Bria Tharen

Bria Tharen, a Human female, came into this world around 28 BBY. She was the offspring of a wealthy family residing in the southern region of Corellia. Her given name was crafted by her father, Renn Tharen, drawing from the initial syllables of her grandmothers' names, Brusela and Iaphagena. Her upbringing took place on her family's estate, where she lived alongside Renn, her mother Sera, and her older brother Pavik. As a young girl, Tharen found joy in the study of history, with a particular fascination for the tales of the Jedi Knights, the origins of the Galactic Republic, and the recent Clone Wars. She aspired to become a museum curator and dedicated a couple of summers to working on an archaeological dig, acquiring skills in the preservation of ancient artifacts. Upon completing her undergraduate schooling at the age of seventeen, Tharen was scheduled to pursue archaeology, with a focus on ancient art, at the University of Coruscant.

While Renn Tharen supported Bria's ambition to have a career, Sera was more focused on securing a wealthy husband for her and steered her toward a relationship with Dael Levare, a young man from one of Corellia's most affluent families, whom Bria had known since their school days. Their relationship progressed, and they were nearing engagement when Tharen discovered Levare's infidelity, leading her to end their relationship. Her mother was enraged by Tharen's disruption of her plans for the anticipated wedding and instructed her daughter to apologize to Levare and resume their relationship. Tharen refused and, in a state of upset and anger, attended a revival conducted by a t'landa Til missionary from Ylesia. The service concluded with a brief experience of Exultation, a process that evoked a powerful sense of rapture in Tharen, which she interpreted as a religious experience. Feeling a lack of purpose on Corellia, Tharen sold all her jewelry to finance her journey to Ylesia.

Unbeknownst to Tharen, her newfound religion was an elaborate scheme orchestrated by the Hutt Besadii clan to obtain laborers for processing glitterstim, a spice that granted its users temporary telepathic abilities. Upon arriving on Ylesia as a pilgrim, Tharen was compelled to relinquish all her possessions, including her name, and was designated as Pilgrim 921. She was assigned to a communal dormitory in Colony One, the first of three colonies inhabited by Ylesia's pilgrims.

Tharen dedicated nearly a year to working in the processing facilities, meticulously measuring and trimming the fibrous strands of raw glitterstim to ensure consistent dosages of the spice for export. Glitterstim exhibited high reactivity to light, necessitating that Tharen perform her tasks in complete darkness, relying solely on infrared goggles for vision. Each night, Tharen attended devotions, during which t'landa Til priests performed the Exultation, to which Tharen developed a dependency. Over time, her inadequate diet resulted in excessive weight loss, and prolonged exposure to darkness left her skin with a pale complexion. The hazardous nature of her work also resulted in numerous scars on her fingers, wrists, and forearms from the sharp glitterstim threads, and she developed a fungal infection due to the planet's warm, humid atmosphere.

In 10 BBY, Tharen captured the attention of Han Solo, a young Corellian pilot who had recently begun working for Besadii under the pseudonym Vykk Draygo, smuggling the processed glitterstim. During a tour of the processing plant, Solo noticed Tharen had cut herself and inquired if she required medical assistance. Reluctant to miss the evening's Exultation, Tharen declined, and Solo was escorted away by his Togorian bodyguard, Muuurgh, to avoid further disruption of the workers. The following day, Solo sought out Tharen in the refectory and inquired about her injury. Tharen informed him that it was healing, but was unwilling to engage in further conversation with a non-believer. Undeterred, Solo insisted on accompanying her to evening devotions and walking her back to her dormitory. En route, the two Corellians discussed their homeworld and Tharen's former aspirations to work in a museum.

Solo's interest, coupled with Tharen's own attraction to him, made her uneasy, as relationships were forbidden to pilgrims. Despite this, she agreed to meet him again and, during a subsequent encounter, revealed her birth name to him. Solo soon learned that pilgrims remained on Ylesia for only a year before being shipped off-world to work as slaves in the glitterstim mines on Kessel. Aware that Tharen's year was nearing its end, Solo resolved to find a way to keep her on Ylesia. Upon learning that the t'landa Til High Priest Teroenza was seeking someone to maintain and catalog his extensive collection of artifacts, Solo recommended Tharen for the position. Tharen was interviewed by Teroenza and appointed to the role shortly thereafter.

Tharen found satisfaction in utilizing her knowledge of antiques in her new role and considered it an honor to work for the High Priest. She declined a room in the colony's administration center, insisting on continuing to live with the other pilgrims, but her new job provided her with access to fresh air and sunlight, enabling her to shed her pale appearance. The prolonged darkness had left her so depleted of energy that she initially continued to eat very little. After the colony's medical droids treated her for malnutrition, as well as her fungal infection, she regained her appetite and began to appear less gaunt within a month. Although Tharen remained wary of Solo and continued to resist her growing feelings for him, over the next three months the two became friends, and Tharen began joining Solo and Muuurgh for stim tea before devotions.

In an attempt to demonstrate to Tharen that her religion was a fabrication, Solo secretly recorded High Priest Teroenza and Sacredot Veratil admitting that the Exultation was merely a refined version of a biological ability used by t'landa Til males to attract a mate. When Solo presented the evidence to Tharen, she refused to accept it and accused him of creating a false recording. Solo then provided her with a vial of glitterstim so that she could use its telepathic effects to read his mind and uncover the truth. Instead, Tharen took the vial to her next devotions and used it to read Teroenza's mind, discovering his pride in manipulating the pilgrims and his singular desire to enrich himself at their expense. Sensing that his mind was being probed, Teroenza abruptly ended the Exultation and began searching the crowd for the culprit. However, the confused pilgrims began to return to their dormitories, allowing Tharen to slip away unnoticed.

