Jeela Brebtin

During the Galactic Empire's reign, Jeela Brebtin served as an Imperial Starfighter Pilot within the Empire's starfighter corps, participating in multiple squadrons and eventually achieving the rank of lieutenant. Between the years of 3 ABY and 4 ABY, she was a member of the Empire's Dark Squadron, which operated TIE defenders, and was known by the designation "Dark Two." The squadron reported to Ochi of Bestoon, the Sith assassin, and was based on the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Executor, which served as the flagship of Darth Vader, the Sith Lord. Beilert Valance, a cyborg, was appointed as the commanding officer of the squadron with the designation "Dark One," after being captured by Vader and compelled into service by the Sith Lord.

Dark Squadron was assigned the task of eliminating Admiral Tarl Sokoli, an Imperial war hero suspected of being a mole recruited by the criminal organization Crimson Dawn. The squadron, composed of five pilots, approached Sokoli's light cruiser, the Forerunner II, outside the Eriadu system in the Outer Rim Territories. While Valance gave the order for an immediate attack, Brebtin expressed concern that it might compromise their element of surprise if Sokoli was not yet aware of the attack. Valance insisted on proceeding with his plan, suspecting that the rogue general was already aware, and Dark Squadron advanced against the TIE fighters being launched by the Forerunner II.

Dark Squadron engaged the TIE fighters, destroying several during the ensuing aerial combat. Brebtin pointed out to Valance that their immediate attack deviated from standard Imperial protocols. Her commander took the comment as a compliment, stating that Imperial personnel like her were expected to follow orders. When "Dark Three" was pursued by an enemy TIE fighter, Brebtin shot down the pursuer, instructing her comrade to cease complaining. Dark Three expressed gratitude to their rescuer, using Brebtin's name. The lieutenant then instructed the pilot to use her callsign or face being shot by her. Shortly after, Dark Three was killed by cannonfire from the Forerunner II, and "Dark Four" questioned the origin of "Dark Five," who was repeatedly uttering the word "kill."

Brebtin instructed Dark Four to concentrate on the battle, and the latter pilot apologized and corrected themself after addressing the lieutenant by her name. Dark Four then engaged in an argument with Valance before being shot down by enemy TIEs. With only three members of Dark Squadron remaining, Brebtin inquired about her commander's plan, to which Valance expressed his intention to board the Forerunner II to reach Sokoli. The lieutenant, assuming he would enter through the cruiser's hangar, warned him that he would be killed. However, Valance had a different strategy and crashed his TIE defender into the Forerunner II's bridge. Brebtin doubted that her squadron commander could have survived the crash but was surprised when he contacted her shortly after, confirming that he had killed Sokoli and requesting a ride.

Brebtin was soon promoted to senior lieutenant and became a member of Squadron Five within the Empire's 204th Imperial Fighter Wing, which was stationed aboard the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Pursuer. Squadron Five, which operated TIE interceptors, was being reformed under Second Lieutenant Commander Teso Broosh after suffering significant losses in the Lyjdaa system. Before one of the newly formed squadron's missions, Brebtin was using the shooting range on the Pursuer. Broosh entered the room and requested permission to join her, implying he wanted to discuss the upcoming mission.

Brebtin believed that Broosh was going to inform her that she would not be participating in the mission, adding that her previous squadrons had not considered her a good fit. However, Broosh informed the senior lieutenant that he had also experienced difficulties fitting in, assuring her that the decision to serve the Empire was what made every member of the squadron fit in. Understanding his point, Brebtin challenged her squadron commander to a friendly target practice competition. Brebtin and her squadron participated in a skirmish against a Rebel Alliance cell. Brebtin and her fellow pilots decimated the rebel starfighters, trapping the last one in Brebtin's firing line before it could escape into hyperspace, while the Pursuer destroyed at least one vessel, an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate.

After the pilots returned to the Star Destroyer, Lieutenant Lyttan Dree complimented Brebtin's shooting, although she bluntly stated that it was the purpose of her maneuver. As other members of the squadron conversed, Broosh informed them that they were to report to Colonel Shakara Nuress, the 204th's commanding officer, to receive a briefing on their next mission. At the Pursuer's tactical center, Nuress informed Brebtin and the other members of Squadron Five about an upcoming operation involving a large-scale movement of military assets within the Empire. She then summarized the squadron's new mission, which was to escort the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier Summit to the Kudo system in the Inner Rim Territories to deliver a maintenance crew to the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Celerity, which had reported issues with its hyperdrive.

Brebtin and the rest of Squadron Five were stationed on the Summit during its journey to the Kudo system. While on board, she joined some of her squadronmates, Dree, Flight Officers Zin Graw and Ganem Kahi, and two others, in the mess hall for a meal. Graw and Kahi discussed rumors that the war was nearing its end, with the latter acknowledging that some rebels may have valid reasons for fighting. Brebtin cautioned Kahi that others might be listening to his comments, and the flight officer clarified that his point was that the rebels had initiated the war. After finishing her meal, the lieutenant went to the Summit's shooting range for some target practice.

The Summit arrived in the Kudo system, deploying Brebtin, Broosh, Dree, Graw, and Kahi in their TIE interceptors to inspect the Celerity. However, the Star Destroyer disabled the cruiser-carrier using an ion cannon and launched its TIE fighters to destroy Squadron Five. Broosh ordered his squadron to execute a fell swoop formation and protect the Summit, and Brebtin and her comrades engaged the swarm of incoming TIEs, with the senior lieutenant commenting to the squadron leader that the odds were not in their favor. The Celerity demanded that the squadron and the Summit surrender, but the carrier's captain refused and attempted to have his cruiser retreat.

The Celerity then destroyed the Summit. Broosh then announced Squadron Five's surrender to the enemy, much to the surprise of Brebtin and the others. The second lieutenant commander led his squadron down to the planet Kudo, where they landed at a mining facility. Upon disembarking, the pilots were met by a force of stormtroopers, who demanded that they surrender their weapons and explained that they were neither rebels nor Imperials. After one trooper informed them that Admiral Gratloe would provide an explanation, Dree found it amusing that Gratloe was still using his admiral rank after going rogue, while Brebtin found it strange.

Brebtin and the other Squadron Five members were stun cuffed and brought before Gratloe, who praised the pilots' flying abilities. The admiral revealed that his intentions were not about choosing between the Rebellion and the Empire, but about surviving the war that both had caused. Gratloe believed that controlling Kudo's mining operations was a suitable reward for dedicating his life to the Empire, to which Brebtin responded that he could not have dedicated his life if he was not dead. Ignoring the senior lieutenant's comment, the admiral offered the squadron a place under his command. Kahi and Graw accused him of corruption, but Broosh, intending to gain Gratloe's trust, requested time to discuss the opportunity.

Under Gratloe's orders, a stormtrooper escorted Squadron Five to another room and closed the door. Kahi believed that Broosh was preparing to join the rogue Imperials, but the squadron commander silenced him and instructed Brebtin to retrieve a knife hidden in her boot. The senior lieutenant retrieved the knife while Broosh clarified his intentions with Kahi, apologizing that she did not have weapons for the rest of the squadron. After the pilots freed themselves from their cuffs, Broosh informed the stormtrooper guard that he had convinced his squadron to join Gratloe. Pleased with their alleged change of heart, the trooper opened the door, only for Brebtin to stab them in the neck with her knife.

The squadron members made their way back to the landing field with their TIE interceptors, acquiring weapons along the way. They attacked the stormtroopers on guard, with Brebtin slashing one with her knife despite being told to only stun. When stormtrooper reinforcements arrived, Broosh prevented Brebtin from opening fire on them and convinced most of the troopers to betray Gratloe and allow the squadron to flee Kudo in their interceptors. Squadron Five then flew towards the Celerity, where they were met by its complement of TIE fighters. The Celerity's TIEs informed the squadron that they had severed their allegiance with Gratloe and that a mutiny was taking place on the Star Destroyer as a result.

