Ibtisam Ibtisam was a female Mon Calamari pilot who flew for the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic during the Galactic Civil War . Driven by a refusal to stand by and watch as her people were destroyed by the Empire , she joined the Alliance Starfighter Corps around 4 ABY . Ibtisam volunteered to fly a modified B - wing starfighter at the Battle of Endor , but was shot down during the massive fleet action and spent twelve hours adrift in space . After spending several months recovering from trauma , Ibtisam joined Rogue Squadron , though to her immense annoyance she was forced to pilot an X - wing starfighter . She initially clashed with fellow Rogue Nrin Vakil ; the Mon Calamari and the Quarren species were traditionally hostile towards each other , though the two beings overcame this animosity . They flew alongside each other during missions to Eiattu 6 and Malrev IV as well as at the Battle of Brentaal IV . Ibtisam and fellow pilot Wes Janson were shot down over Brentaal IV , though they managed to evade Imperial forces and return to their unit . In early 5 ABY , Ibtisam and Rogue Squadron were sent to the planet Ciutric IV to retrieve former Imperial Grand Vizier Sate Pestage and return him safely to the New Republic . By this point , she and Nrin Vakil had grown very close , and their friendship was bordering on romance . Their relationship reached an end on Ciutric , though , when Ibtisam was shot down by Imperial TIE fighters . She was mourned by her fellow Rogues at her funeral on Ciutric , and years later , the news of her relationship with Nrin helped to promote interrelations between the two species . Biography . B - wing pilot . Ibtisam was a female Mon Calamari native to the planet Mon Calamari . When translated into Basic , her name meant " sunset , as seen from the sea . " When her people were enslaved by the Galactic Empire , Ibtisam decided to act : she joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic . She enlisted in the Alliance Starfighter Corps and , after training , volunteered to fly in one of the first B - wing starfighter squadrons formed by the Alliance . Around 4 ABY she greatly modified the starfighter that had been assigned to her , pairing up with another pilot by name of Plourr Ilo during the Galactic Civil War . She saw great value in the novelty of the B - wing and considered other fighters , such as the X - wing starfighter , to be obsolete . Ibtisam and her squadron fought at the Battle of Endor as part of the Alliance Fleet under Admiral Ackbar , flying against Baron Soontir Fel ' s 181st Imperial Fighter Group . During the second wave of their assault , however , Ibtisam ' s fighter was destroyed by the 181st ; she ejected , but had to spend twelve hours drifting aimlessly through the Endor system . Although she was eventually retrieved and left unscathed , Ibtisam was mentally traumatized by the event and spent four months on psychiatric leave . She had developed mild agoraphobia after the experience , though the confines of a cockpit were usually enough to keep her fears at bay . Upon her return to duty , however , she was assigned to Rogue Squadron , an X - wing unit . Rogue . Ibtisam did not make the initial cut for the squadron , but remained as a reserve , ready to be called up to the squadron proper should it incur any casualties . She had serious qualms about her transfer to Rogue Squadron , and made no effort to hide her disdain for the X - wing , though she carried out her duties as she had been ordered to . The squadron had lost several members during a mission on Tatooine , and Ibtisam was selected to take the place of one of the fallen , assuming the callsign of Rogue Two . She and the other new recruits spent several weeks in the simulators at Captain Wedge Antilles ' s insistence , so that the squadron could get reacquainted . Ibtisam performed well in the simulators , though outside of her false cockpit she was often arrogant and was constantly at odds with another pilot , Nrin Vakil , a Quarren . The Quarren were known for their traditional animosity towards Mon Calamari ; Ibtisam and Vakil were no exception and annoyed their fellow squadmates with their incessant arguments about starfighters . Ibtisam harbored a secret attraction to her fellow pilot , though at the same time disliked him immensely . Although she was not particularly happy to be in Rogue Squadron , by the time of her first mission , she had one of the highest simulated kill ratings of the Rogues . Antilles had noticed the quarreling between Ibtisam and Nrin , and requested that they put a stop to it ; hoping to look professional in the eyes of their superior , they both kept their animosity in check . The Rogues were dispatched to the planet Eiattu 6 , the homeworld of Ibtisam ' s old friend , Plourr Ilo , who was also a member of Rogue Squadron . The Rogues were to escort Ilo to Eiattu 6 and assist her in her attempts to bring peace to the world , which was on the verge of civil war . While Ilo and some of the squadron ' s senior members met with various Eiattu nobility , Ibtisam and the others spent their time scouting the world on Thuvasaur s . During one of their journeys through the planet ' s jungles , the Sullustan Dllr Nep ' s superior auditory senses picked up distant blaster fire , and the Rogues rushed to investigate . They found the source of the noise of combat , a group of Imperial stormtroopers , and engaged in a frenzied firefight with them . With TIE fighters performing strafing passes overhead , the Rogues had little choice but to flee , eventually running into a group of People ' s Liberation Battalion members led by the impostor Harrandatha Estillo . The rebels allowed Ibtisam and her fellows shelter and food for the night in their camp , though comlink communications were blocked . As promised , they were escorted to their rendezvous with Antilles in the city , though they were soon back in the jungle searching for Ilo and Count Arian Laabann , who had been ambushed . Dllr Nep was using his hearing as a means of locating any blaster fire , though a device hidden on a tree branch was running interference . With the Rogues unable to identify which direction they were approaching from , a group of Imperial scout troopers surrounded them and took them all — except Vakil , whom they believed dead — to a prison complex run by Moff Leonia Tavira . Tavira questioned them before eventually leaving them alone in their cell ; Vakil took this opportunity to rescue them . The Rogues blasted their way out of the prison and Tavira was forced to flee with only a partial amount of her stolen money . The mission was a success , though Ilo decided to stay on Eiattu 6 to ensure that a peaceful regime stayed in place . The mission also marked the beginning of improved relations between Vakil and Ibtisam , who was extremely grateful for the Quarren ' s rescue ; after his bravery in freeing them , she began to reevaluate her opinion of him . Mission to the Malrev system . After leaving Eiattu 6 , the Rogues were sent to try and locate the " Starfaring " , a Bothan starship that had disappeared while in the Malrev system . They flew into Malrev IV ' s atmosphere , but were ambushed by a group of TIE fighters , who shot down Antilles . Though Ibtisam and her fellow Rogues were able to fend them off , Antilles crashed in the planet ' s vast forest . Before they could mount a rescue operation , however , they found the " Starfaring " in a clearing and set their fighters down beside it . The Bothans on the starliner told Ibtisam that their hyperdrive was severely damaged and that their engineers had been picked off by native beasts called Irrukiine . The Bothan tourists promised to assist them in searching for Antilles , though were adamant that they wait until morning so as to avoid the savage Irrukiine . The Rogues clashed with the male Bothan tourists , who had started a fight with Nrin Vakil . The Bothans came out on top , though an Irrukiine attack drew the confrontation to a premature close . Ibtisam helped fight them off alongside Vakil , though the Quarren soon fled to the safety of the clearing . Before long , the Rogues were vastly outnumbered ; the Irrukiine were also bizarrely using Imperial issue blasters . They were rescued by Vakil , however , who flew his X - wing into the beasts , killing hordes until they retreated into the jungle . Ibtisam thanked Nrin and apologized for calling him a coward , and later in the night , she had a dream in which Nrin denounced the Mon Calamari for ever traveling into space . In the dream , Nrin claimed that the Mon Calamari ' s spacefaring would encourage others to enslave the planet . Ibtisam recognized that the dream could not have happened , but she nevertheless understood from where Nrin was coming . The Rogues and their Bothan allies traveled into the jungle in search of Antilles the next day , though they soon realized that the Bothans were not the tourists they claimed to be , as their hyperdrive had been purposely sabotaged and they were leading the Rogues in a direction away from where Antilles ' s fighter crashed . They soon learned where the Bothans were leading them : a great temple , which was infused with dark side energy . The group was again attacked by Irrukiine , though with the help of Antilles — who had escaped his imprisonment in the temple — they defeated the native beasts . It was at the cost of three squadron members , however , as Dllr Nep went missing , while Derek Klivian and Herian I ' ngre had to spend time in bacta tanks . Antilles , Tycho Celchu , and Wes Janson scouted the area in their fighters while Ibtisam and the others stayed on the ground , though the Mon Calamari was again in the air after a while , helping to fight off Irrukiine - flown TIE fighters , guided via the Force by the dark magician Cartariun . Hopelessly outnumbered , the Rogues were saved when Cartariun ' s magic ceased and the Irrukiine crashed their TIEs . They returned to camp , though Girov Dza ' tey , the Bothan leader , had