Tann, a male Human, possessed the skills of a pilot and held the rank of captain aboard the Rust Bucket. This vessel was acquired through a loan secured from the notorious crimelord, Jabba the Hutt. Tann was also the sibling of Toprawan Surna, a Rebel operative.
Tann earned a living by performing cargo runs to planets near Toprawa, until the Empire blockaded Toprawa after a rebel strike on the Imperial base that designed the first Death Star Superlaser. Stranded and jobless, Tann, an aspiring but unlucky gambler, quickly lost his savings at Seven card comet tables. Unable to meet the payments on his ship, Jabba the Hutt's agents seized it.
His sister and her fellow rebels liberated his ship, persuading the Rust Bucket's captain to assist them in escaping the planet and seeking to rejoin the Rebel Alliance, giving Tann new employment.