| |
| Natasha Daala | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Homeworld |
Irmenu |
| Born | |
| Physical description | |
| Species | |
| Gender | |
| Height |
5'5" (1.72 m) |
| Hair Color |
Auburn |
| Eye Color |
Blue |
| Skin Color |
Light |
| Family information | |
| Family |
Liegeus Vorn (husband) |
| Political information | |
| Affiliation |
|
- "An Empire at war with itself is as weak as an Empire in anarchy, and I have no interest in ruling an empty shell."
- ―Natasha Daala
Natasha Daala was a Human female who became the first woman to reach the rank of admiral in the Imperial Starfleet.
Born on Irmenu in 20 BBY, Daala enlisted in the Imperial Starfleet on Carida, but was discriminated against due to her sex. However, she achieved success thanks to Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, who discovered her after she defeated many skilled Imperial opponents in simulated battles, using an alias to hide her true identity. Tarkin took her under his wing, and as he rose in the ranks, so did she. She became his lover and was eventually promoted to admiral by him. Shortly after, she was sent to oversee the top-secret Imperial research facility known as the Maw Installation. There, some of the best known scientists around worked on new concepts, designing superweapons for the Empire. She resided there with four Imperial I-class Star Destroyers for eleven years, unaware of what was happening in the Galaxy.
In 11 ABY, Kyp Durron, Han Solo, and Chewbacca stumbled upon the facility after making an emergency escape from Kessel. She interrogated them, and was stunned to learn that Tarkin and Emperor Cosimo Palpatine II were dead and the Empire was on the verge of collapse, having been defeated by the Rebel Alliance. She decided to launch her campaign to wreak havoc on the galaxy and gain revenge for Tarkin's death, with her four Star Destroyers and the Sun Crusher superweapon. However, the Sun Crusher was stolen from her by Solo and his two companions, who were also able to warn the New Republic of Daala's existence. Ultimately, Daala accomplished little, and with three of her Star Destroyers destroyed, headed back to the Maw to try to protect it from the New Republic. There, she found New Republic forces, who attacked her fleet. Though she managed to destroy the Installation, preventing the New Republic from gaining new weapons, her Star Destroyer was damaged and she made an emergency hyperspace jump.
In 12 ABY, Daala attempted to unify the Imperial warlords, but found little success. She executed them, then took command of their forces. She once again attempted to destroy the New Republic, this time with the aid of Vice Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. However, she was defeated, and relinquished command to Pellaeon, resigning from the military. A year later, she re-appeared to aid the New Republic against the corrupt Moff Tol Getelles, then disappeared, swearing she was done with military service. It was at this time that Daala was reunited with her former lover Liegeus Vorn on Nam Chorios, where the two married and later had a son.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born in 20 BBY to Human parents on Irmenu, a feudal, oceanic planet located in the Belsmuth sector of the Outer Rim Territories, Natasi Daala hailed from a princely family. When she was still an infant, rivals of Daala's family managed to overrun and seize their holdings. While the rest of Daala's family was put to death, a younger son of the rival family took pity on Natasi and smuggled her offworld. Daala's benefactor left her on Botajef at an orphanage owned by COMPNOR and run by Renatasian nuns, where she was then raised.[1] When she was young, Daala fell in love with the holo faker Liegeus Vorn. However, feeling a need for a sense of duty, she enrolled in the Academy of Carida to serve the Empire, and so left Vorn.[2]
In 3 BBY, Daala was accepted into the Academy of Carida due to her skill in competitive sports and unarmed combat. Her violent performance in shockball often left her opponents in need of bacta treatment and was perceived as a trait that could be channeled into close combat training. She was initially selected for training as a stormtrooper, and her instructor, Visk, believed that Daala could serve as an ideal clone template if he could break her will through discipline. However, simulator tests during Daala's basic training showed that her approach to contact sports was also effective when applied to simulations of capital ship combat.[1] While she was a talented student and officer at the Imperial Academy, she was continually passed over for promotion due to her gender, though accounts by Imperial military officers said that she argued too much. To take out her frustrations toward the male-dominated military, she made herself a false computer identity.[3]
