During the Galactic Empire's dominance, Cham Syndulla, a Twi'lek, spearheaded a resistance group known as the Free Ryloth Movement (FRM). Their objective was to liberate their planet of origin, Ryloth, from Imperial control through armed conflict. The FRM later collaborated with the Spectres to eliminate a Quasar Fire-class cruiser carrier that was unleashing bombardments upon Ryloth. The FRM eventually caught the attention of Grand Admiral Thrawn, an Imperial strategist who studied Twi'lek culture, art, and philosophy to create strategies that resulted in the collapse of Tann Province.
The Free Ryloth Movement was essentially a guerrilla army, with [Cham Syndulla](/article/cham_syndulla], the former leader of the Twi'lek Resistance, at its helm. This organization was composed of hundreds of guerrilla fighters personally recruited and trained by Cham. While predominantly Twi'lek, the FRM also included members of other species. Furthermore, the FRM had a widespread network of contacts and informants throughout the Ryloth system, along with several secret bases and stockpiles of resources. Given the Galactic Empire's superior numbers and military garrison strength, the FRM primarily employed hit-and-run guerrilla tactics. In addition, FRM operatives were known to seize Imperial weapon shipments and freighters from distant locations like the Yaga Minor shipyards. Some of the known military assets in the FRM's arsenal included space mines, vulture droids, rocket launchers, and blurrg mounts.
The Free Ryloth Movement emerged shortly after the establishment of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY. Former members of the Twi'lek Resistance, including Gobi Glie, a trusted lieutenant of General Cham Syndulla, harbored suspicions regarding the new galactic government's intentions. These suspicions arose partly from the failure of the Empire's predecessor, the Galactic Republic, to honor its commitment to withdraw Republic Military forces from Ryloth following the conclusion of the Clone Wars. Initially, Cham, weary of war and desiring a different life for his daughter Hera, cooperated with the Empire, believing that his vision of a free and secure Ryloth was within reach. However, Glie was not alone in his distrust of the Empire; Cham's wife, Eleni, secretly began gathering intelligence on the Empire's activities on Ryloth, which were shrouded in secrecy.
The Empire's refusal to leave Ryloth stemmed from the planet's valuable spice resources. Imperial forces occupied the planet and established a protectorate. While Ryloth maintained nominal independence and representation in the Imperial Senate through the collaborationist Senator Orn Free Taa, the Empire exerted significant control. In response, Cham established the Free Ryloth Movement to reclaim his planet's autonomy through armed resistance.
By 14 BBY, the Free Ryloth Movement had evolved into a well-equipped and highly motivated resistance army, supported by an extensive network of informants, secret bases, and supply depots. The rebels launched several raids against Imperial forces, resulting in the deaths of numerous Imperial military personnel on Ryloth and disrupting the planet's spice trade. Cham's efforts were aided by Colonel Belkor Dray, an ambitious Imperial officer who provided intelligence to Cham in an attempt to discredit the ruling Moff Delian Mors. Cham's subordinates included Pok and Isval; Pok was responsible for stealing Imperial ships and equipment, while Isval recruited Twi'lek escorts into the movement and carried out assaults on Imperial personnel.
Following Pok's death at the hands of Emperor Palpatine's enforcer, Darth Vader, during an attempt to escape with a stolen shipment of weapons from the Yaga Minor shipyards, Cham decided to escalate the Free Ryloth Movement's actions against the Empire. Recognizing the growing threat posed by the rebels, the Emperor organized a visit to Ryloth, accompanied by Vader, Taa, and his staff. The delegation traveled aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Perilous. As planned, a Free Ryloth operative within Taa's staff leaked information about the upcoming visit to Cham. The rebel leader saw this as an ideal opportunity to strike a significant blow against the Empire and potentially destabilize its leadership.
Without revealing the full scope of the mission, Cham sought Belkor's assistance. Both agreed to exploit the Free Ryloth attack to undermine Mors. Implementing their plan, the Free Ryloth Movement deployed space mines around Ryloth. As anticipated, the Perilous struck the mines and sustained damage. From his secure base, Cham dispatched vulture droids to attack the Star Destroyer. After weakening the Star Destroyer, Belkor arranged for hundreds of Free Ryloth operatives, including Isval, to board the vessel disguised as maintenance personnel. The Free Ryloth boarders inflicted significant damage on the Perilous and eliminated numerous Imperial personnel. However, they were unable to prevent Palpatine and Vader from escaping in a shuttle.
The Free Ryloth operatives pursued the two Sith Lords, but they were unable to prevent their escape into Ryloth's equatorial forest. Mors dispatched Imperial forces to rescue the Sith Lords. While participating in the rescue operation, Dray leaked information to Cham and arranged for Isval's team to bomb the Imperial Equatorial Communications Hub, disabling its main satellite and causing a communications blackout. To further confuse the Imperials, Dray spread disinformation, claiming that Mors was a traitor. Isval and Cham led teams of Free Ryloth fighters in pursuit of the two Sith Lords and their remaining Royal Guards, braving dangerous predators such as gutkurrs and lyleks. After the two Sith Lords decimated an entire hive of lyleks, the Free Ryloth forces tracked their targets to a remote village inhabited by former slaves.
