Althin, a Rodian male, entered the world on the moon Jedha. His parents, Steya and Tok, were the proprietors of a shop situated in Jedha City. Tragedy struck several weeks prior to Althin reaching his eighth birthday: his parents met their death during an attack executed by Saw Gerrera's partisans against the Galactic Empire.
Following the assault, Althin, injured, was discovered by Chirrut Îmwe, a blind Guardian of the Whills and an old acquaintance of the Rodian family. The Guardian then carried Althin across Jedha City, encountering several stormtroopers along the way. Ultimately, he brought Althin to an orphanage managed by the sisters Kaya and Killi Gimm, who tended to his physical injuries. However, Althin's emotional scars proved more resistant to healing, and he became mute due to the trauma.
Subsequently, Îmwe and Malbus formulated a strategy to evacuate Althin and the other orphans under the Gimm sisters' care from Jedha to a safer location. With assistance from the Partisans, Malbus procured a Sentinel-class landing craft at the Jedha City spaceport, while Îmwe guided the orphans, along with the Gimm sisters and the pilot Denic, across the city, attracting considerable attention in the process.
Upon their arrival at the spaceport, the group discovered that the Partisans had changed their heart and intended to commandeer the shuttle for their own purposes. Determined to ensure the children's safety, Îmwe persuaded some of the Partisans to stand down and compelled the others to relinquish their claim on the shuttle by carrying Althin onboard, with the other children following. Kaya and Denic then remained with the children on the shuttle, piloting it away from Jedha, escaping both the Empire and the insurgency, and heading toward safety.
Althin was the Rodian male offspring of Steya and Tok, a couple who had relocated from the planet Rodia before the conclusion of the Clone Wars to the moon [Jedha](/article/jedha]; this is where Althin was born. The family resided above their business in Jedha City, located one block from the Blessing Way. Althin's parents sold guides and basic texts about the Force and related subjects to pilgrims and tourists visiting the city.
Chirrut Îmwe, a blind Guardian of the Whills and a friend of Steya and Tok, had known Althin since his day of birth. On one occasion, the Guardian overheard Althin approaching a group of pilgrims in a Jedha City market who were arguing about the location of the Emitter of Constant Hope. Althin introduced himself and provided directions. When the pilgrims thanked him and offered money, Althin declined, suggesting they give it to someone in greater need.
As Althin approached his eighth birthday, the Galactic Empire initiated mining operations for kyber crystals on Jedha. Their presence on the world quickly spurred the formation of various insurgencies opposing them. These rebellious groups eventually united under the leadership of Saw Gerrera, who commanded an off-world faction of partisans that had established a base near Jedha City.
Under Gerrera's command, the insurgency's attacks on the Empire intensified, prompting the Imperials to respond one morning, several weeks before Althin's eighth birthday, with a substantial deployment of troops from the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Dauntless in orbit. As stormtroopers began to sweep the city in search of insurgents and their allies, the partisans launched counterattacks throughout the city.
Tok and Steya, fearing for their safety, sought refuge indoors with Althin. However, the street where they hid was rigged with explosives by the partisans. When an Imperial All Terrain Defense Pod passed by, the Partisans detonated the explosives, destroying the walker and demolishing several buildings, including the Rodian family's hiding place. Tok and Streya perished in the explosion (killed), but Althin survived, albeit with a broken arm.
Îmwe located Althin near his parents' corpses and fashioned a makeshift sling for his arm using a sash from his robe. The Guardian then proceeded to carry the injured boy through Jedha City toward an orphanage managed by his friends, the Gimm sisters, Kaya and Killi. Althin clung to Îmwe's arm, remaining silent except for whimpers when the Guardian made sudden movements.
On their way to the orphanage, Îmwe sensed an approaching TX-225 GAVw "Occupier" combat assault tank and retreated into a doorway to avoid it. However, a stormtrooper spotted them and approached to question the Guardian. Îmwe explained that Althin's parents were dead and that he was taking the boy for medical attention. This made the trooper uneasy, and he allowed them to pass with a warning about an upcoming curfew.
Twice more, the pair were stopped by stormtroopers, and both times they were permitted to proceed without incident or empathy. Althin adjusted his position, wrapping his good arm around Îmwe's neck and his legs around the Guardian's waist. Near the First Spire, the sound of blasterfire caused the Rodian to tense, but they managed to reach the orphanage safely. Kaya took Althin from Îmwe to treat his arm, but the boy was reluctant to let go of his protector until the Guardian reassured him that he would remain nearby.
