Freyta Smyth

In the year 3 ABY, Freyta Smyth joined Starlight Squadron as a T-65B X-wing starfighter pilot, as part of the Fourth Division's involvement in Operation Starlight. Smyth, along with the rest of Starlight Squadron, participated in their inaugural mission. This mission, under the command of Starlight Leader Lieutenant Shara Bey, involved General Leia Organa tasking them with locating the dispersed units of the Alliance Fleet after the Battle of Hoth. Their objective was to warn these units that the Galactic Empire had compromised Alliance communications and to distribute a new Trawak security code developed by C-3PO and his team. While searching, the squadron came across the remnants of the Sixth Division close to Felucia. Shortly thereafter, they encountered Imperial probe droids lying in wait. These probe droids attached themselves to the X-wing astromech droids and began attempting to access their data by drilling into their domed heads. Fearing that the probe droids could obtain the coordinates of other rendezvous points, Wedge Antilles suggested destroying the probe droids. Bey, however, questioned his ability to accomplish this. Instead, Bey instructed all pilots to activate their astromech's self-destruct mechanism and eject them. This action, however, would result in the loss of navigational data, making a return to the fleet more challenging. Left with no alternative, the droids were ejected and detonated, preventing the Empire from acquiring crucial data.

Almost immediately, the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer designated Tarkin's Will appeared and ambushed the squadron. The Star Destroyer deployed TIE fighters, which outnumbered the Rebel starfighters by a factor of three. Mart Mattin (Starlight Four) proposed that the A-wings should leave while they still had an opportunity, as coordinating a hyperspace jump during a dogfight was impossible without their astromechs. Bey, however, stated firmly that she would remain and fight. After analyzing the TIE's combat strategies, Captain L'ulo L'ampar (Starlight Three) observed that the TIEs were not focusing their attacks on individual starfighters as outlined in the Imperial Tactical Manual when possessing numerical superiority. He quickly deduced that they were being herded. The Tarkin's Will then activated its tractor beams, ensnaring the squadron's starfighters in preparation for interrogation. Evaan Verlaine and Antilles concurred that attempting to escape through brute force would be futile. Antilles then suggested a maneuver that the Rebel pilots had practiced in war games back in Rogue Squadron but had never been tested in live combat. This maneuver involved accelerating to full throttle and riding the tractor beam directly towards the Star Destroyer. The Imperials aboard the Tarkin's Will remained unconcerned by this tactic, believing that the Rebels were planning a suicidal ramming attack. As soon as the shields were lowered to pull the starfighters in, the squadron targeted the tractor beam projectors and unleashed their concussion missiles and proton torpedoes, destroying the system. With the tractor beam disabled and the Star Destroyer's targeting computers unable to lock on due to their high speed, the Starlight starfighters entered the hangar and attacked the TIE fighters and stormtroopers within. This prevented additional TIEs from launching from the Tarkin's Will.

Mattin and Verlaine used their X-wings to prevent the pursuing TIE fighters from entering the hangar, while L'ampar's A-wing guarded the interior access door from stormtroopers. With the hangar temporarily secured from further Imperial threats, the remaining pilots landed and exited their ships. The A-wings' navigational memory banks had been damaged by the proximity to the tractor beam generators, so Bey and Smyth hurried towards a group of Imperial astromech droids that were inactive nearby, while Antilles provided covering fire. Smyth accessed one of the astromechs and was surprised by its weak encryption. Bey instructed Smyth to return the astromech to an X-wing and begin calculating the hyperspace jump, while she remained behind to accomplish something else. Just as L'ampar destroyed an AT-ST walker, more entered the hangar.

Antilles urged Bey to hurry, explaining that the Imperial astromech in his X-wing had almost completed the navigational calculations and all their ships were linked and ready to depart. Bey explained that she had been able to extract valuable intelligence from the other Imperial droids in the hangar, which they could bring back to the fleet. As Bey raced back to her A-wing, it was destroyed by an AT-ST, leaving her stranded. Upon seeing this, L'ampar encouraged Bey not to give up, stating that Starlight would continue to fight the AT-STs and secure a ship for her. However, Bey recognized the futility of this plan, as staying to help would jeopardize their only opportunity to return to the fleet. Therefore, she issued a direct order to L'ampar to leave, along with a request that he inform her husband, Kes Dameron, of her love and to kiss her son, Poe, for her. L'ampar reluctantly acknowledged the order, and the squadron departed without her.

While en route back to the fleet, L'ampar, now Starlight Two, transmitted a message to the division, reporting that the mission had been unsuccessful. He reported the discovery of the remains of the Sixth Division, the ambush by the same Star Destroyer that had been pursuing them across the galaxy, and the battle on board the Star Destroyer that resulted in Starlight Leader being left behind. He concluded with the only positive news, which was the capture of an Imperial astromech droid containing memory banks filled with useful navigational data, an idea conceived by Bey. Later, Smyth's squadron leader Bey, who everyone believed had been captured, had managed to avoid capture, and escape the Star Destroyer hangar deck. Bey had found a hiding place somewhere on the large, city-sized starship and managed to dismantle an Imperial astromech droid and slice into the Imperial systems to obtain valuable information. Bey raised comms with the Fourth Division and talked to her husband, Kes Dameron, and then debriefed General Leia Organa on the intelligence she had gathered while in hiding.

Freyta Smyth was a Twi'lek characterized by purple skin, lekku head-tails, and light blue eyes. Smyth possessed technological aptitude and demonstrated the ability to bypass the encryption used on Imperial astromech droids.

During the Galactic Civil War, Freyta Smyth wore an orange flight suit and piloted a T-65 X-wing starfighter for the Rebel Alliance. She was also armed with a DL-44 heavy blaster pistol.

The character of Freyta Smyth made her debut in Star Wars (2020) 10, a comic penned by Charles Soule, illustrated by [Jan Bazaldua](/article/jan_bazaldua], and released by Marvel Comics on January 6, 2021.