Cinda Tarheel Cinda Tarheel was a Human female from the planet Socorro who served the Rebel Alliance as a pilot during the Galactic Civil War . Fast - talking and quick - shooting , she often made rash combat decisions and only survived due to her superb reflexes . In 3 ABY , Tarheel was part of the Alliance ' s starfighter complement at Echo Base on the world of Hoth , when the Galactic Empire discovered the base and attacked . Nala Hetsime in a T - 47 airspeeder pilot ' s chair and Tarheel as the craft ' s rear gunner jointly made up Rogue Seven , flying in the makeshift Rogue Group against Imperial AT - AT walkers in the Battle of Hoth . The Rogues ' efforts bought the Rebels enough time to evacuate the planet . Later in the year , Captain Tarheel was stationed on Arbra at the Alliance ' s Haven Base , and she joined Commanders Luke Skywalker and Berl on a mission to make contact with the Serp s of the planet Serphidi . She landed her X - wing fighter safely on the planet despite receiving an engine - disabling shot from Imperial TIE fighters , but a raiding party led by the Serps ' tyrannical King S ' Shah killed Berl and took Tarheel captive . After learning that her fate lay on the cannibalistic King ' s dinner plate , Tarheel attempted to escape from Castle S ' Shah but was held steadfastly by her captor . Only when Skywalker defeated S ' Shah in the Serps ' annual Doom - Joust competition was Tarheel released and freedom restored to Serphidi . Biography . War in the snow . Cinda Tarheel , a Human female , was a native of the planet Socorro who lived during the Galactic Civil War . After working as a smuggler , she joined the Rebel Alliance , and in 3 ABY she was part of the Alliance ' s starfighter complement at Echo Base , an Alliance stronghold on the snowy world of Hoth . The complement included Rogue Flight , Blue Squadron , and Green Squadron . The Alliance was being actively hunted by the Galactic Empire , and when Echo Base was discovered by an Imperial probe droid , Alliance General Carlist Rieekan ordered an evacuation . The Imperial Navy quickly arrived in the Hoth system , and an ad hoc T - 47 airspeeder unit known as " Rogue Group " was created from various members of the Rebel starfighter complement , including Tarheel . With the dour Nala Hetsime in the pilot ' s chair and Tarheel serving as a rear gunner , Rogue Seven flew with the twelve - speeder group into the Battle of Hoth . Commander Luke Skywalker led the Rogues as they tried to delay the AT - AT walkers of the Imperial Army ' s Blizzard Force while Alliance personnel evacuated Hoth in GR - 75 medium transports . Numerous airspeeders were shot down by the AT - ATs during the combat , including Skywalker ' s , and although the commander survived the crash , Wedge Antilles in Rogue Three became the temporary Rogue Leader . Several AT - ATs were brought down by the Rogues ' harpoons and tow cables and by explosives , but the walkers managed to destroy the base ' s deflector shield generator . However , the Rogues bought enough time for the evacuation to proceed successfully , and both Tarheel and Hetsime survived . Item on the menu . Several months later , Tarheel was a captain in the Alliance and a seasoned combat pilot . She was stationed at the Rebels ' Haven Base on the planet Arbra when the Alliance learned of increased Imperial presence in the Belial system ; Tarheel , Skywalker and Commander Berl were dispatched to the system ' s planet Serphidi in order to establish good relations with the local Serp s . After being briefed by the Alliance ' s Princess Leia Organa , the three pilots took X - wing starfighters to the Belial system , where Tarheel ' s sensors detected the presence of four Imperial TIE fighters . The Rebels vaporized all four of the enemy craft , but the engines of Tarheel ' s X - wing were also destroyed in the melee . As fuel streamed from her fighter , she opted to make a controlled crash - landing on Serphidi ' s surface , and she set down safely on a mesa despite losing an S - foil during a brush with a cliff . Skywalker and Berl landed nearby , but they were soon attacked by a raiding party of Serps riding atop mounts . The tyrannical King S ' Shah himself led the raiders , and shots from their energy lance s killed Berl and knocked Tarheel unconscious . Skywalker was forced to flee , and Tarheel was brought to Castle S ' Shah , where she was dressed in an elegant gown and brought before the king as his " new toy . " To her horror , she was told by S ' Shah that she was to be served to him as a meal . Not long afterward , while the king was preparing to take on any challengers in the annual Doom - Joust competition , Tarheel was being dressed for the event but decided to mount an escape . After dispatching her Serp guards in hand - to - hand combat , she dashed from her room in the palace but was caught by S ' Shah . Although impressed with her escape attempt , the king was still intent on eating her and slapped her hard across the face . Tarheel was seated in S ' Shah ' s royal viewing box for the Doom - Joust , where the only challenger , a Serp named Elglih , withdrew from the competition and announced his replacement : Luke Skywalker . Tarheel watched as the more experienced S ' Shah knocked Skywalker off of his mount , but the commander recovered and brought the king to the ground as well . He then grabbed S ' Shah ' s energy lance and forced the king to surrender , but when S ' Shah attempted treachery by drawing a micro - jolt from his tunic , Skywalker quickly killed him . With Elglih on the throne , Tarheel was freed , and the Rebels found themselves with allies in the system . As Tarheel and Skywalker left the planet in the two intact X - wings , they took a moment to remember their fallen comrade , Berl . Personality and traits . Cinda Tarheel had blue eyes , light skin , and long , black hair . Although she sometimes made rash combat decisions , she could count on her superb reflexes to help her come out alive . During her time with the Alliance , she was a quick - shooting , skilled and seasoned combat pilot with iron nerves . A fast - talker , Tarheel was belligerent and insulting toward King S ' Shah after being kidnapped by him , and she at one point physically attacked her captors — as a captain of the Rebel Alliance , Tarheel felt that she deserved more respect . After leaving Serphidi , she expressed sadness at the death of her comrade , Berl . Behind the scenes . Cinda Tarheel first appeared in " " , the sixty - fourth issue of Marvel Comics ' ongoing " Star Wars " series . Written by David Michelinie and Michael Fleisher and penciled by Joe Brozowski , the issue was released in 1982 . Thirty years later , authors Jason Fry and Paul R . Urquhart referenced Tarheel in " The Essential Guide to Warfare " , naming her as one of Rogue Group ' s gunners during the Battle of Hoth , an event from the 1980 film . Tarheel ' s airspeeder , as well as the eleven other speeders of Rogue Group , are visible in a panel of the of " Empire " .