Lothal resistance A resistance cell was led by Ryder Azadi on the planet Lothal . In 2 BBY , Azadi ' s cell engaged in a campaign of sabotage at the Imperial Armory Complex , which manufactured vehicles for the Imperial Military . That same year , Azadi ' s cell joined forces with Ezra Bridger , Kanan Jarrus , and Chopper , who had been sent by the Phoenix Cell , to collect intelligence about Grand Admiral Thrawn ' s new TIE / D Defender initiative . The following year , Azadi ' s cell joined forces with the Spectres in obtaining intelligence about an updated version of the TIE Defender and a daring rebel attempt to take out the Imperial Armory Complex . After the Spectres managed to rescue Hera Syndulla and take out the Imperial Armory Complex , the Lothal resistance and the Spectres played an important role in expelling the Empire from Lothal . Description . Ryder Azadi ' s resistance cell consisted of himself , the former farmer Morad Sumar and his wife Marida Sumar , and the Ithorian bartender Jho . They specialized in sabotaging Imperial vehicles being produced at the Imperial Armory Complex in Lothal ' s Capital City . They were armed with blaster s and rocket launchers . The cell was known to have at least two landspeeder s including a V - 35 Courier . Ryder ' s cell was based at a stone circle in Lothal ' s wilderness . After stealing a prototype TIE / D Defender Elite , the Lothal resistance set up a new base at the Lothal cliff dwelling . The cliff dwelling was located in a mountainous and rocky area . The rebels also used a captured Mining Guild ore crawler as a defensive position . History . Origins . The former Lothalian Governor Ryder Azadi escaped an Imperial prison in late 4 BBY . By 2 BBY , Ryder had founded a resistance cell consisting of disaffected individuals including the Sumar couple and Jho . The cell sabotaged Imperial vehicles being produced at the Imperial Armory Complex in Capital City . This resulted in a high rate of accidents among Imperial personnel and caused the Empire to lose several missions and personnel . Infiltrating the Imperial Armory Complex . That year , the Atollon – based Phoenix Cell received intelligence that the Empire was developing a new weapon at the Lothal Imperial factory . The Squadron dispatched the former Lothal resident Ezra Bridger , the Jedi Purge survivor Kanan Jarrus , and the astromech droid Chopper to solicit Ryder ' s help in taking out the Imperial Armory Complex . Ryder picked up Ezra ' s team in Capital City . After escaping an Imperial patrol , the rebels met at Ryder ' s stone circle hideout . After discussing their plans , Morad , who had found work as a safety inspector at the Imperial Armory Complex , agreed to lead Ezra ' s team inside the factory to steal the plans . Meanwhile , Ryder ' s cell ' s activities attracted the attention of Imperial High Command who sent the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn to investigate the defective vehicles and the presence of " subversives " at the Imperial Armory Complex . After dressing down the workers , Thrawn forced Morad to demonstrate a 614 - AvA speeder bike that he personally inspected . During the exercise , Morad was forced to drive the speeder bike at full speed . However , the engine system was faulty and the bike exploded , killing Morad . Despite Morad ' s death , Ezra and his team managed to steal the plans and escape the factory with the help of Fulcrum , who was revealed to be the disillusioned Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus . Ryder and Marida launched an attack on the Imperial Armory Complex ' s east gate . This allowed Ezra and his team to escape . Back at the resistance base , the rebels transmitted the contents of Chopper ' s files to the Phoenix Squadron , which decrypted them . As a result , Ryder and the other rebels learned that Thrawn was developing a new prototype starfighter equipped with deflector shield s . Ryder and other members of the resistance then listended to Senator Mon Mothma ' s speech as she called upon other cells to come together and join the Alliance to Restore the Republic . Stopping the TIE Defender project . The resistance then planned an attack on the TIE / D Defender factories on Lothal with help from Commander Sato ' s Phoenix Squadron and General Jan Dodonna ' s Massassi Group . However , Ryder saw that the 7th fleet had left Lothal . The resistance then lost contact with Atollon . A year later , the Empire launched a crackdown on Lothal which claimed the life of Jho . Jho ' s bar was expropriated by the Empire , who brought it under the management of Baron Valen Rudor . Ryder and Marida Sumar however escaped and managed to warn the Rebel Alliance on Yavin 4 about the Empire ' s new TIE / D Defender Elite . After the Spectres infiltrated Lothal with the help of the crime lord Cikatro Vizago , Ryder and Marida managed to pick up the Spectres and their friend Jai Kell in their U - wing and evacuate them to their camp . Ryder then helped the Spectres to stalk out a remote Imperial testing facility in Lothal ' s wilderness . Ezra and Sabine Wren managed to steal the TIE / D Defender Elite . Despite being pursued by TIE Interceptors , they managed to crash - land in the wilderness and recover the ship ' s flight data recorder . Ryder and the other rebels retreated to their camp and were joined by Ezra and Sabine , who had found their way with