Ru Murleen Ru Murleen , a Human female , was a starfighter pilot in the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War . Murleen was the youngest pilot to reach the rank of commander and became a pilot instructor at the Rebel training facility on Kolaador , hoping to pass her skills on to others . Shortly after the Battle of Toprawa in 0 BBY , Murleen led a group of X - wing starfighters to Tatooine , where Anchorhead Base was under attack by Imperial forces , and later fought Imperial TIE fighters during the evacuation of Gamma Base on Hoth . She transferred to the Great Temple on Yavin 4 soon after and fought against the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin . Murleen was later assigned to Imdaar Alpha to monitor Imperial activity on the planet . When the Alliance learned of an Imperial project to create cloaked starfighters , Murleen teamed up with her former student , Rookie One , on a mission to infiltrate the Super Star Destroyer " Terror " and steal one of the TIE Phantoms . The two Rebel agents not only acquired one of the new starfighters , but were able to use it to destroy the " Terror " , along with the TIE Phantom factory at Imdaar Alpha , effectively putting an end to the project . Biography . Early career . Ru Murleen joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic as a starfighter pilot early in the Galactic Civil War . Her skill and daring attitude helped her to move through the ranks quickly and , by 0 BBY , she had been promoted to commander — the youngest in the Alliance Starfighter Corps at the time . Hoping to pass on her skills to others , Murleen took a position as an instructor at a Rebel training facility on Kolaador , a position she held for much of the base ' s existence . Murleen would lead rookie pilots in R - 22 Spearheads through the planet ' s canyons , whose crystalline spires formed a natural obstacle course . While serving on Kolaador , she trained many new pilots for the Alliance , who went on to serve throughout the galaxy . On the run . Among her students was " Rookie One , " who undertook the final phase of his training under her instruction shortly after the Battle of Toprawa , during which the Rebel Alliance stole plans to the Death Star , a battlestation with enough power to destroy a planet . Murleen was impressed by the young pilot ' s skill and , after he passed his canyon run , she joined him for a celebratory drink at the Rebel base while he awaited assignment to a squadron . However , their drink was cut short by the news that Anchorhead Base on Tatooine , Rookie One ' s base for his earlier training , was under attack by Imperial forces searching for the stolen plans . Anchorhead Base was unable to hold off the Imperial forces for long , so Murleen assembled a flight of T - 65 X - wing starfighter s and headed to Tatooine to assist them . To join her on the mission , she selected Rookie One and Thurlow Harris . When the group arrived in the Tatoo system , they found an " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer in orbit of Tatooine . Knowing that the group ' s chances on the surface would be slim with the Star Destroyer coordinating the attack , Murleen led her group in an attack on its command center , hoping to eliminate the threat before proceeding down to Tatooine . The group engaged TIE / LN starfighter s launched by the Star Destroyer , while strafing the starship to weaken its defenses . When the deflector shields protecting the bridge finally fell , Murleen instructed Rookie One to arm his proton torpedoes and commence an attack run on the unprotected command tower . Rookie One scored a direct hit , crippling the vessel . With the threat eliminated , the group quickly proceeded to the surface to help the Rebels below . After entering the atmosphere , Murleen contacted Lieutenant Turland Hack at Anchorhead Base for a status report . Hack informed the group that the base was already under attack from three TIE fighters . Despite their best efforts , the group was unable to reach the base in time , and it was destroyed moments later . The attacking TIE fighters were now alerted to the presence of the Rebel reinforcements , and Murleen took her group into Beggar ' s Canyon to eliminate them before they could report to their commanders . After all three were eliminated , the Rebels were joined by the X - wing of Captain Merrick Simms . Imperial ground forces were already moving into Mos Eisley , and Murleen ordered Harris and Rookie One to join Simms in engaging the All Terrain Scout Transports and Imperial landing craft . Meanwhile , Murleen attempted to cut off the Imperial supply lines , and instructed the others to withdraw once the situation got too dangerous , and to rendezvous with her at the fleet , before proceeding to Gamma Base on the ice - world of Hoth . All four Rebel pilots made it safely to Gamma Base . However , their escape would be short - lived . The Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader , determined to locate where they had fled to , had Viper probe droids dispatched throughout the Anoat sector . When the droids discovered Gamma Base , Imperial forces moved to attack it and the Rebels were forced to evacuate . Murleen led an X - wing group charged with protecting the last Rebel GR - 75 medium transport to leave while it attempted to escape to hyperspace . Joined by Rookie One , who was delayed in leaving the planet , the group engaged waves of TIE fighters , keeping them away from the transport until it safely jumped out of the system . Once the Rebel pilots were clear of the Imperial fighters , they followed the transport to safety . Battle of Yavin . Murleen and the other Rebels fled to the main Rebel base on Yavin 4 . However , they were still not out of danger . Though the Alliance had been able to acquire the plans to the Death Star , the Empire had learned the location of their base and the superweapon was en route to Yavin . Fortunately for the Rebels , analysis of the plans indicated a weakness which