Stevan Makintay

Born in 25 BBY on the planet Hargeeva within the Expansion Region, Stevan Makintay, often known as "Mak," was raised in a feudal society. Hargeeva was governed by a royal family, with Makintay's father serving as the planet's High King. Makintay, known by the title "Lord," spent his childhood in the palace in Arginall City, surrounded by wealth, receiving a comprehensive education, and pursuing noble interests. In 17 BBY, on his eighth birthday, Makintay began customary training with his father's Palace Guard, becoming a skilled swordsman.

In 7 BBY, the Galactic Empire annexed Hargeeva after discovering extensive mineral deposits in the planet's mountain ranges. Makintay's father was promoted to Imperial governor, and initially, the population welcomed the influx of wealth and technology. However, these benefits were limited to the elite, leaving the lower classes largely unaffected. The Empire established a garrison and refinery on the planet under the command of Major Nial Pedrin, a former AT-AT platoon commander whose cross-training in geology made him an ideal candidate. Makintay, meanwhile, used the Imperial presence to attend the Imperial Academy, training as a starfighter pilot and developing a passion for flying. After graduating, he returned to Hargeeva and joined his father's court, where he witnessed the oppression of the masses and the injustices within Hargeevan society, leading him to openly criticize his father and his policies. During this time, Makintay met Merinda Niemeh, a Sullustan technician employed by the High King to upgrade the palace equipment. They became friends, and Niemeh served as a mentor to the young noble.

During a fencing class, Makintay encountered Ketrian Altronel, a commoner training in metallurgical sciences. They fell in love, but Altronel grew jealous when another student began pursuing Makintay, resulting in a duel challenge. Makintay intervened, but Altronel's sword scarred his face from the corner of his right eye to his earlobe. Despite this, in 2 BBY, Makintay announced his intention to marry Altronel. His father, who had arranged a marriage with a highborn noblewoman, refused to allow the marriage due to Altronel's low birth. Makintay insisted and was subsequently disinherited. As Makintay and Altronel planned their wedding, his father arranged for his son to be kidnapped by the Empire and sent to a penal colony on Garen IV under a false identity. The High King told Altronel that Makintay had abandoned her for his love of flying.

After a year in the penal colony, Makintay escaped with members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic during a raid. Merinda Niemeh had uncovered the truth about Makintay's incarceration and played a key role in his rescue. Indebted to the Rebels, he secretly returned to Hargeeva and began organizing a rebel cell. However, the population's enthusiasm led to an uncontrolled uprising, which was suppressed by Imperial forces under Major Pedrin. Makintay and a few friends barely escaped, but his involvement was well-known. He was considered a fugitive on Hargeeva and marked for death for his actions.

Following his departure from Hargeeva, Makintay found employment as a tramp freighter pilot and smuggler, occasionally working with a pirate group led by Uskgarv. He was eventually contacted by the Alliance and joined them with Merinda Niemeh. Assigned to the Starfighter Corps, Makintay used his flying skills to pilot T-65 X-wing starfighters. He once commanded a fighter squadron but was later demoted. In 3 ABY, Makintay was stationed at the Alliance's Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth as a starfighter pilot. Shortly after the base became operational, Imperial forces discovered it, requiring an immediate evacuation. Makintay was part of Rogue Squadron, hastily formed from pilots of Rogue Group, Green, and Blue Squadrons, tasked with delaying an incoming force of AT-AT walkers. As Rogue Nine, he partnered with Barlon Hightower as his gunner. Makintay and Hightower's snowspeeder survived the battle, and they escaped the planet.

After the defeat on Hoth, Makintay, now a commander, was transferred to Eyrie Base on Karatha in the Expansion Region, where he commanded Green Squadron. With Echo Base lost, Eyrie Base aided Alliance High Command in establishing a new base. However, this left Eyrie Base critically short of supplies, including food and spare parts for its X-wings. To address this, Commander Biros Baran, the base's intelligence officer, informed Fighter Command about a stray Imperial supply carrier. Makintay and his squadron leaders requested extra fighter support but were refused. Fighter Command couldn't spare the time to repair grounded X-wings, and Intelligence promised light opposition.

Green and Blue Squadrons, supported by a Corellian CR90 corvette, attacked the supply carrier, jamming communications to its TIE/LN starfighter escort. The Alliance X-wings swarmed the carrier and had almost disabled the vessel when the TIE escort returned, bypassing the jamming. Makintay ordered a retreat, but one of his pilots, Dru Gifford, attempted a final attack on the ventral engine. Blue Squadron and the corvette followed Makintay's orders, but Green Squadron delayed their retreat. Gifford's actions attracted a TIE, and Makintay tried to save the pilot, diverting two pursuers but failing to prevent Gifford's death. In the process, Makintay lost a laser cannon and barely avoided crashing into the carrier. Repeating his orders, Makintay evaded pursuit and jumped to hyperspace.

Makintay planned to delay his debriefing and confront Commander Baran, vowing never to embark on an unprepared mission again. However, Merinda Niemeh, now Eyrie Base's Chief Technician, convinced him to calm down to avoid demotion. Makintay realized that losing command would endanger his pilots, so he relented. Niemeh revealed her plan to secure experts who could manufacture replacement parts and supplies. Makintay suggested contacting Ketrian Altronel for her expertise in geology and metallurgy, and the plan was approved. A contact team, led by the Alderaanian Merak, was formed to meet her on Hargeeva. Despite Merak's competence, Makintay joined the team to explain his disappearance to Altronel, aware of the lies spread by his father and the Empire.

The team reached out to a friend of Altronel's, a person named Alikka Nolan who sympathized with the Rebellion and worked as the personnel supervisor at the Arginall refinery. Nolan coordinated with an antiques dealer named Grathal to transport the pair to the warehouse in Arginall City, which served as the team's base. Grathal met them at the Lantern Inn, and then guided them through the back exit to avoid the guards that Major Pedrin insisted on having with Altronel at all times, considering her a valuable asset to the Empire. At the warehouse, Makintay encountered Altronel and attempted to explain why he had disappeared. Altronel was enraged, believing he had fled from his father's threats and abandoned her to her fate in space. Makintay revealed the real reason for his absence and explained that he hadn't contacted her during his previous visit to Hargeeva to protect her, as he was a wanted criminal and she was safe in her position with the Empire. He persuaded her to at least listen to the Rebel contact team, but after an hour, Altronel declared that the Alliance was no better than the Empire; they only cared about what she could do for them, and she felt that Makintay only cared about repairing his X-wings. Reluctantly, Makintay agreed to escort Altronel and Nolan back home. As they exited the warehouse, Imperial troops attacked the Rebels inside. Altronel's guards had noticed her absence from the inn and learned their location after questioning Grathal upon his return to the establishment after dropping off Altronel and Nolan. Makintay tried to shield both women from Imperial retribution by claiming they were his hostages, but all three were stunned into unconsciousness.

Taken to the Imperial garrison, Makintay found himself sharing a cell with Nolan. Major Pedrin attempted unsuccessfully to force Makintay to reveal the location of Eyrie Base. Makintay's father, who had vowed never to speak to his son again, was ordered by Imperial High Command to offer his son full reinstatement of his birthright if he cooperated with the Empire, but Makintay refused. Pedrin then resorted to drugs, but Makintay was well-trained to resist Imperial interrogation. Traditional torture methods were employed, leaving Makintay bruised and with blood-stained clothing. Drugs were also administered to Nolan, but their effects overwhelmed her heart, leading to her death. Makintay held her as she passed away. With Makintay still refusing to break and reveal the location of Eyrie Base, Imperial High Command ordered him to be transferred to the Imperial capital, Coruscant, where experts in interrogation and torture would take over. Bruised, bloodied, and chained, Makintay was dragged to a waiting shuttle that would transport him to a transport for the journey to Coruscant, and he discovered that Altronel would be on the same shuttle.

