Partisans

The Partisans, also known as Saw's guerrillas, Saw Gerrera's militia, Saw Gerrera's splinter group, Saw Gerrera's political insurgents, Saw's Rebels, and Gerrera's partisan fighters, were a militant insurgent group who enacted armed brutal campaigns against the Galactic Empire during the Imperial Era. Led and founded by Saw Gerrera in 19 BBY, the Partisans played a part in destabilizing Gerrera's homeworld of Onderon from the Empire's occupying forces and eventually became a rebel cell allied with the Alliance to Restore the Republic. However, some, like Rebel Alliance founders Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, distanced themselves from Gerrera's faction due to their willingness to resort to extreme tactics, such as torture and attacks on civilian targets.

In 1 BBY, the militia had very little communication with the mainstream Alliance, and Gerrera's militia besieged the holy moon of Jedha with the intentions of purging the Imperial occupation. However, the campaign took a major blow with the destruction of the Holy City by the Imperial Death Star battle station's superlaser, and the death of Saw Gerrera himself.

The Partisans were also responsible for enough attacks resulting in civilian casualties that the Galactic Empire in response made a propaganda poster denouncing the Rebel Alliance as a terrorist group. The campaigns of the Partisans were later mentioned by New Republic Senator Ransolm Casterfo as an example of the Rebels' so-called terrorist tactics during the war, and also demanded of Leia Organa to know if she condoned it or not, with Leia simply saying he did what needed to be done without saying either way regarding her views on the matter.

Text and facts from the “Partisans” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.