the help of a loth - wolf . The following day , Ryder and most of the Spectres remained at the camp while Ezra , Kell , and Garazeb Orrelios went to retrieve the TIE Defender Elite ' s hyperdrive ; which Sabine believed could be installed into Ryder ' s U - wing . Despite being pursued by the Noghri tracker Rukh and Imperial forces led by Governor Arihnda Pryce , the rebels managed to return to the camp with the hyperdrive in a stolen Imperial Troop Transport . After installing the hyperdrive into Ryder ' s U - wing , Hera Syndulla and Chopper returned with the flight data recorder to Yavin 4 . Ryder and the Spectres then escaped into caves with the help of loth - wolves . After emerging in Lothal ' s southern hemisphere , the rebels set up camp in the caves . Ryder then helped the Spectres to a Mining Guild ore crawler Crawler 413 - 24 before driving away in his speeder . The crawler was staffed by indentured prisoners including Vizago and overseen by the Trandoshan Captain Seevor and the foreman Proach . Following a fight , the Spectres managed to free the slaves , kill Proach , and subdue Seevor . After narrowly avoiding an Imperial patrol , Seevor was killed by Ezra . The Spectres also managed to recruit Vizago and the former prisoners to the rebel cause . Having built a ground support team , Hera was able to convince the Alliance leadership to authorize a strike on the Imperial TIE Defender factory on Lothal . The bolstered Lothal resistance and Spectres aided the planned rebel strike by sabotaging the Imperial artillery defenses . However , they were forced to retreat when Grand Admiral Thrawn ' s fleet wiped out much of Hera ' s strike force . The Spectres later mounted a successful mission to rescue Hera from Imperial captivity but Kanan was killed in the process . While Ryder and the Spectres were devastated by Kanan ' s death , the rebels subsequently learnt that Kanan ' s death was not in vain since Governor Pryce had destroyed the Empire ' s fuel supply and damage the TIE Defender factory in the process ; achieving the goals of Hera ' s strike mission . Liberating Lothal . Later , the Lothal resistance led by Ryder Azadi threw their support behind Ezra Bridger ' s plan to lure Governor Pryce into a trap at the Lothal cliff dwelling as part of their plan to liberate Capital City from Imperial rule . As part of the plot , Ryder pretended to betray his rebel comrades in return for escaping prison . As expected , Pryce attacked the base with several patrol transport s and stormtroopers . Following fierce fighting , Pryce destroyed the Lothal rebels ' ore crawler , which had served as their defensive position . At least two Lothal resistance fighters were killed during the fighting . Despite capturing the Lothal resistance , Pryce was ambushed by Hera ' s reinforcements including the former Clone trooper s Gregor , Wolffe , the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka , the Ugnaught Melch , the bounty hunter Ketsu Onyo and the former Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus and a pack of loth - wolves . The rebels then took Pryce and her surviving stormtroopers captive . Joined by Hera ' s reinforcements , the Lothal resistance embarked on the next stage of their plan to liberate Capital City from the Empire . This plan involved using Governor Pryce to transmit the clearance codes needed to enter the " Dome " , the center of Imperial power on Lothal . After seizing the command center , Ryder issued a faux Protocol 13 for all Imperial forces on Lothal to evacuate aboard the " Dome " , which turned out to be a mobile Imperial Planetary Occupation Facility . Before they could leave , Thrawn returned aboard the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Chimaera " . Thrawn managed to force Ezra to come aboard the " Chimaera " by bombarding Capital City . Under Hera ' s leadership , the Lothal resistance , Spectres , and their new allies split into two teams and fought to recapture the deflector shield generator s before Thrawn unleashed a second salvo . Following dogged fighting which claimed the life of Gregor , the rebels managed to reactivate the deflector shield generators and protect Capital City from Thrawn ' s bombardment . Meanwhile , Wolffe along with Mart Mattin and Cikatro Vizago transmitted a signal that brought a pod of purrgil to Lothal . These purrgil wiped out Thrawn ' s Seventh Fleet and carried Thrawn and Ezra away to the unknown reaches of space . Following the disappearance of Thrawn and Ezra , the remaining Lothal rebels and their allies evacuated aboard the " Ghost " before detonating the " Dome " . The destruction of the " Dome " killed Governor Pryce and most of the remaining Imperial garrison on Lothal . Following the defeat of the Empire , the citizens of Capital City celebrated . Despite fears that the Empire would return , the Empire never returned to Lothal and collapsed following the Battle of Endor . Behind the scenes . Ryder Azadi ' s resistance cell first appeared in the " Star Wars Rebels " Season Three episode " An Inside Man " , which premiered on Disney XD on October 3 , 2016 . The resistance cell consisted of several " Rebels " characters who had appeared in earlier episodes including Ryder himself ( " Legacy " ) , Morad and Marida Sumar ( " Fighter Flight " ) , and Jho ( " Empire Day " ) . Ryder ' s cell reprises their roles as secondary characters in Season Four .