Panha, a Chiss explorer (of the female persuasion), lived during the Yuuzhan Vong War. This conflict engulfed the entire galaxy, beginning in 25 ABY with the Yuuzhan Vong species' assault on the Outer Rim Territories. Panha, in partnership with the Wookiee named Sarkkin, operated their starship, the Pythea, as its only two crewmembers. Early in 25 ABY, they intercepted a message from the last survivor of a race recently decimated. This survivor warned the galaxy about the Yuuzhan Vong's arrival, a name Panha recognized from a previous attack on her own people.
Understanding the galaxy's peril, Panha and Sarkkin steered their ship toward the nearest world, Artorias, intending to warn them about the approaching Yuuzhan Vong armada. She barely managed to contact the planet's communication center, alerting the lone monitor to the incoming warfleet, before a Yuuzhan Vong yorik-vec assault cruiser disabled the Pythea and sent boarding troops. During the ensuing fight, Sarkkin suffered severe injuries. Although Panha and her Wookiee companion were able to kill all of the Yuuzhan Vong warriors, they chose to inflict damage on the Yuuzhan Vong fleet rather than be captured. The explorer then piloted the Pythea directly into the front of an approaching Miid ro'ik cruiser, sacrificing both herself and Sarkkin.
Panha was a female explorer of the Chiss species, a species that had previously fought the Far Outsiders, a warlike and aggressive group. As an explorer in her adult years, Panha, along with her Wookiee partner Sarkkin, was accustomed to piloting the Pythea, the exploratory starship they used for travel. Together, the two explorers journeyed throughout the galaxy. Panha and her fellow explorer shared a friendly relationship and a home.
During the opening months of 25 ABY, Panha and Sarkkin were exploring the galaxy in the Outer Rim Territories aboard the Pythea. On one occasion, the Chiss explorer entered the vessel's bridge and found the pilot's chair empty, even though Sarkkin was supposed to be flying. After calling out his name and discovering that the Wookiee was in the bridge's small communications center, Panha climbed the ladder to join him, playfully making fun of the smell she had noticed over the past few days.
Sarkkin had been trying to boost a weak communications signal that the Pythea's array had picked up in order to receive the message. Once he succeeded, Panha stood silently beside the Wookiee as an unidentified warrior began to describe his species' culture and history. The unknown speaker explained that his race's society was centered around martial conflict and warfare, but these cultural aspects were insignificant against the overwhelming invading force known as the Yuuzhan Vong. The warrior's species had been devastated in the attack, and he urged anyone receiving the message to flee the oncoming Yuuzhan Vong invasion force, as fighting them was futile.
Upon recognizing the name Yuuzhan Vong, Panha rushed to the pilot controls, ignoring Sarkkin's confused questions. She took control and powered up the engines, telling Sarkkin to check the long-range scanners in case the Yuuzhan Vong were closer than anticipated. Sarkkin quickly informed her that a large mobile mass was on the scanners, which Panha confirmed was a Yuuzhan Vong armada. Realizing that worlds in the path of the fleet needed to be warned, Panha asked Sarkkin to provide data on the closest inhabited world. When the Wookiee replied that Artorias was the closest planet but too far for communication, Panha stated that they would need to move closer, despite the danger of placing themselves in the armada's path.
As Panha and Sarkkin piloted the Pythea toward Artorias, the Yuuzhan Vong fleet continued its course. Panha explained that warning the inhabitants of Artorias about the imminent threat to their existence was more important than their own safety. However, the Yuuzhan Vong fleet dispatched several vessels, including a miid ro'ik cruiser, to intercept the Pythea. Realizing that escape was impossible, Panha asked Sarkkin to reroute power to the communications system so they could warn Artorias before their destruction.
The Yuuzhan Vong force closed in, and Panha desperately tried to contact Artorias but received no response. A yorik-vec assault cruiser fired a plasma burst at the Pythea, breaching the starship's hull. Just as Sarkkin reported the damage, an individual on Artorias finally responded. Panha quickly informed him about the approaching invasion fleet and its previous conquests, urging him to evacuate. The individual gratefully wished her luck on behalf of the planet's populace. Panha and Sarkkin then turned to the pressing issue of the Yuuzhan Vong warriors who had boarded the Pythea. As the warriors approached the bridge, Panha drew her blaster, while Sarkkin prepared to attack with brute strength.
During the brief skirmish, Panha managed to take down several Yuuzhan Vong warriors, but Sarkkin was stabbed through the midsection with an amphistaff. The two explorers realized that the Yuuzhan Vong were trying to capture them alive. In the end, the entire enemy boarding party was defeated, but Sarkkin lay badly wounded among the slain warriors. All the while, the Yuuzhan Vong cruiser drew closer to the starship. The two friends agreed that they would not be captured. Leaving Sarkkin wounded, Panha took the controls for the last time and drove the starship into the front of the Yuuzhan Vong cruiser, immolating herself and Sarkkin along with the Pythea.
Panha was a selfless individual who risked her life and ultimately sacrificed it to warn strangers of imminent danger. Aware of the Yuuzhan Vong's threat, she acted quickly and decisively to alert Artorias, while also remaining practical about her and Sarkkin's situation. Rather than face capture, Panha chose to fight a numerically superior enemy before sacrificing herself and her companion to inflict greater damage.
The explorer had a friendly relationship with Sarkkin, playfully teasing him about his personal hygiene and his tendency to leave the controls during their exploratory travels aboard the Pythea. She cared for the Wookiee, and they knew each other well enough to agree on their final course of action. Although Panha was an explorer, she did have a place she called home.
On February 7, 2009, the official Star Wars website announced that Dark Horse Comics would be releasing a new comic series called Star Wars: Invasion, which would focus on the events of the Yuuzhan Vong War, previously covered in Del Rey's nineteen-book New Jedi Order series. The comic was released in July of the same year, with two eight-page previews released online in May and June as a prelude. The first installment, Invasion 0, Part 1, was released on May 8 and introduced Panha and her companion Sarkkin. Panha's role in the series was brief, as the second half of the sixteen-page comic featured the two explorers' suicidal sacrifice.
In the comic, Panha was drawn by artist Colin Wilson and colored by Wes Dzioba.