One day into the journey, Makintay was removed from his cramped cell on the transport and taken to a small room where he was strapped into a chair. Altronel had obtained permission from Pedrin to speak to Makintay, hoping to persuade him to reveal the location of his Rebel base. She had agreed to help Pedrin in exchange for the Major freeing Nolan, unaware that her friend was dead, as Pedrin had claimed she was still being questioned. Makintay and Altronel spoke, and he informed her of Nolan's death, which deeply upset and angered her. During their conversation, Makintay noticed that Altronel looked ill; her skin had a greenish-yellow tinge, and her eyes appeared feverish. She attributed it to the constant hyperspace jumps of the transport, despite never having experienced space sick in the past. Makintay wondered if being stunned was the cause, but she said that a medical droid had given her an injection to counteract the effects. The pilot realized that Altronel had been poisoned by Pedrin; he had seen similar cases of poisoning among Imperial defectors who had arrived at Eyrie Base. This was the Empire's method of ensuring that personnel classified as a Class A Security Risk would not become useful defectors or healthy prisoners if captured during transport from secure areas. Regular injections of the prescribed antidote would suppress the drug's lethal effects until a full treatment regime could be implemented once the individual was secure. Knowing that an antidote existed, Makintay decided not to burden her with the details.

The transport came under attack by pirates, and a naval ensign entered the room to escort Altronel back to her cabin while the troopers fought the enemy. Pretending to have injured her ankle during the initial attack, Altronel lured the ensign closer and then struck him with a heavy object concealed in her pocket, rendering him unconscious. Altronel revealed to Makintay that the object was her new alloy, a modified form of ostrine with heat-absorption properties. This was the reason for her transfer to Coruscant, as Imperial High Command recognized the great potential of her discovery. Taking the ensign's uniform and weapon, Makintay kissed Altronel and reaffirmed his love for her before they left the room to find an escape pod to abandon ship. It soon became clear that the Empire was losing to the pirates, and they needed to find a less exposed route to avoid getting caught in the fighting. Makintay also realized that the attacking pirates were led by Uskgarv and consisted of methane-breathing Ghawems, who typically flooded captured decks with methane gas. They worked with a slave species, the Myills, who were oxygen-breathers. Both species wore breathers with their respective atmosphere during boarding operations, and Makintay hoped to acquire some oxygen breathers from the Myills. Despite her objections, Makintay insisted that Altronel hide in the ship's internal conduits while he gathered the necessary supplies. She was constantly shivering, and Makintay worried about her health.

Makintay managed to obtain two oxygen breathers and several emergency survival packs, along with some additional bruises and a shallow cut on his forehead. He discovered that the pirates had driven the Imperials off the ship and that all the escape pods had been launched. Gathering the supplies, he returned to the conduit where he had left Altronel. Relaying the bad news about the escape pods, Makintay revealed his new plan: to remain hidden on the ship until it reached port and then sneak off. Altronel disliked the idea of being taken to a pirate base, but Makintay pointed out that there was an equal chance they would take the ship directly to a buyer. Altronel's condition continued to deteriorate, and she complained of being freezing. Makintay's concern for her deepened, and he planned to seek help from the pirates if she worsened, knowing that the transport's sick bay stocked the antidote. Altronel eventually realized that Makintay knew what was wrong with her and demanded the truth. He told her, and then resolved to get her help from Uskgarv, hoping to leverage their past trading relationship.

Makintay left the conduit and found that most of the pirates, including Uskgarv, had left the ship, leaving only a few Myills and their bosses to strip the vessel. Attack ships were approaching, and the pirates intended to leave before they arrived. Returning to Altronel, Makintay told her about the incoming ships, which he assumed were an Imperial rescue force. Knowing that they would be able to administer the antidote to Altronel, Makintay planned to continue hiding in the conduits and hope that the Empire believed he had died in the attack before abandoning ship. Altronel refused to leave Makintay's side again, not wanting to return to the Empire. She realized that the ship's doctor had been giving her the antidote to keep the poison under control during the voyage, and she intended to raid the transport's sick bay, bring the medicine back to the conduit, and hide out with Makintay until they could both escape. She also resolved to join the Alliance and share the secret of her new alloy to honor Alikka Nolan's death. Makintay insisted on joining her in the attempt, and as they moved through the corridors, they were attacked by the new boarders. Makintay quickly realized that they were not pirates or stormtroopers, but Rebels led by his subordinate, Hal Dallin. Identifying himself, Makintay stepped into the corridor and confronted his friends, who had been actively searching for him since hearing of his capture. Taken aboard the Alliance corvette that had rescued them, a doctor administered the antidote to Altronel.

Upon their return to Eyrie Base, Doctor Tarrek treated Makintay's injuries, placing him in a hypno-trance and using anti-trauma de-programming to help him overcome the psychological trauma of his torture and interrogation. Despite the initial effectiveness of the antidote, Altronel's condition worsened, and she fell into a coma. Doctor Tarrek cared for her, trying various antidotes in an attempt to cure her. Makintay remained by her bedside, blaming himself for her condition. While he understood that she would have been poisoned during any transfer operation due to her security classification, he believed that without his involvement, she would have been safe on Coruscant. Convinced that Pedrin had created a new poison specifically for Altronel, Makintay decided to return to Hargeeva and extract the answers from him. As he left, he accidentally bumped into Assistant Medic Astina Griek, a lowborn Hargeevan who had been his friend since they joined the Alliance. Despite their friendship, Griek was still intimidated by Hargeevan nobility and initially refused his apology, blaming herself for the accident until Makintay insisted otherwise.

The base commander, Colonel Farland, was away at Sector Command, forcing Makintay to seek approval for his mission from Commander Baran. However, the Intelligence Officer denied his request, considering it an unacceptable security risk for Makintay to return to Hargeeva. Believing that Makintay was too emotionally involved, Baran told him that he should never have been allowed to return to his homeworld and that Altronel's condition was his fault. Enraged, Makintay grabbed Baran by the collar, pulled him across the desk, and punched him unconscious. In the hangar, Makintay realized that taking his X-wing to Hargeeva was impossible without alerting the Empire. Chief Technician Niemeh, who knew of Makintay's original plan for his entire squadron to undertake the mission, had ensured that all their starfighters were in optimal condition. However, when Makintay revealed that he had punched Commander Baran and was undertaking the mission alone and without authorization, Niemeh revealed that she had been working on an alternative plan involving a small, two-person freighter that Red Team had acquired on the planet Ongella in the Inner Rim. The Sullustan had stashed all the necessary supplies on board, including an R2-series astromech droid. Despite Makintay's efforts to dissuade her, Niemeh insisted that she would travel to Hargeeva alone if necessary.

Arriving in Arginall City, the pair disguised themselves as off-world traders delivering technical equipment to the city's industrial sector. Infiltrating a communicator factory that supplied the Imperial garrison with repairs and replacements, Niemeh instructed the R2 unit, whom she called Brain-Barrel, to slice into Pedrin's personal files to find information about the poison he had used. The droid failed to locate the information but discovered that Pedrin was being demoted for losing Makintay and Altronel and was scheduled to be shipped out the next day. Makintay enacted his backup plan, which was to confront Pedrin and force him to talk. Altronel had provided Makintay with information about Pedrin's habits before falling into a coma, including the fact that he had a local mistress and never took a guard with him out of embarrassment. Makintay told Niemeh to wait for him at the ship.

At the apartment of Pedrin's mistress, Thera Capens, Makintay avoided a stormtrooper patrol before climbing a safety exit ladder. Inside the apartment, Pedrin was beating Capens. Makintay pried the window open and stunned the Major with his blaster. Capens was grateful for the rescue, but Makintay realized that stunning Pedrin meant he would be unconscious for at least an hour and unable to answer questions. Makintay and Capens exchanged stories; he explained about Altronel, and she recounted how Pedrin had threatened her friends and forced her to become his mistress. When told about Pedrin's impending transfer, Capens pointed out that Makintay's actions would delay his departure due to the investigation of the incident. Capens realized that Makintay did not have enough time to properly interrogate the Major before his guards returned at dawn and offered to help the Rebel move Pedrin elsewhere by calling a friend with a motor-sled. Once Makintay revealed he had a ship, Capens asked to be taken off-world to avoid reprisals, which Makintay agreed to.

Makintay and Capens took Pedrin to the freighter, left Hargeeva, and jumped to hyperspace. Makintay waited for Pedrin to regain consciousness and then hit and threatened the Major, demanding to know what poison had been used and what the antidote was. Assuming that the Alliance might be unable to cure Altronel's symptoms, Pedrin had anticipated that Makintay would return to confront him. In preparation, he had a transponder micro-beacon implanted under his skin that could track him through hyperspace. Pedrin had only intended to use it to capture Makintay while on Hargeeva, but his superiors had decided to overrule him and track Pedrin to Eyrie Base itself. To buy time for the Imperial Fleet to track him, Pedrin revealed that the poison used was a standard one, treated with Trypanid. Makintay countered that their doctor had tried the drug and it had not worked. Pedrin insisted he was telling the truth.

