Cham Syndulla

Cham Syndulla's origins can be traced to the planet Ryloth, the native homeworld of the Twi'leks. Syndulla rose to prominence as a political revolutionary, opposing what he perceived as corruption within the Galactic Republic. In Syndulla's view, Orn Free Taa, Ryloth's senator, embodied this corruption more than anyone else. This distrust was mutual; Taa regarded Syndulla as an unpredictable political radical seeking personal power. In reality, Syndulla's primary objective was the liberation of his people, a cause he championed throughout his life. Despite being viewed as a radical by some, Syndulla considered himself a political idealist. He married a Twi'lek woman named Eleni, and together they had a daughter, Hera, who was deeply inspired by his leadership among their people.

During the Clone Wars, specifically twenty-two years prior to the Battle of Yavin, Emir Wat Tambor of the Techno Union commanded the Separatist Droid Army in an invasion targeting Ryloth. As Hera and Eleni sought refuge underground, Syndulla transformed his political movement into an armed resistance, establishing the Twi'lek Resistance to fight the Separatist Alliance and liberate his planet. Syndulla and his freedom fighters were the first to engage the Separatist forces on Ryloth. Eleni also took part in her husband's effort. They soon received assistance from a garrison of the Grand Army of the Republic, led by Jedi General Ima-Gun Di and Clone Captain Keeli. With their support, Syndulla organized the defense of a Twi'lek refugee camp, housing the families of the resistance fighters, against an invading army of battle droids.

Alongside his friend and fellow soldier Gobi Glie, Syndulla led the resistance against the approaching battle droids. The situation grew increasingly desperate as the resistance forces began to deplete their supplies of food, water, and ammunition due to the Separatist blockade of Ryloth. General Di attempted to secure additional supplies by sending a message to the Jedi High Council through the Republic fleet in orbit, but the fleet was destroyed, effectively severing the Republic's supply lines. Without the Republic's resupply efforts, the Republic and resistance forces lost ground to the droid army and became trapped in the cliffs where the refugee village was located.

The grim situation challenged Syndulla's faith in the Grand Army of the Republic, and it appeared that the resistance's survival was in jeopardy. Syndulla felt betrayed by these developments; he and his people had been promised Republic assistance, which never materialized. Di, however, devised a plan to save the refugees and the resistance fighters. They would use their remaining gunship as a bomb to collapse a nearby pass, isolating the Separatists from the resistance fighters and their families. After collapsing the pass, Di and Keeli would cover the Twi'lek retreat.

With the plan set in motion, Syndulla and Glie prepared their forces and families for evacuation, while the Republic initiated their diversion. Syndulla successfully led his people to safety, but Di and Keeli were killed while providing cover for the resistance. Their sacrifice was not in vain; the Twi'lek Resistance survived to fight another day, and the Republic, with the aid of Senator Bail Organa from Alderaan and King Katuunko of Toydaria, managed to send resupply ships through the Separatist blockade. This allowed the resistance fighters and their people to obtain the vital food and medical supplies they desperately needed.

Following their escape, the resistance forces continued to engage the Separatist Droid Army, hoping to liberate Ryloth, although Syndulla had lost all desire for assistance from the Republic, which had previously failed them. The Separatists pursued Syndulla's forces and massacred many Twi'leks, leaving the plains of Ryloth littered with the bodies of those who opposed them. The freedom fighters established underground refugee camps, maintaining them while engaging droid patrols.

Despite their initial setbacks, the Republic launched a major offensive to reclaim Ryloth from Wat Tambor and the Separatists, achieving several victories against the Droid Army. Jedi General Mace Windu traveled to Ryloth with the intention of capturing the capital city of Lessu City from the droids, but the Republic suffered losses in a failed attempt to retake the capital. Windu sought out Syndulla in the plains, where the general surrounded the Jedi. Windu explained that he and his forces, including ARF troopers Stak and Razor, had come to enlist Syndulla's help in liberating Ryloth. Syndulla brought the Jedi to his camp, where he found that Glie had been injured and urged him to tend to his wounds so he could return to the fight. After seeing to his friend, Syndulla offered Windu food and drink. Supplies were short, but Syndulla honored the traditions of Twi'lek hospitality.

