The Lothal resistance group, operating on the planet of Lothal, was a rebel unit spearheaded by Ryder Azadi. This cell, led by Azadi, initiated a series of disruptive actions at the Imperial Armory Complex, the manufacturing hub for vehicles utilized by the Imperial Military. In that same period, Azadi's group allied with Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus, and Chopper – operatives dispatched by the Phoenix Cell – to gather vital data regarding Grand Admiral Thrawn's innovative TIE/d "Defender" Multi-Role Starfighter program. A year afterward, Azadi's resistance group collaborated with the Spectres to acquire intelligence concerning an updated version of the TIE Defender and a daring rebel attempt aimed at dismantling the Imperial Armory Complex. Following the Spectres' successful rescue of Hera Syndulla and the destruction of the Imperial Armory Complex, the Lothal resistance, alongside the Spectres, played a pivotal part in expelling the Empire from Lothal.
The resistance cell of Ryder Azadi included himself, the former farmer Morad Sumar and Marida Sumar, his spouse, along with Jho, an Ithorian bartender. Their specialty lay in the sabotage of Imperial vehicles as they were being produced at the Imperial Armory Complex within Lothal's Capital City. They were armed with blasters and rocket launchers. The cell possessed at least two landspeeders, including a V-35 Courier and a RGC-18 landspeeder. Ryder also possessed a UT-60D U-wing starfighter/support craft. Ryder's base of operations was situated at a stone circle located within the Lothal wilderness.
Following the theft of a prototype TIE/D Defender Elite, the Lothal resistance established a new headquarters at the Lothal cliff dwelling. This cliff dwelling was nestled within a mountainous and rugged terrain. The rebels also utilized a captured Mining Guild ore crawler as a defensive structure.
Ryder Azadi, previously the Governor of Lothal, escaped from an Imperial prison in 3 BBY. By 2 BBY, Ryder had established a resistance cell comprised of disgruntled individuals, including the Sumar couple and Jho. This group focused on sabotaging Imperial vehicles produced at the Imperial Armory Complex in Capital City. Their actions led to a surge in accidents among Imperial personnel, resulting in the Empire's failure in numerous missions and loss of personnel.
During that year, the Phoenix Cell, based at Atollon, received intelligence about the Empire's development of a new weapon at the Lothal Imperial factory. The Squadron dispatched Ezra Bridger, a former resident of Lothal, Kanan Jarrus, a survivor of the Great Jedi Purge, and Chopper, an astromech droid, to seek Ryder's assistance in dismantling the Imperial Armory Complex. Ryder collected Ezra's team in Capital City. Following an escape from an Imperial patrol, the rebels convened at Ryder's hidden stone circle. After discussing their strategy, Morad, employed as a safety inspector at the Imperial Armory Complex, agreed to guide Ezra's team into the factory to steal the plans.
In the meantime, Imperial High Command took notice of Ryder's cell's activities and dispatched Thrawn, the Chiss Grand Admiral, to investigate the defective vehicles and the "subversives" at the Imperial Armory Complex. After reprimanding the workers, Thrawn compelled Morad to demonstrate a 614-AvA speeder bike that he had personally inspected. During the demonstration, Morad was forced to operate the speeder bike at maximum speed. However, a fault in the engine system caused the bike to explode, resulting in Morad's death. Despite Morad's passing, Ezra and his team successfully stole the plans and escaped the factory with the assistance of Fulcrum, revealed to be Kallus, a disillusioned Agent from the Imperial Security Bureau.
Ryder and Marida launched an assault on the Imperial Armory Complex's east gate, facilitating Ezra and his team's escape. Back at the resistance base, the rebels transmitted the contents of Chopper's files to the Phoenix Squadron, which decrypted them. Consequently, Ryder and the other rebels discovered that Thrawn was developing a new prototype starfighter equipped with deflector shields. Subsequently, Ryder and other members of the resistance listened to a speech by Senator Mon Mothma, who called upon other cells to unite and join the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
The resistance subsequently planned an attack on the TIE/D Defender factories located on Lothal, with support from Commander Sato's Phoenix Squadron and General Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group. However, Ryder observed that the Seventh Fleet had departed Lothal. The resistance then lost contact with Atollon.
By a year later, the Empire initiated a crackdown on Lothal, resulting in Jho's death. The Empire seized Jho's bar, placing it under the management of Valen Rudor, a Baron. Ryder and Marida Sumar, however, managed to escape and alert the Rebel Alliance on Yavin 4 about the Empire's new TIE/D Defender Elite. After the Spectres infiltrated Lothal with assistance from Cikatro Vizago, a crime lord, Ryder and Marida successfully picked up the Spectres and their friend Jai Kell in their U-wing and transported them to their camp.
Ryder then assisted the Spectres in scouting a remote Imperial testing facility located in Lothal's wilderness. Ezra and Sabine Wren managed to steal the TIE/D Defender Elite. Despite being pursued by TIE Interceptors, they managed to crash-land in the wilderness and retrieve the ship's flight data recorder. Ryder and the other rebels retreated to their camp and were joined by Ezra and Sabine, who had found their way with the help of a loth-wolf.
