Alph ( Rogue ) Alph was a Human male pilot in the Rebel Alliance ' s Rogue Squadron in the year 3 ABY . When the Alliance learned that a massive Imperial armada was transporting a communications - amplifying Teezl creature to the Empire ' s capital planet of Coruscant , Alph was one of four Rogues selected to fly captured Imperial TIE fighters into the heart of the armada and take the creature out . After obtaining the recognition codes needed to enter the fleet , the four set off in their TIEs as Flying Bantha Squadron and successfully joined the armada . Their attack on the armada ' s Star Destroyers prompted a counterattack that killed Alph , but his mission commander , Luke Skywalker , was able to destroy the Teezl . Biography . Alph was a Human male member of the Rebel Alliance in the year 3 ABY , during the Alliance ' s war against the Galactic Empire . He served the Rebels as a starfighter pilot in Rogue Squadron . Alph was stationed at the Alliance ' s Haven Base on the planet Arbra in the first half of 3 ABY , around the time the Rebels learned that the Empire was building a secret armada . The armada — one of the largest in Imperial history — was transporting a Teezl , a unique creature that could naturally amplify hyperspace communications , to the Empire ' s capital world of Coruscant . A strike at the armada was planned , and the Alliance initiated Operation Earplug by acquiring four Imperial TIE fighters from the weapons trader Orion Ferret . The TIEs were then used to seize an Imperial base on the planet Spindrift and obtain the armada ' s route coordinates . The Alliance was finally ready to infiltrate the enemy fleet , and Alph was chosen to be one of the mission ' s pilots . Alph and a group of other Rebels made their way to an uninhabited planetoid near the armada ' s route and sent out a distress signal , which was picked up by a far reconnaissance patrol of four Imperial TIE fighters . After Rebel X - wing fighters destroyed them , their sole survivor was forced to reveal the recognition codes for entrance into the armada . Alph and three other Rogues — Shira Brie , Hanc Thorben , and mission commander Luke Skywalker — then boarded their TIE fighters and became Flying Bantha Squadron . The TIEs had been modified to fire only six laser bursts at standard strength , after which they would release their energy stores in a shot powerful enough to cut through even the strongest shields . Signal transceiver s had also been added to the craft so that the Rebel pilots could recognize each other among the enemy fleet . After arriving at the armada and gaining entrance with their stolen codes , the four Flying Banthas each chose an Imperial Star Destroyer and attacked . The Imperials mounted a hasty counterattack and began to fire wildly , initially only hitting each other but eventually destroying Alph ' s TIE with lasers . Alph was killed in the explosion , but Skywalker was able to take out the Teezl and win the day . Personality and traits . Alph was a member of Rogue Squadron , a group that was composed of the Rebel Alliance ' s top pilots . However , he was killed during the battle of the secret armada while flying a TIE Fighter . Alph had dark skin . Behind the scenes . Alph was created in 1982 as a character in " " , an issue of Marvel Comics ' ongoing " Star Wars " comic series . The issue was written by David Michelinie and Walt Simonson , penciled by Simonson , and colored by Glynis Wein . Twenty years later , Shira Brie ' s entry in " The New Essential Guide to Characters " explicitly confirmed that Alph was a member of Rogue Squadron .