Varnillian served the Galactic Empire as an Imperial weapons technician, specifically holding the Gunnery Chief position within its armed forces. During her service, Varnillian at one point worked within a control room. This human female possessed light skin, gray eyes, and blonde hair, and she was seen wearing the Imperial gunner's uniform, which included a black long-sleeved shirt beneath a black tunic, black gloves, and a black belt featuring a silver officer's disk on its buckle.
Varnillian's creation in current Star Wars canon occurred for the 2020 Onager-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack of the tactical miniatures game Star Wars: Armada by Fantasy Flight Games. Before the expansion's release, she was referenced in "The Siege Breaker," a promotional article from November 25, 2019 that was available on the Fantasy Flight Games website. In an art showcase, Tiziano Baracchi, the illustrator who created Varnillian's image for the expansion, referred to her as "Niclara Varnillian."
Originally, Niclara Varnillian debuted in the Star Wars Legends continuity, specifically in the "Wanted by Cracken" section of the eighth issue of Star Wars Adventure Journal magazine by West End Games, published in November 1995. Craig Robert Carey wrote the segment, while Robert Duchlinski provided the illustrations.