Dannen Lifehold was Human male Alderaan-based smuggler who joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic and was captain of the Lifeline during the Galactic Civil War. As an adult he was tall with green eyes. Having learned from bitter experience that dyes simply did not help, Dannen wore his hair in its natural color: electric blue.
Originally born on a world somewhere in the Mid Rim, Lifehold was orphaned at an early age and spent most of his childhood on the street. At the age of fourteen he stowed away on a freighter owned by a Captain Twolz, who discovered Lifehold and agreed to let the stowaway work for him. Twolz taught Lifehold everything about hyperspace, cargo and logistics, as well as how to shoot a blaster. Twolz also taught Lifehold about the fall of the Galactic Republic and the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire. During his years with Twolz, Lifehold also befriended the regular gunner Krell.
While Lifehold and Krell were running an errand for Twolz to Niian, the Empire caught up with Twolz, who, along with most of his personnel, was executed on the spot by stormtroopers. Lifehold and Krell returned to find the remains of Twolz' operation. After having traversed the space lanes for some time, Lifehold and Krell eventually set up a repair shop on Alderaan, where Lifehold stayed for a few years until he decided once again to travel the stars. He continued to feel a strong connection with Alderaan which he would return to, whenever he needed some peace of mind.
The criminal loan shark Linkaas granted Lifehold a loan to buy a starship, provided that Lifehold would work for him as a smuggler whenever Linkaas needed it. Lifehold smuggled over the next handful of years and would use the money he earned to pay off his loan to Linkaas. He also hired a mechanic called Feq, who became his best friend. Unfortunately, Feq was killed by a stormtrooper during an Imperial customs inspection of the Lifeline. Lifehold decided to keep their smuggling business running, but had a hard time without Feq's mechanics skills and his friendship.
With only one payment left to Linkaas, Lifehold accepted a smuggling job for Linkaas himself that was supposed to be a simple blue milk run, involving a pick-up of some goods on Dohu VII, which would cast off enough profit for Lifehold to pay the last installment and have the Lifeline repaired. In reality, Linkaas had decided to kill Lifehold and appropriate his ship in order to sell it, and had dispatched his two henchmen Chokk and Bakk to Dohu. Chokk and Bakk almost did manage to kill Lifehold in Docking Bay 71 of the Dohu city Skagras. Fortunately for Lifehold, he was rescued by a group of Silika who had earlier challenged him to a drinking contest and lost. The Silika chased off Chokk and Bakk, who did, however, manage to steal Lifehold's cargo. He was in for another surprise when he found that a Tinnell, who called herself Purr, had sneaked aboard the Lifeline while he was doing business in Skagra, and repaired it. Surprised with her flair for mechanics, Lifehold hired her as a mechanic and they quickly developed a close friendship.
While on a smuggling run to Rafft, delivering a new bacta tank to a small Rebel base of operations, Lifehold ended up helping evacuate the base, as the Empire had placed a homing beacon in the bacta supplies, thus learning of the whereabouts of the base. Lifehold offered to take all Rebel personnel offplanet in his ship. Upon safely delivering the Rebels to a Rebel frigate, Lifehold learned that the Empire had destroyed Alderaan. He immediately joined the Rebel alliance as a transport pilot, and was given the rank of captain by commander Brion Peck.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Essential Reader's Companion