would make the battlestation vulnerable to a starfighter attack . Murleen was assigned to Blue Squadron for the Battle of Yavin , along with Rookie One and Thurlow Harris , under the command of Merrick Simms . As the squadron approached the battlestation , a Star Destroyer in the Death Star ' s support fleet launched TIE fighters to intercept them , but Blue Squadron was able to eliminate the threat and proceed through the perimeter . After joining up with pilots from Red and Gold Squadrons , Simms led Blue Squadron towards the Death Star itself , before instructing Murleen and Rookie One to accelerate to attack speed and commence strafing runs on the Death Star ' s turbolaser batteries . The battle plan called for navigating a trench along the surface in order to reach a thermal exhaust port — a direct hit from a proton torpedo would trigger a chain reaction to destroy the station . However , before the assault on the trench could begin , Simms dispatched Murleen and Rookie One to eliminate a heavy cannon situated near the exhaust port . Since the cannon was too heavily armored to attack directly , the pilots opened a gap in its shielding and flew into the superstructure . There they destroyed several power relays , disabling the weapon , before regrouping with the others . With the threat of the heavy cannon neutralized , the way was clear for the Alliance forces to begin their trench runs . Blue Squadron , meanwhile , were charged with attacking the Death Star ' s superlaser directly , in an attempt to both damage it and divert attention away from Red and Gold Squadrons while they attacked the exhaust port . The initial trench runs failed to hit the target and time was running out when Luke Skywalker of Red Squadron succeeded in hitting the target , delivering the killing blow to the Death Star . Infiltrating the " Terror " . Murleen turned thirty around this time . At some point following the Battle of Yavin , she was assigned to the planet Imdaar to report on any Imperial presence . She began to notice high levels of Imperial fleet activity near the planet and its moon , Imdaar Alpha , leading her to conclude that the Empire was up to something in the area . However , she was unable to determine what the Empire was planning . Shortly after the Battle of Hoth , Rookie One helped the Alliance uncover evidence that the Empire was working to develop cloaked starfighters , which they could use to devastate the Alliance Fleet . When the Rebels learned that the " Executor " - class Star Dreadnought " Terror " was en route to Imdaar , they theorized that it was preparing to deploy a full wing of the Phantom TIEs . Admiral Gial Ackbar dispatched Rookie One to Imdaar , instructing him to rendezvous with their agent , infiltrate the " Terror " and retrieve a TIE Phantom . The Alliance hoped that , by studying one of the fighters , they could devise a way to counter the technology before it was used against them . Rookie One made the journey to Imdaar in a BTL Y - wing starfighter , making his way past the Imperial defenses and rendezvousing with Murleen in a swamp on the planet . Not knowing who had been sent to join her , Murleen was surprised to see her friend emerge from the starfighter . The two had little time to catch up , however , as the " Terror " was due to arrive at any moment . In order to infiltrate the " Terror " , they would first need to gain access to the planetary supply base , where Murleen hoped to steal a cargo shuttle to get aboard the Star Destroyer . The supply base ' s landing platform was on the other side of the swamp , but Murleen provided speeder bikes which allowed them to make good time . After arriving at the base , they incapacitated the guards and , after assuming the stormtroopers ' armor , stole the " Lambda " - class cargo shuttle " Epsilon Four " . The Rebels took the stolen shuttle to the coordinates where they expected to find the " Terror " . When they could see no sign of it , Murleen tried hailing the vessel and got a response . After transmitting the shuttle ' s security code , they were given permission to land and the " Terror " , which was also fitted with the cloaking technology , appeared before them . The Rebels took the shuttle into the " Terror " hangar and , using their stormtrooper disguises , began searching for the TIE Phantoms . When they tried to enter a restricted area , their lack of security clearance brought them to the attention of an Imperial officer who raised the alarm . With the Imperials alerted to their presence , the Rebels raced toward their objective but were soon stopped by a sealed door . Murleen was able to force a manual override to give them access and the pair continued to fight their way past stormtroopers until they reached a chasm and were unable to activate the bridge . Eventually coming to a dead end , and with the Imperials in close pursuit , they were forced to seek an alternate route through the sewer on the deck below . Although they had temporarily escaped their pursuers , Murleen knew the Imperials would not take long to find them . The pair moved quickly through the dark sewer tunnels but were soon intercepted by an Imperial search party . Fighting their way through the stormtroopers , Murleen covered the rear while Rookie One fought those to the front until they eventually came to a freight elevator to the service hangar . After riding the elevator up , the Rebels evaded the hangar ' s guards and boarded one of the TIE Phantoms . Murleen took the pilot ' s seat in the cockpit , leaving Rookie One to act as gunner . Murleen managed to get the fighter underway and they began to navigate through the Super Star Destroyer ' s massive hangars . However , the Imperials quickly sealed the hangar doors to prevent their escape , forcing Murleen to fly the stolen fighter through the superstructure in search of another way out — a search which eventually led them to the ship ' s main reactor . Realizing that they had the opportunity to destroy the Terror and its complement of