During the Galactic Civil War in 3 ABY, the Rebel Alliance created Flying Bantha Squadron. This four-member unit was a response to intelligence indicating that the Galactic Empire had amassed a massive secret armada. The purpose of this armada was to transport the teezl, a powerful organic hyperspace communications amplifier, to the Imperial capital. The Rebels feared that installing the teezl at the heart of the Empire's infrastructure would ensure their defeat. Given the armada's immense size, a direct assault was deemed too risky. Instead, the Alliance devised a plan, called Operation Earplug, to infiltrate the Imperial forces through deception. Flying Bantha Squadron was equipped with four Imperial TIE fighters, which had been rebuilt and modified after being acquired from Orion Ferret, a black market arms dealer.

The four starfighters were transported to the Alliance's main base on Arbra. There, they underwent extensive modifications under the supervision of Captain Hanc Thorben. To pilot these fighters, the Alliance selected four members from the elite Rogue Squadron: Commander Luke Skywalker, Lieutenant Shira Brie, Alph, and Captain Thorben. Flying Bantha Squadron's initial sortie targeted the remote Imperial outpost on Spindrift. This mission served two purposes: to confirm that the disguised TIEs could effectively deceive the Empire, and to obtain the route coordinates of the teezl's convoy.

With these preparations complete, Flying Bantha Squadron was ready to directly attack the teezl. After capturing and interrogating Milnn, an Imperial scout pilot, the Flying Banthas obtained the passcodes required to enter the armada's formation. Once in position, they launched a surprise attack from within, catching the armada completely off guard. The sight of TIE fighters attacking Imperial vessels caused utter confusion. Major Voss, a Star Destroyer commander, ordered his crew to fire indiscriminately, resulting in complete chaos. Admiral Mils Giel attempted to disrupt the Rebels' strategy by ordering the teezl to jam all frequencies except those used by the Imperial war band, which prevented the Rebels from communicating and distinguishing friend from foe. Alph was killed during the assault on Giel's flagship, the location of the teezl's transport cage. Thorben was forced to retreat after his fighter sustained damage. With Brie also missing, Skywalker was left to attack Giel's ship alone. Relying on his connection to the Force, Skywalker reached his target and destroyed the teezl with a final, powerful laser blast, heavily damaging Giel's ship in the process.

Despite the success of Flying Bantha Squadron's mission, only Skywalker and Thorben returned to Arbra. Skywalker faced disgrace upon his return when an investigation of the battle records revealed that he had inadvertently destroyed Brie's TIE fighter just before attacking Giel's flagship. However, the Rebels eventually discovered that Brie was an Imperial double agent, clearing Skywalker's name.

Flying Bantha Squadron, led by flight commander Luke Skywalker, was assembled from the elite ranks of Rogue Squadron. The Rebel Alliance hoped that this highly skilled team would be capable of neutralizing what they considered to be a critical threat to their war efforts. Skywalker, one of the Rebels' most celebrated heroes and a respected flight commander, led the squadron. His close friend, Shira Brie, was also highly regarded for her exceptional flying skills and combat abilities. Captain Hanc Thorben, another pilot in the squadron, oversaw the technical aspects of the group. His modifications to the Rebels' TIE fighters enabled the four-member squadron to successfully confront the largest armada in Imperial history, relying solely on deception and misdirection. Because the Empire did not anticipate Rebels flying their distinctive TIE starfighters, Flying Bantha Squadron consistently had the element of surprise, which they used to great effect.

Flying Bantha Squadron utilized four refitted TIE fighters that were originally reconstructed from salvaged parts acquired from battlefields by weapons dealer Orion Ferret. Once the Rebels obtained them, the fighters underwent significant modifications by a team of tech specialists under the direction of Captain Thorben. These modifications included the addition of a hyperdrive, navicomputer, and extra shielding, none of which were standard features on typical TIE fighters. Instead of installing the torpedo launcher module that Thorben initially considered, the Rebels rewired the fighters' laser cannons to fire only six shots, each with significantly increased power. This proved sufficient to destroy the teezl's holding chamber. The fighters' cockpits were also modified to include ejector seats as part of the process of adapting the area to interface with Rebel flight gear. Installed transceivers allowed the pilots to distinguish between friendly and enemy TIEs.

Luke Skywalker, the flight commander of Flying Bantha Squadron, had already established himself as one of the Rebels' most skilled pilots and greatest heroes. He was responsible for destroying the Death Star superweapon at the pivotal Battle of Yavin three years prior. Skywalker commanded the respect and admiration of his team and was the undisputed leader of Flying Bantha Squadron throughout Operation Earplug. His efforts culminated in the successful destruction of the teezl. As he had done at Yavin, Skywalker relied on his Force abilities to guide his actions and deliver the decisive blow.

Shira Brie was considered a rising star within the Rebel Alliance and one of its most promising young soldiers. She claimed to be from the planet Shalyvane and a survivor of Imperial atrocities. Brie quickly rose through the ranks, achieving the rank of Lieutenant and later Captain after the successful mission on Spindrift. She also developed a close personal relationship with Commander Skywalker. Brie was presumed dead after Skywalker unwittingly destroyed her starfighter during the attack on Admiral Giel's flagship. Skywalker fired on Brie because the Force indicated that the pilot of her TIE was an enemy. He was later vindicated when a mission to the Krake Data Vault revealed her to be an Imperial agent. Brie survived and later reappeared as Lumiya, the "Dark Lady of the Sith."

Captain Hanc Thorben, a skilled technician, was essential to the outfitting and formation of Flying Bantha Squadron. He oversaw the refitting and installation of the recovered TIE fighters. Thorben conceived of the technical modifications that enabled the modified TIEs to successfully infiltrate the secret armada. He also tested the starfighters himself as a member of Flying Bantha Squadron. Although Thorben sustained significant damage during the battle, forcing him to withdraw, he was one of only two Flying Banthas to return to Arbra at the end of the mission.

Alph, a Human male, was the final member of Flying Bantha Squadron. He was selected to pilot one of the group's TIE fighters during the raid on the secret armada. Alph was the only member of the squadron to die during the battle, killed when his TIE was struck by laser fire during the Empire's chaotic counterattack.

Flying Bantha Squadron was featured in two issues of the original Marvel Comics Star Wars comic book series in 1982. The issues were written by David Michelinie and illustrated by Walter Simonson.