With her false identity, Daala remotely played simulations on the Caridan computer networks, defeating the best opponents repeatedly. Her tactics included variations on the zero-gravity fighting routines and space maneuvers developed by General Jan Dodonna. Even though her identity remained a mystery, copies of her battle simulations were distributed to starships throughout the Imperial Starfleet for study.[4] Chief Instructor Massimo Tagge eventually investigated Daala's work and, upon discovering her identity, promptly transferred her from Visk to his own naval officer cadet program.[1] As a cadet, Daala pushed herself to her physical and mental limits and excelled in every curriculum, destroying entire navies in war games.[5]
Daala thrived under Tagge's guidance, heading the fleet simulation rankings for her year and producing a number of well-received tactical papers in which she analyzed the Tarkin Doctrine. However, other instructors–including, but not limited to, friends of Visk–raised complaints, warning that Daala always achieved her simulated victories with brute force and heavy losses and that she relied too heavily on logistical superiority. Tagge attempted to place Daala in the command class, but was overruled in her final semester. Daala was reassigned as a datapad assistant[1] and then as a galley yeoman.[6] She graduated from the Academy, but ended up a non-commissioned officer in the Imperial Army[3] tasked with rudimentary administrative assignments[7] and became convinced that she would remain in the position permanently.[6]
Protégée of Wilhuff Tarkin[]
- "My skills came to the attention of Moff Tarkin, who journeyed to Carida so that he could meet the mysterious individual who had developed such innovative tactics.[…]Tarkin was astonished to learn I was a woman and even more astonished to see that I was a lowly corporal working in the kitchen."
- ―Natasi Daala, to Vice-Admiral Pellaeon
Massimo Tagge had forwarded Daala's analysis of the Tarkin Doctrine to his cousin Cassio, who in turn sent it to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin himself.[6] Daala's radical ideas and strategies captured Tarkin's attention,[5] and he traveled to Carida with the intention of meeting whoever was responsible for her exploits. Over a period of several months, he employed two black-market slicers who eventually uncovered the network hiding place Daala had used.[4] He was pleasantly surprised to discover her true identity. At the time, Daala held the rank of corporal and had first been a computer clerk, then a member of the kitchen staff preparing food for Star Destroyers.[8]
The Caridan officials reacted with outrage and embarrassment to the news of Daala's exposure and planned to assign her to an isolated meteorological station on the world's southern polar ice cap, but Tarkin became aware of their disregard for Daala's talents and took her offworld.[4] Tarkin reassigned Daala to his personal staff in the Outer Rim, and under his supervision, she became a commander, then a captain. She absorbed all that Tarkin taught her and came to analyze every situation in terms of how Tarkin might respond to it.[5] Tarkin eventually promoted Daala to the rank of admiral in an unofficial act outside of Imperial Center's naval hierarchy that was nevertheless legitimate among Tarkin's forces in the Outer Rim,[7] making her one of the only females to reach the rank in the Imperial Navy;[5] in later years, her rank badge would come to represent the rank of Grand Moff.[9]
Many quietly complained that Daala was sleeping her way to the top. When one of those remarks made its way back to Tarkin, he searched out the officer who had made it. He had the officer sealed inside an environmental suit and ejected him into the space over a planet as punishment. Tarkin had the suit's radio left on so that others could hear the man over the course of 24 hours as his orbit decayed. The officer's orbit decayed to the point where he finally entered the planet's atmosphere and burned up upon reentry. However, the allegations were in fact partly accurate, as Daala did have an affair with Tarkin.[3] The initiative in the relationship, which began while Daala and Tarkin were still on Carida, was usually attributed to Tarkin, but Tarkin's own fragmented memoirs suggested that Daala, still a teenager at the time, took the lead.[6]
Command of Maw Installation[]
- "I am Admiral Daala, in charge of the fleet guarding Maw Installation. You three are in a lot of trouble."