Meanwhile, Mors uncovered Dray's treachery and regained control of the Imperial forces involved in the rescue. In an attempt to conceal his connections to Cham, Dray ordered V-wing fighters to bomb both Cham's forces and the Twi'lek village where the Sith Lords were hiding. However, Mors ordered the V-wings to shoot down Dray's ship. Dray's death deprived Cham of his spy within the Imperial government. Nevertheless, Cham and Isval proceeded with their assault on the village. However, Mors's forces arrived in time to rescue the Emperor and Vader, who proved to be formidable opponents for the Twi'leks. The Free Ryloth forces suffered heavy losses that day, and Cham was forced to retreat. Under the Emperor's orders, Vader executed Isval, the Free Ryloth prisoners, and the entire village to eliminate any survivors.
More than a year after this event, members of the Empire, including Moff Delian Mors, believed that the Free Ryloth Movement had been crushed and destroyed by the Emperor himself during that attack.
By 3 BBY, the Free Ryloth Movement continued its insurgency against the Empire. In response, Imperial forces deployed a Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier to Ryloth. The carrier was used to house TIE bombers that conducted bombing runs against the Free Ryloth Movement. This significantly weakened Cham's rebel forces and lowered their spirits. Cham received unexpected assistance from his daughter Hera, who had joined the growing Rebellion as a captain in Phoenix Squadron. Father and daughter had previously disagreed about the Free Ryloth Movement's role in the Rebellion. While Cham's primary concern was Ryloth's liberation, Hera believed that their homeworld's freedom was linked to the larger galactic-wide Rebellion against the Empire. Unable to reconcile their differences, Hera had left Ryloth with her astromech droid Chopper and become the leader of the Spectres, a small cell aligned with Phoenix Cell.
Cham and his followers, Gobi and Numa, met with Hera and her team aboard the VCX-100 light freighter Ghost. While Cham initially wanted to destroy the Imperial carrier to demonstrate the Free Ryloth Movement's strength, Hera convinced him to help them steal it for the Phoenix rebels, who needed a new carrier for their starfighters. Cham reluctantly agreed to help, and the two rebel teams managed to board the ship using a stolen TIE bomber. However, once aboard, Cham and his team stunned Hera and her rebels. The Free Ryloth rebels then proceeded with their original plan to destroy the carrier. However, Hera and her team managed to escape their restraints. After Sabine Wren and Garazeb Orrelios captured and disarmed Glie and Numa in the munitions rack, Hera persuaded her father to set aside their differences and work together.
After father and daughter reconciled, the Free Ryloth rebels and Hera's crew cooperated to prevent the Imperials from retaking the carrier. During the battle, the two rebel groups also managed to shoot down an Arquitens-class command cruiser. The sight of the burning light cruiser plummeting into Ryloth's atmosphere was witnessed by many Twi'leks, which boosted the morale of the Free Ryloth Movement and its supporters. The joint effort in stealing the carrier led Cham to forge a relationship with Hera's rebel cell and the wider rebellion. As a result, the Free Ryloth Movement gained new allies in the form of the rebellion.
In 2 BBY, a new Imperial commander, Grand Admiral Thrawn, was sent to Ryloth. The Chiss Imperial officer studied the Twi'lek species' art, culture, philosophy, and history, which allowed him to develop effective strategies against the Free Ryloth rebels. Working with Captain Slavin, Thrawn drove the Free Ryloth forces out of the Tann Province, the ancestral home of the Syndulla clan. Cham was forced to abandon his family home and leave behind valuable heirlooms, including their family Kalikori. While Hera and the Ghost crew were on a supply run, they learned about the Imperial advances in the Tann Province.
Cham, along with Numa and Glie, joined forces with Hera's cell in a mission to retrieve the Kalikori from the Imperials. While Hera, Ezra Bridger, and Chopper went to the Syndulla house, Cham, Numa, Glie, and the other Spectres attacked Imperial forces in a nearby ravine. Hera and Bridger were captured by Thrawn, who added the Kalikori to his art collection. Thrawn then passed command to Slavin, who contacted Cham and offered to release his daughter and Bridger if he surrendered himself to the Empire. Secretly, Slavin planned to capture all of the rebels. However, Hera thwarted Slavin's plan by using Chopper to plant explosives throughout her own home. The two rebel cells then used the chaos to escape in the Ghost. Thrawn was impressed by his opponents' ingenuity and chose not to shoot them down, believing that they had earned their victory.
During the Pasa Novo campaign, the Free Ryloth Campaign provided some of its tacticians, including master strategist Kaasha Bateen, to assist its allies at Pasa Novo. There, Bateen encountered smuggler Landonis Balthazar Calrissian, for whom she developed feelings. Bateen later participated in the Battle on Baltro, where she saw Calrissian again.
By 5 ABY, Imperial forces had abandoned all of their bases on Ryloth due to a series of defeats against the New Republic, the government formed by the Rebel Alliance. Free Ryloth rebels viewed the Imperial retreat as a validation of Cham's long struggle against the Empire. The rebel fighter Yendor Brethen became Ryloth's emissary to the New Republic. Ryloth subsequently gained independence but maintained relations with the New Republic. Brethen also went on to lead the Ryloth Defense Authority, a Ryloth militia group that was philosophically descended from the Free Ryloth Movement. When the First Order posed a threat to the galaxy at the start of a new war, the RDA found itself fighting against the regime during a new battle of Ryloth, similar to how the FRM had fought against the Empire.
The Free Ryloth Movement made its debut in Paul S. Kemp's 2015 novel Lords of the Sith.