The Gimm sisters successfully set Althin's arm, but he remained mute, still in shock. Killi managed to get him to drink a few sips of juice and stayed with him and the other children, hoping their presence would help calm him. Recognizing that the orphanage was now overcrowded and likely to receive more children, Baze Malbus, a former Guardian of the Whills and friend to Îmwe and the Gimm sisters, suggested evacuating the orphans off-world to a safer location.
After arranging for Gerrera's partisans to acquire an Imperial Sentinel-class landing craft, it was decided that Kaya and the pilot Denic would accompany the children once they were aboard the shuttle. Following extensive discussion, they determined that the easiest way for the children to reach the shuttle at the Jedha City spaceport was to walk across the city, as a group consisting mostly of children was unlikely to provoke the Empire.
While Malbus secured the shuttle with the assistance of the Partisans Wernad and Leevan Tenza, the procession departed from the orphanage at midday. Îmwe led the group of thirty-four children, with Althin walking beside him, holding his hand. Kaya, Killi, and Denic all guided the large group. Occasionally, the group had to stop when Killi experienced a coughing fit, but otherwise, they continued moving, passing through the Old Market and onto the Blessing Way. At this point, other residents of the city, curious about the situation, began to follow them.
By the time the procession reached the Square of Stars, fifty people were following, a number that doubled by the time they reached the end of the Blessing Way and then doubled again by the time they turned onto the Pilgrim's Walk. The Empire monitored the procession closely but was unsure how to respond. By the time they realized the group was headed to the spaceport, five hundred people were following the Guardian and the orphans.
Upon reaching the spaceport, Althin spotted stormtroopers ahead and tightened his grip on Îmwe's hand. However, the Imperials allowed the children and their guardians to pass without incident. The crowd following the orphans became congested at the archway entrance to the port due to their numbers. Hearing the commotion as they tried to enter, Îmwe asked Althin what was happening, but since the boy was still unable to speak due to shock, the orphan Togruta B'asia answered him instead.
Upon reaching bay eighteen, where the shuttle they were stealing was located, Îmwe met with Malbus, who informed him that the Partisans had changed their plans and decided to use the shuttle to bomb the Dauntless instead. After a moment of consideration, the Guardian continued toward the shuttle, followed by Althin after some hesitation, and then the other children. The Partisans Kullbee Sperado and Wernard pleaded with Îmwe to stop, and then the Twi'lek Partisan Beezer Fortuna halted him at the entry point to the shuttle, delivering a speech about how Gerrera would bring hope to Jedha by destroying the Star Destroyer.
Unconvinced, Îmwe and Malbus briefly argued with Beezer and persuaded Sperado and Wernard of their cause. Îmwe then picked Althin up to carry him and walked aboard the shuttle, followed by Malbus and B'asia, and then the other children. Beezer tried to stop them but stepped aside, realizing that Gerrera would not want the Partisans to be seen preventing children from being saved by the crowd of hundreds that had followed Îmwe.
Onboard the shuttle, Îmwe sat Althin down in one of the seats and then crouched beside him to speak as Sperado and Wernad began to remove Tenza and the partisans' explosives from the starship. The Guardian then gave the Rodian a hug, and Althin whispered something to Îmwe that made him smile. Once the others had all said their goodbyes, Îmwe got off the ship, and Denic piloted the shuttle up out of the spaceport, escaping the shadow of the Dauntless, and headed toward safety.
Althin was a well-behaved child who enjoyed reading and drawing. He assisted strangers who were lost and refused payment for his help, requesting that it be given to those in greater need. Following the death of his parents, Althin experienced shock, remaining silent for an extended period due to the profound psychological trauma he suffered.
He finally broke his silence to say goodbye to Îmwe, to whom he had become very attached after the guardian saved him. He often gripped onto him for reassurance when scared and did not want to be separated from him. Upon hearing that the partisans were taking the shuttle, Althin understood enough to be shocked, his black-colored eyes nearly doubling in size. He had long, slender fingers tipped with soft suction cups.
Althin made his debut in the novel Guardians of the Whills, authored by Greg Rucka and released on May 2, 2017.