In Legends canon, Maya Pei served on Senator Bail Organa’s security team during the Clone Wars, and later joined the Alderaanian Resistance. She was part of a team sent by Organa to steal cargo that would strategically weaken the Empire. While we don’t know much about Maya in standard canon, aside from the fact that this version of her is also leading a rebel cell, it seems like she’s pretty badass.
However, when we meet the Maya Pei Brigade, it seems like they are on their last legs. They have clearly fled from an intense battle of some sort. Gerdis’ (Ben Norris) brother left them all on Yavin 4 claiming to go back for more survivors from the Brigade. However, not all of the survivors believe that he’ll come back for them. Some of them believe that Gerdis’ brother abandoned them, and they’re on their own now.
Between infighting amongst the group and the deadly beasts that roam the jungle, the odds that the Brigade survived after Cassian left aren’t very high, but they also aren’t zero. We know that the Rebel Alliance eventually decides to call Yavin 4 home a bit more permanently. Maybe what’s left of the Brigade will help the moon become more habitable. Or maybe Maya Pei does survive and finally finds herself reunited with her crew.Â
Whatever happens, this group is a great look at how separate the rebel cells were before the Alliance as we know it was formed. The Maya Pei Brigade is a reminder that there were so many in the galaxy during this time fighting the Empire in their own ways. Even though we don’t meet Maya Pei herself, her Brigade is still an important piece at play during this time in Star Wars history.
