Leonia Tavira

During the early years of the [Galactic Empire](/article/galactic_empire-legends], Leonia, a Human female, was born among the general population of the planet Eiattu 6 in the Ado sector of the Mid Rim. Her homeworld had been governed by a royal family for a long time, but when they failed to prevent the Empire from establishing a garrison on the planet, the nobles revolted and overthrew them. This led to the appointment of Imperial governor, Moff Tharil Tavira, to rule Eiattu 6. At sixteen standard years old, Leonia caught the attention of Moff Tavira, and they began an affair. Shortly after, Leonia orchestrated the "accidental" death of Tharil's wife and subsequently married him. This marriage allowed Leonia to escape her impoverished youth, and she quickly adapted to her new, luxurious lifestyle.

When Moff Tavira suffered a stroke that left him speechless and paralyzed, Leonia assumed his duties as de facto governor during his recovery. Her husband's allergy to bacta complicated his recovery, but he dedicated himself to physical therapy and eventually regained the use of his hands. However, upon learning of Emperor Palpatine's death at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, Tavira used a blaster to commit suicide. The New Republic later suspected Leonia's involvement in the deaths of both her husband and his first wife, but could not find any evidence to prove her guilt. In the ensuing chaos after Moff Tavira's death, Leonia assumed his rank and responsibilities, appointing herself as Moff of Eiattu while still a teenager, making her the youngest Moff in Imperial history. The new Moff Tavira never reported her husband's death to the Empire, so her ascension went unnoticed on the capital world of Imperial Center.

As Moff, Tavira realized she had to share power with the Priamsta, the aristocratic ruling council, and had limited control over the wealthy planet's resources. She decided to take full control of her homeworld by exploiting the political unrest between the Imperials, nobles, and the general population. All members of the royal family had long been presumed dead following the noble rebellion years earlier. However, in 4 ABY, it seemed that some of the royal family had survived when Prince Harrandatha Estillo returned and formed the People's Liberation Battalion, known as the PLB, to establish a new government. In reality, Estillo had died with the rest of his family; the supposed prince was an impostor conditioned by the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader to impersonate the real prince. Tavira began a relationship with Estillo and, through him, gained control of the PLB, which she used against the aristocracy. Estillo's attacks destabilized the planet's government, allowing Tavira to steal her world's riches and blame the thefts on the rebels. Once the Priamsta was defeated, Tavira planned to either marry Estillo, kill him and become the sole ruler of Eiattu, or flee with enough wealth to start a new life wherever she chose.

To promote peace between the nobles and the people, Grand Duke Gror Pernon located the only true surviving member of the royal family, Princess Isplourrdacartha Estillo, who was serving in the New Republic's Rogue Squadron. Knowing the prince was an impostor, Estillo returned to Eiattu with the rest of Rogue Squadron to end the conflict and take her place as ruler. Soon after the princess's return, Imperial forces captured a soldier from the PLB. Tavira personally tortured the prisoner, and when he revealed nothing, she had the fake Harrandatha execute him. Around the same time, an Imperial patrol captured several members of Rogue Squadron and brought them to Tavira. Learning that the stormtroopers had failed to retrieve Nrin Vakil, a wounded member of Rogue Squadron, she executed their leader and sent troopers to find Vakil's body while she interrogated her prisoners. Although she considered the prisoners useless, Tavira decided to keep them alive as hostages in case her plans failed.

Following a raid in which Tavira seized 370 kilograms of precious metals, 2.5 million credits in Imperial notes, and 1.5 billion credits worth of Imperial bullion, she ordered all wealth stored at the three remaining royal repositories to be moved to her citadel in the planet's capital city, ostensibly to protect it from the PLB and lure them into a trap. As planned, Harrandatha's forces soon stormed the citadel. With the help of the remaining members of Rogue Squadron, the rebels overcame the Imperial forces, and Princess Estillo exposed Harrandatha as an impostor. With her schemes revealed, Tavira attempted to flee with her stolen riches. However, Nrin Vakil had survived and rescued his imprisoned wingmates. Pursued by Rogue Squadron, Tavira fled the system in a Lambda-class shuttle with only a fraction of the stolen wealth, creating difficulties for the New Republic on the planet.

