Silvanie Phest, a female Anomid from a colony that embraced the Disciples of the Whills, lived before the Battle of Yavin. In 1 BBY, she found herself in Jedha City on the planet Jedha with other members of her colony when the Galactic Empire's Death Star obliterated the city on that day. While present on Jedha, Phest gathered donations for the less fortunate, concealing her form and face with a red robe and a vocoder mask that transformed her subvocalizations into understandable speech.
Silvanie Phest was among the Anomids who departed their homeworld of Yablari to join the Disciples of the Whills on Jedha. Due to her species' lack of vocal cords, Phest utilized a vocoder mask for communication, which resulted in a soft, melodic voice.
Before the Galactic Empire occupied Jedha, the Guardians of the Whills would pause to listen to her prayers at the Temple of the Kyber.
Prior to the destruction of Jedha City by the Death Star, Phest, along with others, assisted those in need along the Old Shadows near the Temple of the Kyber. When Wernad began falsely representing himself as a Jedi to incite rebellion against the Imperial occupation, she worried that his claims would lead to violence from the stormtroopers. Therefore, she sought assistance from Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus. Îmwe agreed to help and followed Phest to the Old Shadows, with the reluctant Malbus in tow. Phest listened as Îmwe spoke with Wernad and joined the Guardian as he sat down, encouraging Wernard to maintain peace.
Before its destruction, Silvanie Phest was collecting alms for the poor located in Jedha City. The Imperials routinely searched her and other Anomids on Jedha because they feared that fugitives were using their masks as a disguise.
Silvanie Phest's initial appearance was in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Although she wasn't identified in the film itself, her name was revealed in the reference book Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, released on the same day. Stephanie Silva played Phest in the film. The character's name bears a resemblance to the actress's name.