A human male named Janus Fhurek held the position of athletic director at the Junior Academy of Applied Sciences located on the planet of Lothal. Given the academy's strong focus on athletic programs, it was generally accepted that Fhurek possessed a greater level of authority and sway than even the headmaster of the Academy. Fhurek maintained strong ties to the Academy for Young Imperials on Lothal and functioned as an intermediary for potential recruits to the academy.
When Zare Leonis attained the position of center striker for the school's grav-ball team, known as the AppSci SaberCats, he eventually found himself in conflict with Fhurek. This conflict arose when Fhurek mandated the removal of two of the team's players, Frid Kelio and Hench Sina, before the championship match, citing their nonhuman status. Fhurek claimed that some individuals believed their Nonhuman nature provided them with an unfair advantage, but Leonis perceived this as blatant xenophobia. Leonis disregarded Fhurek's instructions and allowed the two alien players to remain on his team. They were instrumental in securing victory for the team during a crucial qualifying grav-ball tournament against the Mavericks. In response, Fhurek arranged for Kelio and Sina to be transferred to the Technical Institute for Agricultural Research, a less prestigious institution.
On a subsequent occasion, Zare and his hacker companion Merei Spanjaf uncovered that Fhurek had placed a wager on the SaberCats winning the final grav-ball tournament match by a margin of eight points, stipulating that no alien players should contribute. As retaliation, Zare skillfully guided his team to a victory with a mere six-point difference, causing Fhurek to lose his bet. Following the mysterious disappearance of Zare's older sister, Dhara Leonis, Fhurek mocked Zare, suggesting that disloyalty was a trait inherent in his family. This prompted Zare to retaliate by punching Fhurek, resulting in a black eye. Consequently, Leonis worried that Fhurek might interfere with his application to Lothal's Imperial Academy. However, Fhurek ultimately lacked any influence in this regard, as the Grand Inquisitor had taken a personal interest in Leonis's application.
Janus Fhurek, a human male hailing from the Outer Rim planet of Lothal, held the position of athletic director at the Junior Academy of Applied Sciences. During his younger years, Fhurek was a player for the Junior AppSci's grav ball team, the AppSci SaberCats. Known by the moniker "Fury Fhurek," he initially played as the SaberCats' strong-side striker before progressing to the position of centre-striker. Fhurek maintained the AppSci record for completed passes for over four decades, until an alien surpassed it a few years prior to Zare Leonis' arrival on Lothal. Following the conclusion of the Clone Wars, Fhurek voiced his support for the newly established Galactic Empire and fostered close relationships with several high-ranking local Imperial officials stationed on Lothal. As the Athletic Director of AppSci, Fhurek wielded more authority than the school's principal and became the primary contact for youths seeking enrollment at the Academy for Young Imperials on Lothal. The Imperial Academy's administration viewed the school's athletes as potential recruits for the Imperial Army and stormtroopers.
After Zare Leonis, a new student, was appointed as the AppSci SaberCats' center striker during the fall season on Lothal, Fhurek made an effort to ingratiate himself with the young teenager. During their initial meeting in his office, Fhurek emphasized the significance of the center striker as the leader of the grav-ball team, drawing a parallel to the Empire's efforts to promote development in the Outer Rim. While in conversation with Zare, Fuhrek inadvertently revealed his prejudice against aliens when he remarked that the Empire needed to determine which alien and immigrant elements contributed positively to Lothal society and which were undesirable. In an attempt to sway Zare, he even offered to expedite his enrollment process for joining the Imperial Academy. Although Zare disagreed with Fhurek's notion that the center striker single-handedly won a game, he refrained from expressing his views to avoid antagonizing the athletic director. At the conclusion of the meeting, Fhurek extended an offer to mentor Leonis.