As Squadron Five approached the Celerity with their newfound support, they were ambushed by forces of the Rebel Alliance, to whom Gratloe had agreed to sell the Star Destroyer. Dree was immediately shot down, to the shock of his comrades, and the force of TIEs began battling the new arrivals. The Imperial forces were soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of rebels, and Broosh directed his squadron away towards the Celerity while the other TIEs covered their retreat. As Graw assisted Kahi when his fighter was hit, the latter expressed his love for her, and Brebtin called the comments inappropriate.

Three X-wings engaged the squadron, which took evasive maneuvers to continue towards the Celerity. However, Graw was lost in the ensuing skirmish before the remaining two rebel fighters broke off. The remainder of Squadron Five then made it aboard the Star Destroyer, where they found that it had been liberated from Gratloe's loyalists. After Broosh ordered the vessel's personnel to escape into hyperspace, Brebtin assured Kahi that Graw would be happy that they had completed their mission. The Celerity then escaped from the Kudo system.

After returning to the Pursuer, the remaining pilots of Brebtin, Broosh, and Kahi met with Colonel Nuress, who informed them that the Imperial Security Bureau had discovered that Graw had been communicating with the Rebel Alliance. Kahi was in denial and outraged by the revelation, and Brebtin added that the late pilot had sacrificed herself to help the rest of the squadron escape. Regardless of the trio's comments, Nuress further revealed that Graw's contact with the Alliance had allowed the Empire to locate a mobile rebel recruitment base, tasking Brebtin and her comrades with helping to destroy it.

With a new mission at hand, the three pilots traveled on another Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier, first to retrieve two new pilots to replace Dree and Graw. The cruiser-carrier stopped above the Ryleel Imperial Base on the Colonies planet Carida to retrieve the recruits. As the trio waited, Kahi questioned which Imperial unit the new additions were being pulled from, and Brebtin guessed the 85th. The new pair then arrived, Bansu Ro and Rac Syrmo, two Imperial cadets from the Carida Academy. Broosh was unimpressed and went to speak with the cadets himself. Afterwards, Brebtin joined Kahi at the carrier's shooting range. When Kahi said he did not want to talk, the senior lieutenant replied that he should not talk while shooting.

Broosh gave a mission briefing to Brebtin and the rest of Squadron Five, detailing a plan to strike the rebel recruitment base quickly and decisively, targeting the vessel's hyperdrive first. Subsequently, the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier arrived before the mobile recruitment base, a GR-75 medium transport, and Brebtin and her comrades were deployed with a complement of TIE bombers. As Squadron Five dealt with the transport's hyperdrive, a force of rebel X-wings entered the battle, engaging the Imperial attackers. Syrmo pursued one rebel fighter that was pursuing a bomber, accidentally causing it to crash into the bomber. Brebtin told the cadet not to take shots if he did not have a clear view of the situation.

Brebtin herself locked onto three X-wings, destroying one and immediately pursuing another. As the battle continued, Kahi intended to make a risky attack on the rebel recruitment base. However, Broosh insisted that the squadron attack together and not risk Kahi's life. Brebtin agreed, adding that the squadron protected each other, calling it the best team she had been on. Squadron Five formed up and destroyed the last of the X-wings, joining the bombers in a final attack run on the mobile recruitment base. The GR75 was destroyed, and Brebtin and her comrades returned to their cruiser-carrier.

Shortly after Squadron Five disembarked onto the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier, an announcement was made about a major engagement between the Alliance and the Empire, which had resulted in the destruction of the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station with Emperor Palpatine himself on board. Brebtin asked Broosh what they should do, and the squadron commander concluded that they should await new orders, stating that they were still pilots of the 204th with a command structure above them.

