Etahn A ' baht Etahn A ' baht was a pragmatic career naval officer , devoted to military service . A male Dornean , he served in the Dornean Navy with distinction , rising to command the entire eighty - ship force and using it to keep the Galactic Empire from conquering Dornea . He fought with the Alliance to Restore the Republic at the Battle of Endor , but Dornea declined to join that body or the New Republic until after A ' baht had driven the Empire from Dornean space entirely . When Dornea joined the New Republic , A ' baht was recruited into the New Republic Defense Fleet . He defeated Imperial Admiral Gilad Pellaeon ' s forces at the Battle of Celanon in 13 ABY and , in 16 ABY , he became the inaugural commander of the New Republic Fifth Battle Group , which was quickly put to the test in the Black Fleet Crisis . Despite causing President Leia Organa Solo to doubt his judgment when he became irritated with her reluctance to consider the Yevetha a threat , A ' baht was fully backed by Supreme Commander Gial Ackbar and regained Organa Solo ' s confidence . He led the Fifth Fleet , and later a double - sized combined force , against Viceroy Nil Spaar of the Duskhan League , defeating the Yevetha in the Battle of N ' zoth . A ' baht later left command of the Fifth and accepted a demotion to brigadier general . He remained an important officer in the fleet , and served as one of the top strategic advisors to Supreme Commander Sien Sovv during the early Yuuzhan Vong War , urging Sovv to abandon his strategy of defending only strategically vital worlds and leaving the rest to fend for themselves . When his superiors failed to listen , A ' baht resigned his commission and returned home to defend Dornea . Biography . The Galactic Civil War . Dornean career . Born on Dornea well before the Battle of Yavin , Etahn A ' baht joined the Dornean Navy . Dornean s had lifespans of some three hundred years , and by the time of the Galactic Empire , A ' baht was middle - aged . By that point a very highly - placed fleet officer , A ' baht led Dornea in resisting Imperial domination . The remote world was strongly defended , and the Empire never sent sufficient force to subdue Dornea . A prolonged state of cold war existed between Dornea and the dominant galactic power , in which A ' baht kept the Empire from Dornea . During his time in the Dornean Navy , A ' baht became close friends with a fellow officer , Kiles L ' toth , and at some point saved his life . In 4 ABY , the Dornean Navy was approached by the Alliance to Restore the Republic , looking for naval power to add to its strike against the second Death Star . The Dornean government agreed to send two of its brand - new , powerful " Braha ' tok " - class gunships , and A ' baht was selected for the mission . A ' baht commanded the " Torktarak " , while his good friend L ' toth commanded the " Braha ' tok " . The two ships served in the fleet ' s attack on the Death Star and during the Battle of Endor , and A ' baht used the " Torktarak " to eliminate the " Carrack " - class cruiser " Eminence " in an attack from the rear when it threatened the " Braha ' tok " . A ' baht continued to guard L ' toth as his fellow officer led the " Braha ' tok " in rescuing survivors from the destroyed Mon Calamari Star Cruiser " Liberty " . After the battle , A ' baht returned victorious to Dornea , where he was promoted to the rank of general . L ' toth , on the other hand , retired . When the Empire found itself pressed by the New Republic , A ' baht , the commander of the Dornean Navy , led the Dornean offensive that saw the entire eighty - ship Dornean Navy completely rid Dornea of the Imperial presence . Command of the Fifth Fleet . By 13 ABY , Dornea had joined the New Republic . Due to his extensive military experience and performance against the Empire , A ' baht was recruited into the New Republic Defense Fleet . He was allowed to keep his Dornean - style rank of general rather than being commissioned as an admiral . In 13 ABY , the Imperial Moffs ordered Admiral Gilad Pellaeon to launch an offensive against the New Republic , leading him to clash with A ' baht at the Battle of Celanon , where A ' baht defeated Pellaeon ' s forces and destroyed the Star Dreadnought " Reaper " . In 16 ABY , A ' baht was given command of the New Republic Fifth Battle Group , a brand - new force of New Class ships . As A ' baht was not used to commanding the less consistently organized masses that comprised the other four New Republic fleets , it was felt that the orderly Fifth was a natural command for him . While there was some discontent with A ' baht ' s appointment to such a significant command after only two years of experience with the fleet , Supreme Commander Gial Ackbar was a great proponent of A ' baht and vigorously defended the general as having vital experience in holding and assaulting worlds . A ' baht took the brand - new Fifth , which was designed with planetary assault of recalcitrant Imperial fortress worlds in mind , on an exercise at Bessimir against automated defenses . From the " Endurance " - class fleet carrier " Intrepid " , his flagship , A ' baht commanded the shakedown exercise . His battle plan went off without any significant flaws