Admitting that he lacked the stomach for a full interrogation, Makintay planned to call Colonel Farland at Sector Command and request a full interrogation team meet them away from Eyrie Base in case the Empire was tracking the vessel. Makintay was convinced that Pedrin was hiding something, as he seemed unconcerned upon seeing Makintay and learning that Altronel was with the Alliance. Capens, overhearing the conversation about tracking devices, asked how big they needed to be. Niemeh indicated a small size, and Capens revealed that when Pedrin had visited her, she had touched his left arm and felt a small, hard bump under the skin. The touch had hurt Pedrin, who claimed to have had surgery. Retrieving a medkit, Makintay removed the transponder from Pedrin's arm and then bluffed the Major into thinking he was going to allow Capens to take revenge on him for all the beatings she had suffered at his hands. Pedrin, realizing that he would have to find a way to escape and could no longer rely on the Empire rescuing him, offered his freedom in exchange for helping Altronel, claiming that he had lied before and needed to administer the antidote in time. In truth, Pedrin had no idea why Altronel was ill.

Makintay smuggled Pedrin into Eyrie Base in disguise and then directed him to the sick bay where Doctor Tarrek was tending to Altronel. Pedrin insisted that he and the doctor had to work together, stating that the Rebels were unable to detect any change in Altronel's bloodwork when administering counteragents because their computers were not calibrated to scan for new substances created by the Empire. To increase the sick bay's computing power, Tarrek left to fetch more datachips. While waiting for Tarrek to return, Assistant Medic Griek entered the sick bay, forcing Makintay and Pedrin to hide. While hidden, Makintay watched as Griek spoke to Altronel, revealing that she had administered the poison in revenge for the husband and son she had lost when the Empire came to Hargeeva. She blamed Altronel's work for attracting Imperial interest to the planet. Holding a hypo containing the antidote, Griek promised that she would not kill Altronel, as her new alloy would save Rebel lives. But once the war was over, she would have justice.

After Makintay revealed his presence in a fit of rage, Griek let the hypo fall from her grasp. Simultaneously, Pedrin seized a scalpel and plunged it into Makintay's back, causing him to crumple to the ground. Pedrin then snatched Makintay's blaster and instructed Griek to fetch bandages; however, when she brought back pressure bandages intended for Makintay's injury, Pedrin made it clear that he required something to restrain him. Despite Pedrin's orders, Griek tried to assist Makintay, but Pedrin forcefully pushed her aside. Nevertheless, the pilot managed to secure a pressure bandage, slowing the bleeding. Hearing footsteps approaching from the corridor, Pedrin attempted to destroy the hypo containing the antidote for Altronel. Makintay reached for Pedrin's leg, receiving a kick to the ribs in return, but his action allowed Griek to retrieve the hypo. Doctor Tarrek, accompanied by Niemeh and two guards, entered the sick bay; Pedrin threatened to kill Altronel if they advanced. Capitalizing on the distraction, Griek dropped the hypo onto the bed and lunged for the blaster. Pedrin fired directly at Griek, killing her instantly. Amidst the chaos, Makintay kicked Pedrin in the shin, throwing him off balance just long enough for Niemeh to stun him. Makintay indicated that the hypo was the cure, and Niemeh administered it to Altronel before Makintay lost consciousness.

Two days later, Makintay regained consciousness in the sick bay, discovering that Altronel had made a full recovery. He learned that Commander Baran had intended to punish him for striking him and defying orders, but he was relieved when Colonel Farland intervened and rescinded the orders, managing to have Baran reassigned to a safe world in the process. Despite this intervention, there was still talk of demoting Makintay and confining him to the base temporarily. However, Altronel was working to change the command's decision, offering her new alloy for the X-wings—which, when used to replace laser cannon tips, would enhance their firepower due to its heat absorption properties—on the condition that Makintay led them into battle.