Syndulla was hesitant to trust Windu for several reasons. Not only had the Republic abandoned Ryloth once before, but Syndulla also worried about the aftermath of Ryloth's liberation. In his view, a Republic military presence on Ryloth, supported by Senator Taa, would simply be another form of armed occupation, preventing Ryloth from truly being free. However, upon learning that the Separatists had begun bombing Twi'lek villages, Syndulla agreed to speak with the senator. Despite the tense and argumentative nature of their conversation, Windu kept them focused on the immediate issue. As they spoke, Jedi General Anakin Skywalker reported that his clone forces were engaging the Separatists who were bombing the Twi'lek villages. Syndulla and Taa realized that Tambor knew his defeat was imminent and was choosing to destroy everything he could not keep. To overcome their differences, Taa promised that the Grand Army of the Republic would not occupy Ryloth, and Syndulla agreed that he would not seek political power. With these promises, Syndulla officially allied with the Republic and rallied his freedom fighters to complete the fight against the Separatists.

Gaining access to the capital city proved particularly challenging, as the only entry point was a plasma bridge controlled from within the city. To make matters worse, Tambor had moved the city's population to the exterior of the city, preventing the Republic from launching a direct attack due to the risk of civilian casualties. However, the allied forces soon discovered a way in when the resistance located Separatist Multi-Troop Transports traveling along a cliff overlooking the city. Syndulla informed Windu about the transports and their cargo of treasures for Emir Tambor. Windu, Stak, and Razor infiltrated one of the transports and crossed the bridge, while Syndulla and his forces engaged the Separatists to allow Windu time to activate the plasma bridge.

Once the bridge was activated, Syndulla led the charge into Lessu, where the resistance fought against the Droid Army. Meanwhile, Windu captured Emir Tambor. Upon Tambor's capture, the leader of the Separatists, the Sith Lord Count Dooku, ordered Separatist bombers to destroy the city. However, the arrival of General Skywalker and his Padawan, Commander Ahsoka Tano, flying Jedi starfighters, saved the city. With the capital secured, Tambor formally surrendered to Syndulla, and the resistance leader thanked General Windu for his assistance. Later, he joined Windu and Senator Taa to watch a parade celebrating the liberation of Ryloth. The liberation of Ryloth and Syndulla's leadership of the resistance were commemorated in songs celebrating the Battle of Lessu.

The liberation of Ryloth proved to be short-lived. At the end of the Clone Wars, Chancellor Palpatine—secretly Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith—transformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Ryloth fell under Imperial Military occupation, and its resources were exploited. Despite his fears about the Republic being realized, Syndulla still held the Jedi in high regard. He shared stories with Hera about the Jedi's role in the Clone Wars and remained fond of Jedi Master Windu, who was killed during the fall of the Jedi Order at the end of the war.

Despite his concerns, Syndulla initially hoped to support the Imperial presence on Ryloth, wishing for his daughter to grow up in peace rather than another war. While his friend Captain Howzer, a clone trooper who had transitioned into Imperial service, agreed with this viewpoint, Gobi Glie began establishing a resistance effort. Nevertheless, during a public gathering with Senator Taa, Syndulla attempted to reassure the public about the Empire. However, Taa later informed Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart about Syndulla's influence over the public, and Hera was captured by Imperial forces for assisting Glie's resistance. Syndulla, his wife Eleni, and several soldiers raided the Imperial convoy to rescue her, Glie, and his soldiers. However, Imperial Commander CT-9904 "Crosshair" shot Taa, giving the Empire the chance to frame Syndulla for the act.

Syndulla and his family were rescued by Clone Force 99, a group of rogue clones working as mercenaries. Howzer also assisted in their escape, agreeing with Syndulla that the Empire's actions were wrong before attempting to reason with his squad. In response to the Imperial occupation, Syndulla officially organized and led the Free Ryloth Movement to liberate his homeworld.