TIE Phantoms , Murleen instructed Rookie One to target the reactor ' s beam focuser s . When the reactor went critical , Murleen flew the fighter out of the " Terror " as explosions began to erupt throughout it . End of the TIE Phantom . Once clear of the " Terror " , Murleen began to plot a course to the rendezvous point . However , they were intercepted by TIE Phantoms , which cut off their escape route , forcing Murleen to bring the fighter around and head back towards the " Terror " , skimming along the Star Destroyer ' s hull while attempting to evade the fire from the incoming TIEs . Rookie One fought off waves of TIE Phantoms but the situation was looking bleak before Murleen managed to activate the cloaking device , hiding the fighter from the Imperials . However , before the Rebels could leave the system , the " Terror " was destroyed in an explosion which caused the previously cloaked factory on Imdaar Alpha , to which the Star Destroyer was docked , to become visible . Murleen realized that the facility was the source of the TIE Phantoms — with the factory capable of producing thousands of the fighters , the stolen one would do little to aid the Rebels in combating the threat . Knowing that they needed to stop the TIE Phantoms quickly , Murleen took the stolen fighter into the factory , negotiating the hazardous tunnels inside until the Rebels arrived at the main reactor . Rookie One fired at the reactor , causing it to destabilize , before Murleen took them to safety , moments before the facility was destroyed . With the threat of the TIE Phantoms effectively eliminated , the Rebels returned to base with the stolen fighter , holding high hopes that the technology could be adapted to provide Alliance fighters with an advantage over the Empire . However , this was not to be and the fighter self - destructed shortly after arrival . Despite the loss of the fighter , the mission was a major success and the Rebels were given a warm reception , with Admiral Krane leading the commendations . Following their return , Murleen and Rookie One became romantically involved . Personality and traits . Ru Murleen was a skilled and daring starfighter pilot who was quick , bright and had a sarcastic sense of humor . Eager to pass on her skills to others , she helped train many new pilots and displayed an eye for talent . This , combined with her quick wit , kept her rookies alert and helped her gain the respect and friendship of those with whom she worked . Recognizing that piloting was her primary skill , Murleen originally avoided participating in activities that kept her out of the cockpit , preferring to serve the Alliance as a pilot only , and her life was centered around flying . Later in her career , however , she began to take on other assignments . Murleen first met Rookie One early in his Rebel career , when she acted as one of his instructors during his training . She was impressed with his skill as a pilot and the two became friends , sharing a drink after his assessment . Rookie One started to feel attracted to her during this time , but it was not until over three years later , after the two worked together to defeat the TIE Phantom project , that they acted on their mutual attraction . Behind the scenes . Ru Murleen was created by Vincent Lee for the 1993 LucasArts video game " " . Her appearance was based upon Collette Michaud , the director of the Art Department at LucasArts , while she owes her name to Ru Murleen , the actress who provided her voice for the game . The character ' s backstory was expanded in the manual which accompanied the game . Murleen later returned in Lee ' s " " , the 1995 sequel to " Rebel Assault " , in which she was portrayed by actress Julie Eccles . If Rookie One is killed during the levels " Aboard the Terror " and " The Sewers " in the latter game , a game over cutscene shows her mourning Rookie One saying " Kid ! " . Lee ' s storyboards and scripts document for " Rebel Assault II " , dated November 16 , 1994 , included a brief description of Murleen . Though not included in the game or its manual , the information appeared on the LucasArts website and the document was later printed in Rob Smith ' s " " . Lee also made notes on the people he thought symbolized each character in the game , once again likening Murleen to Collette Michaud . Murleen was briefly mentioned in the Sue Seserman ' s " " Excerpts from the Journal of a Rebel Pilot " " , a promotional article for " Rebel Assault II " which appeared in " Star Wars Insider 27 " ( 1995 ) . She was mentioned in " The New Essential Chronology " ( 2005 ) , which discusses the events depicted in " Rebel Assault II " , but refers to Murleen and Rookie One only as " Rebel saboteurs , " and received an entry in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " ( 2008 ) . Battle of Yavin . " Rebel Assault " depicts Murleen , as part of Blue Squadron , taking part in a trench run at the Battle of Yavin which contradicts the battle as depicted in . The trench run in the game is almost identical to that of the movie — only the persons involved are different . The game depicts Blue Squadron attempting a trench run with Simms entering first while Murleen joins Rookie One and Harris in providing cover . As they negotiate down the long trench the group is pursued by three TIE fighters , including a TIE Advanced x1 which was presumably intended to be the one used by Vader in the movie . The TIEs open fire , killing Harris and forcing Murleen to pull out , echoing the fates of Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles in the movie . Finally , it is Rookie One ' s shot that is depicted as destroying the battlestation , as opposed to Skywalker ' s . In December 2006 Leland Chee commented on the StarWars . com Message Boards that Rookie One ' s trench run was non - continuity . " The Essential Guide to Warfare " ( 2012 ) later confirmed that Blue Squadron were assigned to attack the Death Star ' s superlaser while Red and Gold Squadrons attacked the trench .