The Bad Batch: Who is Hera Syndulla in Star Wars?

We’ve seen many times over now that Star Wars characters get to cross over in all sorts of ways when it comes to the multitude of TV shows there are.

In The Bad Batch, in particular, we’ve seen many characters from other shows find their way onto this one. For example, the series opener led with Jedi Depa Billaba and her Padawan Caleb Dume (aka Kanan Jarrus from Star Wars Rebels). Later in the series, we saw ex-clone Cut Lawquane from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. And probably the biggest cameo fans were looking forward to was the return of Captain Rex, who appeared in episode 7.

In the latest episode to drop, episode 11 “Devil’s Deal,” there was yet another cameo that we’re sure came as a surprise to most fans. And that cameo was from Twi’lek Hera Syndulla. So, just who is this young character, and where else do we see her in the Star Wars universe?

Who is Hera Syndulla?

Hera Syndulla (voiced by Vanessa Marshall) is an original character from the series Star Wars Rebels and has been there since the very first episode — though she is an adult when we see her in that series. The green-skinned Twi’lek is the ace pilot for the Ghost ship, and her crew consists of Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Garazeb Orrelios, and Sabine Wren. And together, they have their own miniature squad of rebels who want to see the fall of the Empire.

In the series, Hera is also the love interest of Kanan Jarrus. And she acts as the “mom-type” in the group — eventually becoming a mother herself when she gave birth to Jacen Syndulla.

With the Ghost crew, Hera played an important role in the efforts to take down the Empire, and episode 11 of The Bad Batch gave us more info about the character’s background.

In “Devil’s Deal,” we see Hera on her home planet of Ryloth, dreaming of being a pilot. She is the daughter of General Cham Syndulla. And her mother, Eleni Syndulla, questioned the Empire’s growing, suspicious presence on their planet after the end of the Clone Wars. We eventually see that she and her father are early rebels themselves, later creating a plan to stop the Empire and hold their senator guilty of treason for siding with the Imperials.

That plan ended up backfiring, and her parents were eventually jailed by the Empire — who simply had more power than them. A young Hera was whisked away on a ship by her old pal, droid Chopper, and she would be on her own from there.

From the very beginning, Hera had a chaotic life. Being the daughter of a general, living through the Clone Wars as a child and then rising up against the evil Empire. But nothing stopped her from fighting for what’s right, and the galaxy would never be the same without her.