At some point during the resistance against the Empire, Eleni was killed. Her death caused Syndulla to devote himself entirely to the cause of his rebellion, prioritizing the liberation of Ryloth as his most important duty. This created tension in his relationship with Hera, who felt that her father cared only about his mission. Unlike her father, who believed only in fighting for the liberation of the Twi'leks, Hera hoped to liberate the entire galaxy from the Empire. She left Ryloth and set out to organize her own rebel movement, which would eventually become part of a larger rebellion against the Empire. Despite the strain in their relationship, Syndulla was heartbroken when his daughter left Ryloth. The two did not speak for several years, although Syndulla heard stories about Hera's rebel crew, including the Jedi Kanan Jarrus. She also regarded her father as her greatest inspiration; although her father believed her mother taught her to be a dreamer, Hera said it was her father who taught her how to be a leader.

During the time of the Empire, Syndulla became known as "the liberator of Ryloth." His tactics for defeating the Separatists were taught at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore, and Syndulla took pride in the fact that the Empire had not yet figured out how to defeat him. Syndulla also claimed responsibility for an explosion at a reservoir near Kala'uun that washed an Imperial hover-train away.

By 14 BBY, Cham had risen to the position of leader within the Free Ryloth Movement, which was actively engaged in a guerrilla war against the Imperial protectorate and the puppet Senator Orn Free Taa. Under Cham's guidance, the Free Ryloth rebels established an extensive network comprising informants, concealed bases, and secure storehouses. They initiated raids targeting Imperial forces and disrupted Ryloth's spice trade operations. Cham received assistance from an unexpected source: the Imperial Colonel Belkor Dray, who provided the Free Ryloth movement with crucial intelligence to undermine his superior, Moff Delian Mors.

Following the loss of his friend Pok and his team during a mission aimed at hijacking an Imperial weapons shipment at Yaga Minor, Cham resolved to seek retribution against Darth Vader and the Emperor for the tragic deaths of his comrades. An opportunity to strike against the Sith leadership presented itself when Cham received intelligence indicating that the Emperor and Vader intended to travel to Ryloth, accompanied by Senator Orn Free Taa and his entourage. Cham promptly informed his lieutenant Isval of this development, and together they decided to contact Belkor to verify that this was not a carefully orchestrated trap. Cham harbored a strong desire to eliminate Vader and Sidious, believing that doing so would bring an end to the oppressive Empire.

Later that same night, Cham and Belkor convened secretly within Ryloth's intricate cave network. Cham quickly ascertained that Belkor was unaware of the Emperor and Vader's impending visit, leading him to conclude that it was safe to proceed with the mission. When Belkor threatened to terminate their clandestine relationship by leaking a datadisk containing sensitive information about the Free Ryloth movement's bases and leadership in the event of his demise, Cham swiftly put him in his place by threatening to disclose all their recorded communications to the Imperial authorities, thereby exposing Belkor as a traitor. Ultimately, Belkor reluctantly agreed to continue providing intelligence to Cham's rebels in exchange for Cham's promise to exploit Taa's assassination to discredit Moff Delian.

Over the subsequent nine days, Cham, along with his trusted lieutenants Gobi Glie, Xira, and Kallon, meticulously prepared an elaborate trap for the Emperor's Imperial Star Destroyer, aptly named Perilous. This trap included the deployment of space mines and a swarm of repurposed Separatist vulture droids. As the Perilous entered the Ryloth system, Cham initiated the first wave of mines, which inflicted substantial damage upon the Star Destroyer. In response, Vader deployed V-wing starfighters to counter the mines. Cham then detonated a second wave of mines, effectively draining the Perilous's shields. Gobi subsequently deployed the Vulture droids, laden with their deadly buzz droids cargo, which proceeded to wreak havoc on the Perilous.

