Zaletta, a male Human, held a high-ranking position within the Imperial Military. He ultimately switched his allegiance to the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War, where he also achieved a high rank.
His desire to defect was first voiced shortly after the events of the Battle of Hoth. He initially communicated with Alliance forces through the MC80 cruiser known as the Liberty, using an Imperial Communications relay Comm Center. Zaletta's message was brief and untraceable, giving the Rebels coordinates and minimal details about an Imperial convoy, which he described as being "of interest to the Alliance".
The convoy, consisting of Sentinel-class landing craft, was found to be transporting Bothan slaves destined for an Imperial Penal Colony. Rebel Y-wings successfully disabled the ships carrying the slaves, allowing Gamma-class ATR-6 assault transports from Tango Group to board them. This action not only rescued important allies for the Rebellion, strengthening ties between the Bothans and the Alliance, but also confirmed the accuracy of the "anonymous informant's" information.
Remaining cautious, Zaletta sent another secret transmission, again seeking to prove his trustworthiness. This time, he provided the Alliance with information about a secret Imperial research facility located deep within the Kuat system. This station, owned and operated by Kuat Drive Yards, appeared to be a testing ground for a new experimental reactor system. Exploiting the facility's weak defenses, a squadron of X-wings launched from the Liberty to investigate. Among the pilots was Ace Azzameen, who, after the facility was inspected and the order given, blasted open a small hatch on the brim trench of the facility, exposing the cavernous reactor system (which was likely connected with the Death Star project). Azzameen then attacked the reactor core directly, destroying the entire facility. Once more, Zaletta demonstrated his dedication to the Alliance and his defection, while also revealing the extent of his access to sensitive Imperial information.
Despite some remaining hesitation, the Alliance decided to bring Zaletta into their ranks. However, finding him was the first challenge. The defection of Imperial Grand Admiral Zaarin had deeply shaken the Empire, ruining any chance for Zaletta to initiate his defection himself. He therefore had to depend on the Alliance to secure his freedom. Fortunately, Zaletta's trust was justified. The Alliance successfully traced the source of his transmissions by downloading logs from the Communications Array Comm Center used to route the messages, a feat accomplished during a daring raid by Alliance A-wings and the Modified Corvette named Python.
With this information, the Alliance launched a raid on the Imperial Outpost DX-11a in the Eidoloni system where Zaletta was stationed. Alliance X-wings, led by Ace Azzameen, attacked the platform, forcing all officers to evacuate. By inspecting the escaping shuttles, Ace located Commander Zaletta aboard AA-23. The Rebels escorted the shuttle to a rendezvous point in deep space with the Alliance Nebulon-B frigate Redemption. However, just as the shuttle docked and the group prepared to return to the Liberty task force, an Imperial detachment arrived, consisting of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer and an Immobilizer 418 cruiser named Restrainer. With their escape route blocked and TIE/sa bombers inbound, the Redemption called for assistance from the Liberty. Together, the two capital ships and their starfighter escorts managed to destroy the Interdictor and retreat, successfully bringing Zaletta over to the Alliance.
The speed of the Imperial response raised serious concerns about Zaletta's true intentions, leading to his initial incarceration on the Redemption. However, the Liberty's Tactical Officer, Commander Kupalo, then defected back to the Empire, revealing that he had been brainwashed into an Imperial Agent and was responsible for setting the trap on the Redemption. Pilots Azzameen and Olin Garn apprehended the traitor, and Commander Zaletta was subsequently appointed as the Liberty's new Tactical Officer. He immediately used his knowledge of secret Imperial projects, which led to the capture of the Imperial computer containing the plans for the Death Star II.
Ironically, this discovery proved to be fatal for Zaletta. His actions indirectly led to the Battle of Endor, where he was apparently killed during the destruction of the Liberty after it was struck by the Death Star's superlaser.
In X-Wing Alliance, the voice of Zaletta was provided by Andre Ware.