Tamara Ryvora

"You! After all the work I did for you, trusting you, expecting a better life&mdash;all for nothing. You were like a father to me, but all that was a lie."

- Tamara Ryvora, to Jarek Yeager

Tamara Ryvora, nicknamed "Tam," later designated DT-533, was a human female mechanic from Kuat who served as a member of Team Fireball on the Colossus, a refueling station in the Outer Rim Territories. She aspired to be a star racer, and saw repairing the derelict starship Fireball as a second chance at her goal, after having lost her first ship.

Early life
Tamara Ryvora was the daughter of a racer. Her father's career inspired her to become a racer herself, and she left her home planet of Kuat to pursue that dream. After falling on hard times while working her way up the circuit, Tam came to the Colossus station on Castilon sometime before 34 ABY. She became good friends with another racer, Hype Fazon. However, the friendship ended after Fazon earned a place in the Ace Squadron, reserved for the station's most elite pilots, and moved to Doza Tower. Ryvora's racing career was derailed when, in need of credits to repair her racer, she borrowed on the ship's value prior to a race, but lost the race and, consequently, her ship.

Enduring Kaz
By 34 ABY, Ryvora was a member of Team Fireball, a racing team and group of mechanics led by Jarek Yeager, along with Neeku Vozo and R1-J5 "Bucket". Yeager had promised her the Fireball, an old racing ship, if she could fix it up. The arrival of Kazuda Xiono to the Colossus changed things at the team. Xiono, who was secretly a spy for the Resistance, joined Team Fireball as his cover, and almost immediately got off on the wrong foot with Ryvora when Yeager loaned him the Fireball to fly in a race that Vozo had signed him up for. Upon seeing the ship, Xiono was not impressed, and Ryvora took his criticisms as an insult of her work. She was not pleased with the used parts Xiono acquired to repair the ship as he could not afford new ones. After Xiono crashed the Fireball due to pushing it too hard, the repair of the ship had to start all over again.

Ryvora found Xiono's poor mechanical skills, and dubious excuses as to why, suspicious. She was further unimpressed by Xiono's apparent lack of work ethic during jobs. During one such job, for a Neimoidian named Hallion Nark, Ryvora went down to the Office of Acquisitions to drag Xiono back to the repair shop, as he had taken a long time getting a part and their client was in a hurry. Not long afterwards, there was a pirate attack, and Ryvora spent it in a shelter with Yeager and Vozo. When they returned to the hangar, they found Xiono working on the Fireball, which he claimed to have been doing for the entire attack. Ryvora was skeptical, but remained unaware that Xiono had covertly assisted the Aces in driving off the attack.

Although Ryvora continued to be frustrated by Xiono, she slowly warmed up to him. After Bucket informed her that hyperfuel had been stolen from Yeager's office, she was alarmed, telling Xiono when he asked her that more than a few drops of the stuff turned ships into flying bombs. This led Xiono to rush off to save the thief, Jace Rucklin, from the consequences of his actions.

Visiting Doza Tower
During a series of power outages to the Colossus caused by a fuel shortage, Ryvora was put back in contact with her former friend Fazon when the members of Team Fireball spent some time at Aunt Z's Tavern. Fazon had come down there because he refused to fly supply missions involving the First Order. He saw Ryvora while he was talking to Xiono, but didn't approach her. Ryvora told Xiono that being an Ace wasn't all glamor and excitement. After Xiono hurriedly left the tavern to try and spy on the First Order shipment, Ryvora and Vozo caught up with him, and she and Xiono speculated on what the First Order wanted.

The two then had to rush after Vozo after he misinterpreted a statement from Xiono and decided to innocently ask the visitors the reasons for their arrival. Fortunately, Vozo was unharmed. Ryvora overheard Xiono telling the droid BB-8 about his desire to get into Doza Tower, and when he asked her about her friendship with Fazon, told him the details. As she began listing off the things she disliked about Fazon, Xiono tried and failed to silently warn her that Fazon had seen them as he was walking by in the hallway and was approaching from behind her. Fazon, who was somewhat regretful about how things had gone, invited Ryvora and Xiono up to Doza Tower, an invitation Xiono was happy to accept for all of them.

