Breth Gart

"He is good, isn't he?"'' ''"He's good enough for a rookie. Let's try and make sure he lives long enough to fulfill his potential."

- Keyan Farlander and Lagrane discuss Breth Gart

Breth Gart was a male Agamarian starfighter pilot in the Alliance Starfighter Corps during the Galactic Civil War. Gart joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic at the age of sixteen after attending a recruitment speech by Chief of State Mon Mothma on Agamar. While undergoing training aboard the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Independence, Gart performed well in simulators but experienced disorientation problems during space flights, as the result of a disease he had contracted as a child. Although Alliance medics advised him that his condition would never allow him to become a pilot, Gart persevered and learned to cope with the pain he experienced through sheer willpower, finally passing pilot training on his third attempt.

Joining Red Squadron aboard the Independence, Gart was assigned fellow Agamarian Keyan Farlander as a liaison officer. The young pilot accompanied Farlander on a temporary assignment to the Star Cruiser Defiance and experienced his first combat when he helped to defend the capital ship from an attack by the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Immortal. Gart was killed in a freak accident during his second mission, an attack on an Imperial base at Kalla VII, when the Imperial EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate Priam collided with his T-65 X-wing starfighter as it dropped out of hyperspace.

Joining the Alliance
Breth Gart was born during the early years of the Galactic Empire and grew up with his family on Agamar in the Lahara sector of the Outer Rim Territories. When he was very young, Gart contracted a rare disease which attacked the brain stem in such a way that the victim outwardly appeared to be in perfect health. Though incurable, the disease was generally considered harmless to most people.

By 0 BBY, a resistance had emerged on Agamar in opposition to Imperial rule. After the Empire attacked the small Agamarian town of Tondatha, Mon Mothma, Chief of State of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, traveled to Agamar aboard the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Independence to attempt to persuade the resistance to join the growing Rebel Alliance. Mothma gave a speech to members of the resistance at a rally in the Agamarian capital of Calna Muun prior to negotiations with the resistance leaders. Following the rally, Gart was one of four Agamarians who decided to enlist with the Alliance Starfighter Corps and train to become a starfighter pilot.

Gart traveled to the waiting Independence aboard an Alliance shuttle along with the other new recruits, Keyan Farlander, Sunnar Jan-lo and 'Ndranth Poussan. After the shuttle landed in a hangar towards the rear of the Mon Calamari vessel, the recruits were shown to their quarters and assigned liaison officers for the duration of their training. The rookies soon began their training with the pilot proving grounds, before advancing to simulated combat scenarios. At only sixteen years old, Gart was the youngest pilot undergoing training at the time.

Washout
"He doesn't talk a lot, but he seems to want to make it through the training. Wants it real bad. We might see him out there eventually."

- Sunnar Jan-lo, on Gart

Before long, Farlander, Jan-lo and Poussan entered active duty. However, though Gart performed as well as any of the other students in simulators, he began to suffer from acute pain behind the eyes and at the base of the neck during training flights in real starfighters, which in turn caused a loss of his sense of direction. The symptoms, known as disorientation syndrome, could be caused by a variety of conditions and Alliance medics performed extensive testing to diagnose the cause of Gart's condition. They eventually diagnosed the disease he had contracted as a child, one of the more obscure causes of disorientation syndrome. Unable to cure Gart's condition or treat him for the symptoms he suffered in flight conditions, the medics informed his commanding officers that Gart would never be able to become a starfighter pilot. By the time of the Rebel evacuation of Briggia at the start of the Imperial offensive codenamed Operation Strike Fear, Gart had been dropped from pilot training.

Gart was offered the chance to serve the Alliance in one of a dozen other roles, but the young Rebel refused to accept his diagnosis and remained determined to become a starfighter pilot, confiding his intention to try again in Jan-lo shortly after being dropped from the training program. Over the following months, he fought through the pain and devoted every moment of his life to becoming a pilot. He overcame his natural shyness to get to know the other pilots, begged for simulator time from the instructors, and was even able to get into real starfighters on occasion. Though he failed to be accepted as a pilot on his second attempt, Gart eventually trained his body to become accustomed to the pain, and finally passed pilot training on his third attempt.

Starfighter pilot
"&hellip;and then I pulled out and pushed the stick hard. I came around and there he was, 30 degrees off my port laser. I fired and he just seemed to float into the beam and explode. It all happened so fast&hellip;but to me it was slow-motion. And then, this other TIE came&hellip;"

- Gart reminisces about his first mission

Still holding the rank of flight cadet, Gart entered active duty shortly after the Battle of Toprawa, in which the Alliance acquired the plans to the Empire's Death Star battlestation, and was assigned to Red Squadron aboard the Independence. Farlander, now a captain, was assigned as his orientation liaison. Though the two had had little time to get to know each other during training, their shared Agamarian background led to them quickly becoming friends. Soon after he was assigned to Farlander, Gart accompanied the older pilot on a temporary assignment to the Star Cruiser Defiance, in orbit of Bestine IV, where Farlander would be observing and training new pilots. Farlander intended to ease Gart into combat slowly, taking him out on a simple mission where he could observe while settling into the role. However, after being on the Defiance for less than an hour, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Immortal jumped out of hyperspace in the system and began launching TIE/sa bombers to attack the Rebel capital ship. With most of the Defiance senior pilots out on assignments, Farlander was called upon to defend the ship and decided to take Gart on his first combat mission.

