A pale-skinned Rodian from Rodia, Jannik, commonly known as Jannik the White, was the leader of the Reeven Clan around the time of the Separatist crisis, and fought in a Rodian honor war against the Cairn Clan in 24 BBY. For these battles, Jannik enlisted the help of a Feeorin pirate named Nym, knowing his clan was greatly outnumbered by Evo the Blue's warriors. Nym helped the Reeven Clan defeat Evo, and he also stole treasures from the Rodian Grand Protector, the profits of which he split with Jannik. Knowing he would be wanted on his homeworld for his involvement with the thefts, Jannik secured passage with Nym to track down a pirate named Sol Sixxa on Maramere, bringing along several members of his clan.
Jannik and his men proved instrumental in the mission to Maramere. They saved Nym from a massive Relix fish which was in pursuit of the Feeorin pirate after he went searching a sunken ship, and Jannik later clashed with Sixxa's men in the Haunted Straits, alongside Nym and his crew. Ultimately, Sixxa attempted to flee the battle. Jannik attempted to stop him, but was stabbed in the upper chest. Although his injury was extensive, the albino Rodian survived, though only barely.
Born on Rodia, Jannik was a male Rodian. In 24 BBY, Jannik was the leader of the Reeven Clan on his homeworld. The clan was engaged in an honor war with the Cairn Clan, led by Evo the Blue. Jannik promised to pay a Feeorin pirate named Nym for aiding the Reeven clan in one of the battles, knowing there were far more Cairn warriors than Reeven members. A Rodian Grand Protector oversaw the battle, with Mere Ambassador Loreli Ro acting as the sole spectator. Even though the fight was considered sacred, the battle was broadcast to all of Rodia via hovering cam-droids. The winners would be honored and receive a large sum of credits, which Jannik required if he was to pay Nym. He led his men into battle on the barren canyon, wearing a suit of ceremonial armor and carrying his sword. The albino Rodian provided Nym with hints for the battle right up until they clashed with the Cairn clan, though in battle, Nym proved his abilities, and he was able to overpower the smaller Rodians.
Jannik fighting in the Rodian honor war.
However, Nym soon realized that he and Jannik were outnumbered, and he ordered the pale-skinned clansman to fall back. Jannik refused, and Nym questioned his leadership and tactical abilities, as Jannik had not stuck to the battle plan that they had prepared earlier. The Rodian and the Feeorin found themselves cut off from the rest of the Reeven clan, though Nym had a back-up plan prepared. Jannik covered the pirate as he charged at Evo's speeder, using his strength to knock the vehicle over. Nym declared the Reeven clan victorious, but Jannik knew better than the alien criminal. Evo the Blue had survived, and ordered his warriors to kill the duo. Surrounded, the albino Rodian contemplated surrender, though once again his Feeorin companion had formulated a plan. Nym brandished an illegal thermal detonator, and set it to explode. As the Rodian clan was killed in the explosion, Jannik was pulled to safety by Nym, who had used a grappling hook to escape.
Jannik, in Nym's arms, landed on the platform where the Grand Protector stood. The Rodian Grand Protector thought Nym dead, and declared the war a draw. The Feeorin pirate, however, had survived, and asked the Rodian to reconsider as he held a blaster pistol aloft. They were awarded the winnings, though Nym stole some of the Grand Protector's valuables as well. The pirate then staged the theft of the complete winnings from Jannik, though this was nothing more than a ruse for the hovering cameras. Nym left, though the two soon rendezvoused to split the profits as per their prior agreement. Knowing he would be a wanted man should the Grand Protector ever discover what had really transpired, Jannik asked Nym for passage offworld. Before Nym could answer, however, they were interrupted by the Grand Protector's guest of honor, Loreli Ro, who had a proposition for the Feeorin criminal.
Jannik shaking hands with Nym.
