her in the back of the head with his blaster rifle.
The battle near the Gulf of Tatooine marked the end of Berch Teller's rebel cell. For the next three weeks, Tarkin, with the assistance of Lord Vader and the Imperial Security Bureau, interrogated the insurgents. The interrogations confirmed Rancit's collusion with the dissidents to advance his career. While the ISB wanted a public execution, the Emperor ordered that they be executed in private to prevent them from becoming martyrs. Additionally, the Empire took action against the insurgents' collaborators, including the warehouse workers and salvagers who had supplied them, and several scientists at Desolation Station who had provided information to the insurgents.
As a reward for his services, Tarkin was promoted to the newly created position of Grand Moff and appointed Governor of the Outer Rim Territories. Grand Moff Tarkin also took steps to maintain the secrecy of the Death Star project. Teller later abandoned his Z-95 Headhunter on Christophsis. He managed to escape offworld and tracked Tarkin to his homeworld of Eriadu. Teller attempted to assassinate Tarkin in the Carrion Plateau but fell into an improvised pit trap. After a brief exchange, Tarkin offered to let Teller live if he could climb out of the pit before nightfall, when wild beasts roamed the plateau. Before leaving, Teller warned that Tarkin would die a horrible death. This prophecy came true when Tarkin died aboard the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.
Despite the defeat of Berch Teller's rebel cell, resistance against the Empire continued throughout the galaxy. By 2 BBY, the Empire faced a galaxy-wide insurgency. In that year, the various rebel cells formed the Rebel Alliance under the leadership of former Senator Mon Mothma. The Alliance viewed Teller as a key example of how counter-propaganda could be used against the Galactic Empire and credited him with preserving the memory of the Antar Atrocity.
- Providence-class Dreadnought [1] Berch Teller's warship[1]
- Droid tri-fighter [1]
- Tikiar [1]
- Vulture-class starfighter [1]
- Z-95 Headhunter [1]
Berch Teller and his rebel cell made their first appearance in James Luceno's 2014 novel, Tarkin, which was the second in a series of new Canon novels published by Del Rey. Teller's rebel cell acts as an antagonistic force in the novel, which presents a revised origin story for the character of Tarkin.