Niru was a Cantrosian female and leader of a faction loyal to the Rebel Alliance based on a planet in the Cantros system. In 4 ABY, Niru and her followers were involved in a destructive conflict with a rival group they thought were loyal to the Galactic Empire. During the fighting, Niru and her faction captured Rebel heroes Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, and fellow Cantrosian Sami, believing them to be Imperial agents. After a brief altercation, Niru was made aware that one of her faction's members, Durne, had been manipulating events and setting both groups against each other. After Durne was detained, Niru and her team recognized their Rebel heroes and made amends with those she had taken to be the enemy.
Niru (right) dissuading her followers from engaging in torture
By 4 ABY, the Cantrosian female Niru was the leader of a Rebel Alliance–aligned faction based on a planet in the Cantros system in the Outer Rim Territories. Several Y-wing pilots from Niru's faction intercepted a flight of X-wing fighters from what Niru and her comrades believed to be a Galactic Empire–aligned Cantrosian faction near the nearby world of Saijo and shot them down. However, one pilot, Minka, survived a crash landing on Saijo, and was rescued by Rebel heroes Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo.
Minka—herself a Rebel sympathizer—believed the rival group to be Imperial agents themselves, leaving Organa, Skywalker, and Solo confused. Keen to investigate, the assemblage collected Minka's companion Sami and traveled to Niru's base aboard the Millennium Falcon; en route, the Falcon was attacked by more of Niru's Y-wings and crash-landed in a gully on the planet. After Minka and Organa were lifted to safety by Skywalker with help from the Force, Niru and several of her followers ambushed and captured Sami, Skywalker, and Solo. The three were taken to a nearby cave and restrained with vines.
Niru (center right) appealing for sanity
Although several members of the faction were in favor of torturing their captives, Niru stopped any attempts to do so and attempted to reason with her comrades, telling them that such measures clashed with their moral obligation as Rebels. However, Durne, a Cantrosian who had been hired by the Nagai commander Knife to sow disruption in the Cantros system, tried to persuade Niru that the prisoners were indeed Imperial agents and to endorse killing them. Sami and Solo, having overheard the exchange—and recognizing Durne as a prominent member of Minka's own faction—called out his double-dealing.
Touched by their words, Niru nonetheless ordered her comrades to open fire as Minka and Organa arrived on the scene, unwilling to suspend her belief that an Imperial ambush was in progress. As the fighting intensified, Niru once more appealed for level heads to prevail; however, she was targeted by Durne, who attempted to use the crossfire as a chance to surreptitiously kill Niru with a blaster shot and regain control of the situation. Igniting his lightsaber, Skywalker intercepted the shot and reflected it back at Durne, momentarily incapacitating the double agent. Niru was awed by Skywalker's mastery of his weapon and recognized him as a Jedi Knight and Rebel hero. As the faction also met with Organa and Solo, Durne attempted to escape, though Niru quickly derailed his attempt. She then joined her people as hostilities were suspended, with all present realizing that they were on the same side.
A staunch adherent of the Rebel Alliance's values, Niru abhorred the idea of torturing captives and believed such practices to be the way of the Empire, even if those captives had committed terrible acts themselves. When Durne's treachery was revealed, Niru took it upon herself to stop him from escaping. Niru had white fur and long white hair as well as green eyes.
Niru appeared in the Marvel Comics issue Star Wars (1977) 93, which was a part of the Star Wars comic series, published on December 18, 1984, and written by Mary Jo Duffy. In the comic, Niru was drawn by Sal Buscema.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia