Malinza Thanas

Born on Bakura in 13 ABY, Malinza Thanas, a Human female, was the daughter of Gaeriel Captison, who served as the planet's Prime Minister, and Pter Thanas, the esteemed commander of the Bakuran Defense Fleet. When Thanas reached the age of three, her father contracted the debilitating Knowt's Disease. In response, Captison dedicated herself to his care, neglecting her re-election campaign. Consequently, her party suffered defeat in the election, and a mere two days later, Pter Thanas passed away due to his illness. Following this tragedy, Captison chose to retire from politics, prioritizing the opportunity to spend more time with her daughter. In 18 ABY, Luke Skywalker, a Jedi Master affiliated with the New Republic and an old friend of Captison's, visited the mother and daughter. Skywalker sought Captison's assistance, requesting the use of four capital ships from the Bakuran Defense Fleet to breach an interdiction field within the Corellian sector. After two days of negotiations, he successfully secured the warships from the Bakuran government. Despite her retirement, Captison was appointed as a representative of the Bakuran Senate on the ships. On the morning of her departure, she invited Skywalker to her home, allowing him to meet Thanas. Overcome with sadness at her mother's departure, Thanas implored Skywalker to promise to care for her. The Jedi agreed, and Captison entrusted her daughter to the care of two friends, Madame Boble and Lady Corwell, as well as Thanas's extended family.

Captison became entangled in the Corellian conflict and met her demise during the climactic battle between the New Republic and the power-hungry Sacorrian Triad. Thanas's family attempted to convey the news that her mother would not be returning to Bakura. Although the young girl did not fully grasp the situation, she began to harbor resentment towards the New Republic, a sentiment that persisted for at least another ten years. A woman named Laera, from a well-connected family, adopted and raised the young Thanas. Skywalker felt a strong sense of responsibility and protectiveness towards Thanas, vowing to ensure her safety. He frequently visited her on Bakura, providing support for her education. On one occasion, he showed her a hologram of his niece and nephew, Jaina and Jacen Solo. Following his marriage to Mara Jade, he began to bring his new wife along on his visits. Thanas grew very fond of Skywalker, affectionately referring to him as "Uncle Luke." She considered him and Laera to be the only family she had left. As she matured, she developed a deep-seated belief in the Cosmic Balance, a religious concept asserting that every force of good in the universe generates an opposing force of evil. She also displayed exceptional musical talent, earning a place in the prestigious Bakuran National Symphony. Plans were made to gift her the family's house when she reached an age deemed appropriate to take ownership.

By 28 ABY, the New Republic had undergone a transformation, becoming the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, an organization designed to better withstand the threat posed by the Yuuzhan Vong, an extra-galactic species comprised of religious zealots determined to conquer the galaxy. Bakura, untouched by the invaders, lost contact with the Galactic Alliance amidst the chaos of the war. While the rest of the galaxy grappled with the Yuuzhan Vong threat, Thanas spearheaded an anti-New Republic resistance movement on Bakura known as Freedom. Comprising sixteen members, Freedom voiced its opposition to what it perceived as Bakura's constant deference to the New Republic. They advocated for the planet's independence from the new Galactic Alliance, asserting its right to self-governance. Thanas strictly prohibited the use of violence by Freedom's members, opting instead to leverage her late parents' reputations through the organization of public protests in Salis D'aar, Bakura's capital. The group received clandestine funding from Blaine Harris, Bakura's Deputy Prime Minister, who, while sympathetic to their cause, harbored secret ambitions to seize power within the government.

