Seftin Vanik, a human lieutenant within the Resistance, was a pilot hailing from Messert. Before joining the Resistance, he showcased his flying skills as a stunt performer in a traveling aerial circus across the Messert system. Poe Dameron, another pilot within the Resistance, recruited Vanik, and he subsequently piloted an RZ-2 A-wing interceptor in various dogfights for their cause. In 35 ABY, he found himself stationed at the Resistance base located on the moon of Ajan Kloss, where he was present for a briefing concerning a mission targeting Sith Eternal forces on the planet Exegol.
Vanik played a role in the Battle of Exegol as part of an air team. Their objective was to safeguard the ground team whose mission was to demolish a navigation tower that, if left intact, would have enabled the Sith Eternal's fleet to escape the planet. During this engagement, Vanik's craft was downed, resulting in his death along with several other Resistance pilots.
Seftin Vanik, originally from the planet Messert, honed his flight abilities within the Messert system. During the New Republic Era, he worked as a stunt pilot for a traveling aerial circus that toured the system. Vanik began to question his allegiances when Messert chose to secede from the New Republic, as he maintained a belief in the importance of a galaxy-wide governing body. He eventually attained the rank of lieutenant within the Resistance thanks to the encouragement of Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot who had witnessed Vanik's circus performances and was likely drawn to his daring nature. Subsequently, Vanik participated in numerous dogfights against enemy starfighters as an A-wing pilot. He became known as "Shield Cooker" due to his tendency to fly through explosions caused by his close-range attacks. On one occasion, he narrowly escaped a TIE fighter squadron above Corellia, a planet located in the Core Worlds. In another instance, Vanik and a Resistance transport were pursued by a First Order TIE as they fled a celestial body.
In 35 ABY, Vanik was stationed at the Resistance base on the jungle moon of Ajan Kloss. Alongside fellow pilot Nimi Chireen, he was monitoring a screen at a console when General Leia Organa, the leader of the Resistance, sensed a conflict involving her son and her apprentice. Vanik, along with other Resistance members, observed as Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix escorted Organa to her living quarters, where she shortly passed away after exerting the last of her strength through the Force to connect with her son. A large group of people then gathered around Organa's body to mourn her passing in silence, with Vanik standing beside the pilot Nien Nunb in the living quarters.
During this time, Vanik also learned that the Xyston-class Star Destroyers of the Sith Eternal's fleet, known as the Final Order, utilized their main reactors to power their ships' superlaser cannons. He later attended a briefing led by Dameron, who had been promoted to the rank of general along with Finn following Organa's death. Dameron detailed the Resistance's mission to Exegol in the Unknown Regions, with the objective of eliminating the Sith Eternal forces and their fleet. When Finn presented a hologram of a [navigation tower](/article/navigation_tower] that would enable the fleet to depart the planet, he explained that a ground team would be tasked with sabotaging it. As a member of the air team providing cover for the ground team, Vanik expressed surprise and questioned the necessity of a ground team, to which Finn responded that he had a plan for them.
Following the conclusion of the briefing, Vanik and his fellow Resistance pilots boarded their ships and departed, traveling to Exegol via the Red Honeycomb Zone. Upon their arrival at the planet, Vanik and the Resistance forces were immediately met with bombardment from the ion cannons of the Sith Star Destroyers. Piloting his A-wing, Vanik executed a turn and cautioned Major Temmin Wexley to be wary of his X-wing's starboard side before flying past him. When the navigation tower's signal was rerouted to the Sith fleet's command ship, the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Steadfast, Finn instructed the transport carrying the ground team to land on the Star Destroyer instead.
Upon hearing Finn's command, Dameron ordered all pilots to provide cover for their landing. As the battle intensified, numerous Resistance pilots perished. Vanik was shot down and killed when his A-wing sustained a direct hit from enemy fire, causing the ship to be engulfed in flames. As the Resistance teetered on the brink of defeat, a large fleet of ships, led by General Lando Calrissian, arrived at Exegol. With the assistance of this fleet, the Resistance managed to destroy the remaining Sith forces and secure victory, returning to Ajan Kloss to celebrate their triumph.
Vanik was a human with light skin, black hair, and black eyes. After witnessing his homeworld being abandoned by the New Republic government, he began to question his loyalties. After quickly integrating into the Resistance, he became known as a daring pilot who frequently engaged in close-quarters dogfights with enemy fighters, a habit that his wingmates often teased him about. Following his escape from a group of TIEs above Corellia, Vanik expressed eagerness to pilot his A-wing once more. Vanik preferred A-wings due to his love for flying at high speeds. His height was 1.67 meters (5 foot 6 inches).
After joining the Resistance, Vanik demonstrated exceptional skill and bravery as an ace pilot, making him a valuable wingman. He earned the moniker "Shield Cooker" for his habit of flying through explosions resulting from his close-range hits on enemy fighters, pushing his A-wing's shields to their limits.
As a pilot for the Resistance, Vanik piloted an RZ-2 A-wing interceptor adorned with green stripes. He wore a light-colored flight suit made of undyed fabric, along with a KSE-H44 A-wing pilot helmet and a pair of brown insulated flight gloves.
Josef Altin played Seftin Vanik in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, a film from the sequel trilogy released in 2019. While the film's credits identified him as "Pilot Vanik," his surname, his first name was revealed by Pablo Hidalgo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, a reference book accompanying the film.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition, the 2020 novelization of the film authored by Rae Carson, presents several differences from the cinematic version. During the briefing on Ajan Kloss, Rose Tico informs the Resistance that her team has analyzed the Sith fleet's Star Destroyers and determined that their superlaser cannons require a substantial power source. Vanik adds that the cannons draw power from the reactors. In the film, Tico only mentions that the ships could be destroyed by targeting the cannons, and Vanik remains silent.
Another discrepancy appears during the battle on Exegol. In the novelization, Vanik warns Wexley to watch his starboard as the latter is pursued by a group of TIE/dg starfighters shortly before Wexley's death, whereas the film depicts him delivering the line at the beginning of the battle. Michael Kogge also details the scene from the novelization in the film's junior novelization. This article adheres to the film's portrayal of events involving Vanik.