On her homeworld of Maramere, a band of pirates led by Sol Sixxa had been terrorizing the Trade Federation—whom Nym held a personal hatred for—and Loreli pleaded with Nym to capture Sixxa; the Trade Federation were prepared to fight, while she and her people were not prepared to be caught in the crossfire of a full-scale war. For five thousand credits, Nym agreed, and took Jannik the White and a group of his Rodian warriors with him. Jannik and his clan traveled to Maramere with Nym and his two mates, Kole and Jinkins, determined to earn the credits promised by the Mere ambassador. However, Nym had crossed the Trade Federation before, so when they recognized his ship, the Havoc, they fired upon it immediately. Nym's piloting skills were more superior, however, and they quickly dispatched the Trade Federation fighters.
Jannik the White and his men gathered the weaponry from the Havoc and transferred it to a Mere ship known as the Sunrunner, which they would be using to launch their assault against their Mere counterparts. After fitting the ship with heavy weaponry, Nym went below the surface of the water to search the wreckage of a Trade Federation ship. The ship was the latest victim of Sixxa's raids, and the Feeorin pirate sought to examine the damage on it so that the he would have a good estimate of what he was going up against. The Feeorin took longer than expected, and soon re-emerged being chased by a massive Relix. Jannik and his men were able to dispose of the creature, though Ro had admonished them for firing upon an endangered species. Nym eventually climbed back on board with the severed head of a Trade Federation droid, hoping that Jinkins, his Bith technician, would be able to repair it. Through the information contained within the droid's brain, they could learn from where Sixxa was striking.
The droid proved to be useful for the motley band of pirates. It contained information on a prototype hand cannon, which Nym had Jinkins attach to one of his arms. Meanwhile, the Chadra-Fan Kole had traveled to the nearest cantina to learn everything he could about Sol Sixxa and the location of his base of operations. He found a drunken Mere, who told him of the Invisible Island, undetectable to any scanner, where Sol Sixxa launched his raids. Kole brought the man back to the Sunrunner, while Jannik and the others prepared to travel through the Haunted Straits in the heavy rain.
Jannik after being stabbed by Sol Sixxa.
Sixxa, however, was prepared for the attack, and had accompanied a team of stealthy boarders onto the Sunrunner. Nym, being a pirate himself and therefore accustomed to such strategies, was ready to counterattack. On Nym's command, Jannik and his clansmen emerged from compartments below deck and battled the team of Mere pirates, while Nym and Sixxa fought with each other on the deck. Sixxa managed to cut the flamethrower off of Nym's arm, and though he knew that Jannik's men outnumbered his own, he ordered a retreat. As the Mere pirate left the ship, Jannik attempted to stop him, firing several blaster shots at the pirate. Sixxa managed to evade them however, and stabbed the pale-skinned Rodian in the chest with his sword before fleeing the gunboat. Nym vowed to kill his foe for the stabbing, though Loreli, who was attending to the wounded Rodian, told him that capturing Sixxa was more important. The sword had missed the Rodian's vital organs and Jannik would live.
Jannik's men continued fighting after his injury, and Nym engaged Sixxa in a sword duel. Eventually, however, the two pirates made a pact, and joined forces against the Trade Federation. Jannik left Nym's service; the Feeorin ultimately established a pirate base on Lok.
Jannik was a very proud being, with a firm respect for tradition. During the ceremonial honor wars on his homeworld, he refused to give up, knowing that he would disgrace himself and his clan. He also donned the traditional Rodian armor and utilized a sword during these battles, and told Nym that the pirate should feel honored to be wearing such a magnificent suit of armor. However, Jannik was also sly and greedy, and cared more for making a profit than regaining honor and respect, though they were still important to him. He had no qualms with allying himself with known criminals, nor with breaking the law himself. Jannik was a brave Rodian, and during his time as clan leader, he acted as a fearless warrior, despite his small stature. He was loyal to his warriors, as were they to him: they kept serving him even after he was grievously wounded.
Jannik was created by Star Wars author W. Haden Blackman for Starfighter: Crossbones, a three-issue spinoff comic based on Star Wars: Starfighter. He was illustrated by Ramón F. Bachs, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson. Jannik's only subsequent appearance in Legends has been in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.
In the panel just after his stabbing, Jannik has red blood oozing from his mouth. This contradicts later canon, in which, as established during the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television episode Sphere of Influence, Rodians have green blood.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia