Mazer Rackus Mazer Rackus , a Twi ' lek male , was a longtime starfighter pilot of the Rebel Alliance . Rackus originally joined the Rebellion at age sixteen , well before the Battle of Yavin , after stealing his first starship from his father and crashing it on a Rebel - held planet . Rackus convinced his Rebel captors of his loyalty to their cause and went on to fly raids for the Alliance for many years , although he always carried with him a bad recollection of his father . Biography . Mazer Rackus was born on the Twi ' lek homeworld of Ryloth sometime before 16 BBY . He stole his first starship from his father at age sixteen and promptly crashed the vessel on a planet controlled by the Rebel Alliance . The Rebels captured Rackus , and , though he soon convinced them of his " loyalties " to their cause , he later admitted among friends that he was more afraid of facing his father than anything else . Rackus began flying raids for the Alliance as a starfighter pilot from that point forward . By the Battle of Yavin , Rackus had been fighting with the Rebellion for many years . Personality and traits . Mazer Rackus was a Twi ' lek of typical appearance for his species . He had pinkish - white skin , red eyes , and long lekku extending from his cranium . However , rather than the luxurious robes traditionally worn by Twi ' leks , Rackus usually wore a standard flight suit . He also had a taste for spending money . Although loud and brash , Rackus demonstrated unusual sensitivity for a Twi ' lek , hating to see anything beautiful damaged . He was also particularly sensitive of his piloting abilities , and nothing ever happened by accident . Rather than admitting to pilot error , for example , Rackus had an excuse waiting to explain his mishap . Rackus adored speed and risk - taking , as long as it did not cause his ship to crash . He was glad to engage in dogfights with enemy TIE fighters but made sure to avoid Imperial capital ships . He did not necessarily fear death , but he knew capital ships had enough firepower to imperil him and potentially cause another crash , which prompted Rackus to recall wincing thoughts of his father . Skills and abilities . Rackus possessed mechanical ability in astrogation , repulsorlift operation , starfighter piloting , and starship gunnery . He was technically adept at repairing T - 65 X - wing starfighter s . Equipment . Rackus ' s equipment included a Merr - Sonn Model 44 blaster pistol in a shoulder holster , comlink , macrobinoculars , datapad , hydrospanner , three medpacs , his Rebel uniform , dark starglasses , and his personal X - wing fighter . Behind the scenes . Mazer Rackus was created for the 1993 West End Games sourcebook " " , written by Simon Smith and Eric S . Trautmann . He serves as a character example of a Rebel operative for use with " " . Artist Mike Vilardi provided the sourcebook ' s illustration of Rackus . Rackus later appeared in the 1998 PC game as one of the playable characters available to the Rebel Alliance . In gameplay , Rackus is used most effectively as a Special Forces operative in conjunction with fellow Rebel character Ma ' w ' shiye , both of whom exhibit excellent combat and espionage skills . When paired , they can succeed in the most difficult missions . " Galaxy Guide 9 " originally described Rackus as possessing " piercing green eyes . " However , the original character illustration created for " Star Wars : Rebellion " depicts Rackus as having red eyes .