When the P'w'eck Emancipation Movement approached the Bakuran Senate with an offer of alliance against the Ssi-ruuvi Imperium, Freedom expressed its support. The Ssi-ruuk of the Imperium, having enslaved the P'w'eck, had previously attempted to invade Bakura twenty-four years prior, albeit unsuccessfully. The P'w'eck had since established an emancipation movement to fight for their freedom, and Freedom viewed them as a viable alternative to the Galactic Alliance in safeguarding Bakura from a potential Yuuzhan Vong attack. However, many Bakuran citizens who opposed the P'w'eck alliance joined Freedom and began to stage violent protests in the streets of Salis D'aar. As public opinion of Freedom waned, Thanas and her closest allies chose to adopt a more discreet approach to achieving their goals, slicing into government files to uncover evidence of senatorial corruption. Their intention was to blackmail the Bakuran senate into governing with integrity. Thanas and her companions began to trace a financial transaction involving the transfer of millions of credits off-world through various intermediaries shortly after the P'w'ecks' arrival on Bakura. However, an alarm was triggered during their investigation, leading to Thanas's arrest on charges of disturbing the peace and conspiracy. Furthermore, suspicions arose within the government that she was responsible for the kidnapping of Molierre Cundertol, Bakura's Prime Minister, who had vanished shortly after personally inviting the Keeramak leader of the P'w'eck to Bakura to consecrate the planet.

On the day of Thanas's arrest, representatives from the Galactic Alliance arrived on Bakura, having received a tip from a member of the Ryn Network, an information-gathering organization, that something ominous was about to unfold on the planet. Among the representatives were Leia Organa Solo, Luke Skywalker's sister, Han Solo, his brother-in-law, and Jaina Solo, his niece. Upon learning from Goure Conor, a Ryn, that Thanas possessed crucial information needed to solve their mystery, Jaina ventured to the Salis D'aar Penitentiary and was granted permission to visit the prisoner in Cell Twelve-Seventeen. Despite Solo's ties to the Galactic Alliance, Thanas found herself easily trusting Skywalker's niece and shared details about Freedom's objectives and recent activities, omitting any mention of Harris's involvement. Solo revealed that Cundertol had resurfaced, claiming to have escaped from his captors, and expressed skepticism regarding Thanas's alleged involvement with them. As the young Jedi Knight prepared to leave, she and Thanas discovered that the prison was devoid of guards. Thanas suspected that one of her friends had infiltrated the facility's systems to facilitate her escape and eagerly followed Solo into the slums of the city.

The two young women traversed deserted rooftops until Solo sensed danger, instinctively shielding Thanas with her body. When voices emanating from a nearby tree addressed the Jedi, Thanas identified them as her comrades Vyram, Jjorg, Salkeli, and Zel, assuring Solo that they were friends. The five members of Freedom led Solo to the Stack, a building serving as their headquarters, and began to speculate about who had orchestrated Thanas's prison break. While Vyram showed Solo the mysterious financial transaction they had been tracking, he detected electronic interference and discovered a homing beacon sewn into Thanas's pants. As Bakuran security officials converged on their location, triggering the Stack's perimeter alarm, Solo fled with the beacon, accompanied by Salkeli, who would guide her through the city. Thanas and the others escaped in a different direction but were pursued by security officials who fatally shot Zel.

Thanas, Vyram, and Jjorg made their way to Harris's private chambers, hoping that the Deputy Prime Minister could assist them in clearing their names. However, Harris had his own agenda, having enlisted the equally deceitful Salkeli to capture Solo and bring her to his chambers. His aim was to prevent the Galactic Alliance from interfering with his plan to assassinate Thanas and transform her into a martyr who would unite the Bakuran people behind him. As Salkeli moved to secure stun cuffs around the wrists of all of Harris's guests, Thanas kneed him in the groin, prompting Harris to fatally shoot Jjorg. Thanas and Vyram were then fitted with binders, although Solo prevented hers from locking by using a mind trick on Salkeli. Harris and Salkeli then escorted their prisoners to the stadium where the Keeramak's Consecration Ceremony was underway.

Harris forced his captives into an equipment locker within the stadium, secured the entrance, and strong-armed Solo into activating a remote detonator by threatening Thanas at blasterpoint. The bomb's pre-set explosion was intended to eliminate Cundertol, a significant portion of the senate, and Solo's family; Harris also planned to personally murder Solo and Thanas. His scheme involved framing Solo for attempting to sabotage the treaty between Bakura and the P'w'eck, and portraying Thanas as a hero who died preventing the Jedi Knight's actions. As he readied Solo's lightsaber to inflict injuries on Thanas to make the story believable, Solo broke free from her restraints, used the Force to retrieve her lightsaber, and struck Harris, rendering him unconscious. Thanas quickly responded by subduing Salkeli, pinning him to the ground and twisting one of his arms painfully behind him. After Solo released Thanas and Vyram from their bonds, they discovered that a stray laser blast from Harris had damaged the remote detonator beyond repair. Solo then grabbed Salkeli's comlink and instructed her ally Tahiri Veila to try and defuse the bomb, but the explosion occurred, throwing everyone inside the locker to the ground.

Following the blast, Goure Conor gained entry into the equipment locker. Thanas hurried out to reveal Harris's conspiracy to the public, only to find that the consecration ceremony was a deception, designed to allow the Ssi-ruuk, disguised as P'w'eck, to initiate a full-scale invasion of Bakura. She went back to Vyram in the locker, and together, they escorted their prisoners into a subterranean tunnel where the Solos and Conor were leading survivors of the invasion's initial assault away from the stadium. Cundertol, having survived the bomb's detonation, soon followed. He began questioning Harris about possible escape routes, and when the Deputy Prime Minister claimed that hiding in equipment lockers was their only option, Cundertol shot him in the head with a blaster. Cundertol then aimed his blaster at Thanas and began whistling in the Ssi-ruuvi language. The Keeramak, accompanied by a group of Ssi-ruuk warriors, approached and demanded that the remaining survivors surrender and accept their impending entechment—the process of draining their life force to power Ssi-ruuvi technology. Cundertol had betrayed his own people in exchange for the invaders' promise of immortality.

The Keeramak commanded his P'w'eck slaves to attack the prisoners, but Lwothin, a P'w'eck, shot him dead with a paddle beamer, leading his people in a genuine revolt against their masters. Jaina Solo, wielding her lightsaber, assisted them in the ensuing firefight, and despite the P'w'eck's victory, Cundertol managed to escape. Simultaneous P'w'eck uprisings aboard Ssi-ruuvi cruisers within Bakuran space quickly brought the invasion to an end, and the P'w'eck Emancipation Movement officially formed an alliance with Bakura. The kidnapping charges against Thanas were dropped, and the government hired her and Vyram to continue investigating the missing credits they had previously uncovered as part of Freedom's efforts. These credits had been laundered offworld by Cundertol to finance the construction of a Human replica droid of himself, and the Prime Minister had willingly undergone Ssi-ruuvi entechment to transfer his consciousness into the droid's body. Jaina Solo later traced the missing credits to Onadax, where the droid had been manufactured at the headquarters of Onadax Droid Technologies.

At the tender age of four, Malinza Thanas was a lively child who found joy in bouncing down staircases and singing to herself. She possessed a deep affection for her mother and expressed reluctance at her departure for the Corellian sector. Following Captison's death, Thanas struggled to comprehend the reason for her mother's permanent absence from Bakura. As she matured, her memories of both her parents diminished significantly. Despite Luke Skywalker's feelings of responsibility for Captison's demise, Thanas did not share this sentiment and harbored no ill will towards the Jedi Master. However, she developed a strong dislike for the New Republic, blaming them for Captison's death and resenting their involvement of Bakura in their conflicts. She was similarly frustrated by Bakura's ready compliance with their demands. In Thanas's view, the New Republic was a cruel overlord that held Bakura captive, forcing it into wars and galactic affairs without regard for the well-being of its inhabitants.

During her teenage years, Thanas established Freedom, a resistance movement, and actively protested against the New Republic while advocating for Bakura's independence. Her conviction in the necessity of independence and autonomy extended to Freedom's principles; the organization strived to avoid indebtedness to others, believing that independence was crucial for objectivity. Thanas aimed to objectively assess the integrity of Bakura's senators, believing that blackmailing them served the best interests of the Bakuran populace. She supported the idea of an alliance with the P'w'eck and insisted that violence not be part of Freedom's agenda, as she did not want to replace Bakura's former regime with one she deemed equally undesirable. She and her friends viewed Freedom as Bakura's conscience, maintaining equilibrium.

