Campaigns of Saw Gerrera ' s Partisans The campaigns of Saw Gerrera ' s Partisans were a series of campaigns led by Saw Gerrera and his Partisans who were loosely affiliated with the Alliance to Restore the Republic . Several of these campaigns also resulted in civilian deaths , with it eventually reaching a point where the Galactic Empire proceeded to make a propaganda poster denouncing the Rebel Alliance as a whole as being a terrorist group in response . Gerrera ' s final campaign was his fight for the control of Jedha City on Jedha . Gerrera and most of his Partisans were killed when Jedha City was destroyed in the first test of the Death Star . The campaign was later used by Senator Ransolm Casterfo as an example of the so - called terrorist tactics of the Rebel Alliance . History . Prelude . During the Clone Wars , the Jedi trained various militias in fighting the Separatist Droid Army . One of these militias were the rebels of Onderon led by former Senator Lux Bonteri , Steela Gerrera and her brother Saw . For three years , a civil war was fought on Onderon between the Separtists and forces under King Sanjay Rash . Together , with the aid from Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano the rebels were able to force the Droid Army to withdraw from Onderon and Dendup was restored to the throne . Onderon then rejoined the Galactic Republic . Imperial Era . Following the Republic ' s transformation into the Galactic Empire , Saw reorganized his rebels into the Partisans . His cell was among the first rebel cells formed . When the Empire occupied Onderon , the partisans fought a platoon under ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus , with a Lasat mercenary killing all but Kallus . In 18 BBY , Gerrera and several of his partisans then fought the Empire in the Salient system for several weeks . Only Gerrera was able to make his escape . In 13 BBY , Gerrera and his partisans took in Jyn Erso when her father was taken and mother was killed . For the next eights years , Erso became one of the best soldier s of the partisans . Together , she undertook missions at Horuz and Inusagi with them . During their mission to Tamsye Prime , Gerrera and his partisans abandoned her for her safety . Early rebellion . In 6 BBY , Gerrera and his Partisans were hired by Arane Oreida to infiltrate the Sakoola blossom festival on Inusagi . The Partisans massacred the festival and the overcome involved the deaths of Maia , Governor Cor Tophervin , the Inusagi chieftess , several Imperials and many Inusagi civilians . Some of Gerrera ' s members left the Partisans for less extreme rebel groups . In 2 BBY , Gerrera and a team of his partisans were sent by Senator Bail Organa and Rebel Command to investigate the disappearance of the Geonosian s . However , Gerrera ' s team was wipe out by repaired b1 battle droid s and droideka s . Only Saw was still alive when the Spectres arrived to get him and his information on this . With the Spectres , Gerrera learned that Empire had used poison gas to wipe all but one Geonosian , Klik - Klak out because of something the Empire was building with the Geonosians help . By 1 BBY , Gerrera and his partisans had broken off with the Alliance and Mon Mothma , starting their own private war against the Empire , killing civilians as well Imperials . Gerrera and Edrio undertook a mission to destroy an Imperial relay station on Jalindi . Gerrera and Edrio were successful in destroying it and rescuing Spectres Sabine Wren , Ezra Bridger , and Chopper . Gerrera , Edrio , Wren and Bridger then went to Faos Station to investigate an Imperial shipment . Together , they infiltrated Freighter 2716 . Gerrera , Wren and Bridger found several technicians who were being held captive . Gerrera learned from the technicians that the other cargo came from the Jedha system . He and the spectres learned that main cargo was a kyber crystal . At first , Gerrera wanted to follow the shipment to the Tonnis sector to discover what the Empire was building . However , the crystal was to be taken aboard Captain Slavin Star Destroyer . Gerrera decided to destroy the crystal and make his escape with Edrio . Only Bridger , Wren , Chopper and the technicians survived the crystal ' s explosion . Gerrera and his Partisans later traveled to Jedha , and established their base in the Catacombs of Cadera . There , they attacked several kyber shipments from the mines and Jedha City ' s Temple of the Kyber . A team of Partisans under Beezer Fortuna then captured a defected Imperial pilot , Bodhi Rook . During this time , one of the Partisans , Tivik , kept in contact with the Rebel Alliance and informed Alliance Intelligence , Captain Cassian Jeron Andor of the pilot ' s capture and rumors of a Imperial planet killer . However , Andor was forced to eliminate Tivik when stormtroopers found them on the Ring of Kafrene . Beezer , Edrio , Benthic and the other Partisans brought Rook to before Gerrera . Despite Rook ' s claiming he was sent by Galen Walton Erso with a message , Gerrera decided to put him with Bor Gullet and torture the truth out of him . The Partisans then attacked a combat assault tank loaded with kyber crystal s . After the Guardians of the Whills , Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe , took the last of the escort , the Partisans then took them , Jyn Erso , and Andor back to their base . There , Gerrera showed Jyn the message from her father . At that moment , Governor Wilhuff Tarkin , ordered the Holy City to be destroyed by the Death Star . Many of the partisans , including Gerrera were killed in the aftershock of the Holy City ' s destruction . Galactic Civil War . Following the Battle of Yavin 4 , the Partisans under Benthic continued to fight the Empire when they continued to take the kyber crystals from Jedha .