In the Aces Lounge, Ryvora got into an argument with Fazon about the derelict Fireball, as Fazon thought that she would never become a top-ranked racer with an old ship in that state of disrepair, while Ryvora was confident her mechanical skills were up to the challenge. Xiono took advantage of the argument to slip away to spy on the First Order, which caused Ryvora to wonder where he was when she decided to leave.

Later, she was in Aunt Z's with Vozo when he spotted Xiono on the side of Doza Tower, which astonished Ryvora, who was baffled as to how he came to be there. She and Vozo watched nervously as Xiono navigated the side of the tower while avoiding shots from some stormtroopers before making it safely inside. When Ryvora and Vozo met back up with Xiono at the repair shop, he claimed the troopers had been chasing him because he'd accidentally entered an unauthorized area. Ryvora was pleased when Xiono claimed he'd seen that Doza Tower wasn't what it was cracked up to be, and ordered him back to work as the station's power came back on.

The broken compensator
Ryvora acquired a rare and expensive acceleration compensator to install on the Fireball, and enlisted Vozo's help in doing so. As she considered Xiono's mechanical skills sub-par, she didn't initially intend to ask him for help, but one stage of installation required the tightening of three bolts simultaneously, requiring a third person to assist. Xiono misinterpreted her instructions and pulled his wrench the wrong way, breaking it. Ryvora was so furious she drove an apologetic Xiono out of the repair shop by throwing tools at him, while he promised to get her a new compensator. When Xiono, accompanied by Vozo and BB-8, came back to the repair shop empty-handed, she yelled at him again, and then gave him the broken compensator so he could match the specs of the new one he'd promised to get her.

Xiono eventually got the compensator repaired by one of the Chelidae who worked in the Colossus' engineering department while he was helping two children, Kel and Eila, escape from the First Order. Ryvora was pleasantly surprised by the repaired part, and when told that one of Xiono's friends had fixed it, said she was surprised he had friends, and jokingly asked him if he had any other secrets he was keeping from her. This prompted Xiono to awkwardly lie that he was the "most straightforward guy" on the platform, before excusing himself.

Kaz's "salvage run"
After Xiono was abruptly awakened by Yeager and Bucket for a "salvage run," Ryvora mockingly greeted him and told him that he did not look well-rested. Ryvora expressed surprise about the impromptu salvage run since it had not been listed on the work schedule. She also snatched a cup of caf from the caf machine after helping Xiono to switch it on. Unknown to Ryvora, Xiono rendezvoused for a training exercise with the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron. While flying, the two investigated a damaged Darius G-class freighter and rescued a crew member named Synara San. Unknown to everyone, Synara San was a member of Kragan Gorr's Warbird gang. As a result, the pirates gained a spy aboard the Colossus.

Later, Tam was working in Yeager's garage when BB-8 embarked on a "wild goose chase" through the Colossus searching for Kaz, only to discover that he had been working on a targeting computer inside the garage.

Befriending Synara San
Later, Ryvora, along with the rest of Team Fireball, was hired in a secret job to repair the targeting computer for the Colossus' defense turbolasers. When the computer's CoMar Tri-Tracker chip broke, she and Xiono were sent by Yeager to quietly acquire another one. After the Office of Acquisitions turned up empty, Xiono took Ryvora to the loading docks where the salvagers worked, introducing her to an acquaintance, Synara San, the sole survivor of a pirate attack that he and Yeager had registered some time prior. Unbeknownst to anyone on the platform, San was actually a pirate herself, a member of Gorr's Warbirds, and was now acting as a spy on the platform. Ryvora took a liking to San because of her technical skills, and was appreciative when San found a Tri-Tracker chip. However, this led San to suspect that the targeting computer was offline, and to contact Gorr about the Colossus' vulnerability.