- ―Natasi Daala, to Han Solo following the capture of Endor
To keep Daala hidden from other Imperial leaders, Tarkin entrusted her with overseeing and protecting the Maw Installation, the birthplace of the Death Stars, World Devastators, and the Sun Crusher. This facility was hidden away even from the rest of the Empire, and a fleet of four Imperial-class Star Destroyers—the Basilisk, Gorgon, Hydra, and Manticore—was stationed there. Daala herself received the Gorgon as her flagship, with Commander Kratas as her senior subordinate. She was to protect the facility in the unexpected event of attack, keeping the top-secret designs, as well as the scientists such as Qwi Xux and Tol Sivron, safe.[10] Very few, save for Emperor Cosimo Palpatine II, knew about this facility, though Daala believed that even Palpatine was unaware of the Maw. After having her promoted to admiral, Tarkin ordered Daala never to abandon her post or break communication silence unless he returned, as she had no authority outside Tarkin's command.[10]
Around 0 BBY Daala was stationed at the Maw while Tarkin was on board the Death Star, a massive superweapon being constructed above the planet Despayre. Tarkin had ordered Daala to never leave, but he found himself breaking his own rule when he summoned her from the installation. Tarkin contacted her via holocomm, and informed her that he wished she join him on the station. Daala eagerly agreed and hurried to fly to Despayre. When she arrived, she met Tarkin in the docking bay and the two headed to her quarters. Daala later witnessed Tarkin question Admiral Motti after the Undauntable, a Star Destroyer under the command of the respected Admiral Jaim Helaw, exploded seemingly at random. Tarkin was clueless as to who the guilty party was.
Daala later showed Tarkin a video she had obtained from the security cameras after hacking into Tarkin's files. This video showed an unidentified being planting an explosive in a cargo container at the Gall Imperial Regional Naval Supply Area. As this facility had a reputation for extreme security, the two of them began to believe it was an inside job. However, they still did not know the identity of the bomber. Tarkin gave her the task of determining who had set the bomb, although Daala was unable to learn anything and headed back to the Maw, with plans to return soon.
Natasi Daala in the Empire's service
When she returned a short time afterward, her Star Destroyer entered in a battle zone. A Rebel Lucrehulk-class battleship named the Fortressa had appeared and released 500 X-wings. The Death Star's superlaser made short work of the ship, and the station's TIE pilots easily defeated the fighters. However, during the battle Daala was injured, suffering a head injury when her Star Destroyer was hit. She was taken to the Death Star, where she was operated on by doctors Kornell Divini, Abu Banu and Roa. Daala survived, but she had memory loss, forgetting the events of the past year. Tarkin sent her back to the Maw after carefully erasing all records of her presence. Unknown to Daala, after Divini experienced a change of heart about the Empire and decided to defect, he used her for his cover, claiming that the shuttle he was on was going to pick up Daala, whom he said had been wounded in battle.
Immediately prior to his departure to the completed Death Star, Tarkin ordered Daala to maintain communications silence within the Maw and await his return. The Death Star was destroyed at the Battle of Yavin not long afterward, killing Tarkin. However, Daala remained unaware of this. For eleven more years she waited patiently to hear from Tarkin, while the scientists continued research and development on a variety of weapons. Daala kept her crew battle ready with many drills, ensuring that when Tarkin finally did contact her, she and her soldiers would be ready.[10]
Revealed to the galaxy[]
- "If Solo is telling the truth, then my fleet could be the most powerful remnant of the Imperial Navy. We can't just wait here any longer. Now it's our turn to show them what we can do."
- ―Natasi Daala, to Tol Sivron
In 11 ABY, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Kyp Durron escaped from the prison planet Kessel and accidentally discovered the Maw Installation. Since they were in an Imperial shuttle, which they called the Endor, Daala's crew assumed they were an emissary sent by Tarkin, who had not communicated with them in over a decade. However, when they provided an incorrect code, Daala captured and imprisoned them. Daala then proceeded to torture Han Solo in a torture chair to learn what had happened to the Empire, Solo then informed her of the events of the Galactic Civil War. Daala learned for the first time about the destruction of the Death Stars and the deaths of Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, and Grand Moff Tarkin. She also learned that the Empire had fragmented into numerous squabbling warlords. With no true high command in place, and with Tarkin dead, Daala decided that her orders were obsolete and planned to leave the Maw to wage her own personal guerrilla war against the Rebels. As vengeance to the three who had informed her of this dire situation, Daala planned to execute Durron and keep Solo and Chewbacca as prisoners. Having drilled her troops ceaselessly over the past decade, Daala knew that her forces were ready and fit for such a war, and prepared to leave the Maw. However, her plans were set back when her prisoners, aided by disillusioned Maw researcher Qwi Xux, escaped with the Sun Crusher.[10]
Natasi Daala
Though she attempted to suppress the Sun Crusher with sheer numbers, the near-indestructible superweapon was too durable and Daala was unable to damage it. In order to escape Daala, Han Solo piloted the Sun Crusher towards the Hydra, and plowed straight through its command bridge. The Sun Crusher then entered hyperspace, as the Hydra plummeted into a black hole.[10] Enraged by the loss of one of her Star Destroyers, Daala pursued the diminutive superweapon out of the Maw, and ran into Kessel administrator Moruth Doole's small mercenary fleet. Doole's fleet panicked and fired on Daala's ships. Daala soundly defeated them with minor losses, yet the pain of the Hydra's loss still lingered with her.[10]
Nevertheless, Daala continued on, undaunted, and began raiding New Republic shipping. Daala intercepted a CR90 corvette on its way to a colony on Dantooine. After interrogating the ship's Sullustan captain, Daala's crew found heavy weaponry and equipment for starfighter hangars. Daala determined that the colony was probably a Rebel base, and then released the corvette long enough for it to make an emergency transmission to the New Republic. This way, the New Republic would be aware of her, and, Daala hoped, the knowledge of her attacks would incite chaos and panic. After the transmission was made, she destroyed the corvette and proceeded on to Dantooine. There, Daala sent six AT-ATs to deal with the colony, which was quickly destroyed.[11]
After the attack on Dantooine, Daala's fleet received intelligence from an old Imperial probe droid. This information relayed to Daala the existence of the Mon Calamari shipyards that were important to the New Republic's navy. To Daala, Mon Calamari was as good of a target as any. If the shipyards were destroyed, it would be detrimental to the New Republic. With this new information, Daala decided to attack Mon Calamari. Using one of Tarkin's old strategies, Daala sent the Gorgon and the Basilisk in to fire on the surface of the planet, while the Manticore sat in the darkness of Mon Calamari's moon. In this way, Daala thought she could divert forces away from the shipyards and give the Manticore a clear run at them. Although she was initially successful, a former Mon Calamari admiral in the New Republic fleet, Ackbar, recognized Daala's tactic immediately, having been Tarkin's personal slave. Using a partially finished Mon Cal cruiser, Ackbar sent the ship on a collision with the Manticore, resulting in a second ship from Daala's dwindling fleet being destroyed. Enraged, Daala ordered a full-scale assault on the planet's surface, destroying several of its floating cities. She then fled before New Republic reinforcements could arrive.[11]
Admiral Daala c. 11 ABY
Following her defeat at Mon Calamari, Daala retreated to the Cauldron Nebula. She planned to go down fighting, striking a fatal blow against the New Republic by evacuating one of her two remaining Star Destroyers of personnel and equipment, and sending it crashing down onto the surface of Coruscant. This last desperate plan was again met with defeat when rogue Jedi Kyp Durron, piloting the Sun Crusher, delayed Daala's operation by attacking her ship. Daala realized it was just a distraction, and that Durron had already ignited the stars in the nebula with the Sun Crusher's resonance torpedos. She ordered all ships to immediately jump into hyperspace, hoping they could get out before the stars exploded. However, only the Gorgon escaped, as the Basilisk was incinerated by the explosion.[11] Weary of her continuous failed efforts, Daala realized that her selfish and petty desire to do harm to the Rebels had caused the death of the thousands she had been entrusted to lead and protect. She decided to return with the Gorgon to the Maw Installation, vowing to return to Tarkin's assigned mission, and defend it to the death.[12]
Return to the Maw[]
- "Redouble our efforts against the Installation. Let us show Tol Sivron how it must be done. It's time to destroy Maw Installation once and for all. Open fire!"