Thanas's adherence to the Balance heavily influenced her actions. The Cosmic Balance posited that any significant force for good required a counterbalancing force of evil, and that good deeds for some unintentionally led to negative consequences for others. Consequently, Thanas hesitated to take a stand against others, fearing repercussions from the Balance, and she did not compel violent individuals to disassociate themselves from Freedom, though she did not encourage them to stay. Thanas acknowledged that the Balance was responsible for her mother's death but was unhappy about being on the receiving end of its influence. She was also initially reluctant to assist Jaina Solo, fearing the Balance's backlash.

Thanas demonstrated unwavering determination in her efforts to resist the New Republic, impressing Solo with her ability to champion a cause despite losing both parents at a young age. She resisted arrest by Bakuran police, requiring the combined efforts of four officers and two security droids to subdue her. She proved to be an effective leader of Freedom, remaining composed and directing the actions of its members as Bakuran police approached their headquarters. Solo observed a maturity in her face that belied her youth and found her gaze penetrating. However, Solo also suspected that Thanas fought because she had little to lose, and while Thanas took pride in her resistance efforts, Solo noticed that some of her passion had waned. As she sat wearily in a prison cell, Thanas resigned herself to the likelihood of not receiving a fair trial, finding solace in the idea that any injustice suffered by her would ensure some benefit for someone else in the future. Despite her resignation, she was eager to escape her cell when she saw an opportunity.

A romantic connection existed between Thanas and Vyram, which Solo observed on multiple occasions. However, the two maintained a strictly professional relationship in public. Thanas was also close to several other friends and was deeply saddened by the deaths of Zel and Jjorg. Although she believed that her allies could become her enemies, the betrayals of Salkeli and Blaine Harris were particularly painful. She struggled to control her emotions upon discovering their treachery but broke down after Jjorg's death, openly weeping and blaming Solo for failing to prevent it. In that moment, her eyes revealed her hatred for Salkeli and her fear of Harris's death threats.

Thanas was slender and exceptionally agile, capable of leaping across rooftops and swinging hand-over-hand across power lines. She often navigated such perilous situations without hesitation. Her black hair contrasted with her different-colored eyes—a green left iris and a gray right, although both were brown during her infancy.

Malinza Thanas was conceived by author Roger MacBride Allen for his novel Assault at Selonia, which was the second book in the Corellian Trilogy published in 1995. She made a brief appearance in the book and was mentioned as an orphan in the trilogy's conclusion, Showdown at Centerpoint, following the death of her mother. Her fate remained unresolved until James Luceno referenced her in his 2000 novel The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse, stating that Luke Skywalker had sponsored her and frequently visited her on Bakura. Kathy Tyers confirmed this information in her novel The New Jedi Order: Balance Point, which was released and set shortly after Jedi Eclipse. Tyers, who created Thanas's parents and home planet, considered giving Thanas a minor role in the book but decided it would detract from the main storyline. She also hesitated to place the character in danger and felt limited by previous authors' lack of development, leaving her with little material to work with. Tyers thus limited herself to addressing Thanas's fate by mentioning her status as Skywalker's sponsored child.

Jedi Eclipse and Balance Point were both part of The New Jedi Order book series, and almost three years later, another installment in the series provided Thanas with a significant role. She was featured prominently in Sean Williams' and Shane Dix's The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic II: Refugee, which centered one of its three major storylines on Bakura. Refugee expanded on Thanas's character and personality as a teenager, significantly developing her beyond what had been previously established. A minor inconsistency appeared in the book, which stated that her eye color matched her mother's, despite the 1993 novel The Truce at Bakura indicating that Gaeriel Captison's right iris was green and her left grey, the opposite of Thanas's eyes.

In addition to her roles and mentions in novels, Thanas has been discussed in several sourcebooks, including 1997's Cracken's Threat Dossier and 2002's The New Essential Guide to Characters. She was given her own entry in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.