as the Council on the Common Defense , President Leia Organa Solo , Ackbar , and several senior officers watched via relay on Coruscant . The live - fire exercise concluded smoothly , and A ' baht reported on it with a recommendation that the Fifth be made formally operational . His recommendation was put into action when he brought the fleet back to Coruscant . The fleet was held at Coruscant to help protect it as the First Fleet and Second Fleet rotated assignments , and the Second took over the capital ' s defense . It was planned that the Fifth would soon move out on a goodwill patrol of the Seventh Security Zone , patching up minor problems . The Black Fleet Crisis . The threat of the Black Fleet . When a complete Imperial order of battle was found in the wreck of the Star Destroyer " Gnisnal " , however , it was discovered that forty - four ships , including three Super Star Destroyers , from Black Sword Command were unaccounted for and could pose a significant threat . A ' baht and Ackbar presented the findings to Organa Solo , who believed the New Republic could deal with such a menace , if one even existed . A ' baht and Ackbar argued strongly to convince her that the New Republic needed to act to search for the Black Fleet in the Hatawa sector and Farlax sector , in which they had last been stationed , and recommended that the Fifth be dispatched for that task . A ' baht was deeply frustrated when Organa Solo approved the search but exempted the Koornacht Cluster from examination due to the ongoing negotiations with the Yevetha , who claimed Koornacht and refused to allow the New Republic inside . Nevertheless , the political considerations remained in place . During her negotiations , however , Organa Solo gave the list of missing ships to Nil Spaar , the Yevethan viceroy , and he assured her that most of them had been destroyed in the Imperial evacuation of Koornacht . The President pushed to cancel the search , further aggravating A ' baht , who began to consider her unreasonably naive and trusting . The pair clashed , and it took the full weight of Ackbar ' s reputation to convince Organa Solo to allow the Fifth Fleet to go ahead with the search and not merely take Spaar ' s word . Organa Solo , however , had lost confidence that A ' baht would respect her orders and concerns , and decided to send her husband , General Han Solo , along on the mission to provide her a voice in the Fifth Fleet . Just before A ' baht departed , Ackbar arranged a meeting at his home between A ' baht and Admiral Hiram Drayson , the leader of the supremely secret Alpha Blue intelligence department . Drayson was deeply concerned by the Yevetha ' s secretive nature and did not trust them any more than A ' baht did . He gave A ' baht a comm code that would allow the general to communicate with Alpha Blue without anyone else knowing . The Dornean was deeply uncomfortable with concealing information from his superiors , but neither he nor Drayson had confidence in Organa Solo ' s judgment regarding the Yevetha , and he reluctantly agreed to learn the code . He also caved to Drayson ' s suggestion that he contact L ' toth , who had become the head of the Astrographic Survey Institute , and A ' baht prevailed upon L ' toth to send some of his survey ships to scout the Koornacht Cluster immediately , calling in the debt L ' toth owed him for saving his life . When A ' baht transferred up to the Fifth , waiting in orbit to depart , he learned that Solo was aboard , and rumor was that he would take over command of the fleet . A ' baht went to see the other general and find the truth , which was that Solo had no desire to take over command . He was merely there to reassure the Chief of State . Though A ' baht knew he did not enjoy her confidence , he was not particularly upset by Solo ' s presence , as the other man wanted to work with and not against him . Relieved of command . After A ' baht was in the Hatawa sector some two months , he was contacted by Drayson , who relayed to him the fact that Spaar had left Coruscant after broadcasting claims that the New Republic was acting against the Yevethan Duskhan League . Spaar displayed the wreckage of one of L ' toth ' s survey ships , which he claimed was a New Republic spy craft that had self - destructed . A ' baht tried to speak with Organa Solo , but she was completely out of contact . After a long wait , the President contacted him and , upon A ' baht ' s admission that he had requested the survey knowing she would disapprove , relieved him of command and ordered General Solo to return the Fifth to Coruscant . Solo , on hearing A ' baht ' s explanation , was convinced that the Yevetha were dangerous , and that the survey ship had found something important , likely elements of the Black Fleet . He made the decision to leave the Fifth ' s prowlers and surveillance resources in the area . On his return to Coruscant , A ' baht offered his resignation to Organa Solo and apologized , then awaited the consequences . Meanwhile , one of the Fifth ' s prowlers found Plat Mallar . A resident of Polneye in the Koornacht Cluster , he had seen the Yevetha strike as soon as the Fifth Fleet turned back , annihilating his world ' s population . Plat fled in a TIE interceptor with recordings of the xenophobic Yevethan attack on his world . Combined with additional evidence that the Yevetha were exterminating all other life within the Koornacht Cluster , Organa Solo agreed to send the Fifth Fleet to protect the worlds along its borders , and on her husband ' s advice restored A ' baht to command . She came to visit him personally , apologizing and turning the Fifth back over to him . A ' baht was quite embarrassed by the apology , but happily returned to command , taking the Fifth , which had remained on high alert , back to Farlax sector at once . Return to Koornacht . When they arrived , they took up position in a cordon outside Koornacht , making a show of force . A ' baht was uneasy with the fact that the Yevetha were almost certainly observing the Fifth , but resigned himself to it . He immediately prepared a report to Ackbar requesting additional assets , especially Interdictor s , and units dispatched to protect the worlds on the Cluster ' s border directly . He also requested permission to take up a more effective blockade position with the Fifth . When no reinforcements came due to political deadlock on how to deal with the situation , A ' baht was forced to dispatch elements of his fleet to guard Wehttam and Galantos , the two most endangered worlds . He was contacted by Drayson , who suggested that Organa Solo would need indisputable intelligence on the Yevetha , something not coming from Alpha Blue ' s covert sources , to help justify stronger action against the Yevetha . Drayson further suggested that A ' baht might find such intelligence in Zone Nineteen . He declined , however , to accept Drayson ' s recommendation that he station small ships at all the inhabited worlds along Koornacht in a token presence that might come under attack and thereby justify a New Republic declaration of war ; A ' baht was unwilling to use his men as bait . A ' baht ' s ferret in Zone Nineteen was able to record a Yevethan transmission containing a holographic recording of the attack on the world of Doornik - 319 , also known as Morning Bell . He forwarded the holograms to Organa Solo , who was able to use them to gain enough consensus to issue a declaration to the Duskhan League demanding their withdrawal from the worlds they had seized . A ' baht kept his fleet on high alert as the New Republic waited for the Yevethan response . None came , but Alpha Blue assets were able to detect that the Yevetha were fortifying their captured worlds . There would be no withdrawal . In response , A ' baht was ordered to blockade Doornik - 319 and led a task force there personally to enforce the blockade . Escalation . On arriving , A ' baht set up his blockade but was surprised and suspicious to find no Yevethan ships in orbit or on Doornik - 319 . His suspicion was proven right when they were almost immediately ambushed by ground fire and a Yevethan fleet that micro - jumped into the New Republic formation . However , he had prepared for such an eventuality , and had his ships retreat from their compromised position while Task Forces Aster and Blackvine jumped into the system and engaged the ambushers . However , the Yevetha began broadcasting the appeals of hostages within their ships , causing enough of the attacking bombers to hesitate that the enemy fleet remained intact . A ' baht was forced to call a retreat . Now that a state of war existed , Coruscant sent several ships to reinforce the border worlds , and A ' baht proposed that he send scouts on flash passes through all the Yevethan worlds in order to gather as much data as possible on the opponents he faced . On the basis of the information about Yevethan strength that the reconnaissance runs gathered , Coruscant detached five task forces from the other fleets of the New Republic , doubling its strength in Koornacht . Han Solo was sent to command the combined force , but his shuttle was pulled from hyperspace on its way to the Fifth by the Yevetha , tipped off by the treasonous actions of Senator Tig Peramis , which remained undiscovered . Solo was captured . A ' baht had the incident investigated , and retained command of the combined task force as the senior officer present . However , he believed that Coruscant high command had no confidence in him and expected to be replaced shortly . He conferred with the five new task force commanders , one of whom was Commodore Farley Carson of Task Force Apex from the New Republic Fourth Battle Group , a friend to A ' baht . Carson assured A ' baht that the other task force commanders believed that A ' baht was perfectly up to the task and had full faith in his command skills . A ' baht integrated the newly arrived task forces ' intelligence assets into a centralized command reporting to Colonel Mauit ' ta , his intelligence officer , and funneled all tactical duties through Colonel Corgan , his staff tactical officer . A ' baht also decided that , due to Yevethan strength , no ships would be deployed in a strength less than two task forces . Furthermore , he decided to take the fleet into the fringes of the Cluster , making it harder for the fleet to be found and easier to keep an eye on the Yevetha . They would also search Doornik - 1142 for one of the three missing Imperial shipyards that had been located in the Koornacht Cluster . One shipyard was found and destroyed by a small patrol under Commodore Turk Brand of Task Force Aster , the first successful engagement against the Yevetha . Thereafter , facing political pressure at home , Organa Solo declared war on the Yevetha , directing A ' baht , whom she confirmed as combined force commander , to drive the Yevetha from their conquered worlds and neutralize the Yevetha as a threat to peace . A ' baht prepared an assault on Doornik - 319 and stepped up his searches for the remaining shipyards . Fleet command considered sending A ' baht to attack the Yevetha over N ' zoth , their capital , as cover for a Jedi commando raid to free Solo , a proposal of which A ' baht was highly dubious . Operation Strong Hand . Before any rescue mission was launched , Luke Skywalker approached the fleet , requesting a meeting with A ' baht . The reclusive Jedi Master presented his companions , Wialu and Akanah Norand Goss Pell , two of the Fallanassi Force - users . They had the ability to create massive illusions , and Skywalker proposed that A ' baht make use of their skills to intimidate the Duskhan League into a quick resolution to the war . A ' baht , Corgan , Mauit ' ta , and Captain Morano of the " Intrepid " remained skeptical , unwilling to depend on something they could not understand for their battle plan . Wialu provided a demonstration , generating an entirely convincing illusion of an incoming fleet . A ' baht was impressed , but the matter was quickly put aside by the arrival of the " Millennium Falcon " , bearing General Solo . Chewbacca and his relations had pulled off a daring rescue of the captured general , who was quickly taken to a bacta tank as A ' baht informed Organa Solo of the escape . A ' baht drew up Operation Strong Hand , a battle plan for a strike against N ' zoth , where the strongest Yevethan fleet was located , using Wialu ' s powers of illusion to bolster their forces with phantom ships . A strike at Doornik - 319 would provide a distraction the day before the attack , and strikes at Wakiza , Tizon , Z ' fell , and the recently - discovered shipyards at Tholaz would be carried out simultaneously with the attack on N ' zoth . A ' baht offered Skywalker a role in the battle as a fighter pilot , but was surprised and disappointed when Skywalker turned him down , citing his need to be with the Fallanassi . A ' baht presaged his fleet ' s arrival with that of several probes , attracting Yevethan attention for the arrival of his combined force , at which point he issued a final ultimatum demanding Yevethan surrender . Spaar answered defiantly , but A ' baht was soon puzzled by the deceleration of all the Black Fleet ships in Spaar ' s armada . As the Imperial ships turned away from combat , A ' baht received a transmission from Major Sil Sorannan , who explained that he and the other Black Sword Command survivors who had been used by the Yevetha as slaves had taken control of the fleet and were withdrawing . A ' baht had a difficult time believing this , as the Yevethan thrustships continued attacking and the chain of command appeared intact despite the loss of Spaar ' s flagship . A ' baht committed to the fight against the thrustships , but remained on guard for the ambush he expected to come . Sorannan had told the truth , however , and no ambush came . In the long , hard - fought battle against the well - shielded thrustships , A ' baht ' s friend Carson was killed . Casualties were high , and the Yevetha fought to the bitter end , using suicide tactics as they reached the last gasp , but the Battle of N ' zoth was a New Republic victory . The events of the other simultaneous battles were identical , with the Imperial ships disappearing and the Yevetha refusing to surrender . A ' baht was disgusted at the loss of life , but he felt that it had been absolutely necessary to destroy the threat posed by the ferocious Yevetha . When the Fallanassi departed , A ' baht saw them off , and returned to the duty of overseeing the pacification of the Yevethan worlds . The Yevetha were stripped of their capacity to make war , but largely left alone , isolated in the Koornacht Cluster and closely watched . While A ' baht had seen the Fifth Fleet through the Black Fleet Crisis , he was eventually relieved of command and replaced with L ' toth . He was also demoted to the rank of brigadier general . He did not leave military service , however , and became an advisor to the New Republic Defense Force high command . The Yuuzhan Vong War . Debate in the ranks . In 25 ABY , when the Yuuzhan Vong invaded from outside the galaxy , A ' baht was one of the senior officers participating in conferences on war strategy . He sought hard data on the strange , biotechnology - using attackers and was disappointed by the flimsy nature of available intelligence . At a briefing on Kuat by Colonel Ixidro Legorburu on the matter , A ' baht pushed for more information and looked to be able to take a more aggressive stance against the invasion . The meeting , with Supreme Commander Sien Sovv present , was interrupted by news of the capture of a Yuuzhan Vong defector , the priestess Elan . The defection failed to provide the information A ' baht hoped to gain , however , as Elan ' s defection proved to be a ruse aimed at assassinating the Jedi leadership . A ' baht was part of the command group that helped plot the course of the war . He opposed the strategy , championed by his former subordinate Brand , that the New Republic adopted of bolstering key worlds ' defenses while leaving less significant ones to fall . He felt it sent the wrong message , that the New Republic was only concerned with protecting the Core Worlds , and saw it reflecting in decreasing willingness to fight the Yuuzhan Vong among member worlds . Instead , he suggested that the New Republic send its forces where they were most needed . The war , he felt , was far more serious than the other commanders were willing to admit . Resignation . After the fall of Gyndine , which he had argued should be defended more heavily , he clashed with Brand over the New Republic ' s priorities once more . He argued that the Yuuzhan Vong were not proceeding based on standard tactics and were instead pursuing a psychological campaign , targeting cultural centers and refugee populations . He argued , against Brand ' s counsel , that the Bothan sector would be the likely next target , not the Core . A ' baht was somewhat pacified by the presentation of a plan to enlist the Hapes Consortium in the war , but a plan to use Centerpoint Station in a trap in the Corellian system alarmed him , as he felt that Corellia was being exposed to excessive risk in order to protect the other Core Worlds . The trap ultimately proved a failure , with a misfire from Centerpoint wiping out much of the Hapan fleet along with the Yuuzhan Vong , who attacked Fondor instead . Less than a year into the war , A ' baht resigned his commission and returned to his homeworld . With the Dornean Navy once more under his command , A ' baht halted the Yuuzhan Vong ' s advance in his home sector . Personality and traits . Etahn A ' baht was a pragmatist who believed in complete military preparedness . In the political arena , he did not put stock in friendship and was not willing to simply take another ' s word for an unproven assertion . Instead , he preached constant wariness and aggressive pursuit of the state ' s interests in security . As an officer , he demanded the best of his subordinates and trained them to deliver exactly that . A blunt and straightforward being , A ' baht spoke directly to his friends and allies and strongly preferred that they do the same to him . While he thought nothing of subterfuge against enemies and possible enemies , he felt a deep distaste for keeping secrets from his fellow officers and superiors in the New Republic , though he was capable of doing so when he felt the situation absolutely necessitated it . Nevertheless , he was fully willing to bear the consequences of his decisions with dignity when he did so . While a deeply serious man , A ' baht was not above taking a fancy to a sleek ship such as the Poranji orbital jumper . During the Yuuzhan Vong War , A ' baht preferred a strategy of defending all worlds equally as they came under threat , rather than giving preference solely to strategically and politically important worlds , as was the New Republic ' s policy . He felt that the other members of high command underestimated the threat posed by the Yuuzhan Vong and sought a stronger opposition to the invaders ; he saw little reason to be optimistic about the course of the war . Behind the scenes . The character of Etahn A ' baht was created by author Michael P . Kube - McDowell and used in " The Black Fleet Crisis " as the commander of the New Republic Fifth Fleet . With the exception of a profile in " Cracken ' s Threat Dossier " concerning the Black Fleet Crisis and a mention in " The Essential Guide to Droids " , A ' baht did not appear in any further material until author James Luceno revived A ' baht , along with a host of other personnel from " The Black Fleet Crisis " , in depicting the New Republic ' s military in the Agents of Chaos Duology of " " series . A ' baht was again used and his past elaborated on in the Databank entry for the Dornean Gunship , a What ' s The Story ? submission by a StarWars . com user known as Ello137 . A ' baht ' s rank is given in " " as brigadier general . This must represent a demotion , as in " Tyrant ' s Test " , A ' baht outranked Tolokus , who , as an admiral , would have been superior to a brigadier general . Ello137 has written a blog in which he discusses the reasoning behind his use of A ' baht in the What ' s the Story ? entry . He intended to explain the origin of the favor owed by L ' toth to A ' baht with A ' baht ' s rescue of L ' toth ' s ship . Ello137 also suggests that , in retrospect , A ' baht ' s promotion represents an implicit error , going against implication in " The Black Fleet Crisis " and " Cracken ' s Threat Dossier " that A ' baht had held his rank in the Dornean Navy for much longer . He suggests that the promotion be regarded as a publicity stunt promoting A ' baht , already the supreme commander of the Dornean Navy , to an even higher grade of generalship . This is not a canon ical retcon , and there is no explicit canonical error in the Databank entry .