Later, after San surprised Ryvora and Xiono in the repair shop while they were working on the targeting computer, Ryvora and Xiono attempted to hide it from her, which proved unsuccessful. In part to get San out of the shop, Ryvora offered to buy her lunch as thanks for the free connector couplings she had brought them. In the Colossus marketplace, Ryvora confided in San about her past, but accidentally took a much longer break than she should have, given the time-sensitive nature of the computer repair. Only when the entire Ace Squadron departed the platform on an escort mission did Ryvora realize she had to get back to work, as Xiono had been sent to look for her.

Upon returning to the repair shop, Yeager was unimpressed with Ryvora, noting that he expected Xiono to take such lengthy breaks, instead of her. Work on the computer resumed, but San had signalled her fellow pirates, who began their attack. After Ryvora had finished working, as Xiono and Yeager were preparing to load the computer onto a hoverlift, she saw explosions at the loading docks and grew concerned for San, running off to see if she was okay. Xiono sent BB-8 to help her.

On her way to the docks, Ryvora encountered a pirate in the halls and took him out by ramming the pirate with a cart loaded with crates, which other Colossus residents looted. When she and BB-8 reached the loading docks, Ryvora saw San amongst crates and charged into the melee. Ryvora knocked down two pirates, but was picked up from behind by a large Trandoshan. Asking BB-8 for help, Ryvora elbowed the pirate in the face, leading him to stumble backwards and slip on the droid, falling over. When Ryvora reached San, she was shocked that anyone would come looking for her to help, and Ryvora commented that that was what friendship was all about. When the two were approached by another pirate, San punched him out before he could reveal her true allegiance, which impressed Ryvora. After the attack was over, San thanked Ryvora for her help, telling her to "be well."

The Platform Classic
While working on the Fireball racer, Tam and her colleagues Neeku and Kaz discussed tomorrow's upcoming Platform Classic race. One of the contestants was famed racer Marcus Speedstar. Tam and her friends then accompanied Yeager to Captain Imanuel Doza's officer where the Captain attempted to convince Yeager to race against his younger brother Speedstar. However, Yeager refused to race his brother since he blamed Speedstar for causing the deaths of his wife and daughter during a race years ago. When Kaz wanted to greet Speedstar, Ryvora pulled him away.

When Speedstar and his crew visited Yeager's workplace, Neeku introduced Ryvora and Xiono to Speedstar's mechanic Oplock. Yeager was hostile towards Speedstar, rebuffing his younger brother's attempts at reconciliation. After Speedstar had left, Tam insinuated that Yeager was unwilling to race Speedstar due to the latter's status as one of the greatest racers in the galaxy, unaware of the history behind their estrangement.

Tam's remarks rankled Yeager, who attempted to cajole Speedstar into withdrawing from the race. However, Speedstar was unwilling to withdraw from the race because the Guavian Death Gang had taken Oplock hostage due to his debts. Yeager's ploy backfired when Aunt Z and her customers began placing bets on Yeager, forcing him to take part in the race. Ryvora later helped Yeager prepare his racer for the Platform Classic.

Ryvora and her colleagues watched the Platform Classic, which involved the contestants navigating an obstacle course, flying into space, and descending through a re-ignition hood. During the race, Yeager reconciled with his brother after ascertaining that Speedstar truly wanted to save his friend Oplock. Yeager pulled out of the race, allowing Speedstar to win and pay his debts to the Guavian Death Gang, saving Oplock's life. Ryvora and the rest of Team Fireball were later present when Speedstar and Yeager parted company on amicable terms.

Xiono's second offworld trip
With Yeager's approval, Xiono departed on the Fireball for an offworld mission with Poe Dameron. However, Yeager did not inform Ryvora about Xiono's offworld trip. When Ryvora discovered that the starfighter was missing, she confronted Yeager. Yeager responded that the Fireball was still technically his ship but Ryovra countered that she "forgotten" to add a new stabilizer to the Fireball. Fortunately, Xiono and BB-8 were picked up by a Resistance CR90 corvette.

