Hailing from the planet of Esseles in the Core Worlds, Gabrial Atanna was a male who held the position of Esseles' senator. He represented the planet in the senates of both the Galactic Republic and its succeeding government, the Galactic Empire. This continued until Emperor Palpatine made the decision to dissolve the senate in 0 BBY. After retiring to his estate located in the city of Calamar on his homeworld, Atanna began to spied on Esseles' defense industries, providing information to the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Following his capture and arrest by the Empire, Alliance teams were deployed to rescue him, along with his wife and grandchildren.
Originally from the Core World planet of Esseles, Gabrial Atanna was appointed as the senator representing Esseles in the Galactic Republic Senate. As senator, Atanna was given the Esprix Estate, which served as the official residence for Esseles' senator. Following the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY, the Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire, and Atanna continued his role as Esseles' representative in the newly formed Imperial Senate. However, in 0 BBY, Emperor Palpatine decided to dissolved the Imperial Senate, transferring control of the Imperial bureaucracy to the regional Imperial governors. Moff Jander Graffe assumed Atanna's responsibilities for Esseles and began replacing the bureaucracy that Atanna had established.
Atanna, along with his wife, retired to a suburb of Calamar, a city located on Esseles. There, the former senator maintained a low profile, avoiding attention from the Empire and local political organizations. During this time, he secretly assisted the Alliance to Restore the Republic as a spy, providing them with information about defense industry programs on Esseles. While away on a business trip during the Galactic Civil War, Atanna was discovered and subsequently arrested by the Empire.
To rescue Atanna from Imperial incarceration, the Alliance dispatched an extraction team. Simultaneously, a second team was sent to Esseles to rescue his wife and grandchildren, who were being held under house arrest at the former senator's estate. The team successfully rescued the family, overcoming approximately fifteen guards and several security systems in the process. Smuggling them off-world proved more challenging, as Esseles Governor Griff Takel had ordered thorough searches of all starships departing the planet, due to Moff Graffe's warning that he would be extremely displeased if Atanna's family were to escape. Nevertheless, the Alliance team managed to exfiltrate the planet and transport Atanna's family to a secure rendezvous point, where they were scheduled to be transferred to an Alliance safe world.
Serving as Esseles' representative in two different governments, Gabrial Atanna demonstrated his competence as a senator. However, he displayed no allegiance to the Empire and willingly acted as a spy for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The Alliance valued Atanna's contributions, and when he was captured by Imperial forces, they dedicated resources to rescuing both him and his family.
The first mention of Gabrial Atanna occurred in Galaxywide NewsNets, a publication featured in Star Wars Adventure Journal 3 by West End Games. The material was written by Paul Sudlow and released in 1994.