A male human who used the callsign "Phoenix One" served as a pilot approximately four years prior to the Battle of Yavin. As a member of Phoenix Squadron, a unit comprised of RZ-1 A-wing interceptors and led by Jun Sato, Phoenix One spearheaded the squadron during a mission to pilfer shield generators from the forces of the Galactic Empire. Later, Phoenix One was involved in a dogfight against the Sith Lord Darth Vader during the Siege of Lothal. Vader inflicted substantial damage on Sato's fleet, and Phoenix One perished at Vader's hand. Ultimately, Sato and what remained of Phoenix Squadron managed to escape.
Four years before the Battle of Yavin, a male human was part of Phoenix Squadron, a small group of RZ-1 A-wing interceptors under the command of Commander Jun Sato. This squadron fought against the Galactic Empire, aligning themselves with a rebel network led by Imperial senator Bail Organa and former Jedi Ahsoka Tano. This pilot was known within Phoenix Squadron as Phoenix One.
Shortly before the planet Lothal was besieged by the Empire, Phoenix One participated in a mission to steal Imperial shield generators alongside the starship Ghost and its crew, captained by Hera Syndulla. Sato also brought a CR90 corvette to the mission. While Kanan Jarrus, Syndulla's co-pilot and gunner, felt uneasy about cooperating with a formal military unit like Phoenix Squadron, the other members of the Ghost crew welcomed the assistance. When they encountered Imperial Gozanti-class cruisers in space, Phoenix Squadron and the Ghost engaged the Imperial TIE/ln space superiority starfighter defenders. At Captain Syndulla's request, Phoenix One, along with a pilot using the callsign Phoenix Two, quickly dispatched several TIE fighters that were docked on the cruisers. With the remaining TIE fighters retreating, Phoenix One declared that the Ghost had a clear path.
Sabine Wren, piloting the Ghost's detachable shuttle, the Phantom, liberated the cargo from the Gozanti cruisers. However, two Imperial Arquitens-class light cruisers arrived to reinforce the cargo ships, putting the rebel force in a difficult situation. Phoenix One was attacked by a new wave of TIE fighters, but Wren managed to destroy one of them, relieving some of the pressure on Phoenix One. Sato's corvette took the brunt of the light cruisers' attacks, and Sato began to order a retreat. However, the Ghost first secured the supplies they had come for.
Phoenix Squadron jumped to lightspeed, leaving Wren to dock the Phantom with the Ghost before they too escaped the Imperials. However, the supplies were revealed to not contain any shield generators as hoped.
At a later time, the rebels became aware of the Empire's blockade over Lothal. The Ghost crew infiltrated the blockade in an attempt to rescue an Imperial defector, but the mission turned disastrous when the defector was killed. This was followed by the arrival of the Sith Lord and Imperial enforcer Darth Vader. The crew retreated to the Phoenix fleet, but Vader pursued them in his personal TIE Advanced x1 starfighter. Phoenix One led the other Phoenix pilots into battle against the solitary attacker, but they were no match for Vader's superior piloting abilities. Phoenix One and several other pilots, including Phoenix Two, were killed by the Sith Lord, who then destroyed Sato's command ship, Phoenix Home.
After a challenging fight with Vader's reinforcements, the rebels ultimately escaped the Empire once again.
The character "Phoenix One" was introduced in Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal, the television movie which served as the season two premiere for the Star Wars Rebels television series. The voice of Phoenix One was performed by Matthew Wood.