Cesi Eirriss

Before the events of 0 BBY, Cesi Eirriss, a Twi'lek of the female persuasion, earned a doctorate in political science. However, she deviated from academia to become a starfighter pilot within the ranks of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. By the time of the Destruction of Alderaan, she was stationed at the Rebel base situated on the fourth moon orbiting the gas giant Yavin Prime, where she served in Red Squadron. Her academic achievement earned her the moniker "Doc" from her fellow pilots.

The Alliance's ongoing war with the Galactic Empire created a pressing need for more starfighters. Upon discovering a cache of T-65 X-wing starfighters at an Incom Corporation manufacturing plant, Eirriss was among those summoned to a briefing. General Jan Dodonna presented a plan to seize the fighters, using four TIE/LN starfighters, recently acquired from the defecting crew of the Imperial II-class frigate Rand Ecliptic, to lure defending TIE Fighters away from the nearby Imperial Security Bureau installation. With the facility temporarily vulnerable, the Rand Ecliptic would arrive with a GR-75 medium transport to extract the X-wings. The mission proved successful, with the Rebels securing several X-wings, albeit at the cost of Peate Kurin's life and Derek Klivian losing a leg during the diversionary attack. Shortly after, Eirriss, along with Wedge Antilles, Biggs Darklighter, and Jek Tono Porkins, practiced with the newly acquired X-wings before visiting Klivian in the medical bay.

While the captured X-wings alleviated the immediate starfighter shortage, the Alliance still faced a critical lack of astromech droids essential for piloting the ships. The Empire, anticipating this need, began confiscating droids to deny them to the Rebellion. However, the Alliance identified a potential source when Captain Nera Dantels of the civilian freighter Starduster arranged a rendezvous with Rebel forces on the Imperial-controlled world of Commenor to deliver a shipment of R2 and R5 units. Dodonna opted for a discreet undercover operation to retrieve the droids, minimizing personnel and ships. Eirriss, along with Antilles, Darklighter, and Porkins, was chosen for the mission and briefed by the general before departing for Commenor.

The four Rebels traveled to Commenor, with Eirriss piloting under the call sign "Red Four." Upon landing their X-wings at the spaceport, they rented a landspeeder and proceeded to a local cantina, instructed to play sabacc while awaiting Dantels' arrival. During their game, the Rebels overheard news on the HoloNet regarding the dissolution of the Imperial Senate and the apparent disappearance of Senator Leia Organa from Alderaan. Eirriss bowed out of the sabacc game when the stakes became too high, leaving Porkins to ultimately win. Eirriss then suggested a game of null-gravity caroms, but before they could start, Antilles received a signal from Dantels directing them to a nearby hangar, prompting their departure. Outside the cantina, a local gang confronted the Rebels, demanding protection money under the pretense of warding off thieves from their landspeeder. When one of them insulted Porkins, the Rebel retaliated, triggering a brawl. The fight ended abruptly when the Rebels brandished their blasters, making a swift escape before Imperial authorities arrived.

Eirriss and the others made their way to Hangar Bay 31, their designated meeting point with Dantels. After confirming their identities, Dantels escorted the Rebels to the Starduster, where Eirriss quickly assessed the droids' operational status. Satisfied, the Rebels agreed to rendezvous with Dantels in orbit after retrieving their X-wings, planning to guide the Starduster back to Yavin 4. Unbeknownst to them, one of the gang members had trailed them and alerted a stormtrooper to their meeting. The stormtrooper contacted the Imperial base on the adjacent moon of Folor, warning them of the escaping Rebels. By the time the Rebels reached orbit, Imperial TIE/LN starfighters were already en route to intercept them.

Upon spotting the approaching fighters, Antilles instructed Eirriss and Porkins to provide cover for the Starduster, while he and Darklighter moved to engage the Imperials. Eirriss and Porkins soon found themselves battling TIEs that had bypassed Antilles and Darklighter, but they managed to eliminate them, each destroying their wingmate's pursuers. However, while the Rebels were preoccupied, more TIEs targeted the Starduster. Dantels used her ship's laser cannons to destroy the TIEs, but Eirriss's X-wing was struck by a solar panel from a destroyed Imperial fighter, damaging her shield generator and hyperdrive. Unable to perform the necessary repairs herself, Antilles ordered her to pressurize her flight suit and eject for rescue by the Starduster. With another wave of TIEs approaching, Eirriss instead instructed the others to jump to hyperspace and set her X-wing on a collision course with the incoming fighters.

Eirriss perished in the resulting head-on collision, which destroyed her X-wing and several TIEs. However, her sacrifice bought her comrades the time they needed to escape. When the Empire's Death Star battle station later targeted the Rebel base on Yavin 4, the survivors of the Commenor mission pledged to destroy it in Eirriss's memory. John D. Branon took her place in the squadron for the Battle of Yavin. Although Eirriss died before Antilles and Luke Skywalker established Rogue Squadron after the Battle of Yavin, a holographic memorial to the squadron's fallen members included her as late as 5 ABY.

Despite holding a doctorate in political science, Cesi Eirriss opted to join the Rebel Alliance in their fight against the Galactic Empire. She was a skilled pilot who fostered strong bonds with her fellow members of Red Squadron. She was also capable in combat, assisting her wingmates in defeating the street thugs on Commenor. Eirriss was a firm believer in sacrificing oneself for the greater good. After Dodonna outlined his plan to capture X-wings from the Incom facility, Darklighter voiced concerns about sacrificing the Rand Ecliptic's TIE Fighters, but Eirriss countered that it was a small price to pay and expressed her admiration for Dodonna's tactical prowess. When her starfighter sustained damage during the Commenor mission, Eirriss ultimately chose to sacrifice her life to allow her comrades to escape.

Eirriss carried a DL-44 heavy blaster pistol.

Cesi Eirriss was a creation of Michael A. Stackpole, appearing in the one-shot comic X-Wing Rogue Squadron ½, released on February 1, 1997. She later made a cameo as a hologram in X-Wing Rogue Squadron 35 and featured in the third issue of the Star Wars: Empire: Darklighter story arc by Paul Chadwick, which centered around the events of X-wing Rogue Squadron ½ and included a brief summary of that story. Furthermore, she was featured in Jason Fry's Star Wars Insider 59 article, Who's Who in Rogue Squadron, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. In 2008, Hasbro included an Eirriss action figure in an "Evolutions" three-pack of Rebel pilots as part of their Star Wars: The Legacy Collection line.

Eirriss's skin tone has varied across different media. X-Wing Rogue Squadron ½ depicted her with light pink skin, while Empire 12: Darklighter, Part 3 portrayed her with a yellowish complexion. Her appearance in X-wing Rogue Squadron 35 and the Hasbro action figure both feature green skin, while the illustration on the figure's box shows a yellow-green hue.