left and was filling Cartariun ' s role at the Sith temple . Herian I ' ngre was receiving telepathic messages from Dllr Nep in the temple and pleaded with Antilles to confront the dark siders and destroy the temple . He agreed , despite the overwhelming odds they would face fighting against Girov ' s TIE / IN interceptors . Before the battle , Ibtisam revealed her growing feelings for Nrin to the Quarren and told him she would mourn him if he died . The Quarren replied that people would always die in war , though he returned the compliment to Ibtisam . The Rogues engaged large numbers of TIE interceptors while the remaining Bothans attempted to attack the temple on the ground . Ibtisam , Nrin , and the others were rescued by a large number of Eiattu starfighters , led by Plourr Ilo , who helped them fight off the TIEs . The battle was cut short when Herian I ' ngre , piloting Feylis Ardele ' s damaged starfighter , crashed into the temple , killing herself , Cartariun , Girov , and Dllr . The TIE interceptors crashed , and the Rogues left Malrev IV with their mission accomplished , albeit minus two members . Battle for Brentaal IV . Nine months after the Battle of Endor , the New Republic launched a major offensive against the planet Brentaal IV , spearheaded by Ibtisam and Rogue Squadron . The world held considerable strategic value and its forces were commanded by Admiral Lon Isoto , a man known for his incompetence , of which Ackbar hoped to take advantage . The preliminary skirmish went well for the New Republic fleet , though they then had to face off with the 181st over the city of Vuultin . Ibtisam and Wes Janson were shot down and had to bail out onto hostile territory . To Antilles and Vakil ' s fury , Rogue Squadron was ordered to return to the " Independence " , leaving an injured Ibtisam and Janson alone and trapped behind enemy lines . The two took refuge from the desert by a large rock and waited for dark , though Ibtisam ' s health was slowly deteriorating . She was becoming dehydrated and delusional ; unwilling to leave her and escape himself , Janson stayed by her side and tried to persuade her to move on to a new area . Before they could , however , a group of Imperial stormtroopers surrounded them and took them prisoner . When Ibtisam awoke , her health was back to normal and she and Janson spent several hours in custody before being released by a stormtrooper . The trooper escorted them to a Devaronian named Kapp Dendo — actually a New Republic ground operative . Dendo apologized for their rough treatment , but explained that they could not afford to compromise their cover . To the two pilots ' anger , however , Dendo informed them that he couldn ' t spare the men to return them to their squadron , though offered them the chance to work with him instead . Ibtisam and Janson were to use explosives to internally destroy a planetary defense network installed by Isoto . With little other option , the two Rogues began their mission , supplemented by Dendo and a group of his commandos . They stormed the defense complex , with Ibtisam and Dendo ' s people providing cover for Janson while he placed charges on key points of the structure . When all the charges were finally placed , Ibtisam , Janson , and Dendo had just seconds to escape the structure on a skiff , though managed to do so without incurring any casualties . With their mission completed , Ibtisam and Janson returned to " Home One " to learn that the other Rogues had succeeded against the 181st and had captured Baron Fel . Impressed with her skills on the ground , Kapp Dendo offered the Mon Calamari a place in his squadron , though Ibtisam refused , claiming she felt that ground combat lacked the thrill of starfighter combat . Nrin Vakil had been extremely worried for her safety while she was grounded , though , despite the urges of other Rogues , did not reveal his joy at her recovery . Later action . The Rogues had lost pilots on Brentaal and to the squadron ' s immense surprise , Baron Fel became their newest member . having defected to the New Republic ; Nrin in particular was deeply shocked , and attempted to throttle Fel . Antilles ordered them to fly with the ex - Imperial pilot , though Ibtisam and Nrin were given a few days rest while Klivian , Janson , and Plourr Ilo went to Corellia to try and find Fel ' s wife . They were soon flying again on a routine training run , where they encountered a group of pirates . They chased the pirates away from the cruiser they were attacking , and although Ibtisam got a hold of their exit vector , they were ordered not to pursue them . Days later , Sate Pestage , the leader of the Empire , arranged a summit with Leia Organa on Eiattu 6 , while a decoy Leia , the New Republic agent Winter , went with Tycho Celchu to Axxila . The Rogues were placed around Axxila , so that they could help Celchu and Winter if they were attacked . Janson and Klivian had discovered that the pirates that they had clashed with earlier were in one of the local cantinas , and Ibtisam , Nrin , and Xarcce Huwla were sent there to keep and eye on them . In the cantina on Axxila , Ibtisam mentioned to Nrin that she could see a change in him , one that she felt was for the better . Huwla spoke of Nrin ' s sadness while Ibtisam was on the ground on Brentaal IV , which the Mon Calamari felt was a step forward in their improving relationship . She confessed her anger at the traditional animosity between her species and the Quarren , and the two agreed to rise above old rivalries . They noticed a group of pirates eying them , and Ibtisam and Nrin went to pursue them when they moved out into the open . Nrin had wished to go alone , though Ibtisam insisted on accompanying him . They walked straight into an ambush , though with Huwla ' s assistance , they managed to incapacitate the pirates . They returned to report to Antilles , though they soon were out in their X - wings once again , hoping to rescue Celchu and Winter , who had escaped from imprisonment in a starfighter and were being pursued by the pirates they had encountered previously . Nrin , injured by one of the pirate ' s stray blaster bolts , stayed behind as Huwla and Ibtisam flew through Axxila ' s streets blasting the pirate fighters . They were greatly outnumbered , though with the assistance of Han Solo and Baron Fel in the " Millennium Falcon " , they fought off the pirates , rescued Celchu and Winter , and escaped from Axxila . Mission to Ciutric IV . After the events on Axxila , the Rogues were given some recuperation time , which Ibtisam largely spent in the company of Nrin . The bond between the two was growing stronger and they used much of their free time walking in the public gardens near their base . Their time together was cut short , however , when an emergency signal ordered the Rogues to gather and prepare for their next mission . Sate Pestage , the former Imperial Grand Vizier who had made arrangements with the New Republic to defect , had fled to Ciutric IV and was captured by Leonia Tavira . The Rogues , Horton Salm ' s Aggressor Wing , and a commando team led by Kapp Dendo would be flying in to Ciutric to extract Pestage and take him back to the New Republic . It was an extremely dangerous mission , as the Empire was also hoping to snatch Pestage from Tavira ' s grasp , but the Rogues planned to leave the system as quickly as possible . The Rogues and Aggressor Wing occupied the Imperial forces in orbit while Dendo and his men reached the surface via transport shuttles . The Rogues picked off the local Imperial pilots with ease , while Dendo managed to retrieve Pestage on the ground . The arrival of an " Imperial II " - class Star Destroyer and an " Interdictor " - class Star Destroyer , however , meant that the Rogues ' vector of escape was blocked off . Aggressor Wing was able to escape and fled back to inform the New Republic of the situation and bring back reinforcements . With little other option , Ibtisam and the squadron landed on the surface to wait it out while Salm fled . Dendo , the Rogues , and Pestage set up camp on the planet ' s rugged ground . Ibtisam , Nrin , and the others stayed at the camp to watch Pestage while Antilles , Dendo , and Winter broke into the Imperial barracks to send a secret message to the New Republic Provisional Council . Ibtisam and Nrin once again discussed the matter of their relationship and how it went against native traditions ; the Quarren proposed that , once the fighting was over and the Empire defeated , they go back to Mon Calamari and show their respective species how the rift between them could be healed . Their conversations were cut short by the arrival of a dozen Imperial TIE fighters coming in from the southwest ; the Rogues powered up their fighters and went out to intercept them . During the battle , Ibtisam was hit by one of the Imperials , and despite Nrin ' s best efforts , she crashed in the forest and perished , though the other Rogues were unsure of her fate . Legacy . When they returned to camp , Nrin threatened to kill Pestage if Ibtisam had died ; he held the former Grand Vizier responsible , as the whole operation was to rescue him . A rescue team was sent out and brought her dead body back to the camp . The squadron was immensely saddened by her death and Nrin wept at her side for a long time . The Rogues engaged Admiral Delak Krennel ' s forces above Ciutric once again , though returned to the ground before making their final attempt to exit . A Humanocentric Pestage almost compromised the mission by refusing to travel aboard the same shuttle as Ibtisam ' s body , though Antilles made arrangements for her body to travel in a separate shuttle , claiming that she deserved better than Pestage as a cabinmate . In the end , the whole mission and Ibtisam ' s death were in vain , as Pestage defected back to the Empire . Rather than accept him , Delak Krennel murdered him , though the Rogues and Commando Team One managed to escape without any additional casualties . Ibtisam ' s funeral was attended by