Jannik (Rodian)

A pale-skinned Rodian from Rodia, Jannik the White was the leader of the Reeven Clan around the time of the Separatist crisis, and fought in a Rodian honor war against the Cairn Clan in 26 BBY. Jannik enlisted the help of a Feeorin pirate named Nym for the wars, knowing his clan was greatly outnumbered by Evo the Blue's warriors. Nym helped them defeat Evo, and also stole treasures from the Rodian Grand Protector, the profits of which he split with Jannik. Knowing he would be wanted on his homeworld, Jannik went with Nym to track down a pirate named Sol Sixxa on Maramere, bringing along the majority of his clan.

Jannik and his men proved instrumental in the mission to Maramere. They saved Nym from a massive Relix fish which was in pursuit of the Feeorin pirate after he went searching a sunken ship, and Jannik later clashed with Sixxa's men in the Haunted Straits, alongside Nym and his crew. Ultimately, Sixxa attempted to flee the battle. Jannik attempted to stop him, but was stabbed in the upper chest. Although his injury was extensive, the albino Rodian survived, though only barely.

Clan leader
In 26 BBY, Jannik was the leader of the Reeven Clan on his homeworld Rodia. The clan was engaged in an honor war with the Cairn Clan, led by Evo the Blue. Jannik promised to pay a Feeorin pirate named Nym for aiding the Reeven clan in one of the battles, knowing there were far more Cairn warriors than Reeven ones. A Rodian Grand Protector oversaw the battle, with Mere Ambassador Loreli Ro acting as the sole spectator (though cam-droids relayed the fight all over Rodia). The winners would receive both honor and a large sum of credits, which Jannik needed to get his hands on if he was to pay Nym. He led his men into battle on the barren canyon, wearing a suit of ceremonial armor and carrying his sword. The albino Rodian provided Nym with hints for the battle right up until they clashed with the Cairn clan, though in battle Nym proved his abilities, swatting aside the smaller Rodians easily.



However, Nym soon realized that he and Jannik were greatly outnumbered, and ordered the pale-skinned clansman to fall back. Jannik refused, and Nym questioned his leadership and tactical abilities, as Jannik had not stuck to the battle plan prepared earlier. The Rodian and the Feeorin found themselves cut off from the rest of the Reeven clan, though Nym had a back-up plan prepared. Jannik covered the pirate as he charged at Evo's speeder, using his strength to knock the vehicle over. Nym declared the Reeven clan victorious, but Jannik knew better than the alien criminal. Evo the Blue had survived, and ordered his warriors to kill the duo. Surrounded, the albino Rodian contemplated surrender, though once again his Feeorin companion had formulated a plan. Nym brandished an illegal thermal detonator, and set it to explode. As the Rodian clan was killed in the explosion, Jannik was pulled to safety by Nym, who had used a grappling hook to escape.

Working with Nym
Jannik landed on the platform where the Grand Protector stood, in Nym's arms. The Rodian Grand Protector thought Nym dead, and declared the war a draw. The Feeorin pirate, however, had survived, and asked the Rodian to reconsider as he held a blaster pistol aloft. They were awarded the winnings, though Nym stole some of the Grand Protector's valuables as well. The hulking pirate then staged the theft of the complete winnings off Jannik, though this was nothing more than a ruse for the cameras. Nym left, though the two soon rendezvoused to split the profits as per the prior agreement. Knowing he would be a wanted man should the Grand Protector ever discover what had really transpired, Jannik asked Nym for passage offworld. Before Nym could answer, however, they were interrupted by the Grand Protector's guest of honor, Loreli Ro, who had a proposition for the Feeorin criminal.



