Mission to Ryloth ( Phoenix Squadron ) In 3 BBY , the rebels of Phoenix Cell carried out a mission to the planet Ryloth , where they hijacked an Imperial carrier for the rebel fleet . They were aided by General Cham Syndulla and his Twi ' lek freedom fighters , though the Twi ' leks had an agenda of their own : to destroy the carrier as a symbol to rally the people of Ryloth against the Empire . Ultimately , the rebels stole the cruiser with Cham ' s help , and they also destroyed a light cruiser to achieve the elder Syndulla ' s goals . Prelude . With Phoenix Cell losing pilot s and starfighter s at a faster rate than it could replace them , the Phoenix Cell ' s Commander Jun Sato recommended stealing an Imperial " Quasar Fire " - class cruiser - carrier that was reportedly orbiting the Twi ' lek homeworld of Ryloth in the Outer Rim Territories . For this mission , the Spectres enlisted the help of the Free Ryloth movement , who were led by Cham Syndulla , the father of Hera Syndulla ; the captain of the rebel ship " Ghost " . Hera had not spoken to her father Cham for years due to their differences about Ryloth ' s struggle and the rebellion . Since the Imperial cruiser - carrier was taking part in the Imperial occupation of Ryloth , Cham agreed to help . He traveled to meet the " Ghost " in deep space on a " Nu " - class attack shuttle accompanied by two fellow Twi ' lek rebels Gobi Glie and Numa . Seeking to demonstrate the strength of the Ryloth rebels and to end the Imperial bombardment , Cham advocated destroyer the Imperial cruiser - carrier . However , Hera wanted to steal the ship so that the rebellion could have a fighter carrier to house its starfighters . Her plan involved using a stolen TIE bomber to infiltrate and hijack the starship . Following a tense discussion , the Jedi Kanan Jarrus managed to convince Cham to abandon his plan to destroy the Imperial warship and to help them . Cham publicly agreed to support Hera ' s plan but secretly indicated to his followers that they would still carry out their plan to destroy the Imperial cruiser - carrier . As the two rebel factions traveled to Ryloth , Cham and his followers ingratiated themselves with Hera ' s rebel crew , who admired Cham ' s exploits during the Clone Wars . The mission . Conflicting agendas . Upon exiting hyperspace , the two rebel groups boarded the stolen TIE bomber and approached the cruiser - carrier . Hera then arranged for two A - wing starfighters to attack their bomber . Claiming to be an Imperial ship under attack , the rebels managed to secure permission to land in one of the Imperial ship ' s hangar bays . Hera crash - landed the bomber safely but managed to deliver all her passengers safely . At that point , Cham and his rebels sprung into action and stun ned the Spectres . They then took out a squad of stormtrooper s that had been sent to the hangar . While Numa and Globie proceeded to plant detonator s in the ship ' s munitions rack , Cham headed to sabotage the ship ' s hyperdrive . After awakening and freeing themselves , the Spectres realized that they had to stop the Ryloth rebels from destroying the ship . While Sabine Wren and Garazeb Orrelios made their way to the munitions rack to stop Numa and Gobi , Hera , Kanan , Chopper , and Ezra Bridger proceeded to the command bridge to seize control of the ship . After fighting their way through several stormtroopers , the four rebels managed to force their way to the command bridge . There , Ezra used a mind trick to order the Imperial captain to order his crew to abandon ship . Meanwhile , Sabine and Zeb were caught up in a gun battle between Numa , Gobi and several stormtroopers . After Zeb captured a mouse droid , Sabine fitted the droid with a detonator which knocked Numa and Gobi unconscious . The rebels then took the two Twi ' leks into custody . Meanwhile , the other Spectres managed to corner Cham in the command bridge . Cham had managed to sabotage the ship ' s hyperdrive . Following a lengthy argument , Hera managed to win her father over by telling Cham how he had inspired her to become a rebel leader . After receiving news that several Imperial reinforcements were approaching the cruiser - carrier , Cham decided to work with the rebels to steal the ship from the Empire . Numa and Gobi complied with their leader ' s decision . Comrades in arms . As several TIE bombers and an Imperial landing craft approached the cruiser - carrier , the rebels joined forces to prevent the Empire from recapturing the vessel . While Chopper repaired the hyperdrive , Zeb , Sabine , Numa , and Gobi used the ship ' s laser cannons to blast the Imperial ships . The TIE bombers fired torpedoes which damaged the ship ' s stabilizer ; forcing Hera to take evasive action . Joining forces , Hera and her father managed to regain the ship ' s controls . Meanwhile , the other rebels managed to destroy the TIE bombers and the landing craft before they could damage or land on the vessel . However , the rebels ' problems were not over because an " Arquitens " - class command cruiser had just exited hyperspace . Before the cruiser could attack their hijacked ship , Cham along with Ezra and Sabine shoved a TIE bomber into the path of the warship . Cham then fired on the bomber , creating an explosion which engulfed the bomber and the magazine compartments of the Imperial light cruiser . With its front compartments aflame , the light cruiser descended into Ryloth ' s atmosphere . The destruction of the light cruiser was witnessed by many Twi ' leks who were emboldened by the space battle . Having repaired the cruiser - carrier , the rebels were able to flee into hyperspace . Aftermath . The theft of the Imperial cruiser - carrier greatly strengthened the rebellion ' s forces and provided Phoenix Cell with a safe place to land and store their starfighters . The former Imperial vessel became " Phoenix Nest " , the flagship of the Phoenix fleet . The rebel victory also reinvigorated the Ryloth rebels . Cham reconciled with his daughter Hera and accepted her role in the rebellion . He and his followers then parted company with the Spectres on friendly terms . Behind the scenes . The mission to Ryloth first appeared in the " Star Wars Rebels " episode " Homecoming " , which premiered on Disney XD on February 17 , 2016 .