Gart and Farlander flew two of the three available T-65 X-wing starfighters aboard and were joined by R-22 Spearheads from Blue Squadron. Launching quickly, the Rebel fighters engaged the incoming TIE bombers while evading the TIE/In interceptors launching from the Star Destroyer. While they fought the first wave, the Immortal jumped to hyperspace, returning to realspace moments later off the Defiance starboard side and launching a second wave of TIE bombers and TIE interceptors. The Rebel fighters quickly eliminated the remnants of the first wave and moved to engage the new arrivals. Despite four-to-one odds, the Rebels managed to hold off the Imperials long enough for the Defiance to make the jump to hyperspace, transmitting coordinates for the fighters to follow. Gart performed well during his first engagement, impressing both Captain Farlander and the Independence debriefing officer, Commander Lagrane. However, Lagrane cautioned Farlander to keep the rookie out of further serious engagements until he had more experience.

Though he had continued to feel pain throughout the mission, Gart thoroughly enjoyed his first combat experience, forcing himself to persevere through sheer willpower. He reviewed his holographic flight recordings after returning to the Independence and spent most of the following day following Farlander around and regaling those who would listen with tales of the battle. In an attempt to encourage Gart to relax, and to let him experience the admiration many of the crew showed to the pilots, Red Squadron's Capatin Naeco suggested taking the young pilot to Lucky Lower 13, a bar aboard the Independence which had once been a ballroom during its time as a pleasure craft. Gart was joined in the bar by Naeco, Farlander and Captain Samuel Raider, also of Red Squadron. The group soon attracted the attention of a small crowd of crew members who wanted to hear combat stories and Gart found himself getting particular attention from two young women who worked in computer operations. Seeing his discomfort around women, the other pilots made the situation worse by informing them how talented he was. When Farlander decided to retire for the night, Gart decided to join him, much to the disappointment of one of the young women.

Death
The Alliance soon got a lead in their search for where the Death Star was being constructed when Alliance Intelligence discovered that Imperial ships were using the base at Kalla VII for supplies and repairs on their way to the battlestation. General Jan Dodonna conjectured that if the base was destroyed, any passing ships heading for the Death Star would be stranded there, leaving them open to capture. He hoped that this would allow the Alliance to determine the Death Star's location. For his second combat mission, Gart was assigned, along with Farlander, to a group of three X-wings which were charged with attacking the Kalla base. They arrived to find the base comprised of several Class-A Cargo Containers surrounded by a defensive minefield. Farlander instructed his wingmates to attack the containers while he eliminated the minefield. They had destroyed more than half the base by the time two BFF-1 bulk freighters from Diputs group arrived. Soon, all of the containers were destroyed, along with the two freighters. However, as the Rebels were preparing to leave, the Nebulon-B frigate Priam dropped out of hyperspace in the system. As it reverted to realspace, the frigate collided with Gart's X-wing. Gart's wingmates were forced to watch on helplessly as the young pilot's starfighter was destroyed, killing him instantly.

Farlander took Gart's death hard. He replayed the recordings of the mission several times, refusing to accept what had happened. When he failed to show up for his post-mission debriefing, Commander Lagrane recommended Farlander for psychiatric evaluation. Farlander had come to consider Gart like a younger brother and held himself personally responsible for his death. He refused to talk about what had happened with those close to him and publicly claimed that Gart had not been strong enough to make it as a pilot. Farlander's desire to avenge his friend's death and to stop more pilots losing their lives led him to become increasingly aggressive in combat and he strayed close to the dark side of the Force.

Personality and traits
"The one on the right likes you. There's more to life than starfighters, you know.''" "I'll just go back with you, sir. If you don't mind." "''Sorry, girls. I guess you'll just have to wait for another night."

- Keyan Farlander and Breth Gart

Gart was a soft-spoken young man with unruly, jet-black hair, lazy eyes and a smile that appeared too wide for his face. He was devoted to the Rebel Alliance, which he came to think of as his home, and was fascinated by starfighters, which he considered deadly and sophisticated. Gart's primary ambition in life was to become a starfighter pilot and he demonstrated good reflexes and an ability to take instructions well during his early training. When his dreams appeared to be derailed by his disorientation problems, Gart resolved to fight through the pain and achieve his goal, devoting himself to his training and overcoming the pain he experienced through willpower alone. Some aboard the Independence considered his eventual success a medical miracle and even the most dubious instructors admired the grace and precision with which he operated a starfighter&mdash;skills rarely seen in a rookie.

After entering active service, there were soon indications that he would make a good pilot, despite his young age. He was eager to meet the enemy in battle, had a natural ability for combat, instinctively knowing how to handle each situation, and showed an ability to remember every detail of an engagement. Farlander quickly classified him as "likely to survive" in combat and thought that Gart had the potential to become one of the best pilots in Red Squadron. His achievements earned him respect from his fellow pilots, though Gart generally seemed surprised to find himself having friends and admirers. He was a quiet man, who was particularly nervous around women, squirming uncomfortably when a female admirer questioned him about piloting. This shyness also kept him from forming many close friendships aboard the Independence. One exception was Farlander&mdash;though Gart had little chance to get to know Farlander during training, the two Agamarians became friends while serving together in Red Squadron and Farlander came to think of him like a younger brother.

Behind the scenes
Breth Gart was created by Rusel DeMaria for the 1993 book X-wing: The Official Strategy Guide, which presented the story of Keyan Farlander, the player character in the game Star Wars: X-wing. In the book, Gart is established as one of the previously unidentified pilots aboard the Independence.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: X-wing