Zal Zal was a female Barabel Jedi Knight in the New Jedi Order . During the Yuuzhan Vong War , she served Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne in her starfighter squadron , the Wild Knights . In 43 . 5 ABY , Zal and fellow Barabel Jedi Knights Dordi and Wilyem served as gunners for Captain Han Solo in the " Millennium Falcon " to distract Galactic Alliance forces while his wife , Leia Organa Solo , smuggled four Jedi suffering from a psychosis offworld in the " Gizer Gut " before they could be captured by Galactic Alliance Security and encased in carbonite . In 44 ABY , Zal began a nest with Wilyem , as well as Dordi and Sebatyne ' s son , Tesar , in the sub - basement of the Jedi Temple . The Barabels stayed behind with their nest when the Jedi left the planet Coruscant in an attempt to lure the Lost Tribe of Sith into a trap . Soon afterward , the Solos ' granddaughter Allana — who had accidentally discovered the Barabels ' nest sometime previously and had sworn herself to secrecy — returned with her gransparents , as well as Jedi Knight Zekk and the Hapan Taryn Zel , to warn the Barabels of a Force vision she had of their younglings being killed . The Barabels evacuated their nest and were extracted from the Temple aboard the " Parting Gift " , piloted by the former Imperial Head of State , Jagged Fel . Biography . Zal was a female Force - sensitive Barabel who served in the New Jedi Order . She trained in the ways of the light side of the Force and served as a member of Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne ' s all - Jedi Wild Knights starfighter squadron during the Yuuzhan Vong War . By 43 ABY , she had attained the rank of Jedi Knight . Around this time , she and fellow Barabel Jedi Knight Dordi considered starting a nest with Sebatyne ' s son , Tesar Sebatyne . In 43 . 5 ABY , several young Jedi Knights began to fall prey to a mysterious illness that caused them to believe that everyone they knew had been replaced by impostors , and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances decided to deal with the psychotic Knights by encasing them in carbonite . The Jedi Order resisted this , however , and secretly kept as many of the ill Jedi as possible hidden in the New Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant to be studied . To prevent Galactic Alliance Security forces from finding and capturing these Jedi , Captain Han Solo and his wife , Jedi Knight Leia Organa Solo , decided to smuggle them offworld to the planet Shedu Maad . Zal , along with fellow Barabel Knights Dordi and Wilyem , served as gunners in the " Millennium Falcon " under Han Solo and his granddaughter , Allana Solo . They were to distract Galactic Alliance forces in orbit over Coruscant , allowing Organa Solo to escape with the affected Jedi — Natua Wan , Seff Hellin , Bazel Warv , and Yaqeel Saav ' etu — in the " Gizer Gut " . The " Millennium Falcon " broke every procedure for departing the planet ; the Galactic Alliance ' s Bolt Squadron and the " Fast Death " , a " Nargi " - class pursuit frigate , began to chase them down . Solo maneuvered the " Falcon " behind PharmCom Orbital Processing Plant One , an orbiting pharmaceutical production plant , and the " Fast Death " stayed behind , to be replaced by another pursuit frigate , the " Quick End " . Solo then told Allana to alert Master Sebatyne , and proceeded to order Zal and Dordi to pull up their guns and targeting computer systems as a bluff . Sebatyne arrived with a squadron of StealthX s and quickly scattered Bolt Squadron . Wilyem then fired a proton torpedo , which detonated a few kilometers off their stern . Solo pretended to spin out of control toward the " Quick End " , and revealed to the Galactic Alliance that he had Allana — who was disguised as his adopted daughter " Amelia " — on board . The frigate then maneuvered out of his way , and at Solo ' s orders , Allana reached out in the Force to Organa Solo , signaling her to leave . She quickly escaped offworld with the four psychotic Jedi in the " Gizer Gut " . The Galactic Alliance forces broke off their pursuit , and , their objective complete , Dordi , Zal , Wilyem , and the Solos jumped into hyperspace to meet up with the " Gizer Gut " at Shedu Maad . In 44 ABY , Zal began a nest with Wilyem in the Jedi Temple ' s underlevels , along with Dordi and Tesar Sebatyne . They were stumbled upon by Amelia and Jedi Knight Bazel Warv , one of the Jedi they had helped to smuggle offworld , and who had since recovered from the psychosis . The Barabels were outraged at first , and demanded that since they had seen the nest and their eggs , Amelia and Warv would have to stay until the eggs hatched . Amelia , however , suggested that she tell them a secret about herself that was as important as the Barabels ' nest , and revealed to them her true identity as Allana , daughter of Jedi Jacen Solo and Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo , and thus the rightful heir to the Hapes Consortium . Zal and the other Barabels agreed to the terms and allowed Allana and Warv to leave . Upon the rise of the Lost Tribe of Sith in galactic affairs , the Jedi decided to leave Coruscant in an attempt to lure the Sith into a trap , so that the Jedi could effectively eliminate the Tribe in one mission . Zal and the three other Barabrels , however , remained behind in the Temple . When the Jedi returned and began hunting down the Sith , the Tribe retreated into the Temple . Meanwhile , Allana had a vision of the Barabels ' nest being attacked and their younglings being slaughtered , and she — along with her grandparents , the Jedi Knight Zekk , the Hapan Taryn Zel , and several Hapan commandos — traveled to the Temple and located the nest to warn the Barabels . Zal was the only one of the four Barabels who did not come out to meet with them . They quickly gathered the younglings and fled the nest , fighting the Sith on their way out . They suffered casualties , including numerous Hapan soldiers and some of the younglings , leaving twenty of the newborn Barabels alive . The Barabels and their rescuers were extracted from the Jedi Temple by the former Imperial Remnant Head of State Jagged Fel , who piloted the " Parting Gift " , along with Master Saba Sebatyne , Void Jumper Sergeant Major Gef Olazon , and the former Jedi Tahiri Veila . Personality and traits . Zal shared a sense of humor with other Barabels that other beings rarely understood . Much of what was said between the crew of the " Millennium Falcon " during her mission with the Solos was taken as a joke between the Barabel Jedi . Even when they were under pressure , Zal kept her sense of humor and remained high - spirited . When Allana and Warv accidentally discovered Zal ' s nest , she and the other Barabels were outraged , and tried to force the two to stay in the nest until their eggs hatched . However , when Allana offered an exchange of secrets , Zal inquired as to whether the secret was as big as their nest , and when Allana reassured her that it was and went on to reveal it , the Barabels allowed the two intruders to leave . Powers and abilities . Zal learned the ways of the Force with the Jedi Order and rose to the rank of Jedi Knight . She was a skillful pilot , and she flew with Saba Sebatyne ' s Wild Knights during the Yuuzhan Vong War . Zal was also a capable gunner ; however , she and Dordi were ordered not to fire on the Galactic Alliance ships during their mission with Solo . Behind the scenes . Zal was created by author Troy Denning for his first installment , and the third novel overall , in the " " series , " " , released August 18 , 2009 . Zal later appeared in " " and " " , the sixth and ninth novels of the series , respectively , both by Denning .