- ―Natasi Daala, to Commander Kratas
What she found there, however, was total chaos. The New Republic had already moved to seize Maw Installation, while Tol Sivron and the remaining scientists had sabotaged the facility and absconded with the prototype Death Star, a test version of the battlestation Tarkin had commanded. Both Daala and Sivron decided to attack the occupied facility, though Sivron struggled to get the Death Star's superlaser online. With her crew still faithfully following her lead despite her many defeats, Daala joined the fray, deciding that she would rather destroy the Maw Installation than see it in Rebel hands. She was able to use Sivron's outdated codes to gain access to and download the contents of Maw Installation's mainframe, which contained an abundance of designs and schematics of advanced weaponry[12] that Daala would later use during the Second Galactic Civil War.[13] With the Maw Installation's secrets safely in her possession, Daala and her battered Star Destroyer moved to destroy the facility once and for all. During her attack, Daala's crew noticed that the facility had an unstable reactor core and, determining that it was the best way to dispatch the facility, fired upon it. As the facility exploded with tremendous force, Daala made a hasty jump into hyperspace and narrowly escaped the Maw. Bearing nearly irreparable scars from the battle, the Gorgon set course for the splintered Empire in the Deep Core.[12]
The reunification of the Empire[]
- "I didn't want to rule. I had no intention of becoming a political leader—but you have given me no choice. I cannot leave the Empire in the hands of fools like you."
- ―Natasi Daala to other Galactic Imperial warlords at Tsoss Beacon
Daala executes warlords at Tsoss Beacon.
The remnants of the Imperial command dismantled the Gorgon and distributed her surviving crew among the various commanders. Daala chose not to join with anyone, instead serving as a roaming ambassador amongst the warlords in an attempt to unify them. During a meeting with the self-proclaimed Supreme Warlord Blitzer Harrsk in 12 ABY, High Admiral Treuten Teradoc attacked Harrsk's orbiting fleet of twelve Star Destroyers. Teradoc's fleet of Victory-class Star Destroyers destroyed Harrsk's flagship, the Shockwave. Daala's second-in-command, Commander Kratas, was on board the Shockwave inspecting its bridge at the time of its destruction. His death caused Daala great emotional pain and led her to resolve to stop the senseless, inter-warlord feuding at all costs.[3]
However, desperate to avenge his lost flagship, Harrsk wanted an immediate reprisal against Teradoc and pressed Daala into service on the threat of death. Daala reluctantly took control of the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Firestorm. Harrsk, in the Whirlwind, insisted that Daala lead the attack against Teradoc. When they arrived at Teradoc's stronghold, which was hidden among the asteroids in the ring of a gas giant, they were set upon by Teradoc's fleet. Daala, however, personally took command of her ship's weapon systems and fired a concentrated ion bolt at the Whirlwind, paralyzing it and preventing Harrsk from continuing his assault against Teradoc. With a blaster aimed at a shocked and angry bridge crew, Daala pulled the Firestorm closer to the Whirlwind and activated the time-delayed self destruct system of the Firestorm. Daala told Harrsk that she would destroy her ship and his if he did not order a cessation of hostilities, wishing to force the two warlords to cooperate. As the countdown continued, Daala was contacted by the head of the Crimson Command, Vice Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, who desired to speak to Daala in person. Daala accepted and allowed Pellaeon onto her ship. Shortly after, Harrsk ordered a cessation of hostilities, as he was convinced that Daala was not bluffing.[3]
The Firestorm, escorted by two of Pellaeon's red Star Destroyers, jumped to a secluded spot in space so that Daala and Pellaeon could have an uninterrupted discussion. Like Daala, Pellaeon believed that the warlords were tearing the Empire apart, and he and Daala agreed to force the 13 most powerful warlords to a negotiating table in order to discuss the future of the Empire and plan a combined attack against the New Republic. They finally were able to get the warlords to congregate at Tsoss Beacon, an asteroid containing an Imperial base. Daala made the warlords leave their fleets behind, much to their displeasure. Though she attempted to motivate the Imperial warlords to fight together and crush the New Republic, they spent hours arguing instead, refusing to agree on anything. It became clear that none of them would ally with each other, and so, after hours of petty squabbling, Daala decided that the negotiations were a failure. She sealed the room and filled the chamber with gas, a contingency plan she had developed earlier. Only Daala and Pellaeon survived the poisonous gas, utilizing gas mask-like membranes that Daala had taken into the meeting in case she decided to use her plan to execute the warlords.[3]