Cham then launched his third and final attack wave, which involved coercing Belkor into dispatching Twi'lek repair crews to board the beleaguered ship. The Free Ryloth movement had successfully infiltrated three teams of operatives among the repair crew, including one led by the intrepid Isval. When Belkor threatened to withdraw from Cham's conspiracy, the Twi'lek rebel leader retorted by threatening to expose his dealings with the rebels to the Empire. Despite the valiant efforts of the Free Ryloth boarders, Vader and the Emperor managed to escape in a shuttle to Ryloth's equatorial forest just moments before the Perilous succumbed to its wounds and exploded in space.

While Isval and her team continued their relentless pursuit of the elusive Sith Lords, Cham deployed two dozen droid tri-fighters to harass the Imperial V-wings. He then compelled Belkor to transmit the ship identification codes of both the Emperor's shuttle and Moff Delian's vessel. Isval's commandeered ship and the Emperor's shuttle both crash-landed following a brief but intense dogfight. Cham maintained constant communication with Isval and her team of hunters. Following the catastrophic destruction of the Perilous, Cham and his surviving Free Ryloth forces retreated to the shadowed side of Ryloth to strategize the next phases of their daring operation. Despite having depleted the majority of his forces in the audacious takedown of the Perilous, Cham solemnly vowed to press on with his mission to assassinate the Emperor and Darth Vader.

After consulting with Isval, Cham instructed Belkor to permit Isval's escort ship to launch an attack on the Equatorial Communications Hub with the intention of creating a communications blackout, thereby hindering the Imperial rescue efforts. In return, Belkor successfully persuaded Cham to transmit the trajectory of Delian's ship, allowing him to eliminate his rival. Following the implementation of the communications blackout, Cham maintained close contact with his rebel operatives as they meticulously scoured Ryloth's treacherous equatorial forests in search of the elusive Sith Lords. Cham operated from a shuttle, which served as his mobile headquarters. However, Vader and the Emperor, along with their surviving royal guards, proved to be exceptionally resourceful and adept at evading both the rebels and the perilous fauna that inhabited the region.

Later that evening, Cham received word from Isval that the Sith Lords had survived the crash of their vessel on Isval. Having re-established communications with Belkor, Cham instructed him to get rid of Moff Delian by informing the Imperial forces searching for the Sith Lords that Delian was a traitor and that her ship should be destroyed immediately upon sighting. Furthermore, the pair colluded to order the Imperial V-wings to bombard the Emperor and Vader once they were located. After discovering that the Sith Lords had decimated a complete lylek hive, Cham gave his troops the order to avoid direct confrontation with either Vader or the Emperor.

Eventually, Cham and his fellow rebels tracked the Emperor and Vader to a secluded Twi'lek village. Concurrently, Moff Delian managed to convince the Imperial forces that Belkor, not herself, was the traitor, causing Cham and Belkor's schemes to fall apart. She also reversed Belkor's orders to attack the village, instead transmitting their coordinates to her. As the Free Ryloth forces moved towards the quarry just outside the village, Cham commanded his lieutenant Kallon to begin an evacuation into the mountains, anticipating an Imperial crackdown on Ryloth should the mission fail. He also instructed the Free Ryloth movement to scatter into their individual cells.

Before the assault on the Twi'lek village commenced, Cham instructed his men to fire warning shots, giving the civilians a chance to retreat into the mine shaft. Cham then commanded Belkor to have the V-wings strike the village, unaware that Delian had already regained control of Belkor's forces. After Delian's V-wings obliterated Belkor's recon ship, Cham understood that his plan was beginning to fail. Still determined to eliminate the Sith Lords, Cham ordered his forces to storm the village. However, Delian's stormtrooper reinforcements, arriving in two ships, outflanked them. From their vantage point, Cham and his men fired at Vader and the Emperor.

However, their blaster fire missed its intended targets. Vader then scaled the quarry and began pursuing Cham and his fighters. Cham and his comrades managed to escape, but Isval remained behind to delay Darth Vader. Subsequently, Isval was captured and executed by the Sith Lords, along with the remaining Free Ryloth soldiers and the villagers. Despite this setback, Cham found solace in the knowledge that his daughter, Hera Syndulla, was still alive.

