Vrad Dodonna, a Human male pilot who fought for the Rebel cause, was the offspring of General Jan Dodonna, the Alliance's premier military mind during the Galactic Civil War. Despite existing in his father's shadow, by the time of 0 ABY, Vrad Dodonna had gained recognition as one of the Alliance's most promising and seasoned pilots. However, his faith in the Rebellion crumbled following a terrifying encounter with the Imperial Super Star Destroyer known as the Executor, leading him to abandon a battle at Skorrupon in a state of panic. Subsequently, Dodonna hatched a scheme to trade a precious power gem to the Imperials in exchange for his life, but instead, he gave his life in a suicide attack on the Executor, thereby diverting an Imperial assault on the Rebels' Yavin 4 base.
Vrad Dodonna, a Human male, was the son of Jan Dodonna, a former Republic naval officer who emerged from retirement to become the foremost military strategist for the Rebel Alliance throughout the Galactic Civil War. He was raised by his father on his estate located on Brelor, a moon orbiting the planet Commenor, a gift bestowed upon the Dodonna family by the Emperor upon his retirement. Although the elder Dodonna did not endorse the Imperial regime, he initially hesitated to join the Rebel Alliance openly. However, after he and his son barely survived an assassination attempt by COMPNOR assassins, they chose to enter the war on the Rebel side.
While Jan ascended to the position of one of the Alliance's top military commanders, Vrad gained recognition as one of the fighting force's most promising young pilots. Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Dodonna had accumulated more combat experience than nearly any other pilot within the Rebellion. He was present at Skorrupon when the Rebel Alliance had one of its initial encounters with the Super Star Destroyer Executor, the massive flagship of the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Overwhelmed by fear at the sight of the vessel, Dodonna abandoned the engagement, leaving the remaining Rebel forces to face annihilation. Although Dodonna was briefly presumed dead, he later reappeared at the Alliance's Yavin 4 base aboard a damaged scout ship, claiming to have been attacked by the enemy and requiring emergency repairs for survival.
As the sole survivor of the Rebel defeat at Skorrupon, Dodonna was celebrated as a hero upon his return to Yavin. However, his account aroused suspicion: Luke Skywalker, the hero of the Battle of Yavin, had entered the Skorrupon system shortly after the battle and witnessed Dodonna's undamaged ship fleeing. Nevertheless, Rebel leadership was preoccupied with devising a plan to eliminate the Executor, which was en route to attack Yavin. Over Skywalker's objections, Dodonna volunteered to pilot an attack ship loaded with a power gem into the Executor, a perilous plan that his father hoped would inflict catastrophic damage on the cruiser. Skywalker was designated as Dodonna's backup pilot, slated to accompany him on the mission. However, angered by Skywalker's questioning of his account of escaping the Executor, Dodonna initiated a confrontation with Skywalker, which culminated in Skywalker gaining the upper hand and Dodonna confessing to fleeing the battle.
In the end, Dodonna harbored no intention of actually confronting the Empire. Instead, he planned to abandon Skywalker on an uninhabited planetoid and negotiate with the Empire, believing that the Alliance stood no chance of winning the war. Dodonna hoped that the power gem would serve as a bargaining chip to save his own life. However, Vader sensed Skywalker's presence through the Force and altered course, abandoning his attack vector on Yavin to target the individual who had destroyed the Death Star. Skywalker implored Dodonna to resume the mission, and ultimately succeeded in reaching him. Dodonna re-entered the attack ship alone and executed a suicide run on the Executor, inflicting severe damage on the destroyer and forcing it to retreat from the Yavin system. Subsequently, Skywalker concealed Dodonna's treachery upon his safe return to Yavin, allowing the deceased pilot to be remembered for his heroic sacrifice. However, the death of his son plunged his father, Jan Dodonna, into a profound depression, ultimately leading to his semi-retirement.
Despite his father's reputation as one of the Rebellion's finest leaders, Vrad Dodonna could be characterized as hostile, impetuous, and even treacherous. Nevertheless, Dodonna possessed exceptional piloting skills, with extensive experience in ship-to-ship combat. However, the encounter with the Executor was unlike anything Dodonna had previously encountered. Dodonna later confessed that witnessing a ship of such immense size and power had shattered something within him, convincing him that the Rebel Alliance had no hope of victory. Believing that a former Rebel would not be permitted to survive after the Alliance's impending defeat, Dodonna initially chose to prioritize his own survival and negotiate with the Empire. However, Luke Skywalker managed to inspire Dodonna to complete his final mission, and he sacrificed himself in an attempt to, in his own mind, atone for the errors he had committed in the past.
Vrad Dodonna made an appearance in Doom Mission, an arc of the Star Wars comic strip penned by Archie Goodwin, illustrated by Al Williamson, and released in 1983. Dodonna was also mentioned in The Official Star Wars Fact File 21, where he was mistakenly identified as Jan Dodonna's nephew.