The revelation that everything she believed in was a lie filled Tharen with feelings of betrayal and anger. Later that night, she spoke with Solo, who confided that he was already planning their escape from Ylesia. When she read Teroenza's mind, Tharen had learned the security codes to the High Priest's private yacht, the Talisman, which Solo intended to use for their escape. However, she was concerned that Muuurgh would attempt to stop them and did not want to see him harmed. The Togorian had originally come to Ylesia in search of his mate, Mrrov; when he was informed that she was not there, he had been compelled to take a job to fund his ongoing search. Tharen recalled having seen another Togorian on Ylesia several months earlier and suggested that Mrrov might be in one of the other colonies. After confirming that the priests had lied to him and that Mrrov had been on Ylesia all along, Muuurgh agreed to assist Solo and Tharen in their escape, provided they took the two Togorians with them.

Tharen continued to work for Teroenza while the group prepared for their escape. During her work, she began to identify the most valuable items in Teroenza's collection, which Solo intended to steal to finance his application to join the Imperial Academy. No longer believing in the Ylesian religion, Tharen intended to avoid attending devotions whenever possible, but she still found herself drawn to the Altar of Promises and the feeling of rapture induced by the Exultation. One night while Solo was off-world, Tharen was returning to her dormitory following the Exultation when she was stopped by Teroenza's majordomo, Ganar Tos. The elderly Zisian had developed an attraction to Tharen and had sought Teroenza's permission to marry her, which the High Priest had granted. Tos escorted Tharen back to the Altar of Promises, where Teroenza was waiting to conduct the ceremony, but Tharen claimed that her customs required a day for purification beforehand. Much to Tos's disappointment, Teroenza agreed to wait and announced that the pair would be married the following night in front of the entire congregation.

By the time Solo returned later that night, Muuurgh had learned that Mrrov was scheduled to be sent to Kessel the following day. With her own reasons to escape that night, Tharen was already waiting for him when Solo went to her dormitory to fetch her, and the two Corellians headed to Teroenza's collection room to meet Muuurgh. The group began to gather the items Tharen had selected and were nearly finished when Solo inadvertently triggered an alarm. Before they could escape, they were confronted by Teroenza, his Hutt overlord, Zavval, and several guards. In the ensuing firefight, Solo shot the Hutt's hoversled, causing him to crash into the room's central support pillar and be crushed as the ceiling collapsed. Tharen, Solo, and Muuurgh survived, as did Teroenza, who charged at the escapees, only to be shot and wounded by Solo. The group fled the collection room but were confronted by more guards outside. After Solo and Muuurgh dispatched the guards, Tharen saw Ganar Tos attempting to sneak up on Solo and stunned the Zisian with her blaster before the group headed to the Talisman.

Upon finally reaching Teroenza's yacht, the group took off and headed for Colony Two, from where Mrrov would soon be departing for Kessel. They arrived shortly before dawn to find the pilgrims assembled and awaiting their transport. Solo hovered the yacht over the crowd while Tharen lowered Muuurgh down in a harness to fetch his mate. The arrival of Teroenza's ship had taken the guards by surprise, but they soon reacted and opened fire on the descending Togorian. Tharen and Muuurgh returned fire until Mrrov, recognizing her mate, made her way through the crowd to join him. When Mrrov reached the harness, Tharen brought both Togorians aboard, and Solo took the ship out of the atmosphere and safely into hyperspace.

After their departure from Ylesia, the group journeyed to Togoria to return Muuurgh and Mrrov to their home. Upon their arrival, the Togorians announced their intention to marry and invited the Corellians to stay for the wedding ceremony. Over the following days, Tharen and Solo spent considerable time together, engaging in numerous long walks and a mosgoth ride to the beach, where Tharen taught Solo how to swim. However, even as her relationship with Solo deepened, Tharen struggled to adapt to her new life. Her addiction to the Exultation caused her to experience intense withdrawal symptoms, including panic attacks and fits of crying, which Mrrov, who had overcome her own addiction while still on Ylesia, assured her would diminish with time. Tharen also felt that she had lost her sense of purpose and harbored anger toward those who had deceived her and who were still enslaving many other pilgrims.

Following the wedding, Tharen and Solo departed for Corellia to reunite Tharen with her parents. Arriving in the Corellian system three days later, Solo landed the Talisman at Truthful Toryl's Used Spaceship Lot on the planet Talus with the intention of selling the vessel. However, Toryl, the lot's Duros proprietor, recognized the ship and informed them that the Hutts were searching for it. Consequently, he could only offer a scrap value of 5,000 credits. Despite the offer being far less than Solo and Tharen had hoped for, they accepted it.

Presenting themselves as a married couple, the pair booked passage on a shuttle to Corellia's southern continent, where Tharen had an emotional reunion with her family. Tharen's father extended a warm welcome to Solo for rescuing his daughter, but her mother and brother were suspicious of the young pilot and disapproved of his relationship with Tharen. Their suspicions were confirmed the following day when Sera arranged for Dael Levare to visit the Tharen estate in the hopes of rekindling his relationship with her daughter. As a child, Solo had worked for the criminal Garris Shrike on a number of confidence tricks, and Levare recognized him from one such scam. Although Renn Tharen forbade his wife and son from reporting Solo to the Corellian Security Force, arguing that they owed him a second chance, Tharen did not trust them not to do it behind his back and decided that she and Solo should leave Corellia.

