Tenk Lenso

On the planet of Glova lived Tenk Lenso, a male Human. One of Lenso's initial assignments with the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War involved his service with the Deretta Destroyers. This mixed starfighter squadron was composed of both T-65 X-wing and BTL Y-wing starfighters. The Destroyers took their name from the moon of Deretta, where they were stationed. It was there that Lenso demonstrated his capabilities as a gunner manning a BTL-S3 Y-wing starfighter.

The Destroyers were assigned to eliminate an Imperial depot shortly before the Battle of Hoth. This type of assignment was common for them, as they were partially named for their use of heavy proton torpedo attacks on such targets. The Destroyers entered the target zone before the main attack force to weaken the defenses, but an Imperial Immobilizer 418 cruiser prevented their escape after the initial strike. This capital ship possessed four gravity well projectors which could limit hyperspace travel. The squadron waited for the main Rebel strike force for what felt like an eternity, and all twelve Destroyers were destroyed during this time.

As his Y-wing was destroyed, Lenso managed to eject at the last second, but not before being trapped within the cockpit. The fighter's deflector shields were overloaded, and heavy flak and laser fire killed his pilot, leaving Lenso without control of the craft. His ejection mechanism was also jammed. A TIE/LN starfighter was lining up to destroy the Y-wing when Lenso managed to climb over his dead pilot and activate the ejection system. As the ejector seat launched from the fighter, he held on, and the blast knocked him unconscious. Although the Rebels ultimately won the skirmish at the depot, the loss of the Destroyers was a significant setback.

Lenso was eventually rescued by a Rebel medical frigate and soon transferred to the medical lab at the Rebels' secret Echo Base on the distant ice planet Hoth. There, he received further treatment in the facility's bacta tank. He was eventually assigned to the elite starfighter squadron Rogue Group as Rogue Eleven, under the leadership of Luke Skywalker. Lenso could no longer function as a gunner due to psychological trauma, including flashbacks, that he had experienced during the depot run. Instead, he piloted an X-wing with the Rogues.

When an Imperial reconnaissance Viper probe droid discovered Echo Base in 3 ABY, base commander General Carlist Rieekan dispatched Lenso and Rogue Ten, Tarrin Datch, to investigate the threat. Rieekan instructed Lenso and Datch to maintain a low-altitude holding pattern over Echo Station 3-8 and to be prepared for trouble. They investigated Echo Station 3-8 and transported Han Solo and the Wookiee Chewbacca to the area aboard T-47 airspeeders, also known as "snowspeeders." Soon after, Solo and Chewbacca located the probe and informed Rieekan that it may have detected the base's shield generator. Rieekan then intended to order Lenso and Datch to attack the droid. However, Solo dismissed the idea, claiming that there was not enough time and that the sight of overhead flying snowspeeders would alert the probe to their presence. Instead, he told Rieekan that he and Chewbacca would destroy the probe themselves. Even though Solo and Chewbacca eliminated the probe, the droid had already transmitted Echo Base's location to the Empire.

The Rebel presence on the planet was discovered due to the probe, which led to the Battle of Hoth. Lenso flew with the Rogues during the battle, with the mission to delay the advance of an attacking line of Imperial All Terrain Armored Transport walkers long enough for Echo Base's transports and personnel to evacuate the planet. Still affected by his mental trauma, Lenso chose to sit in the "front-row seat" of one of the base's modified snowspeeders rather than the familiar gunnery seat. Jek Pugilio was his gunner. Although the Rogues managed to buy enough time for much of Echo Base to evacuate Hoth, the Rebels suffered significant losses. Lenso was killed when his speeder was among the first to be shot down during the battle.

Tenk Lenso was a skilled gunner, as he had demonstrated in the back of a Y-wing while serving with the Deretta Destroyers. However, the heavy losses suffered during the Destroyers' final mission proved to be too much for him to handle. He realized that he could no longer effectively serve as a gunner in combat. Ultimately, the stresses of battle fatigue led to Lenso's downfall, as his piloting skills, which were less refined, failed him during the Battle of Hoth.

Besides his considerable starfighter gunnery and piloting abilities, Lenso was particularly proficient in mechanical airspeeder repulsorlift operation and repair, starship astrogation, and was skilled at beast riding. He also had extensive knowledge of planetary star systems.

Tenk Lenso's character initially appeared in the 1989 first edition of the West End Games sourcebook Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back. He was presented as an example of a typical Rebel snowspeeder pilot, with only his name and roleplaying stats provided. The black and white artwork accompanying the article (shown here) had previously been used in Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope alongside the name and stats of pilot Fin Danglot. Pablo Hidalgo significantly expanded the text in the 1996 second edition of Galaxy Guide 3, which included a full profile for Lenso. Lenso's newly created biography identified him as the "Rogue Eleven" mentioned in the film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. The Rogue Eleven character was first mentioned in Donald F. Glut's April 1980 novelization of The Empire Strikes Back.

Several sources have expanded on Lenso and Rogue Ten's involvement in responding to the Imperial probe droid outside of Echo Base before the Battle of Hoth, adding scenes not present in the original film. In particular, the April 1980 The Empire Strikes Back Storybook, published just before the film's May release, mentions a group of snowspeeders that transported Han Solo and Chewbacca to the probe droid's location. The September 1980 Marvel Star Wars comic adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars (1977) 39, also includes a panel showing a snowspeeder patrol delivering Solo and Chewbacca to the probe. The 2008 release of The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia referenced this scene, which was first detailed in The Empire Strikes Back Storybook, under the "Rogue Eleven" entry, confirming that Lenso and Datch specifically transported Solo and Chewbacca to the probe. This made The Empire Strikes Back Storybook the first retconned appearance of Lenso's character, albeit indirectly. Brian Daley's 1983 radio adaption of The Empire Strikes Back and the radio drama's original script, published in 1995 in The Empire Strikes Back: The National Public Radio Dramatization, also include unique dialogue for the scene, in which General Rieekan considers ordering Lenso and Rogue Ten to attack the probe themselves. In 2013, an article in Star Wars Insider 146 linked Lenso's name to one of the unnamed pilots seen being briefed by Princess Leia during The Empire Strikes Back.

Lenso is featured in the 2006 PC game Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption as part of the Rogue Squadron starfighter unit. However, it is important to note that Lenso and the Rogue Squadron unit only appear in "Galactic Conquest" and "Skirmish" modes, which are not considered part of the game's canonical storyline.

Lenso's helmet, or a helmet with a similar design, was previously worn by John D. Branon in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope and Ace Merrick in the video game Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire.