Mala Tinero

"I'm going to help him, Wedge. I need to do something."

- Mala, on her father's support of the Rebel Alliance

Mala was a Human female who lived on Gus Talon, a moon of Corellia, in 2 BBY. An apt mechanic, she lived and worked with her father, Rallo, who was a clandestine supporter of the Rebel Alliance. Mala was romantically involved with a Corellian freighter pilot named Wedge Antilles, whom she attempted to persuade to participate in the Alliance's rebellion against the Galactic Empire; however, the pilot was reluctant to get involved. While Antilles was away from Gus Talon on a supply run, Rallo's Rebel ties were discovered by the Imperial Captain Turrant, and after Rallo and his men killed several of Turrant's stormtroopers in a firefight, the Captain ordered an orbital bombardment of the moon. The bombardment left both Mala and her father dead. Antilles received lasting emotional scars, but Mala's death simultaneously acted as a catalyst in his decision to ultimately become involved with the Rebellion.

Biography
"I'll be gone a day or two. You okay with that?''" "Wedge&hellip; when you come back, will you think about helping Dad? The Rebellion could really use you and your ship." "I admire what your father is doing. I do. But&hellip;" "''You just don't see what it has to do with you&hellip;"

- Wedge Antilles and Mala

Mala was a Human female who lived with her father, Rallo, on the Corellian moon Gus Talon in 2 BBY. Rallo was a mechanic who operated a garage on the moon while secretly supporting a cell of the Rebel Alliance; Mala helped him around the garage and hoped to become more active herself in the fledgling Alliance's rebellion against the Galactic Empire. In 2 BBY, she was romantically involved with Wedge Antilles, a young Corellian who was operating from Gus Talon as a freighter pilot. Although Antilles was nervous around Mala's father, Rallo in fact approved of the boy and helped him perform maintenance on his ship.

One day, when Mala and Antilles were at a street market together in one of the moon's cities, she began to chase him through the market after he playfully stole her necklace. When Mala attempted to leap over a glass vendor's stand in her pursuit, she crashed to the ground and brought several of the vendor's glass sculptures with her. She eventually caught up with Antilles, but he was standing next to Rallo and facing down a pair of Imperial stormtroopers&mdash;Mala's father had stopped the boy from running straight into the troopers and their captain, Turrant, whose patrol was temporarily stationed on the moon. Later, when Antilles was tinkering with his ship and preparing for a job to deliver machine parts out of the system, Mala asked him to consider joining the Rebel Alliance. Antilles was reluctant to do so, but he promised that they would further discuss the offer upon his return.

Antilles was gone for two days, and during that time, Mala and her father were working on a landspeeder in Rallo's garage when Captain Turrant arrived and arrested them both on the charge of collusion with the Rebellion. When he threatened to take Mala away from her father, Rallo drew a blaster and shot a member of Turrant's stormtrooper bodyguard. Mala fled at a word from her father, tossing a blaster rifle to one of his Selonian employees on her way out. Rallo and his men killed the stormtroopers during the firefight, but Turrant escaped and ordered a retaliatory orbital bombardment of the moon. Mala and Rallo were two of the bombardment's casualties.

When Antilles returned to Gus Talon, he found no trace of Mala, and her death caused a deep hatred of the Empire to blossom within him. He threw in with the Rebellion and, over the years, became one of the foremost heroes of the Alliance and its successor state, the New Republic, in their long and ultimately successful war with the Empire. Antilles continued to feel pain and loss over Mala for years after her death.

Personality and traits
"For you, I'll fly like the wind.''" "''Ooh. Cheesy."

- Antilles and Mala

Mala had a close relationship with her father and at times assisted him with his duties around the garage. Following in Rallo's footsteps, she demonstrated aptitude as a mechanic. Rallo was himself protective of Mala; however, he also trusted her with the knowledge of his involvement with the Rebel Alliance. Mala was resentful of the Empire and was eager to aid the Alliance herself, as well as to recruit Wedge Antilles to their cause. She and Antilles loved each other, although neither of them had the opportunity to tell the other before her death. The two were emotionally very close yet playful with one another, and Mala was not above poking fun at him for delivering cliched romantic lines. Mala's death had a deep impact on Antilles, who bore emotional scars for years and became inspired to dedicate his life to fighting the Empire. Mala had black hair that fell down to her chin, as well as dark brown eyes and fair skin.

Behind the scenes
"THE CURSE of WEDGE ANTILLES"

- Cover of Star Wars Tales 23, referring to the story of Lucky

Mala was introduced into Star Wars canon in Lucky, a short comic story written by Rob Williams and penciled by Michel Lacombe. It was included in the twenty-third issue of Star Wars Tales, which was published in May 2005. Advertised on the cover of the issue as "The curse of Wedge Antilles," Lucky tells the story of Mala's death, which inspires Antilles to join the Rebel Alliance but continues to haunt him for years. To date, Mala's only other mention in canon has been in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.