The following day, Ryder and most of the Spectres remained at the camp while Ezra, Kell, and Garazeb Orrelios set out to retrieve the TIE Defender Elite's hyperdrive, which Sabine believed could be installed into Ryder's U-wing. Despite being pursued by Rukh, a Noghri tracker, and Imperial forces led by Governor Arihnda Pryce, the rebels managed to return to the camp with the hyperdrive in a stolen Imperial Troop Transport. After installing the hyperdrive into Ryder's U-wing, Hera Syndulla and Chopper returned with the flight data recorder to Yavin 4. Ryder and the Spectres then escaped into caves with the help of loth-wolves.
After emerging in Lothal's southern hemisphere, the rebels established a camp in the caves. Ryder then guided the Spectres to a Mining Guild ore crawler Crawler 413-24 before departing in his speeder. The crawler was manned by indentured prisoners including Vizago and overseen by Seevor, a Trandoshan Captain, and Proach, the foreman. Following a confrontation, the Spectres managed to liberate the slaves, kill Proach, and subdue Seevor. After narrowly evading an Imperial patrol, Seevor was killed by Ezra. The Spectres also successfully recruited Vizago and the former prisoners to the rebel cause. With a ground support team established, Hera successfully persuaded the Alliance leadership to authorize a strike on the Imperial TIE Defender factory on Lothal.
The strengthened Lothal resistance and Spectres supported the planned rebel strike by sabotaging the Imperial artillery defenses. However, they were forced to retreat when Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet decimated much of Hera's strike force. The Spectres later launched a successful mission to rescue Hera from Imperial captivity, but Kanan was killed during the operation. While Ryder and the Spectres were devastated by Kanan's death, the rebels subsequently learned that Kanan's sacrifice was not in vain, as Governor Pryce had destroyed the Empire's fuel supply and damaged the TIE Defender factory in the process, achieving the objectives of Hera's strike mission.
Later, the Lothal resistance, under Ryder Azadi's leadership, supported Ezra Bridger's plan to lure Governor Pryce into a trap at the Lothal cliff dwelling as part of their strategy to liberate Capital City from Imperial control. As part of the scheme, Ryder feigned betrayal of his rebel comrades in exchange for escaping prison. As anticipated, Pryce attacked the base with several patrol transports and stormtroopers. Following intense combat, Pryce destroyed the Lothal rebels' ore crawler, which had served as their defensive position. At least two Lothal resistance fighters were killed during the fighting. Despite capturing the Lothal resistance, Pryce was ambushed by Hera's reinforcements, including former Clone troopers Gregor and Wolffe, the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka, the Ugnaught Melch, the bounty hunter Ketsu Onyo, Kallus, and a pack of loth-wolves. The rebels then took Pryce and her surviving stormtroopers captive.
Joined by Hera's reinforcements, the Lothal resistance embarked on the next phase of their plan to liberate Capital City from the Empire. This phase involved using Governor Pryce to transmit the clearance codes necessary to enter the "Dome," the center of Imperial power on Lothal. After seizing the command center, Ryder issued a false Protocol 13 for all Imperial forces on Lothal to evacuate aboard the "Dome," which turned out to be a mobile Imperial Planetary Occupation Facility. Before they could depart, Thrawn returned aboard the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Chimaera.
Thrawn managed to force Ezra to come aboard the Chimaera by bombarding Capital City. Under Hera's leadership, the Lothal resistance, Spectres, and their new allies divided into two teams and fought to recapture the deflector shield generators before Thrawn unleashed a second salvo. Following relentless fighting, which resulted in Gregor's death, the rebels managed to reactivate the deflector shield generators and protect Capital City from Thrawn's bombardment. Meanwhile, Wolffe, along with Mart Mattin and Vizago, transmitted a signal that summoned a pod of purrgil to Lothal. These purrgil annihilated Thrawn's Seventh Fleet and carried Thrawn and Ezra away to the unknown reaches of space. Thrawn and Ezra subsequently ended up on the planet Peridea, in a distant galaxy.
Following the disappearance of Thrawn and Ezra, the remaining Lothal rebels and their allies evacuated aboard the Ghost before detonating the "Dome." The destruction of the "Dome" resulted in the deaths of Governor Pryce and most of the remaining Imperial garrison on Lothal. Following the defeat of the Empire, the citizens of Capital City celebrated. Despite concerns that the Empire would return, the Empire never again attempted to conquer Lothal and collapsed into ruins following the Battle of Endor.
The first appearance of Ryder Azadi's resistance cell was in the Star Wars Rebels Season Three episode "An Inside Man," which premiered on Disney XD on October 3, 2016. This resistance cell was made up of several Rebels characters who had previously appeared in earlier episodes, including Ryder himself ("Legacy"), Morad and Marida Sumar ("Fighter Flight"), and Jho ("Empire Day"). Ryder's cell reprised their roles as secondary characters in Season Four.