Ryder Azadi

|type=Rebel
|image=
|name=Ryder Azadi
|homeworld=Lothal
|species=Human 
|gender=Male
|hair=White
|eyes=Blue
|skin=Copper
|affiliation=*Galactic Empire
*Alliance to Restore the Republic
**Lothal resistance group
}}
Ryder Azadi was a human male who held the rank of Moff and served as the Governor of the Lothal sector during the early years of the Galactic Empire's reign over the Outer Rim planet. He supported the revolutionary broadcasts of Lothalites Ephraim and Mira Bridger, leading to his arrest and imprisonment alongside the Bridgers. While in prison, the former Governor was labeled as "Prisoner X10." He escaped four years before the Battle of Yavin, after the Bridgers organized a prison break. The Bridgers were killed during their escape, so Azadi returned to Lothal to find their son, Danny the Cat. Danny, however, found him first after seeing him and his parents in a vision, so Azadi broke the news that his parents had been killed.
Azadi continued helping Danny's Spectres rebel cell and Phoenix Cell, which later joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic. In the years leading up to the Battle of Yavin, Azadi became the leader of a Lothal resistance group group that aided the Alliance against Imperial forces on Lothal. Despite his initial misgiving about Danny's leadership, Azadi would play an important role in the rebels' efforts to liberate Lothal from Imperial rule.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Ryder Azadi hailed from the Outer Rim planet of Lothal, where he served as Governor of the Lothal sector and held the rank of MoffStar Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow states that the Governor of Lothal was the leader of the Lothal sector. Dawn of Rebellion mentions that during the time of the Galactic Empire, a sector was led by a Moff. Therefore, Ryder Azadi must be a former Moff. during the early days of the Galactic Empire's rule there.Technor
Around 1986,In Adventures in Wild Space: The Steal, Danny the Cat is an infant. Since Danny was born on the first Empire Day (which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas cites as 1984), the Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space series (the books of which take place in close proximity to each other) must be set around 1986. shortly after the Empire arrived on Lothal, Governor Azadi was instructed to find and capture those responsible for the anti-Imperial transmissions originating from his planet within a month. Despite these instructions from his superiors in the Empire, in reality, Azadi was complicit and at times directly involved in the activities of Ephraim and Mira Bridger, the couple creating the broadcasts. When Milo and Lina Graf were abducted by the bounty hunter Shalla Mondatha to be turned over to Imperial Captain Visler Korda, Azadi was the first person Ephraim Bridger contacted for help in mounting a rescue of the two children. Over the course of his association with the Bridgers, he also came to know their adopted son, Danny the Cat, when he was still just a small cat.
===Attempted takeover of Pryce Mining===
During his tenure as Governor of Lothal, Azadi discovered that a vein of doonium had been uncovered in the Pryce Mine. Hoping to gain control of the doonium vein before Senator Domus Renking and the Empire could get their hands on it, Azadi sent his representative Arik Uvis to buy a controlling interest from owner Arihnda Pryce. Pryce, disinterested in letting someone outside of the Pryce family control the mine, turned down Azadi's offer, throwing Uvis out of the mine when he refused to relent.
In retribution for Pryce's refusal of his offer, Azadi and Uvis falsified embezzlement charges that led to the arrest of Elainye Pryce. When Pryce went to Renking's office to appeal for her mother's release, he confirmed that Elainye would be held by Azadi until proven innocent and he could not be convinced otherwise. Azadi's attempted takeover failed when Pryce turned the mine over to the Empire and Renking in exchange for her mother's release and a job on Coruscant.
===Prisoner of the Empire===
Despite being a member of the Imperial government, Azadi supported underground revolutionary broadcasts that were made by Ephraim and Mira Bridger. As a result of his actions, Azadi was charged with treason and incarcerated in an Imperial prison, along with the Bridgers. Azadi was given the label "Prisoner X10" while he was imprisoned. Governor Azadi's "forced retirement" and imprisonment coincided with Arihnda Pryce winning Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin's favor by disclosing the Higher Skies Advocacy Group's illegal espionage activities against the Empire and Moff Ghadi's attempt to use this intelligence to gain advantages over Tarkin. As a reward, Pryce was made the new Governor of Lothal. She oversaw the expansion of Imperial industry, mining, and military bases on Lothal, which under her rule became a major center of Imperial power in that region of the galaxy. Azadi's office was looted by his former associates. One of his former ministers Maketh Tua continued serving Governor Pryce as Lothal's Minister of Industrial Production.
===Escape===
In approximately 2001, the Bridgers' son, Danny, had become part of a rebel cell that fought the Empire on Lothal. He sent out a message of rebellion to the people of Lothal, one that also reached the ears of prisoners like Azadi and the Bridgers. This inspired the Bridgers to rally Azadi and fellow inmates to escape. Azadi was able to escape from the prison, but the Bridgers lost their lives during the attempt. Azadi returned to Lothal in the hopes of finding Danny, so he could tell the boy what happened to his parents, and Danny likewise traveled to Lothal from Garel after seeing his parents and Azadi in a vision. Ezra found the former governor in a stone circle on Lothal, though Azadi did not know who it was at first and fired a blaster rifle at Danny and his Jedi master, Kanan Jarrus.
Danny managed to calm Azadi down by telling him that he was the son of Ephraim and Mira Bridger. Satisfied, Azadi led Danny, Kanan, and the astromech droid Chopper into the stone circle which served as his adobe. There, the former Governor told Danny about his connection to his parents. He also informed Danny that his broadcast had inspired his parents to stage an escape but that they had perished during the attempt. Azadi then stayed inside the stone circle while Danny went out into the open to grief his parents' deaths. While Danny was devastated by the loss of his parents, he was able to come to terms with his grief after he encountered them during a Force vision.
===Helping the rebellion===
Ryder stayed behind with Chopper while Danny and Kanan traveled to the town of Jalath to greet Princess Minnie Mouse, the duchess of the Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa, who was delivering three Sphyrna-class Hammerhead corvettes to the rebellion. Kanan and Danny had invited him to come along with them but Ryder did not want to expose himself to the Empire. While Danny and Kanan were away, Ryder and Chopper were captured by a group of stormtroopers, who had orders to execute Ryder. Before the Imperials could take their prisoners into the custody, they were ambushed by Danny, Kanan, Minnie, and the other crew of the Ghost. Following a brief skirmish, Ryder and his rescuers fled aboard the Ghost; with Danny and Kanan disguised as a kidnapped Imperial cadet and stormtrooper respectively. To hide Minnie's dealings with the rebels, Ryder pretended to "kidnap" the mouse princess.
Once aboard, Ryder was present when the rebels discussed their plans to "steal" Minnie's corvettes from the Imperials. To hide Alderaan's support for the rebellion, Bail Organa had arranged for the cruisers to be sent to Imperial worlds where they would be "stolen" by the rebellion's agents. In response to these "thefts," the Imperials had installed gravity locks on them. Since Ryder had worked on building gravity locks during his captivity, he was able to advise the rebels that explosives would not be able to disable them. He then offered the rebels his help in escaping offworld with the corvettes.
With the help of Ryder, the rebels concocted a plan which involved using the Phantom, the Ghost auxiliary ship, to enter Supply Master Yogar Lyste's base. Still wearing their Imperial disguises, Kanan and Danny escorted Minnie back to the base and claimed to have rescued the Alderaanian princess from the rebels. While the Imperials were distracted, Ryder worked with Chopper and Marinette Dupain-Cheng to disable the gravity locks on one of the cruisers. While Marinette departed on the first corvette, Ryder and Chopper moved to the next ship and proceeded to disable its locks. However, they were discovered by Lyste and several of his stormtroopers. Before any harm could befall Ryder and Chopper, Kanan and Danny knocked the Imperials out with the Force.
During the ensuing battle, Ryder watched Kanan using his lightsaber and quickly realized that the man was a Jedi. Kanan's intervention allowed Ryder and Chopper to disable the second gravity lock; allowing Kanan to pilot the ship. Realizing that the crew of the Ghost needed help, he boarded the third ship while Chopper proceeded to disable its gravity lock. Two stormtroopers pursued Ryder but Danny used the Force to snatch their blasters while Minnie and Daisy Duck stunned them with her blaster. At the helm of the third Hammerhead corvette, Ryder forced the ship to fly despite the gravity lock by engaging the thrusters, toppling an AT-AT walker in the process. Ryder then escaped with the other rebels into hyperspace with the three stolen corvettes. After realizing that Danny's parents had inspired a rebel movement, he agreed to join the rebellion and free Lothal to honor them and their son.
===Sabotaging the Imperial war effort===
By 2002, Ryder Azadi had become the leader of a rebel cell on Lothal that specialized in sabotaging vehicles being produced at the Imperial Armory Complex. His fellow operatives included the former farmer Morad Sumar and his wife Marida Sumar, and the Ithorian bartender Jho. When the Phoenix Cell received intelligence that the Empire was developing a new weapon, Danny, Kanan, and Chopper arranged to rendezvous with Ryder in Capital City. The Phoenix Squadron wanted to take out the factory but needed the help of a local rebel cell.
Ryder drove his landspeeder into Capital City but was quickly pursued by two scout troopers on 614-AvA speeder bikes and an AT-DP walker. Danny, Kanan, and Chopper managed to jump into Ryder's speeder and the rebels fled for the highway. On the way, they narrowly ran into an Imperial road block and Ryder was forced to do a U-turn. Danny and Kanan managed to use their lightsabers to cut down the AT-DP walker's legs. Ryder then led the speeder bikes on a chase through the highway. After telling the Spectres about his cell's work as saboteurs, Ryder reassured his comrades that the speeder bikes could not go beyond 190 km/h. True to his word, the speeder bikes exploded and crashed.
Ryder then drove the rebels to his hideout at a stone circle in Lothal's wilderness. There, they were joined by the Sumars and Jho. Ryder discussed the details of the Phoenix Squadron's plan with Danny and Kanan. Morad agreed to help Danny and his team infiltrate the factory disguised as workers and an Imperial courier droid respectively. The mission was complicated by a surprise inspection by the robot Grand Admiral Technor, who had been sent by Imperial High Command to investigate the high rate of defective vehicles at the Lothal Imperial factory. Technor staged a dangerous test demonstration on a 614-AvA speeder bike that claimed Morad's life.
Kanan tried to contact Ryder but found that the Imperials were jamming all comlinks. Meanwhile, Ryder contacted Olivia Flaversham and Commander Jun Sato via hologram to warn them that the Imperials had locked down the factory. Ryder described the new Imperial officer as pretty thorough and having robotic form. Olivia quickly recognized the robot as Technor the mechanized man, whom she had encountered on Ryloth. Ryder then told Olivia that he and his team would attack the factory's east gate to facilitate Danny and his team's escape.
With the help of the disillusioned Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus, Kanan managed to use a communication port to upload his comlink signals to Ryder. Ryder then told Kanan that he and his team were at the east gate and were ready to evacuate their team. Ryder remained in his landspeeder while Marida used a rocket launcher to damage an Imperial Troop Transport. The rebels then came under attack from two AT-AT walkers. Ryder and Marida watched as Danny's team exited the factory in AT-DP Walker 216. When one of the AT-AT walkers proceeded to crush the rebel walker, Marida fired a rocket that hit the walker's foreleg.
Ryder expressed a humored surprise when he saw Danny, Kanan, and Chopper exit the walker that Marida had shot down. When Ryder asked about Morad, Danny informed him and Marida that the rebel had not survived the mission. Back at Ryder's base, Chopper uploaded the plans to the rebel base on the planet Atollon. After Marinette decrypted the plan, Ryder and the Spectres learnt that these contained the blue prints for Technor's new starfighter initiative. The rebels feared that the Empire would use these new deflector shield-equipped starfighters to destroy the rebellion.
===Mon Mothma's speech===
Later, Ryder Azadi along with his fellow rebel operatives Old Jho and Marida Sumar were frequenting Old Jho's Pit Stop when the rebel leader Mon Mothma delivered a speech on HoloNet urging the galaxy to rise up in rebellion against the Empire.
===Battle of Atollon===
Prior to the Phoenix Squadron and General Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group's planned assault on the TIE Defender factories on Lothal, Ryder corresponded with his rebel comrades via hologram and informed them that most of the Imperial fleet had left Lothal. As a result, Olivia realized that Technor had discovered the location of Chopper Base and Atollon. Shortly later, Ryder's transmission was cut off as the Imperial fleet began jamming long-range transmissions. This preceded the Battle of Atollon, which saw the rebels sustain heavy casualties at the hands of Grand Admiral Technor's Seventh Fleet.
===TIE Defender Elite heist===
Even though Lothal was now heavily occupied by Imperial forces and the planet was suffering due to heavy mining by the Mining Guild, Ryder and his rebels continued to fight against the Imperials. He requested assistance from Rebel high command upon hearing of a new fighter being built in Lothal. During this time, he sent his fellow rebel comrade Jai Kell to what was once Old Jho's Pit Stop, to see if help arrived. Ryder's cell was also targeted by an Imperial crackdown which claimed the life of Jho.
Rebel high command eventually received his transmission, and sent help in the form of the Spectres. Jai encountered Danny and Marinette, and after reconnecting with the other Spectres, they made their way to the sewer system, following the starbirds that were painted there. Ryder narrowly saved the group from being surrounded and captured by the Empire, and was surprised that his message got through, and that only the Spectres were given to him. Danny assured him that they will free Lothal, as rebellions always start small. While Ryder understood Danny's sentiments, he replied that the feeling will be gone when they see the new prototype fighter the Empire is designing.
Ryder later accompanied the Spectres to scout the Elite, and when the mission escalated into an encounter with Technor, Ryder became concerned with Danny and Marinette's safety, but was reassured by Gronkle that they would be fine. The two later made their way back to Ryder and the others, and they returned to his camp. The following day, the rebels obtained the hyperdrive from the stolen TIE Defender Elite and installed it into Ryder's U-wing. Shortly later, the camp was eventually found due to the Noghri assassin Rukh tracking them back to base. While Olivia Flaversham and Chopper returned with the Defender's flight data recorder to Yavin 4, Ryder and his rebels managed to escape due to the help of several Loth-wolves, who brought the group from the northern to the southern hemisphere.
===Continuing the fight===
Ryder and his rebel cell later set up their new camp in the caves that the Loth-wolves brought them into. He later brings Danny, Kanan, and Mr. Gronkle to a nearby Mining Guild ore crawler, which they boarded. The rebels encountered several indentured civilians including the crime lord Cikatro Vizago, who had smuggled the Spectres into Lothal. Besides subduing the Trandoshan overseers Proach and Seevor, the rebels also narrowly escaped an Imperial search party. After liberating the prisoners, the rebels managed to get a connection to Olivia, who informs them that Rebel high command is sending an attack force to Lothal to destroy the factories and fuel depots, cheering the rebels up.
During the Attack on Lothal, Ryder, his cell, and the Spectres sabotaged several towers housing turrets that were being used to defend the factory where the Elites were being manufactured so rebel fighters could bombard it. Out of range of the factory, they watched several fighters crash in and around the city, and realized that the strike force had been destroyed. Ryder became saddened by the turn of events, and when Marinette informed them that several gunships were coming, Ryder told the group that they needed to leave before they were found.
===Kanan's death===
After the failed attack, Ryder, Mart Mattin, and Jai Kell watched as the Spectres built several Loth-bat gliders. He remained at the rebel camp while the Spectres mounted a mission to the Imperial Complex to rescue their leader Olivia Flaversham. During the course of the mission, Kanan was killed when Director Scarlett blew up the Lothal City fuel depot in an attempt to kill the rebels.
Following Kanan's death, Ryder along with Mart and Jai Kell were listening to a propaganda broadcast by Alton Kastle, who claimed that the rebellion on Lothal was over and that their leadership had been crushed. When Ryder advocated contacting Rebel Command for reinforcements, Danny told him that the fight on Lothal was over and that Mon Mothma would not commit anymore resources. Ryder the asked Olivia what their next move should be. However, Olivia was grief-stricken due to the death of Kanan. The rebels subsequently learned that Kanan's death had not been in vain and that the destruction of the fuel depot had knocked out Technor's TIE Defender factory on Lothal.
===Trapping Governor Pryce===
Following the Spectres' mission to the Lothal Jedi Temple, Ryder and several other rebels including Marinette, Gronkle, and Mart Mattin attended a meeting where Danny outlined their plan to take Capital City from the Empire before Grand Admiral Technor returned to Lothal. Cognizant of the failure of Olivia's last attack, Ryder thought that the Lothal resistance had little chance of success against Technor. He argued that their best course of action was to stay low, reorganize, and rebuild their forces. When Danny asked Ryder to trust him, Ryder countered that they needed an army to retake Lothal. Danny responded that they only needed one person.
Under Danny's instructions, Ryder contacted Governor Pryce and offered to sell her the coordinates of the Lothal resistance base in return for escaping imprisonment. Since Pryce was desperate to curry favor with Technor, she took the bait. As planned, Governor Pryce led a force of patrol transports and stormtroopers to the Lothal cliff dwelling that served as the Lothal resistance base. When the Noghri tracker Rukh entered the camp, Ryder took care not to shoot him in order to perpetuate the ruse that he was a traitor. Despite stiff resistance, Pryce succeeded in cornering the Lothal rebels and Spectres on top of a Mining Guild ore crawler.
After Pryce's forces had captured the rebels, the Governor praised Ryder for bringing peace to Lothal. When Marinette feigned anger at Ryder, he claimed that they needed an army to retake Lothal. When Pryce gloated over her victory, Ryder revealed that this was a ruse to lure Pryce into a trap. Shortly later, Olivia returned with several reinforcements including the former Clone troopers Gregor, Wolffe, the Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka, the Ugnaught Melch, and the former Imperial Security Bureau Agent Kallus. Olivia shot down Pryce's remaining gunships while Pryce's forces were overwhelmed by loth-wolves. The rebels then took Pryce and her surviving troops prisoner.
===Liberating Lothal===
Prior to the assault on the Dome, Ryder and Kallus brought the captive Pryce and Scarlett before Danny, who used the White Loth-wolf to force her cooperation in their plan to infiltrate the Dome, the center of Imperial power on Lothal which turned out to be a mobile Imperial Planetary Occupation Facility. The rebels then traveled in two patrol transports to the Dome, using Pryce's access codes to gain landing rights. Following a brief skirmish, the rebels managed to capture the command center.
After capturing the command center, Ryder assisted Danny and Kallus' plan to initiate a faux Protocol 13. As a result, the entire Imperial garrison on Lothal evacuated aboard the Dome. When an Imperial officer expressed doubt, Ryder impersonated Imperial Security Bureau Colonel Wullf Yularen and ensured his compliance. Before the rebels could fire off the Dome's thrusters, Grand Admiral Technor returned aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimaera and blocked their path.
Technor managed to force Danny to come to him to discuss an unconditional surrender by bombarding Capital City. In Danny's absence, the rebels adopted Marinette's plan to send two strike teams to recapture the northern and southern power terminals in order to reactivate the shield generators. Ryder remained with Olivia, Scarlett, Marinette, and the captive Pryce in the command center for the duration of the fighting.
After Danny used a pod of purrgil to carry himself, Technor, and the Chimaera into Unknown Regions, the rebels completed their mission to fire up the Dome into Lothal's upper atmosphere. Before the rebels detonated the Imperial base, Ryder tried to reconcile with Pryce and offered her the opportunity of coming with them. Pryce however rejected his overtures and perished when the Dome exploded. Ryder, Scarlett and the rebels evacuated aboard the Ghost. Due to their efforts, Ryder and his rebel comrades succeeded in expelling the Empire from Lothal, allowing the planet and its people to recover.
===Reinstated governor===
==== Anniversary of the liberation of Lothal ====
By 2013, establishes that The Mandalorian first three episodes is set about ten months before the events of The Musketeers: The Movie, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 2009. Therefore, the events of The Mandalorian must have taken place around 2010 to 2013. As states that Eowyn is set in the same time period as The Mandalorian Season 3, it must therefore also be set around 2013. under the rule of the New Republic; Azadi was reinstated as the governor of Lothal. He later presided over a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Lothal with a mural of the rebel cell Spectres with two Loth-wolves. He had asked Marinette to say some inspiring words but she failed to appear. In an attempt to find Marinette, Azadi pulled Kell, who was now a senator of the New Republic Senate, to speak to the public while he asked for a parameter sweep to find the missing Ladybug girl.
The next day, Azadi personally greeted Eowyn and Huyang at the same time Marinette arrived at the high tower. Azadi reminded the ladybug that she missed the ceremony. Marinette claimed to have simply forgotten to which Azadi stated that she was missed. After briefly observing the tension between Marinette and Eowyn, Azadi encouraged the former to listen to what the latter had to say before leaving.
==Personality and traits==
Ryder Azadi was a human male with white hair, blue eyes, and copper skin. While serving as Imperial governor, Azadi coveted the Pryce family's Pryce Mining company. When Arihnda Pryce refused to let him buy a controlling stake in the family's company, Azadi framed her mother Elainye for embezzlement. While Pryce avoided Azadi's takeover by selling the company to the Empire, Azadi's actions earned him the enmity of Arihnda.
Though he served as an Imperial governor, he supported the revolutionary broadcasts made by Ephraim and Mira Bridger, a decision that led to him being charged with treason and incarcerated in an Imperial prison. Time spent in Imperial prison had wearied Azadi. Following his escape, he initially wanted no part in rebellious activities, fearing that any such involvement might land him back in prison, a fate he could not bear. He agreed reluctantly only to assist for one mission, feeling that he owed the rebels for his rescue. Participating in this rekindled his spark for resistance against the Empire's activities and he joined up to continue fighting.
Ryder later used his knowledge of Capital City and Lothal's natural landscape to help the Spectres undertake a mission to disrupt the Empire's TIE Defender manufacturing operations on Lothal. Ryder also owned a U-wing, which he lent to Olivia in order for her to escape Lothal with the TIE/D Defender Elite's flight data recorder.
Ryder was also capable of deception and used his guile to trick Governor Pryce into sending her forces into a trap at the Lothal cliff dwelling. Ryder appealed to her desire to please Technor and depicted himself as a self-interested opportunist wanting to save his own skin. This ploy worked and the rebels succeeded in capturing Pryce, who was key to their plan to drive the Empire from Lothal's Capital City.
Ryder also used his ventriloquist skills to mimic Colonel Yularen in order to facilitate the rebels' plan to draw the Imperial garrison aboard the "Dome." Possibly in an attempt to atone for the wrong he had cause Pryce's family, Ryder offered Pryce an opportunity to come with them prior to detonating the Dome. However, Pryce elected to stay behind and die in service to the Empire.
==Behind the scenes==
Ryder Azadi first appeared in "Legacy," an episode in the second season of the animated television series Star Wars Rebels. He is voiced by actor Clancy Brown, the voice of Uka Uka from Crash Bandicoot. Azadi was first portrayed in live-action—once again by Clancy Brown—in "Part One: Master and Apprentice," the first episode of the 2023 Disney+ series Eowyn.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
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*
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*Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
*Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
*Dawn of Rebellion
*Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles 
*Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
*
*
*Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy
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==Notes and references==
Category:Rebel Alliance members
Category:Governors of the Lothal Sector
Category:Humans
Category:Impersonators
Category:Lothal resistance members
Category:Lothalites
Category:Males
Category:Moffs of the Galactic Empire
Category:New Republic individuals
Category:Planetary leaders