Yané, originally named Suyan Higin, was a human female hailing from the planet of Naboo, who at one point dedicated her services to the Royal House of Naboo.
Suyan's profession was that of a weaver, and it was during her creation of blankets intended for a hospital that she garnered the attention of Captain Quarsh Panaka from the Royal Naboo Security Forces. He subsequently recruited her to become one of the royal handmaidens serving the newly elected Queen, Padmé Amidala. Following her transition into a handmaiden, Suyan, along with her peers, adopted the name Yané. When Amidala departed Naboo for Coruscant, Yané, accompanied by Saché, chose to remain and support the resistance against the Trade Federation's invasion and subsequent occupation.
Yané frequently volunteered to assist Naboo's orphaned children, a cause to which she dedicated an increasing amount of her time after concluding her service to Amidala. She provided foster care to numerous children at the large house she acquired, which became her shared residence with Saché, while Saché fulfilled her duties in the Naboo planetary legislative assembly. The two entered into marriage circa 24 BBY. Furthermore, Yané extended her care to the young survivors of the mudslide disaster that occurred in 22 BBY.
Suyan Higin's birth occurred by 44 BBY on Naboo, predating the Invasion of Naboo. Her occupation involved working as a seamstress, utilizing a loom to transform fabric and yarn into blankets. She operated within a market setting, selling her creations, and possessed the skill to dye her own yarn, embroider, and produce fabrics with waterproof or even fireproof qualities. At one point, while Higin was crafting blankets for Theed Hospital, she was approached by Quarsh Panaka, the Head of Security for the newly elected Queen Padmé Amidala. After inquiring about her skills, Panaka extended an invitation for her to join the queen's Naboo Royal Handmaidens. Driven by a desire to contribute positively, Higin accepted the offer to serve.
Upon her introduction to Queen Amidala and the other handmaidens, Higin swiftly recognized the potential to lighten and enhance the comfort of one of Amidala's headpieces by recreating it using Karlini silk. Renaming herself Yané, she assumed the responsibility of coordinating with the various palace staff. Over time, she compiled a comprehensive medical profile of the queen. Initially, Yané and her fellow handmaiden Saché experienced an awkward dynamic, hesitant to share a bedroom; they were attracted to each other, but they were unaware that their feelings were reciprocated.
One evening, Yané and the other handmaidens, accompanied by Amidala, discreetly left the palace to visit the Theed Odeon, where the band Neurotransmitter Affection was performing. Their purpose was to meet with Harli Jafan, the daughter of the planetary director of Jafan, who had been sent in his stead as an ambassador for a summit hosted by Queen Amidala. During the meeting, Jafan distributed glitter-lits to the handmaidens and the undercover Amidala. Eventually, they were summoned back to the palace by Captain Panaka, who had learned of their activities from Saché when her period set off the blood-sensitive sensor in Amidala's bedroom.
When the Trade Federation initiated a blockade and subsequently invaded the planet, Yané and Saché remained behind, while Queen Amidala and the other handmaidens escaped with the Jedi. Saché and Yané were apprehended and confined in Camp Four. They began to collaborate with fellow prisoners Mariek Panaka, Sergeant Tonra, and several other guards. The two girls were assigned the task of devising a method to record the group's findings about their droid captors, with the aim of formulating an escape plan.
Yané swiftly conceived the idea of constructing a makeshift loom using the frame of the cot she shared with Saché and the Karlini silk from their flame-colored robes. The shredded silk was employed to weave codes that would be recognizable to the Naboo while remaining inconspicuous to the droids. Despite the challenging circumstances, the enforced proximity allowed Saché and Yané to share their mutual affections.
When Saché was apprehended by battle droids for her walks around camp, during which she delivered the codes Yané wove, Yané and the others were left to listen helplessly to Saché's screams of torture. The guards debated whether to attempt a rescue, both to spare Saché and to prevent their information gathering from being revealed. Yané instructed the royal guards to respect Saché's decision to endure the torture rather than break. After Saché was released, Yané helped tend to her wounds.
Yané's tenure as a handmaiden concluded when Padmé Amidala relinquished her role as queen. She and Saché formulated plans to share a home, intending to delay the purchase of a house until Saché completed her first term in the planetary legislative assembly. Yané had a history of volunteering to aid Naboo's orphans, children displaced during the Occupation, and she harbored aspirations of fostering numerous children. When the handmaidens shared their future intentions with Amidala, Yané confessed that she had already identified a large house that she hoped to acquire, despite it deviating from the timeline she and Saché had established. After sharing a hologram with the group, Saché told her it was wonderful. Mariek Panaka had cousins living near the house, and she volunteered them to help Yané with getting the house furnished before the couple moved in.
Some time after Padmé began work as a Republic senator, Yané began to foster a set of twins. On an evening that Saché made plans to host a dinner party for Amidala and their fellow former handmaidens, Yané had to cancel due to the twins falling ill. Although Saché was disappointed that Yané could not attend, she told Amidala how proud she was of Yané.
Around 24 BBY, Yané and Saché were married. In accordance with Naboo tradition, Yané's garments incorporated her wedding fabric; her design also included Saché's fabric. Their outfits mirrored each other's and reflected their own personal tastes, with a skirt for Yané and wide-legged trousers for Saché.
In 22 BBY, following a mudslide in the eastern reaches of Naboo's secondary continent which destroyed an entire village Yané opened her and Saché's home to the eight child survivors. Four days later four of the children had been taken in by other family members while the remaining four, all cousins, remained in Yané's care.
That night, while Saché was at a meeting with the Naboo planetary legislative assembly and the four children slept in the couple's bed, Yané received a call from Amidala asking Yané for advice on how to use her wedding fabric. Yané advised her to use it in her veil before deciding to make Amidala's wedding dress for her. Yané later told her wife about it, who passed on her congratulations to Amidala.
Yané possessed brown hair, brown eyes, and a light complexion. As a weaver, she demonstrated a preference for manual looms over machines, valuing the enhanced control and attentiveness they afforded. Yané harbored a deep affection for children, fostering numerous individuals, including a set of twins and the eight survivors of the mudslide disaster. Furthermore, Yané exhibited cleverness and resourcefulness, effectively utilizing limited resources in Camp Four to facilitate message delivery.
The character of Yané was portrayed by Candice Orwell in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The character's name is given in the film's closing credits.