Before a practice session, Zare visited Fhurek's office to voice his concerns about his friend Beck Ollet, whose temper had cost the SaberCats their victory during a winter match against the East City Brawlers. Zare feared that Beck's inability to control his anger would jeopardize the SaberCat's chances of success. Instead of providing Zare with advice on how to address Beck's discipline issues, the athletic director proceeded to lecture the young man about why leadership was more important than teamwork. When Zare gave a favorable assessment of the Aqualish player Hench Sina's ability to follow orders, Fhurek remarked that Hench's talents were merely brute force. Fuhrek further irritated Zare when he commented that an intelligent but undisciplined player like Beck was preferable to an obedient but untalented fullback like Hench. Emphasizing the importance of leadership over teamwork, Fhurek advised Zare that as center striker, it was his responsibility to teach his team to obey him and suggested eliminating players who could not be taught. Fhurek also cautioned Zare that a good leader should not allow affection for his players to cloud his judgment of their shortcomings.
During the winter season, the relationship between Janek Fhurek and his mentee deteriorated when the former summoned the latter to his office prior to the tenth and final regular-season grav-ball game. The school's grav-ball coach Ramset, an elderly Duros man, was also present at the meeting. The athletic director advised Zare to remove the SaberCats' two alien players—the Aqualish Hench Sina and the Rodian Frid Kelio—from the team's roster, citing complaints from some Human grav-ball fans who claimed that alien physiognomies gave non-Human players an unfair advantage over their Human counterparts. Zare protested and defended Hench and Frid, arguing that they were valuable members of the team and had earned their place. Fuhrek attempted to absolve himself of responsibility for his proposal by suggesting that Zare carry out the hatchet job himself. The athletic director also added that he did not want the school grav-ball team's reputation to be "tainted" by accusations of having an unfair advantage. While disagreeing with Fhurek's views, Coach Ramset gently advised Zare to comply with the athletic director's wishes in order to appease "misguided" people.
While Fuhrek acknowledged that there were "misguided" human bigots, he argued that Zare should not concern himself with social change but should instead focus on winning the grav-ball title. When the center striker reiterated that there was no league rule prohibiting non-Human players, Fhurek urged Zare to take charge of the team and alleged that Hench and Frid lacked the necessary capabilities to comprehend strategy and tactics. When Zare pointed out that Fuhrek was belittling his friends, the athletic director reluctantly permitted Kelio and Sina to play the following day but ordered him to remove the two alien players from his team before the final championship game. Zare rejected Fuhrek's demand and reiterated that he and Coach Ramset had spent the entire fall season training his cohort to be the best possible SaberCats team. Zare's defiance angered the athletic coach, who resolved to make Zare's life at AppSci difficult.
Defying Janek Fuhrek's orders, Zare retained Hench and Frio in the SaberCats, and the two alien players contributed to the team's victory over the rival Mavericks, securing the AppSci team's qualification for the league championship. Upon the return of Zare and his team to Junior AppSci for a victory celebration, a bitter Fuhrek remarked that he would have expelled Zare from the team if he had another center striker. When Zare ignored him and attempted to walk past the athletic director to the locker room, Fuhrek grabbed him by the arm and spun him around. Fuhrek then told Zare to enjoy his stunt and warned that the youth had no idea what he was capable of as athletic director. Making good on his threat, Fuhrek had Hench and Frid transferred to the Technical Institute for Agricultural Research over the weekend. While Fuhrek conceded that the Institute was a less reputable institution than AppSci, he told Zare that the academy had some excellent academic programs. Fuhrek's actions struck a raw nerve with Zare, as he did not have the opportunity to bid farewell to his alien players.
Later, Zare found a way to retaliate against Fhurek when his hacker friend and fellow SaberCat player Merei Spanjaf discovered that he had placed a bet on the SaberCats winning the final grav-ball tournament match at the end of the winter season by a margin of eight points, stipulating that no alien players should contribute. Using this information, Zare skillfully guided his team to victory over the Kothal Roughnecks by a margin of six points, causing Fhurek to lose his bet. Zare's defiance further angered Fhurek, who sought every opportunity to make life difficult for Zare. The following week, the athletic director issued the young grav-ball center-striker with several demerits for trivial misdemeanors. In addition, Fhurek also attempted to sabotage Zare's application to study at the Imperial Academy by sending a letter questioning his fitness for Imperial service. Fhurek's vindictiveness towards Zare even unnerved Coach Ramset, who encouraged Zare to ignore Fhurek and to remember that he was a champion.
After Dhara Leonis, Zare's older sister and a Cadet at the Imperial Academy, "ran away," Janus Fhurek taunted Leonis by remarking that disloyalty was a trait inherent in his family. In response, Zare attacked Fhurek, giving him a black eye. It took Zare's fellow player Beck and three other students to restrain Zare and pull him away from the athletic director. Fhurek was forced to apply a cold pack to his eye and issued Zare a demerit. This incident marked the last known encounter between Fhurek and Zare, who graduated on a warm day in late spring. During Lothal's summer season, Zare recounted his last encounter with Fhurek to his former Rodian teammate Frid Kelio, who commended Zare for reprimanding the bigoted athletic director. Despite Fhurek's best efforts to sabotage Zare's application to join the Imperial Academy, an unknown Imperial authority, later revealed to be the Grand Inquisitor, disagreed with the athletic director's report on Zare and instead expedited Zare's application process. Ultimately, a reluctant Zare decided to infiltrate the Imperial Academy on Lothal to locate his missing sister and uncover the Empire's secrets to aid any future Rebellion.
During Leonis's time at the Academy for Young Imperials, Captain Piers Roddance attempted to use Leonis's altercation with Fhurek against him. Cadets throughout the Academy were questioned regarding their possible participation in treasonous activities on Lothal, and Roddance brought up the incident during an interrogation session, attempting to portray Leonis as someone with a history of treacherous behavior against the Empire. However, Leonis remained steadfast, explaining his reasoning for his actions against Fhurek and providing Roddance with no further ammunition to use against him, beyond what he had already planned.
Janus Fhurek was a lean human male with a flushed complexion and a volatile temper, displaying little tolerance for dissent. A staunch supporter of the Galactic Empire, Fhurek believed that Imperial authorities should eliminate undesirable alien and immigrant elements from Lothal. While Fhurek asserted that he was not personally prejudiced against aliens and that he had non-Human friends, he still subscribed to the belief held by some prejudiced Human grav-ball fans that alien players' unique physiognomies gave them an unfair advantage over Human players. However, Zare Leonis rejected Fhurek's explanation and suspected that the man was xenophobic. Leonis's suspicions were confirmed when Fhurek's expression soured after the former complimented the team's Aqualish player Hench Sina. Subsequently, Fhurek unilaterally transferred the AppSci SaberCats' two alien players—Frid Kelio and Hench—to another school.
Fhurek was also a bully who seized every opportunity to torment Leonis after the teenager refused to remove his two Alien teammates. Following the mysterious disappearance of Zare's older sister Dhara, Fhurek taunted Zare, prompting the young man to assault him. In retaliation, Janus attempted to sabotage Zare's admission to the Imperial Academy on Lothal but was overruled by the authorities, who were interested in Leonis's talents and skills. Zare's father, Leo Leonis, held a low opinion of Fhurek, viewing him as an incompetent, small-minded thug who treated AppSci as his own "little kingdom." While sharing her husband's assessment of Fhurek, Zare's mother, Tepha, cautioned her son against antagonizing the athletic director, as it could jeopardize Leonis's career prospects.
Janus Fhurek made his debut as a minor antagonist in Jason Fry's 2014 young-adult novel Edge of the Galaxy, the first installment in the Servants of the Empire series, which is set in the world of Star Wars Rebels and narrated from the perspective of Zare Leonis, a young Imperial Cadet. According to the author, Fhurek was intended to be an "out-and-out" xenophobe, but he added that his views were not representative of the Galactic Empire. In Fry's opinion, the Empire in the newly established Canon was not openly and uniformly xenophobic or sexist, unlike the Galactic Empire from the Star Wars Legends universe. However, he acknowledged that some of the Empire's most ardent supporters were xenophobes like Fhurek.