During the Galactic Civil War, Samuel Raider served as a captain within the Alliance Starfighter Corps. The Galactic Empire captured him, subsequently imprisoning Raider at Stars' End prison. With the assistance of fellow Rebel captives, he successfully escaped. The escapees fled to Kashyyyk, where Rebel forces later recovered them. Sadly, his friend Lieutenant Cardacs perished during the rescue operation. Raider then joined Red Squadron on the MC80 Home One type Star Cruiser Independence, bringing valuable intelligence regarding a secret Imperial weapon. Initially, he held [Keyan Farlander](/article/keyan_farlander/legends], Cardacs' wingmate, responsible for his friend's demise, but the two eventually forged a friendship. While serving with Red Squadron, Raider participated in numerous missions against the Empire, as the Rebels sought to uncover more about the Death Star, including the destruction of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Intrepid. However, their relationship suffered when Farlander's orders led to the deaths of two inexperienced pilots. When the Death Star advanced to attack Yavin Base, Raider was among the Independence pilots reassigned to Yavin 4 for the imminent battle, and he counted himself among the survivors.
Early in the Galactic Civil War, Samuel Raider enlisted in the Alliance to Restore the Republic and attained the rank of captain within the Alliance Starfighter Corps. Prior to the conclusion of Operation Strike Fear, the Galactic Empire captured him, subsequently incarcerating him at the Corporate Sector Authority's notorious Stars' End prison situated on Mytus VII. During his imprisonment, Raider overheard whispers of a clandestine Imperial [weapon](/article/ds-1_orbital_battle_station-legends] being developed, but he was unable to approach anyone with direct knowledge of it to obtain further details. Eventually, he managed to escape, along with several other captured Rebel pilots, and they concealed themselves aboard the BFF-1 bulk freighter Genue, which was en route to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk.
In an attempt to locate the fugitives, the Empire promptly initiated searches of all ships in the vicinity. Upon the Genue's arrival in the Kashyyyk system, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Intrepid intercepted it, deploying stormtroopers via a Delta-class DX-9 stormtrooper transport to board and inspect the freighter. However, the Rebel Alliance, having learned of the prisoners' escape, launched a mission to rescue them before their recapture.
Captain Keyan Farlander and Lieutenant Cardacs, an old friend of Raider's, piloted R-22 Spearhead starfighters from Red Squadron into the Kashyyyk system, arriving just as the Imperial transport began docking with the freighter. While Cardacs engaged the TIE fighters to hold them off, Farlander swiftly destroyed the transport using his concussion missiles. As the Rebel Lambda-class T-4a shuttle Drago arrived and initiated boarding, the Intrepid launched fighters to thwart the rescue attempt. However, the R-22s successfully repelled them long enough for the rescue team to secure the freighter and for both the Genue and the Drago to escape into hyperspace. Tragically, Cardacs was killed during the ensuing dogfight.
Raider and the other escapees were transported to the Rebel flagship, the MC80 Home One type Star Cruiser Independence, where they underwent thorough debriefings. The next day, while Raider was relaxing in the ship's mess with two of the other former prisoners, he noticed Farlander entering the room. Raider confronted the pilot, making it clear that he held Farlander responsible for Cardacs' death.
Raider encountered Farlander again during a mission briefing the following day. During their debriefing, the escapees had informed the Rebels of the rumors surrounding the clandestine Imperial project. Despite their limited knowledge, they had learned that a freighter was departing Kashyyyk, transporting Wookiee slaves to work on the project. The Alliance decided to attempt to rescue the Wookiees, hoping they would possess information about their destination. Raider was selected to lead the rescue mission. Commander S'man, the Independence's mission planner, introduced Raider to the assembled pilots, and the captain outlined the mission. To assess Farlander's abilities, Raider chose him and Sunnar Jan-lo as his wingmen. However, when Toalagar, another escapee, expressed a desire to return to action, Raider decided to take him instead of Jan-lo.
The three Rebel pilots flew R-22 Spearheads in the mission. Upon exiting hyperspace, the group was quickly attacked by the Empire's new starfighter, the Assault Gunboat. During the ensuing dogfight, Farlander and Raider targeted the same enemy, and Raider's laser cannon fire struck Farlander's deflector shields. Raider then criticized Farlander for his target selection. The Assault Gunboats were soon eliminated, although Toalagar's R-22 was destroyed by a concussion missile launched by one of the Assault Gunboats during the initial pass, resulting in the pilot's death. Nevertheless, Raider and Farlander successfully engaged the TIE/LN starfighters escorting the freighter Toral and confirmed the freighter's cargo. With their target confirmed, Rebel Y-wings arrived to disable it for capture by a Rebel transport. Raider and Farlander engaged reinforcements from the nearby Intrepid until the transport escaped with the freed Wookiees.
Raider blamed himself for Toalagar's death, realizing that his friend was too inexperienced to have returned to combat so soon. Upon returning to the Independence, he approached Farlander to apologize for both the friendly fire and blaming him for Cardacs' death. When Farlander was later grounded pending an investigation into the deaths of his two wingmen, Tan'tro and Ahsmar, during a mission, Raider joined Commander Hamo Blastwell in reassuring Farlander of the other pilots' support. The three pilots became friends, spending much of their free time together in the pilots' lounge. After pilots from the Independence rescued Biggs Darklighter when his X-wing, carrying information on the Death Star, broke down near the Cron Drift, Darklighter joined Raider and Farlander in the lounge, and the pilots shared their experiences.
Shortly thereafter, the Intrepid's hyperdrive was damaged in an accidental collision with an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate, leaving the ship stranded in the Circarpous system. In a series of raids, the Alliance prevented the Imperials from conducting repairs and eliminated its escorts, leaving it defenseless and vulnerable to attack. During one of these raids, Raider joined Farlander, Blastwell, and Ernek Marskan in a mission to destroy the Star Destroyer's escort of Assault Gunboats and CR90 corvettes from Viper group. Soon after, Raider participated in the final assault on the Intrepid, flying a Gold Squadron R-22 Spearhead in the combined X-wing, Y-wing and R-22 attack. Farlander and Jan-lo quickly disabled the Star Destroyer's shields with their X-wings, allowing the Y-wings' proton torpedo barrage to destroy the vessel, marking the first time the Rebels had destroyed a Star Destroyer in a frontal attack. Although Jan-lo's X-wing was disabled by a TIE bomber of Gamma Squadron, Raider quickly destroyed the bomber and Jan-lo was rescued.
Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Raider, Farlander, and their fellow pilot Puck Naeco observed the arrival of the Mon Calamari privateer and trader Tuz aboard the Independence when he made a delivery of stolen Imperial equipment. Despite Raider's suspicion of the pirate, stemming from some past dealings, he agreed to join Tuz's party for a drink in the pilots' lounge. When Raider voiced his disapproval of Tuz's business practices, one of the pirate's Gamorrean bodyguards attacked the pilot. Raider swiftly evaded the attack and retaliated with an uppercut to the Gamorrean's jaw, knocking the bodyguard to the floor and injuring his own hand in the process. Tuz intervened to halt the altercation, scolding his bodyguard's behavior. However, Raider's suspicions about Tuz's motives were confirmed when he learned that the pirate was only assisting the Alliance as an unwilling participant in an arrangement with the Independence's commanding officer, Admiral Gial Ackbar.
Raider and Naeco later joined Farlander and his rookie wingman Breth Gart in Lucky Lower Thirteen, a bar aboard ship. The group soon attracted two female crew members, one of whom was clearly interested in Gart. When the young pilot decided to follow Farlander's lead in retiring for the night, the women stayed in the company of Raider and Naeco. When Gart was killed in a freak incident during a mission soon after, Farlander took his death hard. Concerned, Raider approached Farlander to offer his condolences and was surprised when the other replied that Gart simply hadn't been strong enough to survive. As Farlander started to behave increasingly aggressive during combat, his friendship with Raider became strained. On one occasion, as Farlander entered the pilots' lounge, Raider stood up to leave. Farlander attempted to make his friend stay by using the Force to persuade him, but although Raider hesitated momentarily, he continued towards the exit, causing the frustrated Farlander to unleash a mind blast. Raider staggered from the attack but soon straightened himself and warned Farlander to stay away from him.
Around the same time, Farlander began promoting aggression in some of the ship's rookie pilots, hoping to create an invincible squadron, guided by the Force—his teachings contributed to the deaths of two of his followers, Horodi and Casal Marskan, during his next mission. After returning to the Independence, Farlander was confronted by Casal's older brother, Captain Ernek Marskan, who blamed Farlander for his brother's death. Farlander used the Force to choke Marskan, before finally releasing him. Marskan reported the event to Raider and Speedy, only serving to deepen the growing distrust of Farlander among his fellow pilots.
Shortly after the incident, the Independence was dispatched to the Alliance's base on Yavin 4 to assist in the preparations for an expected attack from the now complete Death Star. Raider was one of several pilots transferred to Yavin Base upon arrival, along with Marskan and Farlander. Since their confrontation on the Independence, Farlander had come to realize the dangers of using the Force and turned his back on the dark side. After the arrival of the Death Star in the Yavin system, Farlander approached his followers in the hangar and told them that he had been wrong. Raider watched from across the hangar but returned to his work without speaking to Farlander. The Rebels succeeded in defeating the Imperial battle station due to the efforts of Luke Skywalker. Though many Rebels were killed in the Battle of Yavin, Raider, Marskan, and Farlander were among the survivors. However, despite Farlander's apology, neither Raider nor Marskan were willing to forgive him.
Raider demonstrated loyalty towards the Rebel Alliance's cause and his fellow soldiers. However, he exhibited a harsh and dangerous demeanor towards those he disliked, such as the pirate Tuz. Keyan Farlander noticed Raider's strong handshake and unwavering gaze during their initial meeting. Raider was not afraid of physical confrontations and could hold his own in a fight, even against a Gamorrean on one occasion. Raider was a skilled pilot who was confident in his abilities. He considered TIE/IN interceptors easy to defeat, as their pilots tended to rely too heavily on speed, and he enjoyed the challenge of fighting CR90 corvettes. He once expressed his desire to directly engage a Star Destroyer in combat, an opportunity he eventually had during the attack on the Intrepid. In battle, he exploited the advantage of deflector shields by ramming the unshielded Imperial TIE fighters.
Rusel DeMaria conceived Samuel Raider for the 1993 book X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide, which chronicled the story of Keyan Farlander, the player character in the game Star Wars: X-Wing. Within the book, Raider is identified as one of the previously unnamed members of Farlander's squadron.