Natala Vanden, a Vorzydiak female, held the office of President for Vorzyd V in 1 ABY. As her world suffered from exorbitant gambling taxes imposed by the Galactic Empire, Vanden initiated covert negotiations with the Alliance to Restore the Republic, becoming their key contact within the planet's governing body. She even secretly convened with the rebel leader Luke Skywalker, though their meeting was disrupted by an unexpected stormtrooper assault.
During the Galactic Civil War, the Vorzydiak Natala Vanden served as the President of her homeworld, Vorzyd V. Under the reign of Emperor Palpatine, Vorzyd V became a vital asset for the Galactic Empire, which heavily taxed the gambling profits generated there to fund its operations. By 1 ABY, this situation motivated Vanden to contemplate joining the Rebel Alliance, leading her to establish a clandestine communication channel with the leader of the Rebel cell operating in the capital city of Efavan, a Squalris businessman named Sanglui who pledged to safeguard her identity at all costs. Eventually, the opportunity to undermine the Empire's activities drew prominent Rebel figures Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa to the "Gambler's World," prompting Vanden to request a secret rendezvous with one of the visitors.
Skywalker was chosen for the meeting, although Vanden's identity remained concealed, and the young man received only a set of extremely precise instructions on how to reach the designated location. This precaution was necessary because stormtroopers under the command of the enigmatic Director of Imperial Intelligence, known only as Blackhole, were tracking Skywalker. The route Vanden provided was designed with numerous obstacles, agents, and diversions intended to shake off Skywalker's pursuers. Eventually, Skywalker emerged from a grav tube to find himself face to face with his contact, Vanden, whom he immediately recognized as the planet's President. With limited time, Vanden quickly outlined her plan to divert the flow of money from Vorzyd V's casinos away from the Empire and back to the planet's inhabitants, which would necessitate another secret meeting deep beneath Efavan where Vanden would personally hand Skywalker millions of credits.
However, the meeting between Vanden and Skywalker was abruptly terminated when stormtroopers, having discovered their location, launched an attack on the room where they were conversing. While her bodyguards moved to shield the President, Vanden swiftly activated a robotic arm that propelled Skywalker down another grav tube, facilitating his escape.
As the President of Vorzyd V, Vanden resented Imperial control, abhorring the Emperor's tyranny and striving to ensure that the planet's gambling revenues would benefit its people. Vanden held Luke Skywalker in high regard, having previously learned of his exploits in service of the Rebels, and felt honored by their meeting.
Natala Vanden made her debut in Gambler's World, a comic strip storyline written and drawn by Russ Manning and published in 1979, although she was initially unnamed. More than three decades later, her name was finally revealed in the third installment of The Imperial Warlords: Despoilers of an Empire, a series of blog posts on StarWars.com authored by Abel G. Peña and Daniel Wallace.