Before leaving, Solo sold the artifacts stolen from Teroenza's collection and arranged for the money to be deposited into a bank account under the name of Jenos Idanian, an alias unknown to the Hutts. Tharen and Solo booked passage on a passenger liner bound for Coruscant, the capital world of the Galactic Empire, where Solo intended to withdraw the money and submit his application to the Imperial Academy. After arriving on Coruscant five days later, Tharen found herself overwhelmed by the ecumenopolis. As she gazed over a ledge at the lower levels of the city, her feelings of vertigo mingled with a desire to jump, knowing that her death would free her from the pain she still felt over the loss of the Exultation. Tharen resisted the urge, and she and Solo made their way to a cheap hostel where they spent the night.

The following morning, Solo headed for the bank to withdraw the money. When Solo failed to return on time, Tharen realized something had gone wrong and headed to their agreed meeting point, a cantina called The Glow Spider. Solo eventually arrived, and Tharen learned that Corellian Security had discovered the fake account and blocked it. On the run from the Imperial security forces, the pair found a room in a cheap but secure flophouse on one of the lower levels of the city.

The money from the sale of the Talisman was dwindling, and Solo suggested that they abandon Coruscant and try to build a life together elsewhere. Tharen, however, did not want to see Solo sacrifice his dream of becoming an Imperial officer for her sake. Fearing that she was becoming too reliant on him to help her overcome her addiction, and that this would only hold them both back, she decided that they must go their separate ways. Slipping out while Solo slept, Tharen found a nearby cantina and used its comm unit to contact her father on Corellia and ask for his help. Renn Tharen warned her not to return home as Corellian Security were looking for her, but arranged for a business associate on Coruscant to meet with her and deliver some money. She returned once more to the room she shared with Solo, leaving him an emotional letter explaining why she had to leave and enough money for him to enter the Academy before leaving to confront the addiction alone.

Tharen dedicated nearly three years to attempting to overcome her addiction to the Exultation, traveling from world to world, experimenting with everything from meditation to drugs. On two occasions, she purchased tickets to return to Ylesia, but she could never bring herself to go through with it. Eventually, she returned to Corellia, where she found a group that helped her to overcome her addiction. Discovering a renewed sense of purpose in life, Tharen joined Garm Bel Iblis's Corellian resistance movement and resolved to dedicate herself to fighting against slavery and the Empire that condoned it. To protect her family from Imperial retribution, she severed all contact with them, although she found ways to let her father know she was alright a couple of times a year through roundabout channels. Over the next few years, the resistance movement grew from a small group of dissidents gathering for clandestine meetings to having several thousand operatives and cells in most major Corellian cities. Tharen, like most of those involved with the resistance, was unaware of its full size and structure, ensuring that she could not compromise the organization if caught.

Tharen's work with the resistance involved making contact with resistance groups on other worlds, but they also supported her in fighting back against Besadii and their slave operation on Ylesia. In 5 BBY, the resistance dispatched Tharen and Lanah Malo to Devaron to make contact with the local resistance. Learning that Sacredot Veratil was on the planet to recruit pilgrims for Ylesia, the pair planned to assassinate the priest while he conducted a revival in the town square. As she and Malo moved through the large crowd, Tharen was spotted by Han Solo, who had come to Devaron after being discharged from the Imperial Navy for disobeying orders. Solo's attempts to reach her brought him to Veratil's attention and the t'landa Til alerted his guards. The sight of Solo stirred up old feelings in Tharen, but she couldn't let him see her for fear of compromising her mission. Tharen and Malo were forced to abandon their assassination attempt and flee back to the cheap room they had rented for their stay. Despite their failure to kill Veratil, the pair did make contact with the Devaronian resistance before returning to Corellia.

Several months later, Tharen led a dawn raid on Ylesia's Colony Three. The raid resulted in the deaths of a dozen guard, damage to several buildings and the liberation of ninety-seven slaves. It also earned Tharen the wrath of the Besadii clan, leading Aruk the Hutt to put a 50,000 credit bounty on her head. However, the rebels initially had difficulty persuading the freed slaves of the truth about Ylesia. Only two out of the two hundred slaves had been prepared to leave with them and Tharen had been forced to order her troops to stun the others. The pull of the Exultation proved too strong for many and, within a month, fifty-three had run away to return to Ylesia. This, combined with the turbulent atmosphere on Ylesia, which had destroyed one of the rebel ships, discouraged further attacks on Ylesia itself for the time being, but Tharen was involved in several raids on ships carrying slaves from Ylesia to Kessel.

In the era of 4 BBY, a mere five months following the Ylesia incident, Tharen transitioned into the world of clandestine intelligence operations. She skillfully employed the art of crafting false identities, a craft she had mastered under Solo's tutelage. One particular assignment saw her embedded within the civilian workforce of the most substantial Imperial military installation on Corellia. Her objective was to gather as much intelligence as possible regarding Imperial activities and relay it to her contact within the resistance movement. While her position only granted her access to administrative documents, such as inventory lists, she soon discovered that the Imperials were reinforcing their presence within the Corellian system. Driven by a desire for more comprehensive information, Tharen leveraged her physical appearance to persuade Admiral Trefaren to invite her to a formal gathering hosted by the Corellian government for high-ranking Imperial officials, including several Moffs.

Later that same year, Tharen embarked on an undercover operation, assuming the role of mistress to Sarn Shild, the Imperial Moff overseeing territory that included Hutt Space. In reality, Shild's romantic inclinations did not extend to Human females, and he maintained her presence solely as a decorative object. Tharen's responsibilities included managing his household staff and office, and she gradually became the Moff's confidante. Despite her distaste for the assignment, Tharen managed to transmit a substantial amount of intelligence back to Corellia.

Shild had historically permitted the Hutts to operate with minimal interference in exchange for specific "political contributions." However, during Tharen's assignment to Shild, the Emperor mandated that Shild suppress the Hutts and halt the illegal weapons trade originating from Hutt Space. In response, the Desilijic clan dispatched Han Solo—who was now working as a smuggler for Desilijic—to Coruscant to negotiate with Shild during his attendance at a law and order conference. Tharen accompanied Shild on this journey and resided in his luxurious penthouse, where she briefly crossed paths with Solo after Shild dismissed his negotiation attempts. Tharen was unable to reveal the truth to Solo, leading him to believe that her relationship with Shild was genuine.

Following their departure from Coruscant, Tharen accompanied Shild to the gambling planetoid Velga Prime, and later joined him on a space station orbiting his headquarters on the planet Teth to observe Shild's fleet, under the command of Admiral Winstel Greelanx, as it departed for the Hutt moon of Nar Shaddaa. She was stunned when Shild announced his intention to follow up his offensive against the Hutts by declaring his sector's independence and initiating a campaign against Emperor Palpatine. Shild's fleet was subsequently defeated by a coalition of smugglers at the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, and Tharen withdrew from her assignment shortly before Shild took his own life. The resistance later discovered that Greelanx had been under Imperial orders to ensure the attack's failure, leading Tharen to suspect that Palpatine, perceiving Shild as a threat, had manipulated him into his own demise.

By 2 BBY, Tharen had ascended to the rank of commander within the resistance and had resumed her previous role, contacting members of various anti-Imperial factions operating on planets throughout the Empire. Tharen and the leaders of her movement believed that these disparate groups needed to unite in order to overthrow Emperor Palpatine. One such mission took Tharen to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, where she provided guidance to Wookiee resistance members on matters of organization, codes, and tactics.

Later, upon learning of a significant sabacc tournament taking place in Cloud City on the planet Bespin, Tharen recognized that the influx of visitors during the tournament would provide an ideal setting for a meeting with several rebel groups. Traveling to Bespin with her aide, Jace Paol, Tharen convened with representatives from three other resistance organizations: Jenssar SoBilles from Duro, Sian Tevv from Sullust, and Hric Dalhney, Winter and Ylenic It'kla from Alderaan. Despite their shared objective, Tharen struggled to secure any commitment from them to collaborate with the Corellian resistance. However, she did succeed in persuading Winter, who pledged to assist in convincing Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan upon her return. While in Cloud City, Tharen once again observed Han Solo, witnessing his victory in the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament, although she ensured that he remained unaware of her presence.

Tharen persisted in her efforts to unify the rebel groups, meeting with Commander Winfrid Dagore and Lieutenant Palob Godalhi of the Tethan resistance in their hidden base beneath the planet's port city. Initially skeptical, the Tethans were eventually convinced by Tharen to escalate their raids on Imperial supply vessels and munitions depots in the Outer Rim and to distribute the stolen weapons to other rebel factions. Around the same period, Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila initiated negotiations with Tharen's superiors and Bail Organa of Alderaan, which culminated in the signing of the Corellian Treaty and the formal establishment of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Forced to flee the Imperial Senate on accusations of treason, Mon Mothma began engaging with resistance groups on various worlds throughout the Empire, and the Alliance rapidly expanded.

The ratification of the Corellian Treaty allowed Tharen to transition from her liaison duties and become more actively involved in combat. She was granted command of the Marauder-class corvette Retribution and the Y-wing starfighters of Crimson Fury, and she assembled a team of Rebels to serve under her, many of whom had previously been enslaved. Tharen's crew held her in high regard and, like Tharen herself, were prepared to sacrifice their lives to liberate others from slavery. They quickly gained notoriety for their merciless treatment of slavers, who subsequently dubbed them "Red Hand Squadron." Tharen embraced the name and had the image of a blood-dripping hand painted on the bow of her flagship.

Tharen's fifth mission as commander of the Retribution involved the capture of the CR90 corvette Helot's Shackle, which was transporting nearly two hundred slaves from Ylesia to Kessel. The Retribution's medical officer, Daino Hyx, had developed innovative techniques for treating Exultation addiction, which Tharen intended to test on the slaves aboard the Helot's Shackle. Twenty-six of the slaves Tharen had rescued in the preceding two years had gone on to become active members of the resistance, and Tharen hoped that Hyx's methods would facilitate the recruitment of additional personnel.

The Retribution and Crimson Fury's Y-wings lay in wait outside the Ylesia system until a Rebel operative on the space station orbiting Ylesia signaled that the Helot's Shackle had departed, at which point they entered the system to intercept the corvette before it could jump to hyperspace. Upon arrival, the Y-wings initiated strafing runs to disable the Helot's Shackle's deflector shields and incapacitate the vessel. Tharen remained on board the Retribution to coordinate the attack while the first wave of shuttles boarded the slaver corvette and neutralized the majority of the slaver resistance, but she personally joined the second wave to assist in eliminating the remaining pockets of resistance.