a large number of New Republic starfighter pilots , and Antilles gave a speech about her before she was finally put to rest . The news of her relationship with Nrin eventually broke and it marked the beginning of improved relations between the Quarren and Mon Calamari . Her death had a great effect on Nrin ; he left Rogue Squadron to take a leave of absence , and it took him several years to fully come to terms with her loss . Eventually , Nrin married a Twi ' lek mechanic who had worked with the Rogues , Koyi Komad , though neither he nor her other squadmates ever forgot Ibtisam . Personality and traits . When Ibtisam first joined Rogue Squadron , she made no efforts to hide her disappointment at having to fly X - wings , which she saw as old and outdated . She spent much of her time arguing with her squadmates — particularly Nrin — about starfighters , to the annoyance of several of her fellow Rogues . Her argumentativeness did not stop at discussing starfighters ; during her mission on Eiattu 6 , she also argued about local politics and the native wildlife . Ibtisam ' s initial interactions with Nrin conjured up the longstanding rivalry between their respective species . However , once she settled into her new squadron , Ibtisam ' s normal , softer personality came into place . She was a kind being , and after the mission to Eiattu 6 , she was generally regarded as one of the squadron ' s most cherished and liked members . She was very social , and as well as Nrin , she formed lasting friendships with Rogues Huwla and Ilo . Ibtisam liked to have fun , and whenever she was not on duty , she spent her time enjoying herself in the company of others . She also encouraged Nrin to have more fun and teased him about his serious nature initially . Ibtisam was very trusting of others , and while Nrin sought to hide his growing feelings for the Mon Calamari pilot , she shared them with her friends , and told Plourr of the dream she had had on Malrev . The relationship between the two blossomed into love , which they hoped could be used as an example to heal the rift between the Mon Calamari and the Quarren . Ibtisam was quite resilient , and throughout her time with the Rogues , she showed a sort of strength and resolve uncharacteristic of females of her species . Ibtisam was very brave , and put her life on the line for the freedom and safety of others numerous times in her career . She was not content to sit back and watch the Empire ravage her world and enslave the Mon Calamari and joined the Rebel Alliance , despite the obvious danger involved in fighting the Empire . During the Galactic Civil War , she fought against overwhelming odds , not for her own gain , but for the gain of others . During her funeral speech , Antilles honored her selfless nature and told her squadmates that she would have happily sacrificed her life for them . Talents and abilities . Ibtisam was a talented starfighter pilot , showing skill behind the joysticks of both B - wings and X - wings . She proved herself in battle against massive odds when dogfighting on Malrev , and again when facing off against Uglies on Axxila , where she had to fly through the narrow streets and avoid hitting many obstacles . Ibtisam , however , was not as talented a pilot as some of Rogue Squadron ' s elite , and she was shot down at least three times during her career . At Endor , she was no match for the 181st , and Fel ' s men again downed her over Brentaal IV . Imperial pilots , working for Admiral Krennel , were able to shoot down and kill Ibtisam on Ciutric . Nevertheless , she impressed Kapp Dendo enough that he requested she join his commando team should they require a pilot . As well as a talented pilot , Ibtisam was skilled with a blaster , utilizing both blaster pistols and heavy blaster rifles during her time with the Rogues . On Eiattu 6 , she showed her skills when she and several other members of Rogue Squadron fought their way out of Leonia Tavira ' s prison complex , forcing the moff to flee the planet . Again on Malrev , she fought off native Irrukiine , an act that was praised by fellow Rogue Wes Janson . When she and Janson teamed up with Dendo on Brentaal IV , she provided cover for Janson while he placed explosive charges on Isoto ' s weaponry . She was also proficient at unarmed combat , which she showed when she , Nrin , and Xarcce Huwla clashed with the pirates on Axxila . Behind the scenes . Ibtisam was created by Michael A . Stackpole for the comic series , first appearing in " " in October 1996 . Stackpole used the character in the five successive story arcs , until her death in " " . Ibtisam , particularly her relationship with Nrin Vakil , became a more important part of the plot as the series progressed . Stackpole later mentioned Ibtisam in the novel " " in 1999 , though she was also mentioned in " Who ' s Who in Rogue Squadron " , " " , the " Star Wars Encyclopedia " , and both editions of " The Essential Guide to Alien Species " . She also had a cameo in " " by W . Haden Blackman .