On her homeworld of Maramere, a band of pirates led by Sol Sixxa had been terrorizing the Trade Federation (whom Nym held a personal hatred for), and Loreli pleaded with Nym to capture Sixxa; the Trade Federation were prepared to fight fire with fire, while she and her people were not prepared to be caught in the crossfire of a full-scale war. For five thousand credits, Nym agreed, and took Jannik the White and a group of his Rodian warriors with him. Jannik and his clan traveled to Maramere with Nym and his two mates, Kole and Jinkins, soon afterward, determined to earn the credits promised by the Mere ambassador. However, Nym had crossed the Trade Federation before, so when they recognized his ship, Havoc, they fired on it immediately. Nym's piloting skills were far superior, however, and they quickly dispatched the hostile Trade Federation fighters.

Jannik the White and his men gathered the weaponry from the Havoc and transferred it to a Mere ship known as the Sunrunner, which they would be using to launch their assault against their Mere counterparts. After fitting the ship with heavy weaponry, Nym went below the surface of the water to search the wreckage of a Trade Federation ship. The ship was the latest victim of Sixxa's raids, and the Feeroin pirate sought to examine the damage on it so that the he would have a good estimate of what he was going up against. The Feeorin took longer than expected, and soon re-emerged being chased by a massive Relix. Jannik and his men were able to swiftly dispose of the creature. Nym eventually climbed back on board with the severed head of a Trade Federation droid, hoping that Jinkins would be able to repair it, so they could learn where Sixxa was striking from.

Skirmish with Sol Sixxa
"&hellip;urk&hellip;"

- Jannik the White after being stabbed by Sixxa

The droid proved to be extremely useful for the motley band of pirates. It contained information on a prototype flamethrower, which Nym had Jinkins attach to one of his arms. Meanwhile, the Chadra-Fan Kole had traveled to the nearest cantina to learn everything he could about Sol Sixxa and the location of his base of operations. He found a drunken Mere, who told him of the Invisible Island, undetectable to any scanner, where Sol Sixxa launched his raids. Kole brought the man back to the Sunrunner, while Jannik and the others prepared to travel through the Haunted Straits in the heavy rain.



Sixxa, however, was prepared for the attack, and accompanied a team of stealthy boarders onto the Sunrunner. Nym thought like a pirate, and was ready to counterattack. Jannik led his loyal clansmen against the team of Mere pirates, while Nym and Sixxa fought with each other on the deck. Sixxa managed to cut the flamethrower off Nym, though he knew that Jannik's men outnumbered his own, and ordered a retreat. As the Mere pirate left the ship, Jannik attempted to stop him, firing several blaster shots at the pirate. Sixxa managed to evade them however, and stabbed the pale-skinned Rodian in the chest with his sword before fleeing the gunboat. Nym vowed to kill his foe for the stabbing, though Loreli, who was attending to the Rodian, told him that capturing Sixxa was more important&mdash;Jannik would live.

Jannik's men continued fighting after his injury, and Nym engaged Sixxa in a sword duel. Eventually, however, the two pirates made a pact, and joined forces against the Trade Federation. Jannik left Nym's service, and presumably returned to Rodia. Nym ultimately established a pirate base on Lok.

Personality and traits
"I never thought we'd make it that far. But since we're alive, I'd like my cut."

- Jannik speaks with Nym

Jannik was a very proud being, with a firm respect for tradition. During the ceremonial honor wars on his homeworld, he refused to give up, knowing he would disgrace himself and his clan. He also donned the traditional Rodian armor and sword during these battles, and told Nym he should feel honored to be wearing such a magnificent suit of armor. Yet Jannik was also very sly and greedy, and cared more for making a profit than regaining honor and respect, though they were still very important to him. He had no qualms with allying himself with known criminals, nor with breaking the law himself. Jannik was very brave, and during his time as clan leader he acted as a fearless warrior, despite his small stature. He was extremely loyal to his warriors, as were they to him: they kept serving him even after he was grievously wounded.

Behind the scenes
Jannik was created by Star Wars author W. Haden Blackman for Starfighter: Crossbones, a three-issue spinoff comic based on Star Wars: Starfighter. He was illustrated by Ramón F. Bachs, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson. Jannik's only subsequent appearance in canon has been in the Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

Appearances

 * Starfighter: Crossbones