Fong, a light-skinned Human with dark-eyed, served the Alliance to Restore the Republic as a pilot in their war against the Galactic Empire. He was the leader of Red Squadron during the Battle of Yavin, piloting a T-65 X-wing starfighter. Later, in 3 ABY during the Battle of Hoth, Fong flew a snowspeeder with the call sign "Speeder 3." As a Rebel pilot, Fong was recognized by his orange flight suit and gray flight helmet with a yellow visor, and his light skin.
The character of Fong originated as a tuckerization of Jim Fong, who was the design director at Galoob. This company was responsible for manufacturing the Star Wars Micro Machines toy series from 1994 until 2002. Fong's character is depicted on monitors within the Great Temple and Echo Base in the "Yavin Rebel Base" and "Ice Planet Hoth" Micro Machines Action Fleet playsets, respectively. Although the "Yavin Rebel Base" set identifies Fong as Red Leader during the Battle of Yavin, this role was actually held by Garven Dreis; therefore, this article considers Fong to be a non-canon character.