Stevan Makintay was a slender and nimble Human, characterized by his long hair that nearly reached his shoulders and his green eyes. His most noticeable feature was a scar that marked the right side of his face, stretching from just below his eye to his earlobe, a consequence of his attempt to mediate a conflict between his lover, Katrian Altronel, and an admirer. Despite his royal lineage, Makintay championed equality for all, irrespective of social standing, and was regarded as an idealist. He cultivated friendships with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including the alien Merinda Niemeh and commoners like his intended fiancée, Ketrian Altronel, and Astina Griek.

Naturally gentle and affable, Makintay abhorred injustice and cruelty, and was known for his practicality and resourcefulness. As a stern commander, he displayed unwavering protectiveness and loyalty towards his subordinates, prioritizing their well-being. He took immense pride in maintaining a low casualty rate. Makintay learned the importance of patience and careful planning after his well-intentioned effort to establish a Rebel cell on Hargeeva culminated in a peasant uprising that was brutally suppressed. Nonetheless, he remained prone to impulsiveness when immediate action was required, such as when he punched his base's Intelligence Officer for refusing to allow him to return to Hargeeva. While possessing strong convictions and loyalty towards those he loved, Makintay readily admitted that he lacked the will to conduct prolonged interrogations beyond simple beatings, even when lives were at stake.

He held the belief that he could transform Hargeeva's social structure, replacing the existing feudal system through political means, and his skills and qualities were deemed sufficient to secure him a position within the Alliance command structure should he choose to pursue it. During his time with the Rebellion, Makintay frequently faced teasing about his background and his proficiency with the sword, which many considered an antiquated weapon. However, Makintay maintained that the lessons he acquired through sword training were applicable to starfighter combat tactics.

Ketrian Altronel held the place as the most important person in Makintay's life. He disregarded her status as a commoner and willingly accepted disinheritance from his family for the chance to marry her. He felt a large amount of guilt for being forced to leave Altronel when his father arranged for him to be shipped off to an Imperial prison, despite him not being at fault. Makintay refrained from contacting her upon his return to Hargeeva to establish a Rebel cell, prioritizing her safety and preventing her from being suspected of Rebel involvement through association with him. He was aware that his father had deceived her, claiming that he had willingly abandoned her to live among the stars. Nevertheless, his love for her never waned. He willingly risked his own life to save hers when she was poisoned and on the verge of death.

Makintay was trained in the use of blasters, typically carrying a heavy blaster pistol. He also demonstrated skill in unarmed and melee combat, particularly with swords, and carried a combat knife. As a skilled pilot, Makintay received training in flying starfighters—specializing in X-wings—and space transports. He was also capable of plotting courses through hyperspace and operating starship systems such as weapons and shields. Additionally, he was trained to repair starfighters and operate security systems, as well as pilot repulsorlift vehicles. A product of a comprehensive education, Makintay possessed knowledge of planetary systems and various languages, and was well-versed in the intricacies of bureaucracies. As a starfighter squadron leader, he received training in starfighter tactics and operations. As a capable commanding officer, Makintay was a persuasive individual who was also conditioned to resist standard Imperial interrogation and torture methods. Schooled in the art of survival, he could be stealthy when the need arose. Makintay typically wore a flight suit and carried a comlink.

Stevan Makintay made his debut in "Firepower," a short story penned by Carolyn Golledge for the eighth issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, which saw publication in November 1995. Golledge followed up with a sequel, "Desperate Measures," featured in the tenth issue, released in May 1996. The artwork accompanying both narratives was created by Doug Shuler. "Firepower" was subsequently reprinted on Hyperspace, where the original black-and-white illustrations were colorized. Despite "Desperate Measures" describing Makintay's eyes as green, the Hyperspace image depicted him with blue eyes.

In 2012, Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart included Makintay among the Rogue Squadron pilots who participated in the Battle of Hoth, as depicted in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. In 2013, The Essential Reader's Companion referenced Makintay in connection to the stories in which he appeared, although the text contained inaccuracies. The Companion incorrectly stated that Makintay proposed the idea of securing experts for the Alliance in "Firepower," when it was actually Merinda Niemeh who did so in the story. It also claimed he undertook the mission alone, omitting the contact team led by Merak. Furthermore, it described Ketrian Altronel as agreeing to assist the Alliance before being captured by the Empire, whereas in the original story, she only agreed after her capture. In the description for "Desperate Measures," he is mistakenly referred to as "Mak Makintay" on one occasion.