Tavira maintained some influence on Eiattu through her contact with Imperial agent Count Arian Laabann, a leading member of the Priamsta, but she lost control of her former forces and was forced to ally with Kavil and his pirate organization, Kavil's Corsairs. Kavil was content working as a privateer for the Empire, but Tavira planned to seize control of his forces and establish herself as a warlord. Her opportunity came later in 4 ABY when Count Laabann informed her that New Republic Councilor Leia Organa would be attending a diplomatic summit on Eiattu. Tavira hoped that capturing Organa would allow her to ransom her to the New Republic in exchange for their help in overthrowing Kavil. However, Tavira's agents mistakenly kidnapped Organa's decoy, Winter, bringing her and Rogue Squadron pilot Tycho Celchu to Tavira aboard her pirate cruiser.

Believing her prisoner to be genuine, Tavira took her and Celchu back to the Corsairs' base on Axxila while she contacted New Republic Chief of State Mon Mothma. News of Tavira's involvement in Organa's apparent kidnapping soon reached both Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard and Imperial Grand Vizier Sate Pestage. Isard was impressed with Tavira and sent Admiral Delak Krennel to Axxila aboard the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Reckoning to bring her both Organa and Tavira. Pestage, secretly on Axxila to negotiate his defection to the New Republic with the real Organa, contacted Kavil personally to ask that the prisoners be turned over to him. However, Winter and Celchu escaped from the pirates and contacted the rest of Rogue Squadron, who had escorted Organa to Axxila. With her prisoners gone and the arrival of the Reckoning, Tavira contacted Pestage and offered to sell him her services. Pestage agreed and used his influence to ensure that Krennel allowed Tavira's cruiser to safely leave the system. Once away from Axxila, Tavira set course for one of Pestage's hidden caches to collect her payment.

Pestage's duplicity was later exposed by Isard, and he was forced to flee Imperial Center to avoid arrest. Pestage contacted Tavira to request her help in reaching Ciutric IV safely. Tavira took her cruiser to the Coruscant system, where Pestage transferred aboard from his private yacht. To Tavira's annoyance, Pestage gave the yacht to its captain rather than her, so upon reaching Ciutric, Tavira ended her arrangement with Pestage. Leaving him to be arrested by local Imperial authorities, Tavira departed, telling Pestage to contact her when he was willing to pay a fair price for his freedom. She later contacted Isard via holocomm and revealed Pestage's location, demanding a fully equipped and staffed Star Destroyer and a guarantee of no Imperial interference for the rest of her life in exchange. Isard considered Pestage not worth such a high price and offered 100,000 credits instead. Despite Tavira's protests, Isard informed her that her payment would be waiting on Commenor in twenty days, for one day only, and only if Tavira's information led to Pestage's capture. Ultimately, however, Pestage was killed by Admiral Krennel, who betrayed Isard and established himself as a warlord in the Ciutric Hegemony.

During her early pirate career, Tavira allied herself with Zsinj, Grand Moff of the Quelii Oversector, who had seceded from the Empire to establish his own dominion. After Pestage's fall, Tavira joined forces with High Admirals Treuten and Kosh Teradoc, sibling warlords whose factions operated in the Mid Rim and Deep Core. Tavira's flirtations turned the competitive brothers against each other, but the relationship proved profitable for her, as she acquired the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Invidious from Treuten around 5 ABY. She then went into hiding, only emerging for occasional supply raids. During Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic in 9 ABY, Tavira's raids became bolder, and by the time Emperor Palpatine returned in a cloned body to lead a new offensive in 10 ABY, Tavira had begun assembling a loose coalition of pirate bands around the Invidious. This group, including the Khuiumin Survivors, the LazerLords, Riistar's Raiders, the Blackstar Pirates, Shala the Hutt's gang, and the crews of the pirate ships Red Nova, Fastblast, and Booty Full, became known as the Invids after Tavira's flagship.

Adopting the title of Admiral Tavira, she provided planning and coordination for the pirates' raids. In exchange for fifty percent of the profits, Tavira selected targets and times and arranged for her gangs to participate, rotating them to keep them sharp and demonstrate that none were indispensable. On larger missions, Tavira personally led from the Invidious, using its firepower to suppress planetary defenses and defend against New Republic reprisals before departing with her share. Tavira prevented betrayal by keeping her allies at arm's length, contacting them only when planning a raid and giving them no way to contact her. Only those recruited into the Invidious's crew knew where Tavira took the ship between raids. Once pirates joined Tavira on the Invidious, they were not allowed to leave. In addition to the pirates, numerous Imperial personnel served aboard the Invidious, including stormtroopers and former members of the 181st Imperial Fighter Group in the Destroyer's three Clutch starfighter squadrons. Those who served directly under Tavira became known as True Invids among the other pirates.

By 11 ABY, the Invids had become a major concern for the New Republic, which assembled a task force—including Tavira's old adversaries in Rogue Squadron—to end the pirate attacks. However, Tavira evaded their attempts to capture her, leading New Republic Intelligence to suspect she had a spy within the New Republic. When she learned that Captain Phan Riizolo of the Booty Full was planning to sever ties with the Invids and had stolen plans from her computer for a raid on the luxury liner Glitterstar as it left a resort on the moon Alakatha, Tavira decided to use her pursuers to her advantage, leaking information to the New Republic about the raid. Hoping to catch Tavira, the New Republic set a trap but only succeeded in capturing Riizolo.

Tavira's triumphs were largely attributed to her strategic employment of the Jensaarai, a group of Force-sensitive individuals originating from Susevfi. This moon orbits the planet Suarbi 7, located within the Quence sector. Her initial encounter with them occurred when the vessel Invidious executed a hyperspace jump to the Suarbi system in an attempt to evade pursuit by a New Republic task force. Following the rejection of her propositions by the local Imperial governor, Tavira orchestrated his execution and seized control of the region. Subsequently, Tavira engaged in discussions with the Saarai-kaar, the leader of the Jensaarai, securing her allegiance through assurances of liberation from the oppressive regimes of both the Empire and the New Republic. However, she later violated the Jensaarai's trust, coercing them into her service by threatening the annihilation of Susevfi's populace should they fail to comply. A crucial element in Tavira's success in evading the New Republic was the Jensaarai's utilization of precognition, enabling them to foresee potential threats directed at her. Stationed aboard the Invidious as advisors, the Jensaarai provided Tavira with advance warnings of any New Republic attempts to ambush her forces, leading her to frequently abort raids to circumvent impending traps. Furthermore, the Jensaarai served as bodyguards for Tavira during her excursions to planetside locations following raids, where she would personally assess the outcomes of her pirates' endeavors. Susevfi proved to be an invaluable base of operations for Tavira, with the surrounding ring of asteroids around Suarbi 7 offering a concealed location for the Invidious to lie in wait between raids.

In an endeavor to locate Tavira, General Airen Cracken of New Republic Intelligence sought the assistance of smuggler Mirax Terrik Horn. Horn, acting on behalf of an antique collecting client who had suffered losses during a recent Invid raid, agreed to conduct inquiries to aid in the recovery of the stolen items. Given her autonomy from official channels, Horn could travel discreetly, avoiding unwanted attention, and offered to share her findings with Cracken. Despite the New Republic's inability to pinpoint Tavira's base, they were aware that many of Tavira's pirate factions were operating from the Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta, prompting Horn to initiate her investigation there. Sensing her intentions, the Jensaarai abducted Horn and transported her to Tavira on Susevfi. Initially, Tavira saw little value in keeping Horn alive, but the Saarai-kaar intervened; Horn was the spouse of Rogue Squadron pilot and Jedi trainee Corran Horn, and the grandson of Corellian Jedi Knight Nejaa Halcyon. Halcyon had eliminated the Jensaarai's founder, Nikkos Tyris, after he succumbed to the dark side of the Force during the Clone Wars. Anticipating Corran Horn's pursuit of his wife, the Saarai-kaar prepared for his arrival. Meanwhile, the capture of a New Republic operative on Nal Hutta signaled that the Invids' presence there was compromised, leading the various pirate groups to commence relocation efforts towards Courkrus within the Khuiumin system.

Two months following Mirax Terrik Horn's abduction, Tavira attacked the Tinta Lines starships Tinta Rainbow and Tinta Palette. Invid pirates had already infiltrated the crews of the targeted vessels, anticipating minimal resistance. However, Corran Horn, aboard the Tinta Palette, eliminated two of the pirates before departing with several passengers aboard the shuttle Tinta Blue Seven. Three Clutch starfighters from the Invidious detached from the primary assault to intercept the fleeing shuttle. Tavira herself hailed the shuttle, demanding its crew's surrender, but the New Republic pilot skillfully evaded the pirates long enough to initiate a jump to hyperspace. The sensor data obtained from the stolen shuttle enabled Horn to identify one of Tavira's support vessels as the Backstab, which he subsequently traced back to the Khuiumin Survivors, leading him to the Khuiumin system. Upon arrival, he integrated himself with the Survivors under the alias Jenos Idanian in an attempt to approach Tavira and ascertain his wife's whereabouts.