As her squad advanced towards the bridge, they encountered a group of slavers. Tharen's forces fought their way through, killing three of the slavers and wounding six others. Tharen ordered the execution of the survivors before proceeding to the captain's quarters, located beneath the bridge. Breaching the ceiling with explosives, she led her squad onto the bridge and killed the remaining slavers, securing control of the ship for the Rebels. With the ship secured, Tharen proceeded to meet Hyx at the slave hold. However, she was surprised by an armed slaver who had evaded the Rebels and demanded a shuttle and her share of the slaves. When the slaver's aim faltered momentarily, Tharen drew her blaster and shot the slaver in the chest. Leaving the slaver to die, Tharen liberated the slaves and entrusted them to Hyx's care.

Once the Helot's Shackle's systems were restored, Tharen took both the captured vessel and the Retribution to rendezvous with the Rebel ship Deliverance to transfer the pilgrims. The rescued pilgrims were transported to Grenna Base, where Hyx achieved remarkable success in treating them, with a success rate exceeding ninety percent, and many of the cured pilgrims volunteered to join the Alliance. The Helot's Shackle itself was refitted to serve as a Rebel combat vessel, and Tharen renamed the ship Emancipator. As a consequence of the raid, Durga Besadii Tai, the new leader of Besadii, increased the bounty on Tharen to 100,000 credits.

One month after the capture of the Helot's Shackle, Tharen was summoned back to Corellia. En route, the Retribution received a distress call from the Rebel ship Pride of the Rim, requesting assistance against Imperial picket ships. The Retribution responded, but sustained damage to its sublight drive, delaying Tharen for a day while repairs were carried out.

Upon finally arriving at Corellia, Tharen met with her commanding officer, Pianat Torbul, who informed her that Red Hand Squadron was to be assigned to assist Rebel forces in the Outer Rim. During the meeting, Tharen suggested that, given their success in treating Exultation addiction, the time was right for a large-scale assault on Ylesia. With over eight thousand pilgrims on Ylesia, they represented a significant source of potential recruits, and they would also be able to seize tons of valuable spice to help fund the war against the Empire. While Torbul agreed to consider Tharen's plan, securing funding for such a large invasion would be challenging, and safely navigating Ylesia's atmosphere was a major concern. Tharen resolved to find a solution to both issues.

Tharen's solution to the funding problem was to enlist the assistance of the Desilijic Hutts, and she arranged a meeting with Desilijic's leader, Jiliac Desilijic Tiron, on the Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta. While the Hutts had no particular interest in the Rebellion, Desilijic's business was suffering due to the Besadii clan's operations on Ylesia, and Tharen hoped that they might be willing to finance the attack on their rivals. Tharen secured passage to Hutt Space aboard the Haj Shipping Lines luxury liner Queen of Empire, traveling under the alias of Bria Lavval, a cabaret singer scheduled to perform at the Chance Castle casino on Nar Shaddaa, and sharing a stateroom with three members of Red Hand Squadron posing as her agent, business manager, and bodyguard.

On the fourth night of the voyage, Tharen visited the Star Winds Lounge nightclub to attend a performance by the Rughja orchestra-band Umjing Baab and His Swinging Trio. At one point, Umjing Baab invited Tharen to join them on stage to perform the popular song "Smoky Dreams." Tharen's performance was well received by the male members of the audience, including the gambler Lando Calrissian. As Tharen returned to her seat, Calrissian asked her to dance; maintaining her cover, she accepted. During their dance, Calrissian mentioned that his friend owned a SoroSuub Starmite-class freighter named Bria. Realizing that he knew Solo, Tharen invited Calrissian to her quarters later that evening, hoping to gather more information about her former lover's activities since their last encounter.

However, upon arriving at her quarters, Tharen was attacked by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Fett had been intermittently pursuing Tharen for over a year, but the bounty stipulated that she be captured alive, and her frequent deep-cover assignments, coupled with the high security at Rebel installations, made it exceedingly difficult to approach her. Having tracked her to the Queen of Empire, Fett waited for her to be alone and shot her with a tranquilizer dart as she entered her quarters. Tharen awoke to find herself bound and her companions dead. Realizing that escape was unlikely, Tharen asked Fett if he would inform her father of her death so that he would not be left wondering when her next message failed to arrive. To her surprise, Fett agreed to the request.

Before Fett could transport his prize back to his ship, Calrissian arrived. Tharen was unable to warn the gambler, and Fett captured him as well. Fett intended to spare Calrissian's life, provided that Tharen did not cause any trouble. However, when the Queen of Empire was pulled out of hyperspace by a pirate raid led by Calrissian's ex-girlfriend, Drea Renthal, Fett led both his prisoners towards the shuttle bay. En route, they were cornered by Renthal and a large contingent of pirates. Renthal agreed to allow Fett to leave without incident, provided that he release Calrissian first. The bounty hunter accepted the offer, but Calrissian refused to abandon Tharen to Fett and pointed out that Renthal owed Solo a favor. Renthal offered to pay Fett the 100,000 credit bounty to release Tharen. Outnumbered by the pirates, Fett reluctantly agreed.

After the pirates concluded their raid, they transported Tharen and Calrissian to Nar Shaddaa aboard Renthal's flagship, the Carrack-class light cruiser Renthal's Vigilance. From there, Tharen took a shuttle to Nal Hutta, where she met with Jiliac. Her proposal was straightforward: Desilijic would finance the Rebel raid on Ylesia and arrange for the elimination of the t'landa Til priests beforehand. In exchange, the Rebels would ensure that Besadii's operations on Ylesia were permanently shut down by destroying the spice factories. Jiliac's nephew, Jabba Desilijic Tiure, was impressed and argued that they should consider the offer, but Jiliac refused to become involved with the Rebels and rejected Tharen's proposal. Before departing, however, Tharen provided Jabba with a datacard containing her contact information in case Jiliac ever reconsidered.

Upon returning to Nar Shaddaa, Tharen had a meal with Calrissian, who eagerly recounted the story of the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, in which he had participated. Tharen was impressed by the smugglers' ability to defeat the Empire in battle. Rebel pilots were enthusiastic but lacked the necessary training to navigate Ylesia's turbulent atmosphere. Tharen realized that, for any attack to succeed, the Rebels would require skilled pilots to serve as guides, and that the smugglers' experience made them ideally suited for the task, if they were willing to hire themselves out.

Tharen returned to the Retribution, but a month after her meeting with Jiliac, she was contacted by Jabba the Hutt, who had become the leader of Desilijic following Jiliac's death at the hands of Durga the Hutt. Jabba informed Tharen that he had decided to accept her offer and was already deploying operatives to Ylesia to assassinate the priests. Tharen returned to Nar Shaddaa to meet with Jabba and plan the operation. While on the Smuggler's Moon, Tharen tracked down Solo, finding him and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca in the Blue Light tavern. After an emotional reunion, Tharen asked Solo to help her present her idea to his smuggler contacts. In exchange for their assistance, the smugglers would receive a share of Ylesia's spice, and Tharen promised to give Solo a share of Teroenza's collection.

Solo, still harboring resentment towards Tharen for leaving him ten years earlier, initially refused to help. However, Solo's business acumen eventually outweighed his personal feelings, and later that night, the smuggler visited Tharen's room at The Smuggler's Rest and agreed to convince his friends, in exchange for fifty percent of Teroenza's treasure. Over the following days, Tharen and Solo recruited numerous smugglers and privateers for the mission. By the time the pair traveled to the Alliance's deep space rendezvous point aboard Solo's YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon, the Rebels had assembled the majority of their attack force, including personnel and ships from Corellia, Bothawui, Sullust, Alderaan, and Chandrila, for what would be the Alliance's largest operation to date.

Tharen and Solo attended several planning sessions over the next two days, before Tharen was instructed to meet with some potential allies on Ord Mantell. Accepting Solo's offer of a ride, Tharen traveled to the Mid Rim world and convinced Rebel leaders there to commit three ships and a hundred troops to the Ylesia raid. As they were preparing to return to the rendezvous point, Tharen received orders to pick up a group of Togorians who had volunteered for the mission on the way back. Upon arriving at Togoria, Tharen and Solo learned that their old friends, Muuurgh and Mrrov, were among the volunteers. The Togorians were still waiting for one member of their group to arrive, so they arranged accommodation for their visitors for the night. Being back on Togoria stirred up old feelings, and Tharen and Solo resumed their relationship.

After returning to the fleet, Tharen began final preparations for the imminent assault. There would be nine Rebel attack groups—one for each colony on Ylesia—with each accompanied by at least three smuggler guides. Tharen chose to lead Red Hand Squadron against Colony One and assigned Solo as one of the guides for her group. The night before the mission, Tharen received a message from Pianat Torbul. Intelligence reports indicated that the Empire was planning a major assault, and the Alliance would need all the resources they could get if they were going to survive. Torbul ordered Tharen to seize all of the weapons and spice she could capture.

The Battle of Ylesia saw the Rebels encounter heavier resistance than anticipated. As they entered the planet's atmosphere, the Rebel ships came under turbolaser fire, and Tharen was forced to divert her group to their alternate landing site on a beach over two kilometers from the center of Colony One. Accompanied by Solo and Chewbacca, Tharen's team advanced up the beach but soon encountered resistance from a group of Nova Force mercenaries. Splitting her group into two, Tharen caught the mercenaries in a crossfire, clearing the path into the colony.

Tharen dispatched the Togorians to secure the administration building and sent Jace Paol and a squad of troops to eliminate the turbolaser to allow reinforcements to land safely, while she led the rest of her troops into the colony to secure the factories, welcome center, and dormitories. Despite heavy mercenary resistance, Tharen's forces captured the colony and secured the turbolaser defenses. Tharen made her way to the pilgrims' dormitory and addressed them as they were herded outside. Despite her attempts to calm them, however, the Exultation-deprived pilgrims charged their rescuers, and Tharen was forced to have her troops fire stun beams into the crowd.

Following her orders from the previous night, Tharen had the smugglers placed under guard, except for Solo and Chewbacca, who she led to Teroenza's treasure room. Upon entering, they were confronted by an armed Teroenza. Before Teroenza could fire, however, Boba Fett emerged from the shadows and shot him dead in order to claim a bounty on the t'landa Til. Soon after the bounty hunter left with his prize, a Rebel shuttle arrived to pick up Teroenza's treasure. Drawing her blaster on Solo and Chewbacca, Tharen explained that the Rebels needed every last credit and could not afford to share any of it. Tharen tried to persuade Solo to join her and fight the Empire at her side, but Solo was devastated by her betrayal and made it clear he did not want anything more to do with her. She and Solo parted on the worst of terms.

