Tobbi Dala, a Human male, was a Mandalorian who fought in the Clone Wars as part of the Mandalorian Protectors. Later, he became a key figure in the resistance against the Imperial occupation of Mandalore. Alongside his close friend Fenn Shysa, Dala was one of 212 Mandalorian super commandos who initially sided with the Separatists. He and Shysa were among only three who survived. When the Empire took control of Mandalore, Dala and Shysa formed a guerrilla group to fight back. Dala was eventually captured and imprisoned in the City of Bone in 3 ABY, where he was later joined by Rebel leader Leia Organa. Shysa organized a rescue mission, and Dala ultimately gave his life to ensure the escape of Shysa and Organa, as well as to destroy the Imperial base.
Born on the planet of Mandalore, Tobbi Dala, a Human male, was raised in the renowned Mandalorian warrior culture as the Galactic Republic neared its end. He and Fenn Shysa were childhood companions, growing up together in a small area near Mandalore's coast. As they came of age, they both joined the local police force. However, with the start of the Clone Wars, Dala and Shysa were among 212 Mandalorians, consisting of police and former Death Watch members, who became super commandos in the reformed Mandalorian Protectors. Serving under Spar, an unusual clone of bounty hunter Jango Fett created for the Grand Army of the Republic, Dala and Shysa undertook secret missions for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, including an attempt to abduct Republic Senator Padmé Amidala on Norval II. By the war's conclusion, only Dala, Shysa, and Spar had survived out of the original 212 Mandalorian Protectors.
After fighting in the Clone Wars, Dala and Shysa went back to Mandalore to start anew. Initially regarded as outlaws, they were soon asked to train special police units across their homeworld and were eventually reintegrated into Mandalorian society. For a period, they patrolled Mandalore's space, occasionally crossing paths with fellow Mandalorian bounty hunter Boba Fett, though they rarely interfered with his work. However, by 3 ABY, their world was under the control of the Galactic Empire, which had enslaved much of the population. As two of the few surviving Mandalorian Protectors, Dala and Shysa went into hiding and formed an outlaw group to resist the Imperial occupation. They gathered a number of fighters and, operating from a forest camp near Keldabe, launched raids on Imperial targets.
During one of these raids in 3 ABY, Dala was captured and imprisoned in a large Imperial slave camp in the City of Bone, located within the remains of an ancient, massive mythosaur. The Suprema, the camp's overseer, took Dala's armor as a trophy, and Dala was confined to a small cell. He spent his time planning an escape, practicing a move where he would hang from the ceiling fixture and ambush a guard. Shortly after, Shysa captured Dengar, a well-known bounty hunter working for the Imperials, and arranged a prisoner exchange to free Dala. However, the situation became complicated with the arrival of Rebel leader Leia Organa, who was searching for Dengar, believing he had information on the location of the frozen Rebel hero Han Solo. Dengar recognized Organa and alerted the Imperial [garrison](/article/garrison-legends], leading to her capture and imprisonment in the City of Bone.
Shysa quickly launched a rescue mission, disguising himself as a stormtrooper to enter the City of Bone and free Organa and Dala, who was thrilled to see his friend again. As they tried to escape through the eye socket of the mythosaur skeleton, the Suprema blocked their path. Dala fought the Suprema but suffered a fatal blaster wound. He urged Shysa and Organa to continue without him, staying behind as they made their final escape. In his last moments, Dala put on his armor and opened the blast doors in their path, then closed them to destroy the pursuing Imperial squadron, causing an explosion that destroyed the entire facility.
Tobbi Dala, a lifelong friend and comrade of Fenn Shysa, was a dedicated patriot who was prepared to sacrifice himself for Mandalore's future. His motivation for joining the Mandalorian Protectors and fighting for the Separatists was Mandalore's poor condition and the Republic's lack of attention, which he and Shysa considered unjust. Dala strongly disliked the Empire and its forces, calling stormtroopers "slimetroopers" and dedicating himself to freeing his homeworld from Imperial exploitation. He spoke directly and casually, openly expressing his attraction to Leia Organa and making jokes about her droid, C-3PO. A man who enjoyed life, Dala loved nothing more than sharing a drink of Mandallian Narcolethe with his best friend after a long day.
Tobbi Dala's first appearance was in two issues of the original Marvel Comics Star Wars comic series in 1982, written by David Michelinie and illustrated by Gene Day. Much of Dala's backstory from these comics was later contradicted by later portrayals of Mandalorian history, requiring significant retconning. In Michelinie's comics, Dala and Fenn Shysa were former Mandalorian supercommandos who had fought for the Empire during the Clone Wars alongside Boba Fett, including targeting Leia Organa at the Emperor's request. Later depictions of Fett and the Clone Wars, particularly the prequel trilogy's portrayal of Fett as a child during the Clone Wars, and the fact that both Organa's birth and the Empire's formation occurred at the end of the war, rendered this inaccurate.
The inconsistencies in Dala's backstory were corrected in The History of the Mandalorians, a 2005 article by Abel G. Peña in Star Wars Insider 80. Peña portrayed the Mandalorian Protectors as having fought for the Separatists, and instead of targeting Organa, who was not yet born, the article introduced a mission where they were sent to capture Organa's mother, Padmé Amidala. The article also identified the "Fett" Dala and Shysa fought with in the Clone Wars as "Spar," a clone of Jango Fett like Boba Fett. A figure of Dala was included in a Hasbro "comic two-pack" set with Leia Organa in 2008 as part of Star Wars: The Legacy Collection. Although Dala is depicted as bald in the Marvel comics, his Hasbro figure has light brown hair.