After years of separation from his daughter, Hera unexpectedly contacted Cham via hologram. Hera and her fellow rebels sought to commandeer an Imperial Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier to provide a secure haven for the rebellion's Phoenix Squadron, who piloted A-wing starfighters. This very cruiser-carrier was in orbit above Ryloth and housed multiple TIE/sa bombers that frequently bombarded Ryloth. Seeing an opportunity to destroy the Imperial cruiser-carrier, Cham, accompanied by two of his followers, Numa and Gobi, traveled aboard a Nu-class transport to meet Hera's starship, the Ghost, in deep space.

After exchanging greetings with Hera and her crew, Cham and Hera got down to business. During a briefing, his daughter suggested hijacking and stealing the Imperial cruiser-carrier. Her plan involved using a stolen TIE bomber to infiltrate the Imperial warship. Cham disagreed with Hera, as he wanted to destroy the Imperial warship to demonstrate the power of the Free Ryloth movement. His daughter countered by saying that if they had the means, her father would have already destroyed the starship. Since that wasn't the case, Hera urged her father to compromise and work with fellow rebels for a change. After Hera's lover, Kanan, supported her, Cham reluctantly agreed to support Hera's plan but nodded to Numa and Gobi.

Following the briefing, Cham visited Hera for a private conversation. Cham recognized Hera's astromech droid Chopper as the same droid she had rescued during the Battle of Ryloth. Still unhappy with his daughter's choices, Cham scolded Hera for not dedicating her life to freeing Ryloth and dismissed Chopper as a "second rate junkpile," provoking an angry reaction from both. Hera responded by reiterating that the rebellion was fighting for everyone's freedom, including Ryloth. Before storming out of the room, Cham remarked that outsiders could not be trusted and emphasized that Ryloth was his most important cause.

On their way to Ryloth, Cham and his followers made themselves agreeable to Hera's crew. Cham entertained Kanan with stories of his exploits during the Battle of Lessu, including his attack on the plasma bridge. Unbeknownst to the Spectres, this was simply a facade for Cham to proceed with his original plan: destroying the Imperial cruiser-carrier. After exiting hyperspace, the two rebel factions left Cham's shuttle and boarded Hera's stolen TIE bomber. Hera managed to trick the Imperials into allowing their bomber to land by arranging for two A-wing fighters to attack the bomber.

Once aboard the cruiser-carrier, Cham and his followers initiated their true plan. While Numa and Gobi stunned Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, and Garazeb Orrelios, Cham knocked out Kanan and Chopper before handcuffing Hera to the cockpit to prevent her from interfering with their mission. Cham and his followers then overpowered an Imperial officer and a stormtrooper patrol that had been dispatched to the hangar bay. While Numa and Gobi proceeded to the munitions racks to plant their detonators, Cham moved to disable the ship's hyperdrive.

After disabling the hyperdrive's couplings on the third and fourth generators, Cham headed to the bridge to confront the captain and crew. However, Hera and the Spectres had already freed themselves and captured Numa and Gobi. With both sides at an impasse, Cham and Hera began to argue. Following a lengthy discussion, Hera managed to win her father over by telling Cham how he had inspired her to join the rebellion. Upon learning that the Empire had gathered reinforcements to retake the cruiser-carrier, Cham and his fellow Ryloth rebels decided to join forces with the Spectres in resisting the Empire.

When several TIE bombers damaged the cruiser-carrier's stabilizers, Cham and Hera worked together to stabilize the ship. After instructing Chopper on how to repair the ship's hyperdrive, Cham helped the other Spectres destroy an approaching Imperial light cruiser by pushing a TIE bomber adrift into space. Cham then fired upon the bomber, causing an explosion that engulfed the nearby light cruiser. Having eliminated the Imperial forces, Cham and the Spectres took the cruiser into hyperspace.

By working together, the Ryloth and Spectres succeeded in galvanizing Twi'lek resistance against the Empire. With more Twi'leks joining the resistance, Cham reconciled with his daughter, praising her for sharing his wife's leadership qualities. After bidding their rebel allies farewell, Cham and his followers departed into space on their Nu-class transport.

After the events above Ryloth, the Free Ryloth movement developed closer ties with Hera's rebel cell and the wider rebellion. Two years before the Battle of Yavin, a new Imperial commander, Grand Admiral Thrawn, was dispatched to Ryloth. By studying Twi'lek culture, art, history, and philosophy, Thrawn was able to devise effective counterinsurgency tactics, leading to the Imperial occupation of Tann Province, the Syndulla clan's homeland. Cham was forced to flee his family home, leaving behind numerous artifacts, including his late wife's Kalikori heirloom.

Cham and Numa rode blurrgs to meet his daughter Hera, who was on a supply run. However, they were pursued by multiple scout troopers on speeder bikes and an Imperial Troop Transport. Hera arrived with the Ghost and managed to scatter the Imperial forces. Cham and Numa, along with their blurrgs, escaped aboard the Ghost. One of the scout troopers attempted to follow them but was knocked out, and his armor was stolen by the Spectres. Once aboard, Cham informed his daughter about the plight of the Free Ryloth movement.

When Hera vowed to recover the Kalikori, Cham, along with Numa, Gobi, and the Spectres, volunteered to help. As part of the plan, Cham, the Ryloth rebels, Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb staged a diversionary attack on Imperial forces in Tulara Ravine while Hera, Ezra, and Chopper infiltrated the Syndulla household. Despite destroying a troop transport and an AT-DP walker, the rebels could not stop the advance of a second AT-DP walker, which managed to blast through rock. Later, the rebels were contacted by Thrawn's subordinate, Captain Slavin, who issued an ultimatum. Slavin offered to spare the lives of Hera and Ezra if Cham surrendered to the Empire. If not, he threatened to execute the prisoners.

Despite Gobi's pleas, Cham reluctantly complied out of fatherly love for his daughter. He traveled with the other rebels aboard the Ghost to Syndulla house to surrender. However, Hera and Chopper had devised an escape plan that involved setting off bombs throughout the house. Despite his shock at the sudden destruction of their home, Cham, Hera, Ezra, and Chopper took advantage of the resulting chaos to escape aboard the Ghost. Thrawn allowed the rebels to escape because he believed they had earned their victory. Back aboard the Ghost, Cham apologized for underestimating his daughter and emphasized his love for her. Despite failing to recover the Kalikori from Thrawn, Hera realized that her father and her crew were her true family and home.

By 1 BBY, Cham had become a grandfather with the birth of Hera's son Jacen. Eventually, Ryloth was liberated from Imperial rule in 5 ABY, when the Empire abandoned its bases on the planet. Tekku Aylay, an elderly Twi'lek male, thanked Cham, the Twi'lek resistance, and individuals such as Yendor for freeing their homeworld.

Cham Syndulla was a political revolutionary who opposed corruption and dedicated his life to fighting for Ryloth's freedom. He was considered an extremist by the establishment Senator Orn Free Taa. While he distrusted the Jedi and the Galactic Republic, Cham came to respect the Jedi for their role in liberating Ryloth from a Separatist invasion led by Emir Wat Tambor. Despite the food shortages during the Clone Wars, Cham still upheld the tradition of hospitality and offered Master Windu food. Cham's respect for Master Windu continued years after Ryloth's liberation. Cham was a brave fighter who often led his men into combat. His leadership earned him the nickname "The Hammer of Ryloth," a title that also referred to the Battle of Ryloth itself.

Although Cham's suspicions about the Republic proved correct when it transformed into the Empire after the Clone Wars, Syndulla continued to respect the Jedi. Cham shared stories with his daughter Hera about the Jedi's valor during the Clone Wars. As a patriot, Cham was solely focused on achieving Ryloth's freedom from outsiders. This caused him to neglect his daughter Hera, who found companionship in her astromech droid, Chopper. Despite their mutual love and respect, Cham and Hera later parted ways after disagreeing on whether Ryloth's freedom was connected to the galactic rebellion against the Empire. Following the Empire's betrayal, Cham became a more ruthless and cold leader, showing little concern for the struggles of other planets under the Empire's rule. He believed Ryloth had suffered disproportionately under the Separatist and now Imperial occupation.

