The individual known as The Contessa was an alias for a human female who fought for the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. She was born into a noble family, but her homeworld was seized by the Galactic Empire, resulting in her family's death. She joined the rebellion and became a skilled starfighter pilot, coordinating the fragmented alliance's starfighter defenses following the Battle of Hoth aftermath. As the leader of Corona Squadron she led her squadron through numerous missions across the galaxy, culminating in the Battle of Endor. After the Empire's defeat at Endor and the apparent demise of Emperor Palpatine, the Contessa departed the Rebel Alliance to pursue the presidency of her homeworld.
The human female who would become known as "the Contessa" was born into the ruling family of a planet located somewhere in the galaxy. Her family, who had governed the planet for centuries, lived in a palace, and their decisions were absolute.
Eventually, during the Imperial Era, the Galactic Empire dispatched an ambassador to the planet, but the Contessa's family dismissed her, not anticipating any further consequences from the visit. However, within five years, the Empire had killed all of the Contessa's family members and enslaved their former subjects, who had initially viewed the Empire as liberators.
Having escaped the Empire, the Contessa became a pilot within the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and the commander of Corona Squadron, which piloted T-65B X-wing starfighters. In the wake of the Battle of Hoth, where the Alliance was compelled to abandon its hidden Echo Base, she faced the challenge of rebuilding her squadron, which had fought at Hoth and was now based on the MC80 Star Cruiser Liberty. Furthermore, Mon Mothma tasked her with organizing the starfighter defense of the Alliance Fleet's Rendezvous Point Delta-Three, which was at risk of being discovered by pirates operating from the Vosch Cluster. The Contessa assigned Wedge Antilles, formerly Rogue Three, to assemble a makeshift squadron from the understrength starfighter complement to neutralize the pirate threat.
Under her guidance, Antilles formed a group of Rogue Squadron veterans, rookies, and troublemakers to form a reformed Red Squadron. Antilles' squadron successfully attacked the pirates before their location was compromised. Although Imperial forces eventually discovered the rendezvous point, the delay secured by Red Squadron's actions allowed stragglers, including the Millennium Falcon, to reach the fleet, enabling their eventual escape.
Despite the rebel fleet's safe relocation to a backup rendezvous point, the Liberty and Corona Squadron did not accompany them. Instead, the newly-reformed group, including pilots Thane Kyrell, Yendor, Kendy Idele and Smikes, embarked on a series of reconnaissance missions for the Alliance. Investigating intelligence reports of massive material processing operation for the Imperial Starfleet, the squadron charted D'Qar, which would later become a deep space cache and outpost for the Rebellion and later, the Resistance.
Responding to an unusual level of Imperial activity, Admiral Gial Ackbar personally assigned Corona Squadron a scouting mission to the Hudalla system. Despite operating on minimal power and concealing themselves within Hudalla's planetary rings, the Contessa and her wingmates attracted the attention of the massing Imperial fleet and were compelled to fight their way out of the star system, losing Corona Three, Smikes, in the process.
The Contessa commanded Corona Squadron at the Battle of Endor, tasked with providing cover for Red, Gold, Green, and Gray Squadrons as their fighter groups penetrated the second Death Star. However, the attack was disrupted when it became clear that the strike team deployed several days earlier had failed to disable the shield generator on the Forest Moon. Furthermore, it became apparent that the Death Star was operational when it destroyed the Liberty, Corona's operational base. Following the instructions of General Lando Calrissian, who was leading the starfighter assault, the Contessa and Corona Squadron closed in on the Star Destroyer flotilla to draw Imperial fire away from the rebellion's cruisers.
During the battle, the Contessa identified the Imperial Star Destroyer Subjugator and ordered her squadron to target the engines, damaging at least one. As the signal was received that the shield had finally been deactivated, the squadron resumed its original mission, preventing TIE fighters from entering the station's superstructure until Calrissian's starfighters struck the main reactor. With the station destroyed, the rebellion had effectively won the battle.
After this pivotal battle, the Contessa resigned from Corona Squadron and the Alliance Military. By 5 ABY, she had returned to her homeworld to compete for the presidency.
The Contessa was a human female characterized by black hair and dark eyes. She was a wise leader, guiding her squadron through numerous engagements. She longed for her family and her homeworld as they had been before the Empire's arrival. While she hoped that her family had governed her homeworld effectively, she was prepared to acknowledge that this might not have been the case.
The Contessa was a proficient starfighter pilot, having survived some of the most intense battles of the Galactic Civil War before leaving the military.
During her service in the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps, the Contessa piloted an X-wing starfighter.