Samuel Raider Samuel Raider was a captain in the Alliance Starfighter Corps during the Galactic Civil War . After he was captured by the Galactic Empire , Raider was sent to Stars ' End prison , but was able to escape with the help of other captive Rebels . Fleeing to Kashyyyk , the escapees were later recovered by Rebel forces , though Raider ' s friend Lieutenant Cardacs was killed during the rescue . Raider joined Red Squadron aboard the MC80 " Home One " type Star Cruiser " Independence " , bringing news of a secret Imperial weapon with him . He initially blamed Cardacs ' wingmate , Keyan Farlander , for his friend ' s death , but the two went on to become friends themselves . During his time with Red Squadron , Raider fought in several missions against the Empire as the Rebels attempted to learn more information about the Death Star , including the destruction of the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Intrepid " . However , his relationship with Farlander was strained when Farlander ' s instructions contributed to the deaths of two rookie pilots . When the Death Star moved to attack Yavin Base , Raider was one of several " Independence " pilots transferred to Yavin 4 for the upcoming battle , and was among the few to survive . Biography . Capture . Samuel Raider joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic early in the Galactic Civil War and rose to the rank of captain in the Alliance Starfighter Corps . Some time before the end of Operation Strike Fear , he was captured by the Galactic Empire and sent to the Corporate Sector Authority ' s infamous Stars ' End prison on Mytus VII . During his time in the prison , Raider heard rumors of a secret Imperial weapon under construction but was unable to get close enough to anybody who had been there to learn more . He was eventually able to escape , along with several other captured Rebel pilots , and stowed away aboard the BFF - 1 bulk freighter " Genue " bound for the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk . The Empire quickly began searching all ships in the surrounding area in a bid to locate the fugitives . When the " Genue " arrived in the Kashyyyk system , it was stopped by the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Intrepid " , which dispatched stormtroopers aboard a " Delta " - class DX - 9 stormtrooper transport to board and search the freighter . However , the Rebel Alliance had learned of the prisoners ' escape and launched a mission to rescue the prisoners before they could be recaptured . Captain Keyan Farlander and an old friend of Raider ' s , Lieutenant Cardacs , flew R - 22 Spearhead starfighters from Red Squadron into the Kashyyyk system , arriving just as the Imperial transport began docking with the freighter . The " Intrepid " TIE fighters moved to intercept the threat , but while Cardacs held off the fighters , Farlander moved quickly to destroy the transport with his concussion missiles . As the Rebel " Lambda " - class T - 4a shuttle " Drago " arrived and began boarding , the " Intrepid " launched fighters to stop the rescue attempt , but the R - 22s were able to hold them off long enough for the rescue team to capture the freighter and for both the " Genue " and the " Drago " to escape into hyperspace . Cardacs , however , was killed during the dogfight . Service with Red Squadron . Raider and the other escapees were taken to the Rebel flagship , the MC80 " Home One " type Star Cruiser " Independence " , where they underwent an extensive debriefing . The following day , Raider was taking a break in the ship ' s mess with two of the other former prisoners , when he saw Farlander enter the room . Raider confronted the pilot , making it clear that he blamed Farlander for Cardacs ' death . Raider encountered Farlander again during a mission briefing the next day . During their debriefing , the escapees had informed the Rebels of the rumors regarding the secret Imperial project . Though they knew little , 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 and hoped that they would know more about their destination — Raider was chosen to lead the rescue mission . The " Independence " mission planner , Commander S ' man , introduced Raider to the assembled pilots , and the captain outlined the mission . In order to check Farlander out , Raider picked him , along with Sunnar Jan - lo , as his wingmen . However , when his fellow escapee Toalagar voiced a desire to get back into action , Raider decided to take the other pilot instead of Jan - lo . The three Rebel pilots flew R - 22 Spearheads in the mission . Upon dropping out of hyperspace , the group quickly came under attack from the Empire ' s new starfighter , the Assault Gunboat . During the subsequent dogfight , Farlander and Raider attacked the same target , and Raider ' s laser cannon fire raked Farlander ' s deflector shields . Raider then admonished Farlander over his choice of target . The Assault Gunboats were soon eliminated , though Toalagar ' s R - 22 was destroyed by a concussion missile launched by one of the Assault Gunboats during the first pass , and the pilot was killed . Nevertheless , Raider and Farlander were successful in engaging the TIE / LN starfighter s escorting the freighter " Toral " and confirming 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 rusty to have returned to combat immediately . After 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 went on to become friends , spending much of their time together in the pilots ' lounge while not on duty . After pilots from the " Independence " rescued Biggs Darklighter when his X - wing , which was 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 . Soon after , the " Intrepid " 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 . On one of these raids , Raider joined with 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 " , a combined X - wing , Y - wing and R - 22 attack . Farlander and Jan - lo quickly brought down the Star Destroyer ' s shields with their X - wings , allowing the Y - wings ' proton torpedo barrage to eliminate the vessel , the first time the Rebels destroyed a Star Destroyer in a frontal attack . Shortly before the Battle of Yavin , Raider , Farlander , and their fellow pilot Puck Naeco witnessed the arrival of the Mon Calamari privateer and trader Tuz aboard the " Independence " when he made a delivery of stolen Imperial equipment . Although Raider was suspicious of the pirate , due to some unknown prior dealings , he agreed to join Tuz ' s party for a drink in the pilots ' lounge . When Raider voiced his opinion of Tuz ' s business practices , one of the pirate ' s Gamorrean bodyguards attacked the pilot . Raider quickly ducked out of the way and responded with an uppercut to the Gamorrean ' s jaw , knocking the bodyguard to the floor and injuring his own hand in the process . The altercation was brought to a halt by Tuz , who admonished his bodyguard ' s behavior , but Raider ' s suspicions about Tuz ' s motives were confirmed when he learned that the pirate was only helping the Alliance as an unwilling participant in an arrangement with the " Independence " commanding officer , Admiral Gial Ackbar . Falling out with Farlander . Raider and Naeco later joined Farlander and his rookie wingman Breth Gart in Lucky Lower 13 , 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 battlestation 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 . Personality and traits . Raider was loyal to both the cause of the Rebel Alliance and his comrades . However , to those he disliked , such as the pirate Tuz , he was hard - edged and dangerous . Keyan Farlander noted Raider ' s firm grip and unwavering eyes while shaking hands during an early meeting between the two . Raider was unafraid of physical confrontations and was capable of holding his own in a fight , even against a Gamorrean on one occasion . Raider was a capable pilot who was confident of his own abilities . He considered TIE / IN interceptors to be easy to defeat , as their pilots tended to rely too heavily on speed , and enjoyed the challenge of fighting CR90 corvettes . He once stated his desire to fight directly against a Star Destroyer — eventually getting the opportunity in the attack on the " Intrepid " . In battle , he enjoyed using the advantage of deflector shields by ramming the unshielded Imperial TIE fighters . Behind the scenes . Samuel Raider was created by Rusel DeMaria for the 1993 book " " , which presented the story of Keyan Farlander , the player character in the game " " . In the book , Raider is established as one of the previously unidentified members of Farlander ' s squadron .