Arvel Crynyd Arvel Crynyd was a male human pilot who served in the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War . In the war ' s fourth year , Commander Crynyd participated in the Rebellion ' s attack on the Galactic Empire ' s second Death Star in the Battle of Endor , flying an RZ - 1 A - wing interceptor in Green Squadron as leader of the squadron . When Crynyd was killed during the battle in a suicide run to destroy the Super Star Destroyer " Executor " , Lieutenant L ' ulo L ' ampar assumed command of the squadron . The battle ended soon after , seeing the destruction of the Death Star and death of Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine . Biography . Battle of Endor . Arvel Crynyd was a male human who served the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War , a galaxy - wide conflict between the Alliance and the Galactic Empire . Holding the rank of commander , Crynyd flew as a pilot in Green Squadron , operating an RZ - 1 A - wing interceptor In 4 ABY , after the Bothan spynet discovered that Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine would be aboard the second Death Star to oversee its construction , Alliance High Command determined that launching an immediate assault on the space station would be their only chance to cripple the Empire . With the full Alliance Fleet , Crynyd , under the callsign of Green Leader , exited hyperspace above the forest moon of Endor , approaching the superweapon in his A - wing . He was the last squadron leader to report stand - by status and prepared to attack the Death Star , but pulled up at the last second on General Lando Calrissian ' s orders when it was revealed that the shield was still up . Green Squadron was ordered to stick close to Sector MV - 7 as a massive flotilla of Star Destroyers emerged from the other side of the moon . The Alliance had walked right into a trap , but were determined to go down fighting . Initially , both sides fought with only their starfighters to the rebels ' confusion , but this turned to horror when the Death Star proved itself to be fully operational , firing its superlaser on the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser " Liberty " and reducing it to atoms . Following the advice of Calrissian , the remaining Rebel forces moved up alongside the Star Destroyers and fought at point - blank range , hoping the Death Star wouldn ' t dare shoot into its own fleet . When the shield protecting the Death Star was disabled , several fighters broke off and headed for it to destroy the reactor . To buy them time , Crynyd and his squadron attacked the Imperial flagship , the mighty Super Star Destroyer " Executor " , with two A - wings knocking out its bridge deflector shields . In response , Admiral Firmus Piett ordered the forward batteries to increase forward firing to prevent any window of opportunity from being exploited . As Crynyd attempted a trench run through the ship ' s superstructure , his fighter was struck by a laser bolt and spun wildly . Realizing he was doomed , Crynyd managed to wrestle what little control he had over his starfighter and put it on a collision course with the " Executor " ' s unshielded bridge tower . Letting out one last cry of defiance , Crynyd ' s ship crashed through the bridge windows and exploded , killing himself alongside Piett and the entire bridge crew . Without its command structure , the " Executor " lost primary power and plunged into the Death Star ' s gravity well , colliding with the station and detonating in a massive fireball . Crynyd ' s sacrifice tipped the battle in the Alliance ' s favor , with the Death Star being destroyed shortly after . Personality and traits . Crynyd was a human male with brown eyes and light skin . Being a veteran pilot and instructor , Crynyd spent more time in an A - wing than anyone else in the Alliance Starfighter Corps . He praised the starfighter and maintained the notion that skilled A - wing pilots could easily outfly the TIE interceptor — the Imperial counterpart to the A - wing . Having also recognized that the lightly shielded A - wings couldn ' t stand up to Imperial - class Star Destroyer s , Crynyd pushed them into reconnaissance and escort missions where speed meant strength . He was also brave and dedicated to the Alliance cause to the extent that he was willing to sacrifice his life for it , crashing his crippled starfighter into the " Executor " . Equipment . As a pilot of the Alliance , Arvel Crynyd wore a green flight suit and helmet , while operating an RZ - 1 A - wing interceptor . Behind the scenes . Arvel Crynyd first appeared in the 1983 film . He was portrayed by Hilton McRae in an uncredited role . Crynyd would later make an appearance in the first issue of the 2015 comic series " Shattered Empire , Part I "