The former lovers were, however, destined for one more reunion. While working under General Jan Dodonna, Tharen used some of the money made from the Battle of Ylesia to place a four million credit reward for the Yavin Vassilika. A crystalline artifact etched with Massassi hieroglyphics, the Vassilika was believed by many to be only a myth, but actually contained a key to the Massassi Temple on Yavin 4, a site of great strategic value to the Alliance.

The reward attracted Jozzel Moffet, a handmaiden in the employ of Malta the Hutt, who tricked her master into a competition against the Hutts Jabba and Embra to see who could find the Vassilika first. Each Hutt put together a team to search for the artifact, and Solo was drawn into the hunt as part of Jabba's team, which also comprised Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian. Solo helped Moffet locate the artifact on an uncharted planet in Wild Space, only for her to betray him and deliver it to the rendezvous point on Yavin 4. Tharen accompanied Dodonna to the exchange and used her knowledge of antiquities to confirm that the artifact was genuine. However, the exchange was disrupted by Solo and the other treasure hunters hired to find the Vassilika.

As the treasure hunters turned on each other, the Rebels fled into the Yavin 4 jungle with the Vassilika. Solo's team pursued and demanded their share of the Ylesia spoils. Dodonna informed them that it had already been spent on the war effort but agreed to help compensate them for their efforts. Taking cover in the jungle, Tharen and her team waited for the bounty hunters Dengar and Bossk, who were on Yavin 4 as part of Malta's team, to approach. Capturing the bounty hunters, the Rebels turned them over to Solo and Calrissian so that they could claim the 200,000 credit bounty on the pair which had been posted by the rival bounty hunter Zuckuss. Despite Tharen's help, Solo was still visibly furious; once again, he had helped her get something for the Rebellion and was left with nothing.

The funds acquired at Ylesia were instrumental in the Rebels discovering Operation Skyhook, revealing the Empire's clandestine construction of a devastating new weapon. This weapon was a battle station known as the Death Star, possessing the capability to obliterate entire planets. Recognizing that their only hope of defeating the Death Star lay in obtaining its schematics and exploiting any vulnerabilities, the Alliance orchestrated a coordinated offensive aimed at seizing the plans as they transited the Outer Rim world of Toprawa. Torbul communicated to Tharen that an Intelligence unit was en route to Toprawa to secure the plans. Despite the high probability of it being a suicide mission, Tharen bravely volunteered Red Hand Squadron to accompany them.

The Rebel forces successfully acquired the plans and control of an Imperial communications hub. However, the Empire swiftly retaliated. Red Hand Squadron valiantly fought to delay the Imperial onslaught while communications technicians transmitted the vital plans to the Rebel courier ship, the Tantive IV, as it traversed the Toprawa system. By the time the Tantive IV had escaped the system, Red Hand Squadron had suffered significant casualties. Tharen, wounded in the conflict, had lost contact with the Retribution, their only avenue of retreat. Shortly thereafter, Imperial forces overwhelmed Red Hand Squadron. To prevent capture and interrogation, Tharen ingested a poison pill. She perished without ever knowing the profound significance of the plans she had helped to secure.

In the aftermath of the battle, Tharen's body was discovered and identified. Upon learning of her demise, the bounty hunter Boba Fett resolved to honor his pledge to inform her father of her passing. Tharen had never divulged how to contact her father. Knowing Solo had the means to reach him, Fett sought out Solo on Tatooine and requested that he relay the message to Renn Tharen, a request Solo somberly fulfilled.

From a young age, Tharen exhibited intelligence and a fiercely independent spirit. She possessed striking physical features, including a tall stature, blue-green eyes, long, dark eyelashes, flawless white skin, and reddish-gold, curly hair, which contributed to her attractiveness. During her schooling, she displayed a particular fondness for history and aspired to pursue a career as a museum curator through university studies. Despite her dedication to academics, Tharen also enjoyed a vibrant social life, frequently attending parties. However, she grew increasingly frustrated by her mother's seeming disapproval, regardless of her efforts. Sera Tharen maintained strict control over her daughter, leading Bria to feel perpetually inadequate. While her father championed Tharen's career aspirations, her mother desired only that she secure a marriage into a reputable family. The rift between them following Tharen's separation from Dael Levare marked the culmination of years of underlying tension.

Tharen experienced a profound sense of purpose upon her initial exposure to the Exultation, finding her life on Corellia to be devoid of meaning. Embracing it as a deeply spiritual awakening, she abandoned her former existence to join the pilgrims on Ylesia, convinced that her newfound faith would enable her to contribute to the galaxy's betterment. For nearly a year on Ylesia, Tharen remained devoted to her religious practices. She held the t'landa Til priests in high esteem and hoped to attain their level of spiritual enlightenment. Despite her devoutness, Tharen occasionally reflected on her past life, lamenting the gradual decline of her memory and intellect.

