Star Wars is a classic tale of good and evil, a tale of a galaxy threatened by the tyrannical Galactic Empire, with only the courageous Alliance to Restore the Republic standing in their way. The light and dark sides of the Force also played a major role in this conflict that is frequently referred to as the Galactic Civil War within the series. While the Galactic Civil War is considered to have officially started during the Battle of Scarif, the Rebel Alliance was formed far earlier than that. This means that individuals integral to those earlier days predating the Galactic Civil War are among the Rebellion's strongest members.
Over the years an extensive number of characters have been part of the Rebel Alliance. As such, this list only focuses on canon members of the Rebellion. These characters and their deeds come from a wide variety of stories, including the original trilogy films, Rogue One, Star Wars Rebels, and comics and novels. Each individual's strength is defined by their contributions to the Rebel Alliance's fight against the Empire and the dark side.
May the Force be with you as we explore Star Wars: 30 Strongest Members Of The Rebel Alliance, Officially Ranked.
Saw Gerrera
As someone trained by the Jedi to fight for themselves and save their planet during the Clone Wars, Saw Gerrera has been described by Dave Filoni as the "original rebel." The Jedi planted the seeds for the Rebel Alliance with individuals like Saw, and he was a major figure in in the Alliance's earlier days as his group known as the Partisans were a prominent cell. However, Saw's extremism— such as orchestrated a tragedy at a festival where he took out a political ally of Emperor Palpatine— caused a divide in the Rebellion. Already an underdog, weakening the Alliance's unity and distorting what it meant to fight the Empire overall hurt the Rebellion.
Kallus
As an agent of Imperial Security Bureau, Kallus was a longtime enemy of the Ghost crew, had fought rebels like Saw Gerrera, and even participated in the genocide of the planet Lasan. These actions obviously hurt the Alliance, but his loyalties to the Empire began to shift after he found himself stranded on a frozen moon with Ghost crew member Zeb. By working together to survive and through their conversations, Kallus began to question his beliefs in the Empire and the Rebellion, ultimately leading him to become a rebel spy known as Fulcrum. In this capacity, Kallus provided the Rebel Alliance with crucial intelligence on the Empire, especially concerning Grand Admiral Thrawn. Even after his cover was blown, Kallus managed to escape the Empire and continued serving the Rebellion on Yavin 4, and later on helped liberate Lothal from the Empire.
Jan Dodonna
Destroying the first Death Star completely changed the tide of the Galactic Civil War, and part of the credit for that victory belongs to Jan Dodonna. Using the Death Star plans, Dodonna formulated and oversaw the execution of the plan to attack and destroy the first Death Star. The Rebel Alliance lost many of its pilots in the Battle of Yavin, but it was ultimately a success as the Death Star was destroyed. It's an impressive contribution, but his overall strength is lowered by the fact that he wasn't supportive of Jyn Erso's plea for the Rebellion to send their best troops to Scarif. He successfully planned how to destroy the Death Star, but didn't have the foresight to support the plan to acquire the Death Star plans in the first place.
Shara Bey
Poe Dameron's mother, Shara Bey, was one of the most gifted pilots in the Rebel Alliance. She flew her A-wing with Green Squadron in the Battle of Endor in which she helped the Alliance Fleet to destroy the second Death Star, and she even managed to survive the battle. She faithfully served as a pilot for the Alliance in several crucial missions following the Battle of Endor. This included protecting the planet Naboo from the Empire's Operation: Cinder and assisting Luke Skywalker in a mission to retrieve fragments of the Great Tree— a Force-sensitive tree that once sat at the heart of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. She left a lasting impact that lived far beyond the end of the Galactic Civil War as she taught her son Poe to fly and he would go on to join General Leia Organa's Resistance, becoming a skilled pilot and leader serving a just cause much like his mother.
Commander Sato
The rebel cell known as Phoenix Squadron was integral to the Rebel Alliance and conducted many successful strikes against the Empire. Phoenix Squadron's success was largely owed to its leader Commander Sato. When Grand Admiral Thrawn and his Imperial fleet converged on Atollon— the planet where Chopper Base was located— Commander Sato made a bold and effective sacrifice. He crashed his ship into the Interdictor cruiser commanded by Imperial Admiral Konstantine. In doing so, Commander Sato lost his life, but he allowed Ezra Bridger and Chopper to escape and reach Sabine Wren and the Mandalorians for aid. Ezra and Chopper returned with Sabine and the Mandalorians, which enabled at least the Ghost crew and some members of the Rebel Alliance to escape Thrawn and live to fight another day.
