Caij Vanda was a Nautolan female bounty hunter operating during the time known as the Imperial Era.
She tracked the Jedi Knight Cal Kestis to Koboh, and then deceived him by pretending to be a former bounty hunter seeking vengeance against the Haxion Brood syndicate. Vanda manipulated Kestis and Brood hunters into battling each other, which invariably led to the demise of every hunter targeting the Jedi. This caused Kestis's bounty to rise to a level she deemed acceptable, at which point she tried to claim it herself. However, she underestimated Kestis. Ultimately, he subdued her with the assistance of fellow bounty hunter Boba Fett, who then took Vanda into custody.
Being a Nautolan female, Caij Vanda's birth occurred sometime before 9 BBY. She rose to become a successful bounty hunter and was eventually employed by Sorc Tormo, the leader of the Haxion Brood. She accomplished this by claiming a bounty on one of Tormo's assassins, and then defeating the hunters sent after her in retaliation.
During 9 BBY, Vanda encountered the Jedi Knight Cal Kestis at Pyloon's Saloon located on the planet Koboh. Having heard about Cal's reputation, she initially considered him to be unintelligent, but she soon revised her opinion.
After witnessing Kestis defeat the Haxion Brood hunter Korej Lim, she formally introduced herself. She informed the Jedi that she had been observing him since he first defeated one of the Bedlam Raiders. She proposed rewarding Kestis for each Brood hunter he eliminated, with proof provided by Kestis collecting the bounty pucks of the fallen hunters. However, she stated she would not intervene, as she had come to Koboh seeking peace and quiet. She also promised to provide Kestis with information about the Brood hunters' locations from her booth within the saloon.
As Caij provided Kestis with intel on Brood bounty hunters, the Jedi began eliminating them in large numbers. The bounty on Kestis's head increased with each Brood hunter he took down, which was secretly part of the Nautolan's overall scheme. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, Vanda had accumulated significant debts, which could only be resolved by a hunt with a substantial reward. Furthermore, Vanda was the one secretly providing the Brood with Kestis's location, ensuring that he could eliminate his pursuers and further inflate his bounty. Caij's ultimate objective was to intervene once the price on Kestis's head was high enough to settle her debts, capture the Jedi, and secure her freedom.
After Kestis defeated every hunter that was sent after him, he went back to Pyloon's Saloon, only to find Caij's booth deserted. Vanda had left behind a message, instructing the Jedi to meet her where he had originally fought Korej Lim, the location where their partnership began.
Upon returning, Kestis met with Vanda and they exchanged a few words before the Nautolan betrayed her new business partner by opening fire on him. Vanda then explained her reasons for betraying Kestis before engaging the Jedi in a fierce battle. Although Caij was undoubtedly the most skilled hunter he had faced, Kestis ultimately prevailed, disarming Vanda of one of her pistols and grazing her across the abdomen, causing the Nautolan to fall to her knees.
Despite her defeat, Vanda refused to surrender and attempted to resume the fight, but was interrupted by Boba Fett. Although Caij suggested that she and Boba could capture Kestis together and split the bounty, Fett instead revealed his own holopuck, indicating that he was there to claim a bounty on Vanda, not on Kestis.
Cornered, Vanda produced a thermal detonator and threatened to kill both herself and them with it. However, Kestis and Fett remained unfazed, and the three entered a standoff. Vanda broke the stalemate by firing her remaining blaster pistol at Fett, but the shot struck his armor's chestplate and failed to inflict any damage. Fett retaliated by destroying Vanda's remaining blaster, while Kestis used the Force to snatch the thermal detonator from the Nautolan's grasp and Force pushed it into the air, where it detonated without causing harm.
Before Vanda could escape, Fett used his fibercord whip to capture her. Despite Caij's protests and pleas for Kestis to aid her in escaping her predicament, the Jedi allowed Fett to take her into custody due to her betrayal.
Caij Vanda possessed green skin and dark, relatively expressionless eyes. As a Nautolan, she was naturally adapted to aquatic environments, capable of breathing underwater, and had head tendrils that could detect pheromones and other chemicals.
Vanda was a pragmatic bounty hunter who utilized her cunning intellect to advance her wealth and reputation. She was devious, treacherous, and not interested in forming friendships, as demonstrated by her attempt to betray Cal Kestis when the opportunity and reward were favorable, despite presenting a friendly facade to him beforehand. Vanda viewed her relationship with Cal as an investment, but dismissed his belief in prioritizing friends, asserting that such an attitude would lead to his demise.
She relished the excitement of bounty hunting, declaring to Cal Kestis that the thrill was "what she lived for." Vanda also strongly believed in making memorable and stylish entrances, noting that once she acquired her jet boots, the job offers "came pouring in." Her wide-brimmed hat, taken from her first target, held sentimental value for her.
Vanda was a highly skilled bounty hunter, an accomplished gunslinger capable of wielding two blaster pistols simultaneously. Furthermore, she was proficient in hand-to-hand combat and displayed remarkable acrobatics during battles, frequently using her jet boots to enhance her kicks. Vanda was also capable of blocking lightsaber strikes with the electrified bayonets attached to her pistols, demonstrating her proficiency in using them for both offensive and defensive purposes in close-quarters combat.
In contrast to some of her contemporaries, such as Boba Fett and Cad Bane, Caij Vanda maintained a relatively streamlined arsenal. She employed rocket boots to achieve flight, rather than the more conventional jetpacks favored by Boba and his father, Jango. Vanda carried two high-powered blaster pistols equipped with electrified bayonets capable of deflecting lightsaber blades. For emergency situations, Vanda also carried at least one thermal detonator.
Caij Vanda was conceived as a minor antagonist in the 2023 video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, where her voice was provided by Verona Blue. Initially presented as an ally who offers the player missions focused on hunting down Haxion Brood bounty hunters across various planets, Vanda ultimately serves as the final boss of her own side quest after betraying Cal Kestis, making her the most challenging bounty hunter encountered in the game.