Unlike Luke and Han and the other Alliance heroes, Jan Dodonna remained very much in the background when it came to commendations. As a result, it is not widely known that it was Dodonna alone who found the way to destroy the first Death Star.
Jan was around during the days of the Old Republic, and was one of the first Star Destroyer captains. His knowledge of tactics and logistics was unsurpassed, and he was arguably one of the greatest tactical geniuses in the galaxy. During his days with the Old Republic, Dodonna had a best friend named Adar Tallon. Tallon was himself a brilliant ship-to-ship combatant, and their friendship was immensely strong. Because of that, Dodonna retired when he heard that Adar was dead.
Just after his retirement, Palpatine instigated his New Order, and the records of all members of the Navy were examined. It was thought that Dodonna, although undoubtedly brilliant, was too old for retraining in the Imperial methods. Since he was also far too clever to be allowed to live, his execution was ordered. The Rebels found out about this, and begged Jan to join them. With him, their cause would receive a huge boost. But he refused, saying that he was too old and tired, and his fighting spirit was all but gone. His mind was changed, though, when the Imperial execution squad attempted to assassinate him. He somehow escaped, and jumped on board the Rebel ship. Not a man to let an enemy follow him, he took control and destroyed the Imperial troops with uncanny ease.
His first few months with the Rebellion were spent examining technology, the political situation, and, above all, retraining his mind to think like it once had. Jan soon became one of the most important figures in the Alliance, answering only to Mon Mothma and the Alliance Council.
As the conflicts with the Empire grew, Dodonna saw much of his past work used against him. Many of the battle plans he had initiated were utilised by the evil Empire, and some of them were so good that not even Jan himself could counter them. Two of his greatest losses came at the Siege of Dalron Five and Project Asteroid. But he had two great men working under him: Commander Willard, who was at Yavin Four, and General Rieekan, who made a name for himself at Hoth. Together they overcame great odds, and were indeed a force to be reckoned with.
When Leia and brought Artoo with the Death Star’s technical readouts, Jan and his staff worked throughout the night to find a weakness. They knew they were working against the clock; the Death Star had tracked the Millennium Falcon to the Yavin Four base, and the Death Star was on its way to wipe the Rebellion out. Then very early the following morning, Jan himself found the chink in the battle station’s armour. All the members of the Alliance who were on Yavin Four were called to a meeting in the briefing room, and Dodonna explained his plan. As the pilots began to leave, Jan told them they had only thirty minutes to complete their mission before the Death Star came into firing range. From the battle-room, Jan and Leia were able to follow the battle via a computerised display that zeroed in the ships. They advised their men as best they could, and General Dodonna found himself having to comfort Leia as she realised she might lose Luke.
Dodonna’s plan worked, and Luke and Han were decorated with medals. Jan did not receive any, but stood on the podium as the heroes were cheered by the massed ranks of the Alliance. In his heart, though, Jan knew that they were cheering him too.
Jan remained on the Yavin base throughout the following year, while the Alliance tried to find a new base. It was during this time that news of Vader’s new ship, the Executor, reached Dodonna. He knew immediately that Yavin would be its first main target, and a sabotage team was sent to destroy the Super Star Destroyer. Jan’s own son, Vrad, was on this mission. The team failed, and were all killed except Vrad, who escaped on a Rebel scoutcraft. While the evacuation to Hoth was taking place, Jan heard that his son was dead, but Vrad then showed up in a badly damaged fighter.
Wanting another try at Vader’s ship, Vrad and Luke volunteered for an apparently suicidal mission. They had come by a gem, and were going to fly a fighter at the Executor, using the gem to disrupt the Destroyer’s energy shields. The pressure on the two was immense, and ultimately Vrad cracked under it. He left Luke on an asteroid, and intended to flee the Rebellion and the Empire. But the Executor found him and fired upon his ship, scoring a direct hit. With no means of escape, Vrad turned his ship around and made a suicide run at the SSD. His death caused minimal damage to the Destroyer, but Luke did not tell Jan about that. The young Jedi just told the ageing tactician that his son had died. If Jan had known about Vrad’s cowardice, it would have destroyed him.
But the news of his son’s death was enough to make Jan remain behind at the base, and entice a fleet of TIE bombers to make a run at him. He had in fact stepped on board the last Rebel transport, but jumped off at the last minute. He then set charges throughout the base, bade farewell to the Alliance, and made sure the Imperials homed in on his signal. As the TIE bombers swept by, the charges went off, engulfing the ships in a huge fireball and destroying every last one.
Although he had intended to die in the explosion, Jan miraculously survived, but was severely wounded. The Empire learnt of this, and managed to capture him. When the Alliance learnt that Jan was still alive and being held by the Empire, a rescue mission was set up. This succeeded, and Dodonna was once again amongst friends. But his wounds and the loss of his son had extinguished his fighting spirit, and he went into semi-retirement. He advised on the Inner Council from time to time, but nothing more. Mentally he was all but finished, and physically, he was forced to walk with a cane. That sort of thing can do only damage to man with Jan’s dignity.
He was reunited with Adar Tallon, though, who had been in hiding for years. The Rebellion had convinced him to join and he, Commander Willard, and General Jan Dodonna formed themselves into what they called the ‘grey cadre’. It was this cadre that saved the Rebellion from the Empire’s World Devastators, and a few other minor threats.
Old he may be, but Jan can still fight for what he believes in. He would lead the Alliance to many more famous victories, and will always have a place in the galaxy’s heart. He has saved billions of people from death and slavery, and will continue to do so for as long as he is able.