Squadron Five eventually rejoined the rest of the 204th, and with the Emperor's death came chaos for the Empire as Imperial worlds began to fall to the Alliance, which reorganized into the New Republic. After two weeks on the run, the fighter wing participated in the genocidal campaign known as Operation: Cinder before eventually using the Pandem Nai system in the Outer Rim as a base of operations. A New Republic battle group then drove the 204th from the system in a crippling attack which resulted in the loss of Nuress and the already crippled Pursuer. Afterwards, the fighter wing worked to rebuild again under the leadership of Major, later Colonel, Soran Keize before battling the same battle group at the Cerberon system in the Deep Core.

In 5 ABY, the 204th began another genocidal campaign on behalf of the Empire's loyalist forces against rogue Imperial factions, with the bulk freighter Yadeez serving as its new flagship. Following the attack on the planet Fedovoi End in the Inner Rim, Brebtin joined the other 204th pilots in celebrating the late Nuress's birthday, using the Feast of Lord-Protector Jarmanidath as a cover. Shortly after, the fighter wing was again pursued by the New Republic forces from Pandem Nai and the Cerberon system, which chased them through multiple systems.

As the 204th made its way to its next target, the planet Chadawa in the Inner Rim, Brebtin was chosen to be part of a separate mission, joining a team led by Lieutenant Yrica Quell to another world in the Inner Rim named Netalych.

Jeela Brebtin was a human female characterized by light skin, blue eyes, and long, blonde [hair](/article/hair] typically styled in a ponytail. As a senior lieutenant, she displayed a blunt and intense demeanor in her interactions with others. For example, when Dark Three expressed gratitude for being saved, she corrected his use of her name and threatened to kill him. Similarly, when Dree complimented her shooting during a mission, she curtly stated that it was the purpose of her maneuver. Brebtin also exhibited a strong adherence to regulations, consistently calling out Beilert Valance for methods that deviated from protocol, instructing Dark Four to focus on the mission when they became distracted, and criticizing Ganem Kahi for making comments that violated regulations.

Brebtin was a staunch devotee of the Empire, holding the conviction that sacrifice for it was not merely symbolic. Despite initial difficulties integrating into various squadrons, she eventually embraced the principle of supporting her squadronmates as essential for a cohesive unit. Following Zin Graw's demise, Brebtin extended her condolences to Kahi, who held the fallen pilot in high regard. The senior lieutenant also displayed a fierce combat style, using her knife to wound a stormtrooper, despite instructions to only stun, and requiring Broosh to order her to stand down as she prepared her blaster to engage other stormtroopers.

Brebtin possessed exceptional piloting skills, capable of executing complex maneuvers. She was also a skilled marksman with a blaster and could overpower adversaries, such as stormtroopers, in close combat using a knife. The senior lieutenant carefully assessed her surroundings when engaging targets to minimize any collateral damage.

While piloting a starfighter, Brebtin wore a black flight suit, accompanied by a black helmet, a life support system, and boots. When not on flight duty, she was seen in a grey Imperial officer's uniform. During the mission to the Kudo system, the senior lieutenant carried a knife concealed in her boots and utilized an E-11 medium blaster rifle that she had acquired from a stormtrooper. On Netalych, Brebtin was clad in civilian clothing and equipped with a blaster rifle and a comlink.

Jeela Brebtin's debut occurred in the first issue of the Star Wars: TIE Fighter comic series. This series was penned by Jody Houser, with illustrations by Rogê Antônio and Michael Dowling, and published through Marvel Comics on April 17, 2019. Star Wars: TIE Fighter functioned as a crossover event with Del Rey's Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron novel trilogy, authored by Alexander Freed. Brebtin was featured in the trilogy's concluding book, the 2021 novel titled Victory's Price: An Alphabet Squadron Novel.