Over the ensuing months, Tavira orchestrated several more raids with the Invids. On one occasion, Tavira tasked Shala the Hutt's gang with acquiring a shipment of spice from the planet Kessel, while the Invidious and the Khuiumin Survivors attacked an alternate target. However, shortly after their arrival, Tavira's Jensaarai advisors detected a threat to Shala's forces. With minimal resistance encountered at her designated target, Tavira opted to assist Shala, leaving the Survivors to manage any local opposition. The Invidious entered the Kessel system shortly after Shala's forces engaged with a patrol of three New Republic corvettes. The arrival of the Star Destroyer shifted the balance in favor of the Invids, with the pirates inflicting substantial damage on the corvette Freedom of Sullust before the New Republic vessels retreated from the system. This swift rescue of Shala's forces from an unexpected encounter with the authorities bolstered Tavira's reputation among both the pirates and the New Republic.

Subsequently, Tavira led the Invids in an assault on the planet Xa Fel in the Kanchen sector, the location of a facility producing starship hyperdrives for Kuat Drive Yards. Tavira aimed to seize these hyperdrives and sell them to her contacts among the Imperial warlords. Leaving nothing to chance, Tavira assembled a formidable task force for the mission, comprising corvettes, bulk cruisers, and multiple Clutch starfighter squadrons accompanying the Invidious. To augment her starfighter forces, Tavira permitted the Khuiumin Survivors' Bolt, Hawk, and Rock Squadrons to travel aboard the Invidious, pairing each with her own Blade, Saber, and Pike Squadrons. Unbeknownst to Tavira, the New Republic was also dispatching a task force to Xa Fel, consisting of a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, a Victory II-class Star Destroyer, an Interdictor-class cruiser, and several support vessels, including Rogue Squadron's X-wing starfighters, in a surprise raid intended to penalize Kuat Drive Yards for their failure to mitigate pollution from their facility. As the New Republic forces were not anticipating the Invids' arrival, the Jensaarai failed to detect the impending threat, leaving Tavira without warning before her ships were prematurely pulled out of hyperspace by the Interdictor's gravity well projectors. The New Republic forces responded swiftly, moving to intercept the pirates. With the Interdictor preventing a return to hyperspace, Tavira launched her starfighters to provide cover while the larger vessels retreated to a safer distance. The Survivors evaded the elite Rogue Squadron, utilizing their ion cannons to disable the other New Republic fighters. However, Colonel [Lamner], commander of the Invidious's squadrons, chose to engage Rogue Squadron directly, resulting in significant losses among Tavira's pilots, including Lamner himself. Eventually, the Invidious broke free of the gravity well, and Tavira recalled the remaining fighters before jumping out of the system.

Following the engagement, Tavira inspected the surviving pilots in the Invidious's hangar. She commended Captain Tyresi Gurtt of Bolt Squadron for disabling the New Republic fighters, a tactic that compelled the New Republic capital ships to halt and retrieve their pilots rather than pursue the pirates, and promoted her to colonel to succeed Lamner. Gurtt informed Tavira that the strategy had been initially suggested by Rock Squadron pilot Jenos Idanian, who had also been responsible for intercepting a pair of torpedoes aimed at the Invidious. Impressed by Horn's performance and unaware of his true identity, Tavira appointed him to replace Gurtt as captain of Bolt Squadron. This decision was met with objection from Bolt Squadron pilot Remart Sasyru, who informed her that the Survivors required pilots to be voted into Bolt Squadron and nominated himself as a candidate to lead it. Tavira responded with a swift strike from her quirt, suggesting that she had alternative plans for Sasyru. To appease the pirates, she permitted a quick vote, in which Horn was unanimously chosen to lead the Bolts, before departing with Gurrt.

During the Xa Fel engagement, the Jensaarai aboard the Invidious sensed the presence of another Force user. In the month following the battle, Tavira and her advisors visited Courkrus on several occasions to interrogate the pilots involved in an effort to uncover the identity of a potential Jedi spy. When she and Jacob Nive, leader of the Khuiumin Survivors, questioned Horn, the Jedi redirected her suspicions away from him by suggesting that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, a former member of Rogue Squadron, may have been present with the squadron at the battle. The pilot's familiarity with Rogue Squadron's history impressed Tavira, and the two began to engage in flirtatious banter. Although Tavira was drawn to Horn, when he rebuffed her advances, stating his desire to focus on his flying, she struck him with her quirt for his audacity. The Jensaarai detected no deception in Horn, and the pilot was permitted to leave. While still on Courkrus, Tavira resolved to incite jealousy in Horn by announcing her intention to take Sasyru as her new lover following the pirates' next mission.

Tavira's subsequent target was Kerilt, the innermost planet of the Algaran system and home to one of the largest Caamasi Remnant communities in the galaxy. The Invids arrived in the system to discover the Thalassian slaver Kaloth-style battlecruiser Harmzuay in orbit of the planet, conducting a raid to acquire slaves from the colony below. Unwilling to allow the slavers to seize her prize, Tavira opened fire on the slaver vessel. The Thalassians quickly realized that they were no match for the Invidious and attempted to flee, but Tavira showed no mercy, swiftly destroying the Harmzuay. As the Invid fighters entered the planet's atmosphere, Horn reported to Tavira that the planet's warehouses were full and the natives appeared to have evacuated. Content to leave the Caamasi undisturbed provided they did not interfere, Tavira dispatched assault shuttles to commence loading the cargo.

While on Kerilt, some members of Bolt Squadron, including Sasyru, attempted to steal from a group of Caamasi. Their actions were interrupted by Horn, leading to a confrontation in which Horn severely beat Sasyru and, inadvertently, secured the services of the Caamasi Elegos A'Kla as his servant. Following the altercation, Tavira's security officers separated the involved parties and brought them aboard the Invidious for interrogation. After her interrogators had spoken to both sides, Tavira had Sasyru executed for disobeying orders and assaulting a superior officer, then went to see Horn. Tavira had anticipated Horn to kill Sasyru to eliminate a rival for her affections. However, she now surmised that he had provoked Sasyru into a fight, knowing that she would be compelled to kill him, in order to punish her for choosing Sasyru over Horn. Despite Horn's denial, Tavira was convinced and offered him the opportunity to become her new consort, granting him a month to decide and to come to her willingly.

Horn, however, harbored alternative intentions. Disguising himself in Jedi robes, he initiated a successful campaign of terror aimed at driving Tavira's pirates away from Courkrus. Tavira's reliance on one-way communication with the pirates left her unaware of events on Courkrus for extended periods. By the time she next dispatched a ship to the planet, three weeks after the raid on Kerilt, Shala the Hutt was deceased, the Fastblast had fled, and desertions had significantly depleted the ranks of the Blackstar Pirates, LazerLords, and the crew of the Red Nova. The presence of a Jedi on Courkrus convinced Tavira that the New Republic was launching a major offensive to stop her. Within a day of the messenger's return to the Invidious, she traveled to Courkrus to assess the situation. After locating Horn, she granted him one week to regain control of the situation and rally the pirates against the Jedi. She also instructed him to kill Jacob Nive, whose confidence had been undermined by the Jedi's attacks, and to assume personal command of the Survivors.

Tavira returned to her headquarters in the former governor's palace on Susevfi, leaving a contingent of Jensaarai on Courkrus to hunt for the Jedi. Following her departure, Horn managed to capture one of the Jensaarai, who revealed that Horn's wife was being held in Tavira's palace. Enlisting the assistance of A'Kla, Luke Skywalker, and Rogue Squadron pilot Ooryl Qrygg, Horn infiltrated the palace and rescued Mirax. Upon learning of the intruders, Tavira employed a near-life-size hologram to confront them as they made their escape. The admiral was incensed to discover that Idanian was actually Horn and that he had been responsible for the events on Courkrus, but Horn threatened that they would be coming for her next. Having lost control of the situation on the moon, Tavira fled in a shuttle before her enemies could reach her and returned to the Invidious, intending to use it to destroy the palace in order to prevent Horn's escape. However, the Star Destroyer was intercepted by Rogue Squadron, the Khuiumin Survivors—who had agreed to assist Horn in exchange for a fresh start in the New Republic—and Mirax's father, Booster Terrik, aboard the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Errant Venture. As the two sides clashed in orbit, Horn used a powerful mind trick to frighten Tavira into believing that a large New Republic fleet, including the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Lusankya and the recently destroyed superweapon, the Sun Crusher, was arriving in the vicinity. Convinced that the Jedi had lured her into a trap, Tavira fled into hyperspace. Although Tavira escaped, the Jensaarai were freed from her service, leaving her without her ability to evade the New Republic.

