Smikes, a reticent human male pilot serving in the Alliance to Restore the Republic's Corona Squadron, found himself permanently stationed aboard the MC80 Liberty Type Heavy Star Cruiser Liberty, after which his squadron commenced reconnaissance flights. Following a mission to the planet D'Qar, Smikes dedicated time to maintaining his T-65B X-wing starfighter within the hangar. In the time leading up to the Battle of Endor, the squadron undertook a scouting mission within the Hudalla system. To conceal themselves, Smikes and his comrades anchored their ships to asteroids to observe the Imperial fleet's buildup in the system. Their presence was discovered, leading to a confrontation with a patrol of four TIE/ln space superiority starfighters, including Ciena Ree and Nash Windrider, during which Smikes was shot down and perished as the rest of his squadron jumped to hyperspace.
His squadronmates knew Smikes to be a reserved, pessimistic, and consistently irritable individual. Nevertheless, he demonstrated bravery and friendliness, identifying as a "realist." Corona Leader, the Contessa, once remarked on Smikes's honesty in acknowledging the unpleasant realities of their situation, to which Smikes retorted that warfare held no enjoyment.
Smikes made his initial appearance in Lost Stars, a canon novel published in 2015 and authored by Claudia Gray.