With the warlords out of the way, Daala set about uniting their now-leaderless forces. Last of all, Daala visited the fortress of Delvardus. Delvardus' second-in-command, Colonel Ivan Cronus, agreed to join Daala, handing her control of Delvardus' latest creation, the Super Star Destroyer Night Hammer. With the Night Hammer under her command, Daala quickly rallied the scattered remnants of the Empire, making her in the eyes of many the founder of the modern Imperials. She then named herself the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, with Pellaeon as her second-in-command. Daala began to prepare a full-on assault against the New Republic.[3]
Assault on the Jedi Praxeum[]
- "In light of this disaster, I-I hereby resign my rank…and hand over command of all Imperial forces to you. I will be happy to follow your orders and assist with rebuilding the Empire in any way possible, but I feel that I am no longer capable of commanding so many worthy soldiers. They cannot be asked to lay their lives on the line, to swear allegiance to someone who has been beaten so many times."
- ―Natasi Daala, to Vice Admiral Pellaeon
Natasi Daala
Daala instituted societal reforms in the Imperial military, ending decades of prejudice against women and nonhumans, but moreover vitalizing the decaying fleet with new recruits. She created a massive buildup in preparation for a planned strike at the New Republic. With her fleet ready, Daala and Pellaeon planned an attack on a planet they knew they could win, Yavin 4, the home of the Jedi Praxeum. Knowing she would be fighting the Jedi Knights, Daala added a "k" to her flagship's name, making it the Knight Hammer, as a pun. Daala's preparations were interrupted when two Jedi, Kyp Durron and Dorsk 81, were discovered in a crowd of Imperials during one of Daala's speeches. The Jedi fought their way out of the crowd and escaped before Daala could marshal her forces against them. Furious, Daala had their escape vector traced to a planet called Khomm in the Deep Core.[3]
Daala sent Pellaeon and a group of Imperial Star Destroyers to Yavin 4 for an attack on the Jedi Praxeum. She planned to follow shortly after Pellaeon, while Cronus, in command of a fleet of Victory-class Star Destroyers, including Pellaeon's previous flagship, the 13X, struck at Khomm and several other strategic targets. Cronus ravaged Khomm, and after bombarding the other planets, headed for Yavin IV.[3]
Then, according to plan Daala arrived in-system after the enemy had been weakened. However, when the Knight Hammer arrived at Yavin 4, Pellaeon's fleet was nowhere to be found, despite sensor readings showing that troops had already been deployed by his fleet. Enraged, Daala launched a vicious bombardment against the jungle moon. Soon after, a YT-1300 light freighter, the Millennium Falcon, arrived at Yavin and landed on the moon despite Daala's attempt to stop it. It then returned to space after picking up several passengers, with its captain, none other than Han Solo from the Maw debacle, boldly taunting her. Daala sent out several TIE squadrons against the Falcon, and with such odds arrayed against Solo, death seemed inevitable. However, another unforeseen event occurred: Ackbar, the admiral who defeated her at Mon Calamari a year before, arrived in-system with the Mon Calamari cruiser Galactic Voyager and four Corellian corvettes. Suddenly, Colonel Cronus arrived in system with a portion of his Victory-class Star Destroyer fleet. Both Daala and Cronus attacked the New Republic fleet. Daala eventually destroyed the corvettes and damaged the Voyager, but once again, Daala's luck changed for the worse. A damaged corvette crashed into the 13X, destroying the ship and killing Cronus. Angered, Daala continued firing on the Voyager, destroying its shields. The New Republic was aided by the sudden appearance of several Victory-class Star Destroyers, but was still outnumbered. Daala then received news that Pellaeon's fleet had been located on the outskirts of the system.