Upon encountering Han Solo, Tharen found herself drawn to his charisma and vitality. Despite Solo's reciprocal attraction, Tharen suppressed her feelings, fearing any distraction from her duties and prayers, even as she fell in love. The revelation of her religion's fraudulent nature left Tharen feeling betrayed and robbed of her life's purpose. After departing Ylesia, Tharen entered into a relationship with Solo but continued to harbor doubts. While Solo was content with a simple life, Tharen still yearned for a greater purpose. Furthermore, she struggled with the effects of Exultation withdrawal, preventing her from fully committing to Solo as she felt incomplete. The withdrawal cravings manifested in intense waves, barely allowing her an hour without longing for the drug. She feared succumbing to the temptation to return to Ylesia and even contemplated suicide to alleviate her suffering. Solo's unwavering support proved crucial in her battle against addiction, but Tharen began to feel overly reliant on him. Ultimately, she resolved to confront her addiction independently, rather than potentially hindering Solo's own ambitions. Nevertheless, her affection for Solo remained constant.

Tharen eventually overcame the mental and physical scars inflicted by her experience on Ylesia, realizing that she need not punish herself for failing to meet her mother's expectations. She discovered a renewed sense of purpose through her involvement with the Corellian resistance movement and later the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire. Driven by a desire to end slavery and alleviate the suffering of others, mirroring her own past experiences, Tharen became a driving force. As the leader of Red Hand Squadron, she inspired unwavering loyalty among her comrades. However, she also displayed ruthlessness and an unforgiving nature in combat, particularly towards slavers, contributing to Red Hand Squadron's reputation for taking no prisoners. Tharen demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice everything for the Rebellion, prioritizing the Alliance over her feelings for Solo, as evidenced by her betrayals on both Ylesia and Yavin 4. Despite knowing the likely fatal consequences, she unhesitatingly volunteered Red Hand Squadron for their final mission to Toprawa.

Tharen's work on an archaeological excavation provided her with valuable experience in handling delicate artifacts. During her time as a pilgrim on Ylesia, Tharen demonstrated exceptional skill and dexterity as a craftsperson, meticulously separating threads of spice. Her knowledge of rare antiquities allowed her to discern the most valuable items within Teroenza's collection, and later to authenticate the Yavin Vassilika.

Throughout her involvement with the Rebellion, Tharen proved to be an effective and persuasive negotiator in her capacity as a liaison to other resistance cells. She also possessed exceptional skills in undercover operations, adeptly manipulating situations to acquire crucial information. A talented actor, Tharen could effortlessly conceal her true emotions and expertly disguise her appearance. Recognizing the limitations of documenting sensitive information gathered during undercover missions, Tharen underwent training and conditioning to enhance her memory.

Tharen's superiors recognized her as a capable and effective leader. Her organizational prowess was evident in her ability to catalog Teroenza's extensive collection and manage Sarn Shild's household staff and office. Combined with her understanding of strategy and tactics, as well as her proficiency in both blaster combat and unarmed combat, this made her a highly effective commander of Red Hand Squadron.

During her time as a pilgrim on Ylesia, Tharen wore a voluminous tan robe and cap, complemented by infrared goggles that allowed her to work in dimly lit environments. While serving with the Rebellion, Tharen wore standard battle fatigues and typically carried a BlasTech Industries DL-18 Blaster Pistol secured in a tie-down holster on her right thigh, along with a belt to carry spare power packs and her vibroblade. She also concealed a hold-out blaster in her right boot. When engaging in combat, Tharen utilized a blaster rifle and a comlink to maintain communication with her troops.

On undercover assignments, Tharen was unable to carry a blaster, but carried a vibroblade strapped to her upper thigh for protection. To fend off the unwanted advances of Imperial officers while stationed at an Imperial base on Corellia, Tharen also carried a sedative, which she could discreetly add to their drinks to render them unconscious. Tharen also wore a golden bracelet adorned with Corusca gems that would emit a flash in the presence of surveillance equipment.

Tharen's command ship was the Republic Sienar Systems Marauder-class corvette Retribution. The Corellian underground acquired the ship second-hand from the Corporate Sector Authority, where it had previously served in the Authority's picket fleet. The ship was equipped for both space and atmospheric combat and served as the base of operations for Red Hand Squadron.

A. C. Crispin conceived Bria Tharen as Han Solo's romantic interest for the Han Solo Trilogy, making her debut in The Paradise Snare, the trilogy's inaugural book, published in 1997. Her sole subsequent appearance occurred in Mike Kennedy's comic Underworld: The Yavin Vassilika, which takes place during the events of Rebel Dawn, the novel in which she meets her end. In the article Boba Fett: A Bounty Hunter's Journey featured in Star Wars Insider 117, Leland Chee mistakenly identifies Bria Tharen as "Shira Brie."

When crafting the Han Solo Trilogy, Crispin adopted a reverse-engineering approach, aiming to elucidate how Han Solo evolved into the character first introduced in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Solo struck her as wary of women, particularly those affiliated with the Rebellion. He also refused to aid the Rebels without compensation and refrained from pursuing a relationship with Leia Organa until Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, which is set three years after their initial encounter. Crispin surmised that Solo had previously been involved in a relationship with a Rebel woman who had ultimately betrayed him. Lucasfilm endorsed this concept, and Crispin developed the character of Bria Tharen.

Crispin intended for Tharen to embody unwavering dedication to her cause, willing to make any sacrifice, even betraying the man she loved. Given Solo's later relationship with Organa, Crispin opted to eliminate the Tharen character before Solo met Organa, utilizing the Battle of Toprawa—an event initially described in the Star Wars radio drama—as a means of integrating her death into the events of A New Hope.