Hera Syndulla, along with her parents, Cham and Eleni, returned in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, revealing what became of the Syndulla clan in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars. Hera Syndulla was one of the protagonists of Star Wars Rebels, and Cham was a supporting character in two episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Eleni Syndulla makes her animated debut in The Bad Batch, and with that, the complete story of the Syndulla clan continues to take shape. Although Hera and her parents are likely to continue appearing in The Bad Batch, what must happen to these famous Twi’lek freedom fighters before Rebels?
As shown in The Clone Wars, Cham Syndulla is an influential political leader on Ryloth, criticizing the rampant corruption in the Republic, yet not supporting the corporate oligarchy of the Separatist Alliance. When the Clone Wars came to his homeworld, Syndulla worked alongside the Jedi and clone troopers to defeat the Separatists and free his people. His daughter, Hera, grew up to become a freedom fighter as well, albeit on a much larger scale. Hera was one of the earliest members of the Rebel Alliance, fighting the Empire in the decisive Battle of Scarif and the Rebel victory at Endor.
Hera’s early adventures were shown in the 2014 novel A New Dawn, which takes place about six years before the events of Rebels. By this point, Hera was a renowned pilot and smuggler, as well as an associate of Fulcrum (Ahsoka Tano). She’d only left Ryloth in 12 BBY, indicating that Hera may have been fighting the Empire as part of her father’s Free Ryloth Movement. Whatever the case, Hera was honing her already natural talents as a pilot. Cham and Eleni’s histories are revealed via dialogue in Rebels, as well as the 2015 novel Lords of the Sith. They both led the Free Ryloth Movement, attacking Imperial forces, and Eleni was killed at some point during the Ryloth insurgency. Eleni’s death broke Cham’s heart and led him to become single-minded in his rebellious endeavors. This harmed his relationship with Hera, leading her to eventually leave Ryloth.
The Bad Batch may continue to show the origins of the Ryloth insurgency, as well as the story of the Syndulla clan. At the end of season 1, episode 11, “Devil’s Deal,” Orn Free Taa, the Imperial Senate’s representative of Ryloth, was seemingly assassinated by Crosshair on Admiral Rampart’s orders, and the Empire tries to frame Cham Syndulla for his death. Like The Bad Batch’s pilot episode, this contradicts established canon material, if Orn Free Taa is truly dead. The Imperial representative was shown to be alive and well in Lords of the Sith. The Bad Batch may also rewrite lore from A New Dawn, but it’s highly unlikely that anything established in Rebels will be contradicted.
In any case, Rebels establishes that Cham Syndulla continues to lead the Twi’lek resistance against the Empire on Ryloth, while he and Hera grow increasingly distant from each other following Eleni’s death. Eleni’s demise may be shown in a forthcoming episode, further connecting The Bad Batch to Rebels. After the events of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Cham Syndulla will continue to fight the Empire, while Hera will leave her homeworld and help establish one of the first Rebel cells, leading to the creation of the Rebel Alliance.