As the leader of the Free Ryloth movement, Cham was prepared to use violence to achieve Ryloth's freedom from Imperial rule. Despite his distrust of offworlders, Cham was still willing to work with the Imperial Colonel Belkor Dray, who provided Cham with information on the Empire to discredit his boss, Moff Delian Mors, and advance his own career. Cham knew that Belkor was untrustworthy since he was helping them for his own selfish reasons. Therefore, Cham recorded all of his meetings with Belkor to blackmail the colonel if he betrayed them to his Imperial superiors.

Cham cared for his followers and sought to avenge the death of his lieutenant, Pok, at the hands of Darth Vader. After learning that the Emperor and Darth Vader were visiting Ryloth on a surprise trip, Cham orchestrated a trap for the two Sith Lords and their Star Destroyer, Perilous. Despite his meticulous planning, Cham underestimated the resourcefulness and bold cunning of his Sith adversaries. As a military commander, Cham also took measures to protect his rebel movement by dispersing them into hiding. Despite missing his opportunity to kill the Sith Lords and overthrow the Empire, Cham never abandoned his commitment to the rebel cause. While ruthless in combat, Cham was unwilling to endanger civilians and took precautions to evacuate them before the fighting.

Following his unsuccessful attack on Palpatine and before his reunion with Hera, Syndulla became more weathered. Despite his distrust of the rebellion, Cham and his followers Gobi and Numa were willing to assist his daughter Hera and her rebel cell in taking out an Imperial fighter carrier that had been bombing Ryloth. Disagreeing with Hera's plans to steal the fighter instead of destroying it, Cham used his charm and guile to make the rebels feel comfortable and lower their guard. Cham and his followers then proceeded with their plan to destroy the fighter carrier. However, Hera managed to sway him over by telling him that he had inspired her to join the rebellion. As a result of their joint effort, Cham and his followers became more sympathetic to the rebellion.

Despite his skills as a guerrilla commander, Cham underestimated the capabilities of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who led the pacification of Tann province. Cham's love for his daughter Hera later led him to assist her in a plan to recover a family artifact, the Kalikori, from Thrawn. Thrawn and Captain Slavin attempted to exploit his love for his daughter by forcing Cham to surrender himself in exchange for sparing the lives of Hera and her rebel comrade Ezra Bridger. Although Hera destroyed their ancestral home during an escape attempt, he still respected her for her ingenuity and creativity.

Cham Syndulla was a dedicated revolutionary and skilled military leader. He possessed expertise in riding blurrgs and wielding blasters and other weaponry. A proficient leader and compelling speaker, Syndulla delivered inspiring and passionate speeches that motivated his people to fight for their freedom. Syndulla organized the Free Ryloth movement into a well-organized fighting force supported by a network of informants, supply bases, and storage facilities. Despite facing superior firepower, Cham was a resourceful commander who excelled at setting ambushes. On one occasion, he employed space mines, vulture droids, and disguised fighters to attack an Imperial Star Destroyer. Cham was also adept at planning military operations and knew when to retreat.

Cham was a capable warrior who frequently participated in combat. He also possessed sufficient knowledge of starships to disable their hyperdrives. While zealous in his objectives, Cham was also capable of listening to reason and collaborating effectively. Cham was also skilled at outmaneuvering pursuers while riding his blurrg.

Cham Syndulla made his first appearance in the 2009 Star Wars The Clone Wars episode "Liberty on Ryloth," where Robin Atkin Downes provided his voice. Henry Gilroy, one of the episode's writers, explained in an interview with the Aggressive Negotiations podcast that the character's first and last names were derived from the words "charm" and "sin," respectively. This was done to suggest that Syndulla could be either a protagonist or an antagonist.