Onderonian Civil War

When the Clone Wars began, Ramsis Dendup, the King of Onderon, chose to remain neutral, declining to align with either the Galactic Republic or the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This decision was made despite the admiration of Senator Mina Bonteri for Count Dooku, the Head of State of the Confederacy. Recognizing the strategic importance of the Inner Rim Territories for future operations, the Confederacy secretly backed a coup. Subsequently, the Confederacy's Droid Army invaded the planet, taking control of Iziz, the capital of Onderon, and the entire planet. Sanjay Rash then took Dendup's place as the king of Onderon.

Popular discontent with Rash's administration and the presence of the Droid Army led to the formation of a rebel group. These rebels sought refuge in the jungle regions of Onderon, where they established a camp and committed themselves to resisting the Droid Army. Their fight against the Separatist occupation started in 22 BBY.

Later, Lux Bonteri, a former Senator, joined the rebels after leaving Death Watch. In 20 BBY, the rebels, realizing their lack of resources to directly confront the Droid Army, decided to seek assistance from the Jedi Council. Despite the Council's initial belief that the conflict was primarily an internal matter for Onderon, Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight, successfully persuaded them to permit the training of the rebels. Mace Windu, a Jedi Master, concurred that the Jedi should, at the very least, equip the rebels with the skills to defend themselves.

The Jedi Council subsequently dispatched an advisory team, including Skywalker, his apprentice Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Rex, a Clone Captain. Working together, the Jedi, Captain Rex, the Gerreras, Bonteri, and their fellow rebels engaged in training exercises at their camp to prepare for battles against the battle droids. The Jedi and Captain Rex instructed the rebels on how to combat droidekas, battle droids, and AATs. Rex primarily oversaw the drilling of the soldiers, while the Jedi aimed to maintain a degree of detachment, as the Jedi Council preferred not to have them directly engaged in Onderon's conflict. Nevertheless, the Jedi remained as supportive and helpful as possible.

Subsequently, three recon droids discovered the rebel encampment. Following this discovery, a detachment of battle droids initiated an attack on the rebels. Saw and Bonteri successfully neutralized the AAT, while his sister and the other rebels eliminated the battle droids. Despite their triumph, Kenobi informed the Gerreras, Bonteri, and their fellow rebels that they would need to abandon their camp. Despite this setback, the Rebels resolved to take the fight to Iziz.

By disguising themselves as merchants, the rebels were successful in bypassing the battle droid guards and setting up a safe house to serve as their base of operations. Subsequently, the rebels launched targeted attacks on various droid patrols throughout Iziz. They made sure to use only EMP grenades to ensure that only battle droids were the only casualties. They also deployed snipers on rooftops to target the droids. The Jedi expressed their admiration for their early achievements. During a meeting, the rebels deliberated on strategies to gain the support of the local population. Generals Kenobi, Skywalker, and Captain Rex then departed to report the rebels' progress to the council, leaving Commander Tano as their sole advisor.

Despite their achievements, the residents of Iziz did not alter their views regarding the rebels. Bonteri and Tano believed that the civilians did not believe that the rebels could win against the Droid Army. Consequently, the rebels decided to target the main power generator in order to cut off power to the droids. To execute this plan, the Rebels intended to steal a Separatist tank.

The Gerreras, Bonteri, and Tano launched an assault on a droid patrol, allowing only one droid to summon a tank before destroying it. They were confronted by a pair of droidekas, which the Gerreras managed to eliminate using EMP grenades. A tank arrived, accompanied by super battle droids. After Steela took took out the super battle droids, Saw and Bonteri were able to take out the tank's crew. Steela managed to restart the tank and assumed a sniper position, while Saw and Bonteri drove the tank toward the power generator. As Steela neutralized the droids guarding the generator's entrance, Saw and Bonteri used the tank to destroy the remaining ones. As Saw and Bonteri powered up the tank's heavy, they came under attack commando droids, but they were able to take them out. The tank successfully destroyed the generator, cutting off power to the battle droids. During the ensuing blackout, the other rebels launched attacks on droid patrols throughout the city.

As a result of the rebels' successful assault on the generator, the civilians gained hope that the rebels could prevail, and the rebels celebrated their accomplishment. Steela, in recognition of her leadership, was nominated and elected as the leader of the rebels.

King Rash observed the rebels' increasing boldness in their attacks and suspected that his predecessor was orchestrating the rebels' actions. In response to these attacks, Rash requested reinforcements from Dooku. Dooku complied and dispatched Kalani, a super tactical droid, to assume command of the Droid Army on Onderon. To provoke the rebels, Rash and Kalani decided to execute Dendup. Upon learning of Dendup's impending execution, Steela advocated for waiting until Dendup was brought out for his execution. Saw, however, decided to take matters into his own hands and rescue Dendup before his execution. Saw successfully neutralized the guards and freed Dendup. Unfortunately, a shield was activated, leading to the capture of Saw and Dendup. Saw was taken away to interrogated. Kalani tortured Gerrera while Akenathen Tandin, General of the Onderon Royal Guard, observed and questioned these tactics. Despite Kalani's efforts, Saw remained unyielding.

