During the battle, Gerams sounded the alarm when an additional wave ofTIE fighters launched from the Shield Gate. She later firedproton torpedoes into the gate in an unsuccessful effort to destroy it. The Alliance managed to eventually destroy the gate and steal the plans, although not without heavy losses.
"Attention, all flight personnel, please report to your commanders immediately. All flight personnel, please report to your commanders immediately. We have been redirected to Scarif. Pilots, you'll be briefed by your squadron leaders en route. May the Force be with you."
―An announcement by rebelWedge Antilles in the Great Temple scrambles Blue Squadron and other rebel pilots —Link▶️(file info)[5]
Jaldine Gerams flew for the Rebel Alliance as Blue Three.
Gerams sounded the alarm when more TIEs emerged from the Shield Gate.
After exitinghyperspace in the Scarifsystem, Blue Squadron was immediately ordered byAdmiralRaddus,commander of the Alliancefleet, to head for the planet's surface to provide support to the rebels there. This required haste, as the Imperials had aplanetary shield around Scarif that could only be passed through via aShield Gate that they were rapidly closing. Merrick led the squadron in a dive through the gate; however, it finished closing before the entire unit made it through.[5] Within the first moments of the battle, Gerams skills were put to the test when she managed to pull away from the gate without crashing, avoiding the fate of her squad mateVangos Grek[1] and two otherpilots.[5]
Separated from Merrick and those who had made it through, Gerams and fellow Blue Squadron members,[5] includingBarion Raner andHeff Tobber,[1] instead joined the other rebel starfighter squadrons infighting theImperial fleet above Scarif. When many additionalTIE fighters launched from thehangars of the Shield Gate,[5] it was Gerams who sounded the alarm[1] and ordered two X-wings flying with her to form up at the coordinates six-five. The trio then flew away from the gate past thebridge of Raddus'sflagship,[5]Profundity,[4] with theTIEs giving chase.[5]
Shield Gate strike[]
Gerams' attacks on the Shield Gate had little effect.
Later in the battle, Gerams flew alongside rebelpilotRed Twelve and another X-wing pilot in an attack run on the Shield Gate. After firingproton torpedoes directly at the sealed gate to no effect, the trio of fighters pulled up and away from the gate as Red Twelve reported their lack of effect, causing Gerams to wonder how much damage the Shield Gate could sustain. Eventually, the rebels managed to destroy the gate by causing[5] theImperial I-class Star DestroyerPersecutor[7] to collide with it, allowing the rebels on the surface to successfully transmit the plans to the fleet.[5]
The rebels on the ground[5] and all members of Blue Squadron who had passed through the gate thenperished[8] when theDeath Star itself then arrived and fired on Scarif, although some members of the squadron did manage to then escape with the remainder of the rebel fleet. Between Eadu and Scarif, Blue andRed Squadron lost a combined total of nineteen pilots. So few members of Blue Squadron were left that the Alliance was unsure they would even be able to field it when the Death Star thenattacked the rebel base at Yavin[9] in0 BBY.[10] Ultimately, only Red Squadron,Green Squadron, andGold Squadron participated.[11]
Personality and traits[]
Jaldine Gerams alwaysdreamed of flying a starfighter[8] and grabbed the opportunity when first encountering the rebellion.[1] Her quiet[8] and tireless[1] training on simulators honed her real-life aerial skills[3] and qualified her as a pilot.[8] A thoroughly professional flier,[3] she eagerly followed Merrick to Scarif when given the opportunity.[8] Gerams hadblondehair, light skin, and blueeyes.[4]
On each side of thehelmet there was a black symbol with several lines passing through a circle, an emblem that was also found on the helmets of a number of other rebel pilots including her squad mates Raner andTorius Chord.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
"They rang up and said 'Would you like to do two days on Star Wars, playing an X-Wing pilot?' and I said there was nothing I'd like to do more in my life but sadly I couldn't because I had to organise my daughter's wedding."
Jaldine Gerams was portrayed byGeraldine James in the2016Anthology Series film,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.[5] Despite wanting to, James almost did not take the role, as the two days of filming[12] on agimbal[13] was scheduled to take place two weeks before her daughter's wedding; however, her daughter[12] and husband[13] demanded she not miss the opportunity and James greatly enjoyed playing the pilot.[12]
Credited only as Blue Three,[5] the character was first identified with atuckerization of James's name in the reference bookStar Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, which was written byPablo Hidalgo and released alongside the film.[4] James found the naming hilarious.[12] The guide erroneously states that Gerams managed to fly through the Shield Gate to Scarif.[4]
Appearances[]
This article has an associatedindex page with page numbers and/or timestamps.
Explore all of Wookieepedia's media for this article subject: Audio · Images
Geraldine James interview: Anne With An E, Star Wars, Shakespeare by Louisa Mellor onDen of Geek (July 4,2018) (backup link archived onSeptember 30,2023)
Geraldine James on Anne With An E, her career, and Star Wars on theLondon LiveYouTube channel (July 10,2018)(backup link)
Rogue One byJonathan Olley onwww.jonathanolley.co.uk (backup link archived onMarch 19,2024)