In her youth, Leonia Tavira possessed a slender physique, short black hair with silver streaks—roughly cut during her early pirate days—and piercing violet eyes. By the time she led the Invids, Tavira's hair had grown longer, and she had developed a fuller, though still petite, figure. Her diminutive stature and taut, pale skin gave her a youthful appearance, yet she exuded a confidence that belied her age. Tavira was acutely aware of her attractiveness and frequently exploited her looks to manipulate men for personal gain. At the age of sixteen, she initiated an affair with Moff Tharil Tavira, content with the subsequent loveless marriage that afforded her an opulent lifestyle and an escape from the poverty of her youth. She later manipulated the false Prince Harrandatha Estillo, feigning affection while utilizing his People's Liberation Battalion to attack the Priamsta, enabling her to pilfer much of Eiattu's wealth. Tavira was long suspected of orchestrating the death of her husband—as well as his first wife—and contemplated marrying Estillo and then killing him in order to rule as his widow. After fleeing to Susevfi, Tavira attempted to seduce the local Moff and killed him when he rejected her.

Tavira's proclivity for male companionship was widely known among the Invids, and becoming her consort was one of the few avenues for joining the Invidious's crew. When Corran Horn infiltrated the Invids, Tavira found herself drawn to him. However, she instead designated Remart Sasyru as her next consort, anticipating that Horn would find a way to prove his worth to her. Following Horn's altercation with Sasyru on Kerilt, Tavira executed Sasyru for insubordination, believing that Horn had turned her manipulation against her, forcing her to eliminate his rival on his behalf. Tavira contemplated threatening the Khuiumin Survivors to compel Horn to join her, but instead promised to help him avenge a fictional former lover if he would give himself freely to her.

Tavira was an astute woman, characterized by ambition, opportunism, and deceit. She never plotted against her husband, but was quick to capitalize on his stroke to seize control of Eiattu. Recognizing the waning of Imperial power during her tenure as Moff, Tavira manipulated both the Priamsta and People's Liberation Battalion to maintain her control. She plotted to ransom Leia Organa and Tycho Celchu to the New Republic in order to secure their support in overthrowing Kavil as leader of the Corsairs, and later betrayed Sate Pestage to Ysanne Isard when his payment for her services fell short of her expectations. As leader of the Invid pirates, Tavira initially gained the trust of the Jensaarai, then coerced them into servitude by threatening the people of Susevfi. Tavira did not take kindly to being crossed; she harbored a longstanding grudge against Rogue Squadron, whom she blamed for her downfall on Eiattu, and she betrayed Phan Riizolo to the New Republic when he attempted to break away from the Invids. She was also known to personally torture prisoners.

While leading the Invids, Tavira quickly mastered the art of managing her pirate fleet. She recognized talent among her subordinates and dispensed promotions based on skill and initiative. She ensured that her pirates could not lead the New Republic to her by initiating all contact and not revealing her location, although Corran Horn was able to exploit this one-way communication to scare away many pirates on Courkrus before she could respond. Tavira perceived herself as a significant threat to the New Republic, believing that they would deploy all available resources to neutralize her. Horn ultimately capitalized on this belief, using the Force to convince her that a large New Republic fleet was present at Susevfi, prompting her to flee.

Leonia Tavira was conceived by Michael Stackpole for the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron comic series. Her debut occurred in the second issue of The Warrior Princess story arc, published on December 1, 1996, and she subsequently appeared in 1998's Masquerade and Mandatory Retirement story arcs. Tavira's narrative was further developed in Stackpole's 1998 novel, I, Jedi.

In the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron series, Tavira is identified as holding the rank of Moff, but depictions of her in The Warrior Princess and Mandatory Retirement portray her with the rank insignia of a Grand Moff, as worn by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. In Star Wars Handbook 1: X-Wing Rogue Squadron, Tavira is depicted with the rank insignia of an Imperial admiral, the rank she holds during the events of I, Jedi.