The following day, during Dendup's scheduled execution, Steela, Bonteri, and the other rebels launched an attack in an attempt to rescue Saw and Dendup. Unfortunately, they were captured by Kalani's battle droids and forced to surrender. Despite this setback, General Tandin and his Royal Guards sided with the rebels and halted the execution. As Tandin temporarily held Rash hostage, the Royal Guards, Dendup, and the rebels made their escape. Tano assisted Tandin in evading Rash's and Kalini's forces by using the Force to push back several battle droids. The battle droids attempted to pursue, but they were stopped by a mob of angry civilians.

The rebels successfully escaped from the city and established a new base in the highlands located east of Iziz. The Rebels continued to broadcast messages, with Dendup expressing his support for the Rebel's efforts to liberate Onderon. Rash and Kalani, desperate to regain control and capture the Rebels, dispatched the droid army to eliminate the rebels. Furthermore, Kalani deployed several new HMP droid gunships to aid in the elimination of the rebels.

Gerrera, Bonteri, Tano, and their forces were in the process of devising a strategy to defeat the droids. Saw advocated for laying siege to Iziz, but Steela was unwilling to endanger the city's civilians. Consequently, Steela made the decision to lure the battle droids to the highlands. Upon the droids' arrival, the Rebels engaged them in combat, inflicting significant casualties on the droids. The new droid gunships, equipped with heavy weapons and ray shields, withstood the rebels' attacks and forced them to retreat to the nest.

Tano informed Master Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi of the rebels predicament, though Kenobi refused to help on behalf that the rebels must find a way to win on their own, before telling her to either fight or return to Coruscant should the battle fail. Angered about this, Skywalker traveled to Florrum, where he successfully persuaded Hondo Ohnaka to provide the rebels with several rocket launchers. Equipped with rocket launchers, the Rebels were able to destroy the gunships. Unfortunately, one of the gunships crashed into a cliff where Steela and Dendup were standing. Bonteri attempted to rescue Steela but nearly fell himself. Bonteri was saved by Tano and she attempted to save Steela by using the force. The gunship was still operational and shot Tano in the shoulder. Bonteri was able to destroy the turret on the gunship, but not before Tano was hit and thus unable to save Steela. Tano, Bonteri, and Saw watched as she fell to her death. Despite Steela's death, the rebels were able to defeat the remaining battle droids.

Following the Rebels' victory in the highlands, Count Dooku ordered Kalani to withdraw the remaining separatist forces to Agamar, much to the chagrin of Rash. Rash tried to convince to dispatch more reinforcements, but Dooku refused his request. Kalani shot Rash despite his protests and retreated to Agamar's supply ship. Following the Confederacy's withdrawal from Onderon, a funeral was held in honor of Steela with thousands of Onderonians grieving for her. Following the service, Dendup, reinstated as king, appointed Bonteri as the new senator, which would allow him to lead Onderon back into the Republic.

In the final days of the Clone Wars, the Confederacy besieged Onderon. Following Palpatine's Proclamation of the Republic's reorganization into the Galactic Empire, Gerrera, his fighters, and several civilians were forced into hiding because of their refusal to serve Empire. Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin sent in Clone Force 99 to eliminate them, but they refused to carry out their orders. Admiral Rampart later sent in Commander Crosshair's Elite Squad to eliminate Gerrera's rebels. Fortunately, Gerrera managed to escape before the Elite Squad arrived, capturing and executing several of his rebels.

Following the Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire, Saw and the Onderon rebels reorganized themselves into the Partisans. Gerrera's Partisans were among the first rebel cells to resist against the Empire. Gerrera carried a holoprojector that contained an image of Steela. He still felt her loss and spoke her name when Jedha City was destroyed by the Death Star, shortly before he died in the ensuing carnage.

The Onderonian Civil War made its initial appearance in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 5 episode titled "A War on Two Fronts" and was formally identified in the reference publication Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide. It also received the designation "Fight for Onderon" in "Front Runners" and "War in the Inner Rim" in "Tipping Points".

Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!, and Star Wars: Timelines establish the conclusion of the civil war as occurring in the year 20 BBY. Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide and the Star Wars Insider 203 article "Rebel Rousers: Our Top Ten Rebels" erroneously place the war's conclusion in 19 BBY, with the latter doing so indirectly through its dating of Steela Gerrera's death.