Yolan Bren, also known as the "Poet," spearheaded the resistance movement on Solem, aligning himself with the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Initially destined to co-rule with his brother Malvander, Bren grew to despise the influence wielded by the Galactic Empire, thus launching a guerrilla war against his sibling, who had become the planet's sole governor. Following the Imperial defeat at the Battle of Yavin and the subsequent retaliatory actions, Malvander aimed to consolidate his power and dismantle Bren's resistance. During one of these attacks, Bren suffered the loss of an arm and sustained severe injuries, but with the aid of his allies Lol, Naia, Ardal, and Daron, he managed to recover within the city of G'ai Solem.
Soon after, whispers circulated regarding Malvander's alleged hiring of the bounty hunter Boba Fett to capture Bren. Fett's arrival in G'ai Solem quickly forced the guerrillas to evacuate. However, Fett intercepted the group, and Bren, wishing to prevent further bloodshed among his comrades, chose to surrender himself to Fett's custody, despite the objections of his fellow fighters. Subsequently, the Poet was presented before Malvander in the governor's palace, where he was to be executed as a crowd gathered outside, demanding his freedom. Malvander found himself unable to fulfill Fett's payment, and as the guerrillas stormed the palace in an effort to liberate Bren, the bounty hunter remained passive, allowing the governor to be captured. Bren implored his allies not to execute Malvander, instead compelling the governor to accompany them across Solem, so he might witness the Imperial mistreatment of their shared homeworld firsthand.
Yolan Bren was a male individual belonging to a species indigenous to the world of Solem. As a natural poet, Bren was groomed to jointly govern Solem alongside his brother, Malvander, under the oppressive rule of the Galactic Empire. Over time, Bren developed a strong aversion to what he perceived as the "evils of the Empire," leading him to relinquish his gubernatorial responsibilities and join his planet's resistance movement, which was aligned with the Alliance to Restore the Republic. In contrast, his brother found the wealth offered by the Imperial overlords appealing. He became an inspirational figure for the guerrilla cell, earning the moniker "Poet" as they fought against both the Empire and Malvander, who was now the sole governor.
Following the Alliance's destruction of the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, the Empire sought to exact revenge in any way possible. Malavander attempted to ingratiate himself with the Imperial authorities by targeting the planet's insurgents, resulting in significant civilian casualties. Bren was caught in the blast radius of one such attack, suffering damage to his arm and sustaining severe injuries. His fellow guerrillas rushed to his aid, determined to save him despite the Poet's pleas for them to leave him to die. Lol tended to his arm as the attack continued to rage around the rebels. Ardal, another guerrilla, suggested that they transport him to the nearest doctor in the city of G'ai Solem, an Imperial stronghold that also harbored Rebellion sympathizers. Accompanied by several other soldiers led by Tark and Naia, Lol and Ardal carried Bren away from danger, while the remaining guerrillas dispersed.
While Bren received treatment in G'ai Solem, a young warrior named Daron donated some of his own blood to save Bren, although the Poet's arm had to be amputated. Ardal advised them to keep moving, as rumors were spreading that the governor had hired a bounty hunter to locate and eliminate Bren. As the guerrillas prepared to depart, Rabutz, a local resident, burst in and informed Bren that the bounty hunter Boba Fett was in G'ai Solem searching for him. At that moment, Fett blasted his way into the building through the ceiling. Lol ushered the Poet out of the building as Fett proceeded to gun down the resistance fighters. A group escaped, escorting Lol and Bren, and made their way to a set of swoop bikes parked outside. As the guerrillas left G'ai Solem and headed for the caves of Kandaas, one of their members, Yarda, was blasted off the back of a swoop by Fett, who was in hot pursuit.
As Fett fired again, he claimed Daron's life, forcing the resistance fighters to abandon their swoops. Lol attempted to confront the bounty hunter, but Bren was distressed by the amount of bloodshed and offered to surrender himself to the bounty hunter. Ardal refused to allow it, but the Poet insisted, claiming that his death would save the lives of many. Bren then had to address the protests of Naia, assuring her that her death would be in vain and that she should continue battling Malvander in both his and Daron's name. Lol wept for his compatriot, finding it difficult to hand over his leader to Fett's clutches without defending him, but Bren stood firm and placed himself in the bounty hunter's custody.
As Bren was brought to the governor's palace, a crowd gathered outside, shouting for the Poet's release. Fett personally presented Bren to his brother. The governor signaled his intentions to have the Poet hanged until dead before explaining to the bounty hunter that his campaign against the Alliance cell had been expensive and that he could only afford 10,000 credits. Malvander instructed Fett to take the payment and depart, threatening to have his guards shoot the bounty hunter should he not comply, while the calls for Bren's freedom outside intensified. Fett quickly disarmed the guards and held Malvander by the throat. At that moment, Ardal, Lol, Naia, and the other guerrillas burst into the room, having stormed the palace, much to Bren's surprise. The bounty hunter, however, did nothing to stop them and was more interested in being compensated for his work.
Fett snatched the governor's valuable neckpiece from Malvander's neck. The governor observed that it was worth more than the initial fee and demanded that Fett kill the Rebels. The bounty hunter, however, silently marched out, with Bren demanding that he be allowed to leave. Ardal then accosted Malvander, but Bren instructed the fighter not to kill the governor, as the Empire would replace him swiftly, potentially with someone even more detrimental to the efforts of the Alliance. The Poet decided that Malvander's punishment would be to roam with the guerrillas and see for himself the Imperial treatment of the planet's natives. The Poet conceded that if Malvander's disposition toward his own people did not improve, then he would be killed. Bren expressed his relief to his allies that they had disobeyed his direct order to leave him, as they revealed that governor's forces had been spread thin, leaving the palace open to attack. As the group watched Fett depart in his Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft Slave I, one of the guerrillas noted that the bounty hunter was the most evil man in the galaxy. Bren disagreed, pointing out that Fett was merely a machine whose life was without cause beyond the price of the bounties he hunted.
Yolan Bren served as an inspiration, deemed essential to Solem's resistance; his demise was feared to cause its collapse. His comrades were fiercely protective, many willing to sacrifice themselves for him. Bren, however, valued his comrades' lives more than his own, urging them to escape Imperial and gubernatorial forces rather than risk themselves to save him. He deeply valued self-sacrifice and was pained by others dying for him. He believed lives shouldn't be wasted, hoping his comrades would make similar sacrifices to overcome their shared enemy.
Bren disdained his brother, believing Emperor Palpatine wouldn't even know the governor's name despite his Imperial approval-seeking. Bren also criticized Malvander's greed, calling him a "puffed-up little tyrant on a galactic backwater." Bren also held a low opinion of Boba Fett, viewing him as lacking values worth living or dying for, serving no purpose beyond his profession. The Poet could also find humor in dire situations; when Daron gave blood to save him in G'ai Solem, claiming Naia said he'd be a great poet and leader, Bren dryly remarked he'd more likely become a "silly young boy" like Daron.
Like others of his species, Yolan Bren had green skin and yellow eyes. He wore a cap and brown armor.
Yolan Bren was created by John Wagner and debuted in Empire 7 (2003), pencilled by Cam Kennedy. The character was later referenced in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (2008).