Casual adventures
Later, Tam was working in Yeager's garage with BB-8, who had borrowed Bucket's hard cap. Shortly later, a grumpy Bucket, who had obtained a new hard cap from Flix and Orka, returned to the garage. An enraged Bucket pursued BB-8, retrieved his old hard cap, and kicked Xiono in the shin.

Later, Xiono did a test flight in the Fireball to test the ship's engines. Ryvora was upset that Neeku had allowed Xiono to fly what she regarded as her ship. Xiono managed to circle the Colossus in his test flight. However, the Fireball throttle broke during the flight, causing the ship to lose control. At the last minute, Xiono managed to regain control of the ship and land it in Yeager's garage. Despite Xiono's attempt to please Ryvora, the ship's landing gear and canopy soon fell apart.

The Bibo Incident
Tam and Xiono worked on fixing a stabilizer from a Z-95 despite it being corroded. She was shocked to hear that Neeku would leave to be with his new pet Bibo. Despite Yeager's protests, Tam went after Neeku to help him find Bibo. They were informed that there was disturbance in the engineering level. There Tam met with Eila, Kel and the Chelidae engineers. They found Bibo and Eila tells about vision of some creature attacking the Colossus to find Bibo. A creature then attacked the platform

Tam and Neeku hid Bibo from the creature on the engineering level. She believed the creature was hunting for Bibo for food and tried to convince Neeku to let Bibo go. When Neeku took Bibo to the creature, Tam watched in horror as he approached it. However, she and the others realized the creature was Bibo's mother looking for him. After Neeku returned Bibo to his mother, Tam comforted him

Before the storm
Tam resumed her work on the Fireball. She later played a game of holo-darts of Torra Doza and was invited to play Drone-Blaster with Synara and Kaz in her room. During this time, Tam believed that Kaz was infatuated with Synara and allowed him to get some parts from her.

Joining the First Order
Tam, believing that the First Order rescued Torra from the Warbirds, defended their actions in protecting the Colossus. She was surprised to hear that Synara left because of them. Despite the First Order's free reign on the Colossus, Tam felt safer with their stormtroopers protecting them. She said they were doing the same thing her grandfather did when he worked in a imperial factory: their jobs. Tam saw Yeager taking Kaz's side again against the First Order. Tam followed Kaz when they discovered that Kel and Eila had knocked a stormtrooper out. Tam, shocked at the children's actions, knew they were in trouble.

She knew the first order expected CS-515 to report in. Tam was against the idea of Kaz impersonating the trooper. After Kaz left, Tam could not believe that she got herself caught in this mess. She asked the children why the First Order were after them. Eila and Kel told Tam about how Tehar was invaded and destroyed by the First Order. Despite her sympathy, Tam asked Kel if their was a reason they attacked Tehar. Tam, Neeku and the children took the trooper to meet up with Kaz who was being pursued by storm troopers. After the CS-515 was returned to the First Order, Tam was thanked by Kaz

Tam then questioned Yeager on Kaz's whereabouts until Kaz showed. She asked where the Fireball and BB-8 was. Tam was then introduced to Kaz's new droid, CB-23. Tam questioned Yeager about Kaz's whereabouts, but refused to tell her.

Personality and traits
Ryvora was a human female with black hair, brown eyes and dark skin. She had a generally prickly and tough personality, not taking what she saw as criticism of her work or the Fireball well. However, after Kazuda Xiono came to the Colossus, she slowly became more empathetic and caring, shown when she risked her life to save Synara San during a pirate raid, during which the Colossus was virtually defenseless and all she had to rely on were her fists, wit, and BB-8.

Ryvora was a fan of racing champion Marcus Speedstar and regarded him as one of the best racers in the galaxy, unaware of the bad blood between him and Yeager. Ryvora wanted to own the starfighter Fireball and agreed to repair the ship as her reward for working for Yeager. Ryvora was protective of the Fireball and unwilling to let other people particularly Xiono fly the ship, which was technically owned by Yeager.

Having never lived under the tyranny of the Galactic Empire, Ryvora failed to recognize their successor, the First Order, as a threat. Following their supposed rescue of Torra Doza, Ryvora quickly developed sympathy for the First Order and wholeheartedly believed they were earnest in their desire to protect the Colossus. Despite that sympathy faltering upon learning of the massacre on Tehar, Ryvora still supported the First Order's increasingly draconian measures.

Just before the battle of Castilon, Ryvora's pliant sense of allegiance was exploited by Tierny, who regarded Kaz and Yeager as dangerous and untrusting of her enough to not tell her the truth about Kaz, and that this had put her life in danger. She believed this so much that, when faced with the decision of taking Yeager's hand and joining the Resistance, or taking Tierny's and joining the First Order, she put her faith in Tierny and joined the First Order.

Hype Fazon
Tamara Ryvora and Hype Fazon were once friends who raced together. However, their friendship soured after Fazon abandoned her after becoming an elite Ace pilot and moving to the exclusive Doza Tower. She thought that Fazon only cared about himself and found him arrogant and overbearing.

Jarek Yeager
Tamara Ryvora worked as a mechanic for Jarek Yeager. He promised her the Fireball if she fixed the ship. Due to her skills, Yeager trusted her and placed her in a supervisory role over Xiono, who lacked mechanical skills and knowledge. As time passed, Ryvora grew suspicious of Yeager's secrecy regarding Xiono's offworld activities. She took offense at Yeager letting Xiono borrow the Fireball for a trip offworld and removed the stabilizer as a precaution.

Ryvora and Yeager also had conflicting views about the Galactic Empire and the First Order. While Tam welcomed the stability that the First Order brought, Yeager recognized that the First Order was taking away freedom under the guise of protection. Ryvora also welcomed the Empire's ability to provide employment to her grandfather, who used his wages at an Imperial factory to support his family. She disagreed with Yeager and Xiono's views that the Empire was evil.

Kazuda Xiono
Tamara Ryvora was initially hostile towards Kazuda Xiono. She was upset that Yeager allowed Xiono to race the Fireball, which she regarded as her own ship. Ryvora was frustrated with Xiono's lack of mechanical skills and talents, not realizing that he was a spy. Ryvora was enraged when Kaz damaged an acceleration compensator but was placated when Xiono managed to have it repaired. On another occasion, Ryvora teased Kaz when he had to wake up early for a "salvage run" and snatched his caf.

Despite her hostility towards Kaz, Ryvora expressed concern when Xiono was pursued by stormtroopers after "getting lost" inside Doza Tower.

Synara San
"Tam! What are you doing here?''" "Heard the explosion. I thought you might need help." "You risked your life to save me?" "''Of course I did. That's what friends are for."

- Synara San and Tam Ryvora

Tamara Ryvora developed a budding friendship with the scavenger and undercover pirate Synara San. She was impressed that Synara had been able to find a CoMar Tri-Tracker chip, which Team Fireball needed for repairing the Colossus' air defense system. Ryvora confided in Synara her dream of becoming a successful racer. Ryvora later helped Synara fight off several pirates in the loading docks, solidifying the friendship between the two.

Skills and abilities
Being a mechanic, Ryvora possessed extensive knowledge of engineering, so much so that despite Kaz being born into an opulent world with many opportunities, she doubted that he had any training as an engineer, and being able to put the decrepit racer Fireball back together. Her skill as an engineer also contributed to her great strength. She was easily strong enough to lift an acceleration compensator, which Kaz was forced to drag, and take down or knock out three pirates in hand-to-hand combat.

Behind the scenes
Tam Ryvora is a character created for Star Wars Resistance, an animated television series. She is voiced by Suzie McGrath. According to McGrath, her performance as Tam was drawn from real people in her life, and she had specific individuals in mind who, like Tam, were just ordinary people. Tam was originally designed to be a background character, but the design team liked her enough that they made her a major character.