Dodonna, General Jan

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Species:
  Human

• Gender:
  Male

• Size:
  1.82 meters

• Weapon:
  Blaster pistol

• Affiliation:
  Rebel Alliance

• 

From the Movies

General Jan Dodonna was the wizened tactician and strategist of the Rebel base at the Massassi site on Yavin 4. When the Death Star arrived in the Yavin system, Dodonna formulated the Rebels' crucial attack run strategy of the Battle of Yavin, and briefed the Rebel pilots as to its logistics. Dodonna also provided support from Yavin as ground control, codenamed Base One. His tactics proved solid, and Dodonna was on hand to congratulate the young heroes of Yavin at the awards ceremony thereafter.

From the Expanded Universe

Jan Dodonna has a long history of military combat, having been a skilled Star Destroyer captain during the Old Republic. With his close friend Adar Tallon, Dodonna wrote the book on starship combat and siege tactics. When the Empire came into power, Dodonna was scheduled for execution for his idealism, but was fatefully rescued from his private moon estate by the Alliance. Dodonna and Tallon parted ways, with both going into hiding. Tallon faked his death, and Dodonna joined the higher echelons of the Rebellion's military, offering his expertise to the fledgling group.

General Jan Dodonna conceived of the A-wing starfighter design after analyzing the role raw speed played in the Battle of Yavin, and researching the performance of Tammuz-an R-22 Spearhead fighters. He approached Alliance engineer Walex Blissex, and together the two were able to design and procure funding for the new Alliance starfighter.

After the Battle of Yavin, Dodonna's intelligence reports indicated that Darth Vader had not rejoined the Imperial Fleet. He began launching patrol missions in hopes of finding Vader's missing TIE fighter. Dodonna called off the search after roving Star Destroyers claimed the bulk of two Rebel patrols.

General Dodonna and Princess Leia Organa often disagreed about her role in the Rebel Alliance. Whereas Organa wanted a more active role, Dodonna believed the Alliance would be better served with Leia acting as a symbol, and staying out of danger. Dodonna changed his mind, eventually, and allowed Leia to go on a rescue mission to the planet Metalorn.

Tragedy struck General Dodonna during the Yavin evacuation, as his son Commander Vrad Dodonna was killed during an attack run on the Super Star Destroyer Executor. His health failing, Dodonna opted to stay behind during the Yavin evacuation, and detonate a series of concussion charges hidden among the ruins. An entire fleet of Imperial TIE bombers perished in the explosion. The Alliance believed Jan Dodonna dead.

It would take more than that to keep an old warrior down, however. Imperial search teams found Dodonna's wounded body and took the officer captive. He was held aboard the Super Star Destroyer Lusankya, a prisoner of Ysanne Isard. He stayed a prisoner for over seven years, but never gave up hope. He was even able to help a new captive, Corran Horn, become the first prisoner to ever escape the Lusankya.

Dodonna was finally liberated after the Thrawn crisis. He rejoined the Alliance High Command -- now the New Republic High Command -- with contemporaries such as Adar Tallon, Pashna Starkiller and Vanden Willard. Prior to retirement, they were affectionately known as the "Gray Cadre." They helped plan New Republic offensives during the resurrected Emperor's campaign of terror.

Behind the Scenes

A perfect example of how seeming contradictions in the Expanded Universe can instead spark new story arcs, General Dodonna's "resurrection" was chronicled in a number of disparate sources. Dodonna first "died" in the daily Star Wars newspaper strips that appeared in the early 80s written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by Al Williamson.

In the early 90s, these comics weren't yet being included on ongoing continuity, so when Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy crafted their popular Dark Empire limited series, Dodonna was shown alive and well.

It fell to the The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook, a roleplaying game supplement, to explain that Dodonna was actually taken prisoner after the Yavin 4 evacuation. This story-point was picked up by author Michael Stackpole, and incorporated into his X-wing line of novels.