The Vice Admiral claimed that Jedi sorcery was responsible for him not being present at the battle. Nonetheless, Daala was still confident her forces would win. Suddenly, several explosions were set off on the Knight Hammer, destroying the engine units. The immobile Star Destroyer then began to drift towards the gas giant Yavin, pulled in by its immense gravitational field. Accepting defeat, Daala ordered an immediate evacuation of the ship. Before Daala managed to get to her executive escape pod, she was intercepted by Jedi Knight Callista Ming, who was responsible for the crippling of the Knight Hammer. Daala and Callista engaged in a short fire-fight before Daala shot her opponent with a stun blast. She then left Callista for dead and escaped from the dying wake of the Knight Hammer. By the time Daala's pod was recovered by Pellaeon, she had realized that her quest for vengeance against the New Republic had put too many loyal Imperials in danger. Daala promoted Pellaeon to the rank of Admiral and relinquished her title of Supreme Commander to him, apparently resigning from Imperial service for good.[3]
Personality and traits[]
Natasha Daala
- "Natasha Daala has been an erratic officer, a laser cannon with a malfunctioning actuator if you will, since she was an ensign in the Imperial Navy, and her recent actions bear out this diagnosis. Of course she is a hero... she has fought all her enemies, real and imagined, with bravery and ferocity. But she needs to be held, and cured, before ever being allowed to take up any sort of command again. The New Republic was foolish to elevate her to a position of power."
- ―Moff Getelles
Natasha Daala was an aggressive commander who harbored much frustration at being so poorly treated in the Imperial command structure. She was considered to be remarkably charismatic, but due to her gender and suspect manner of promotion this was often ignored.[3] She also could be ruthless, ordering the bombardment of colonies, the destruction of merchant vessels,[11] the torture of prisoners,[10] and the destruction of worlds with seemingly no remorse. Daala was often prone to great fury which she found difficult to constrain, but found that attacking a target during battle was the best way to release her anger. She felt that outbursts of one's anger were unprofessional, and restrained herself mostly to serve as an example to her crewmen.[11] She was also mistrustful of Force-users, both light and dark alike, and in a private conference with Boba Fett agreed that the galaxy would be better off without them.[13]
Daala was also devoted to the cause of the Empire almost to the point of irrationalism, at least in the eyes of the post-Endor warlords, and to following orders, remaining at the Maw installation for years without any outside contact.[10] She felt that the Empire provided order, a thing greatly needed, and something the New Republic did not have.[3] She also was willing to go to great lengths to further that cause, including killing other Imperial leaders, wanting to sacrifice a Star Destroyer to destroy Coruscant, and sacrificing her own life for the Empire.[11] Often before making a decision or when contemplating failure, Daala would think of Tarkin, imagining his rage in the case of the latter.[11]
Beneath the carefully calculated façade used to inspire loyalty in her crew, however, Daala did have a soft side, which she displayed very rarely to those she led or fought against, since she strived to not show any weakness. Daala felt that being a woman caused others to be naturally biased against her, and she worked to keep her emotions in, as she felt that emotion was often a sign of weakness. She did occasionally reveal an emotional side towards those she respected and trusted, such as her long time second-in-command and her former lover. Daala also displayed a high degree of emotion toward her own people, particularly when she thought she had let them down. When the Hydra plunged into the Maw, she was overwhelmed with the thought of all the crewmen losing their lives, and because she had been charged with leading and training them, she felt that their deaths were her fault.[10] She had several other similar reactions to death, such as when her long time second-in-command, Kratas, was killed during a inter-warlord skirmish. Daala blamed herself for getting him involved in what she viewed as a petty feud, and had to fight back the surge of emotion that resulted from his death.[3]