Nien Nunb
Nien Nunb was introduced to audiences in Return of the Jedi where he co-piloted the Millennium Falcon with Lando Calrissian during the Battle of Endor. His piloting helped Lando and the Rebellion destroy the second Death Star and win the Battle of Endor. This is only a piece of Nien Nunb's contributions to the Rebellion, though. After the destruction of Alderaan, the Empire sought to exterminate the planet's citizens who hadn't been on their home world when it was destroyed. Nien Nunb helped smuggle those Alderaanian refugees to safety without being detected by the Empire, ensuring that despite what the Empire had done, Alderaan would survive.
C-3PO
C-3P0 is often dismissed as irritating or serving as little more than comic relief, but he was actually quite helpful to the Rebel Alliance on many occasions. For starters, C-3PO convinced Luke Skywalker to purchase R2-D2. If not for this, R2 would've remained in the clutches of the Jawas rather than getting closer to passing Leia's message to Obi-Wan Kenobi and eventually delivering the Death Star plans to the Alliance. C-3PO also convinced the Ewoks to aid the Rebellion in their fight against the Empire. Regardless of one's feelings toward the Ewoks, it can't be denied that they were integral to defeating the Empire during the Battle of Endor, something that wouldn't have been possible without C-3PO's persuasion.
Baze Malbus
Even though he wouldn't live to see the fruits of his labor, Baze Malbus was a key member of the Rogue One crew that successfully stole the Death Star plans. Along the way, he dispatched Stormtroopers on Jedha, thereby saving the lives of Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and Baze's dear friend Chirrut Îmwe. He and Chirrut were the first to agree to risk everything and join Jyn on her mission to Scarif. On Scarif, Baze helped infiltrate the Imperial base and eliminated many of the Empire's soldiers, including some of their elite Death Troopers. Without his actions, the Alliance may never have received the Death Star plans.
Chirrut Îmwe
Chirrut Îmwe was one with the Force and the Force was with him. He wasn't a Jedi, but rather a Guardian of the Whill and spiritual warrior-monk. Even though he was blind, Chirrut was able to use those skills to take out Stormtroopers and even shoot down a TIE fighter on Eadu. He immediately believed what Jyn Erso said about her father's message and was among the first to join her on the unsanctioned mission to retrieve the Death Star plans from Scarif. In the heat of battle on Scarif, Chirrut managed to locate and flip the master switch, which allowed the Death Star plans to be successfully transmitted to the Alliance Fleet.
Bodhi Rook
Bodhi Rook wasn't with the Rebel Alliance for long, but his contributions made him vital to the cause. It was to Bodhi that Galen Erso entrusted his message about the Death Star's fatal flaw and the plans that would expose that critical weakness. Without Bodhi, Jyn Erso would never have seen her father's message. She never would've led the charge to acquire the plans and the Rebel Alliance wouldn't have been able to use the plans to destroy the Death Star. Also, when the Empire closed the Shield Gate during the Battle of Scarif, Bodhi realized that they wouldn't be able to transmit the Death Star plans to the Alliance Fleet. He communicated this message to Admiral Raddus, who made sure the Shield Gate was destroyed so the plans could be transmitted.
Admiral Ackbar
In preparation for the Battle of Endor, Admiral Ackbar briefed the Rebel Alliance on how best to attack and destroy the second Death Star. It was largely through his planning and commanding the fleet from his ship that the Battle of Endor was a success for the Rebel Alliance. His planning and leadership was strong, yet he did fail to recognize that the Empire brought the Alliance Fleet into a trap during the battle, though fortunately this mistake ultimately didn't prevent their victory. Ackbar's strength went beyond the Battle of Endor as he helped build the New Republic, and even commanded the New Republic Defense Fleet as they set out to destroy the remnants of the Empire.
Zeb
As a member of the Ghost crew and Phoenix Squadron, Zeb fought bravely on many occasions against the Empire, including the liberation of Lothal and even defeating Grand Admiral Thrawn’s formidable assassin Rukh in battle. Arguably his greatest contribution was turning Kallus against the Empire through his friendship as Kallus became a valuable spy for the Rebel Alliance. Zeb did make one costly mistake concerning an Imperial Infiltrator droid that allowed Thrawn to narrow down the location of Chopper Base, but that error doesn’t negate Zeb's admirable courage and loyalty in so many instances.
Captain Rex
As a clone trooper who'd removed his inhibitor chip before Order 66, Captain Rex was a rare individual. His experience and leadership made him a valuable member of Phoenix Squadron and the larger Rebel Alliance. This was particularly true during a mission to acquire proton bombs from a crashed Separatist ship on the planet Agamar, during which Rex and the other Phoenix Squadron members with him faced Separatist droids who managed to continue operating for years despite the Separatist droid army being disabled after the Clone Wars ended. Rex also played a major role in establishing Chopper Base on Atollon, helped liberate Lothal from the Empire, and even fought in the Battle of Endor.
K-2SO
As a former Imperial droid reprogrammed by Cassian Andor, K-2S0 was truly a unique member of the Rebel Alliance. He possessed many valuable skills— his sarcasm being only one of them. K-2S0 was able to pilot a U-wing well, along with being able to wield a blaster and exert an impressive amount of physical strength. Having the facade of an Imperial droid, K-2S0 could also help members of the Alliance blend in to Imperial settings, such as when he accompanied a disguised Jyn Erso and Cassian inside the base on Scarif. His resourceful thinking should be noted, as well, considering that he was the one to think of transmitting the Death Star plans to the Alliance Fleet when Scarif's Shield Gate closed.
Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian became a general in the Rebel Alliance and led the attack on the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. His leadership and skillful flying of the Millennium Falcon were crucial to destroying the second Death Star and leading the Rebellion to victory. He helped save Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi, but he also prevented the Empire from taking Leia and Chewbacca into custody in The Empire Strikes Back. Despite these major contributions, Lando isn't higher on this list because he initially made a deal with the Empire that led to Han being frozen in carbonite and the Empire capturing Leia and Chewbacca in the first place. This also led to Luke abandoning his training on Dagobah to save his friends, forcing him into a devastating confrontation he was unprepared to face with Darth Vader.
Sabine Wren
Sabine was a valuable member of the Ghost crew and Phoenix Squadron, through which she acquired the legendary Mandalorian weapon known as the Darksaber. Using the Darksaber, Sabine managed to unite the people of Mandalore and free them from the Empire. Also, m embers of Phoenix Squadron and Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group wouldn't have survived Grand Admiral Thrawn's attack on Chopper Base and been able to escape without Sabine and the Mandalorians providing reinforcements. Ezra helped her liberate Mandalore, and she ultimately returned the favor by being integral to liberating his home world of Lothal from the Empire.
Wedge Antilles
Wedge Antilles was one of the Rebellion's best pilots. Originally a TIE fighter pilot in the Imperial navy, Wedge was brave enough to defect to the Rebel Alliance where his piloting provided a significant advantage in their fight against the Empire. He flew his X-wing in the Battle of Yavin, the Battle of Hoth, and the Battle of Endor. Wedge is the only pilot to have flown and survived the attacks on both Death Stars. This was particularly impressive in the Battle of Endor where he navigated the trenches inside the second Death Star and fired shots that were essential to destroying the space station's core.
R2-D2
Never underestimate the power of a droid. R2-D2 carried the coveted Death Star plans that so many lost rebels lost their lives to recover during the Battle of Scarif. R2 made sure those plans eventually reached the Rebel Alliance. He also carried Leia Organa's message for help, and was smart enough to figure out how to reach Obi-Wan Kenobi and deliver this message to him. R2 helped the Alliance in many other ways as well, from serving as the astromech unit aboard Luke Skywalker's X-wing during the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Hoth, saving the lives of Luke, Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca by stopping the trash compactor on the first Death Star, and fixing the Millennium Falcon hyper-drive at the end of The Empire Strikes Back so they could escape the clutches of Darth Vader.
Cassian Andor
Cassian Andor fought bravely in the Battle of Scarif and ensured that the Rebel Alliance acquired the Death Star plans. He stands out even more than many members of the Rogue One crew as he'd faithfully served the Rebellion for many years prior. The leaders of the Alliance initially refused to send their best troops to Scarif despite Jyn Erso's urging that it was imperative to do so. Cassian rallied a band of rebel soldiers willing to defy the Alliance leadership and join Jyn on her mission. The success of their mission on the surface of Scarif wouldn't have been possible without those who Cassian rallied to join them.
Jyn Erso
The Rebel Alliance proved themselves a truly formidable threat to the Empire by stealing the Death Star plans, and then using those plans to destroy the Death Star. That was only made possible by Jyn Erso as she went to Scarif to steal the plans even when the leaders of the Rebel Alliance didn't agree to send their best troops and support her mission. Thankfully, the bravery of Jyn and the rest of the Rogue One squad on Scarif inspired the Rebellion to send much of their fleet to assist, leading to the Battle of Scarif and the Rebellion's first major victory against the Empire.