These deaths also played to Daala's own vindictiveness, and she would go to great lengths to avenge her losses, personal and otherwise. For instance, when the Hydra crashed into the Maw,[10] she obliterated a practically unarmed colony on Dantooine in order sate her appetite for vengeance.[11] Despite her vindictiveness, her compassion for those who served under her was what led her to believe that her constant string of failures put too many lives in jeopardy, to which she reacted by handing Gilad Pellaeon the reins of the Empire.[3]
Despite her hatred of the New Republic and its heroes like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo, Daala decided to fight alongside them to defeat ? in c. 37 ABY. As she had explained to Pellaeon, she was tired of Force-users taking control, as she felt they had done nothing to deserve political power. Daala also wanted vengeance for Vorn's death at the hands of the Moffs, and hoped to kill the Imperial Moffs who were responsible. The ? was defeated with the aid of Daala's fleet, after which she ran for and was elected head of the New Republic, the government she had once despised. She promised to restore peace to the galaxy, and worked hard to make her vision of a peaceful future a reality. However, Daala still harbored resentment towards Luke Skywalker, and distrusted his New Jedi Order. This anti-Jedi sentiment was exacerbated by the rise of the Force psychosis among Jedi Knights, which led to very tense relations between her and the Order.
Relationships[]
Romances[]
Liegeus Vorn[]
Natasha Daala first met Liegeus Vorn before enrolling in the Imperial Academy, and fell in love with him. However, the two were forced to part when Daala entered the Imperial Academy on Carida prior to 0 BBY, although she would meet him again in 13 ABY. They discovered that their feelings had never gone away, and they later had at least one son. The duo's love was very strong, and they stayed together until Vorn was killed in 35 ABY by the Moffs in a failed attempt to assassinate Daala. Daala swore revenge on the Moffs for this.
Wilhuff Tarkin[]
Wilhuff Tarkin discovered Natasha Daala after learning of a mysterious individual who constantly beat all their opponents in simulated battles at Carida's Imperial Academy. After finding out that she was a woman, and being discriminated against because of it, he took her under his wing, and the two became lovers, despite the fact that he was married. Daala found Tarkin to be everything she wanted: a man with power, ambition, and who was a great lover. She greatly admired Tarkin, and studied his strategies. Tarkin meanwhile promoted her to admiral, and placed her in charge of the Maw Installation. After learning of Tarkin's death at Yavin IV, Daala was stunned, and promised to avenge her former lover and mentor.
Nek Bwua'tu[]
It was implied, in 43 ABY during a conversation between Daala and Bwua'tu that they were having an affair. Later, Daala and Bwu'atu began to spend more time together, with the Bothan visiting Daala in her private quarters
Appearances[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEGW230 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPoT - ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 Star Wars: Darksaber
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Star Wars: Darksaber, chapter 18
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Jedi Academy Sourcebook, p. 56
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEGW232 - ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNEGC48 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEGC - ↑ Star Wars: A New Hope
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedJedi Search - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 Star Wars: Dark Apprentice
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Star Wars: Champions of the Force
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Star Wars: Revelation