Jes Gistang

"Jes Gistang is in charge of the big gun&hellip;"

- Sergeant Harkas

Jes Gistang was a Corellian Human female who served as a stormtrooper in Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire circa 137 ABY. As a young woman, she decided to join the 407th Stormtrooper Division through the Imperial Mission, an organization that helped individuals to spread Imperial influence. Put in charge of the heavy artillery in Joker Squad, she quickly found a home among the 407th, and was a talented and responsible soldier. When Anson Trask joined the 407th, Gistang quickly doubted him, betting fellow soldier Vax Potorr that he would last just six hours on the battlefield.

She guided Trask and gave him tips to help him survive among the stormtroopers, and even sympathized with the man. Later, when Lieutenant Gil Cassel informed the 407th that they would be participating in a battle on Borosk against the 908th Stormtrooper Division, which had joined the forces of deposed Emperor Roan Fel, she quickly disagreed with the mission, and even argued that the 407th should join Fel themselves. Gistang reluctantly participated in the Battle of Borosk itself when they were ordered into action. Gistang was killed during the second day of fighting, when her power pak was hit by a stray blaster bolt, causing it to explode and incinerate her.

Stormtrooper
"I'm Corellian. Through the Imperial Mission I got a chance to join the Empire. Beat the alternatives being offered me."

- Jes Gistang

Jes Gistang, born on the planet Corellia, did not enjoy the early part of her life, and became a stormtrooper of Darth Krayt's Sith Empire through the Imperial Mission, an organization designed to spread Imperial influence by helping beings of the galaxy. Gistang was then assigned to the 407th Stormtrooper Division, which was stationed on the planet Yinchorr, and joined Joker Squad, led by Lieutenant Gil Cassel. During her career as a stormtrooper, Gistang became a respected, talented soldier, and eventually was put in charge of the squad's heavy weaponry.



In 137 ABY, she was introduced to Anson Trask, a recent addition to Joker Squad who was made fun of by other stormtroopers when he couldn't find his squad. Gistang joined the other troopers in making a bet on how long Trask could survive in battle; she wagered that he would only last six hours on the battlefield, showing a considerable amount of doubt in the man. Gistang decided to talk to Trask, informing him of certain soldiers' personalities, though she still thought little of him, and made this clear when she told him of her doubts. She also joked around with him, explaining to Trask that if he helped fellow troopers, he might live longer.

Later, an informant told the Empire that the 908th Stormtrooper Division was planning to defect to the deposed former leader of the Empire, Roan Fel. High Moff Morlish Veed, wanting to keep the 908th's base on Borosk intact, decided to send the 407th to eliminate the traitors. When Lieutenant Cassel informed the troopers that they were going to fight the 908th, Gistang argued that they couldn't kill fellow troopers, though Cassel quickly quieted her down. Sith Lord Darth Maleval, who had been sent to Yinchorr earlier, was in charge of the mission, partly to make sure the 407th didn't defect themselves.

Death at Borosk
"You have to hear it, Lieutenant! Hondo's right! Maybe we should be joining the 908th and Fel! Or we could just walk away&mdash;from the fight, from the 407th, from the whole army."

- Jes Gistang

Thrust into action on Borosk, Gistang and Joker Squad were at first assigned to capture the 908th's base. Gistang played an important part in the battle, cutting paths with the large weapon she used, and inflicting large amounts of damage on enemy targets. However, a stormtrooper had sneaked up behind her, intent on shooting her. Trask saved her life and shot the enemy, who became his first kill as a stormtrooper. For the rest of the battle, he covered Gistang's back, allowing her to cause more damage with her weaponry. The 407th was finally able to capture an important gun platform at the base, and was then allowed to rest for the night.

While they were resting, Trask was deep in thought about his first kill. Gistang noticed this, and asked him if the battle was what he expected. Trask told her about his father, who had been proud to be a stormtrooper, and that since his father used to be in the 407th, he had been given the option to join its ranks, which he accepted. Gistang too explained a bit about her past, and the other soldiers' pasts to him as well. Meanwhile, Darth Maleval confronted Lieutenant Cassel, ordering him to kill all of the 908th, including Cassel's own brother Jared, a captain with the 90th, despite the fact that Joker Squad disliked killing fellow stormtroopers.



Fellow Joker Squad trooper Hondo Karr, however, felt the need to confront the Sith Lord, and insulted him. As a result, Maleval Force pushed Karr to the ground, which created an uproar. Gistang started to chase after Maleval with insults of her own, though she was stopped by Sergeant Harkas before Maleval could punish her as well. After Maleval left, Gistang argued to Cassel that the entire fight was wrong, and that they should either join Fel along with the 908th, just walk away, or let the 908th escape. Harkas convinced the rest of the squad to fight, even though they disagreed with the decision.

When the fighting resumed the next day, Joker Squad breached the main fortress of the 908th, where the fighting soon degenerated into hand-to-hand combat. The first casualty of the battle was Vax Potorr, who was lost to an explosion from a mine placed by enemy soldiers. They pushed on, but Gistang made the mistake of leaving her power paks vulnerable to blaster bolts. A stray bolt hit one of the paks, resulting in an explosion that incinerated her, as well as causing major injury to Harkas. Trask would later reflect that neither him or his comrades had time to mourn Gistang or Potorr's deaths.

Personality and traits
Jes Gistang was a hardened soldier, and loyal to the Empire, but also had a good sense of humor. She used her experience as a stormtrooper to help Anson Trask during his early days as a soldier. Gistang had a strong sense of morality, and never wanted to participate in a battle against her own ranks, even going as far as to suggest to Lieutenant Gil Cassel to join Roan Fel's resistance, or at least flee the Battle of Borosk.

Behind the scenes
Jes Gistang's only appearance in Star Wars continuity is in the fourth issue of the Star Wars Legacy comics, Noob, during which she is killed. Gistang is the first canonically-named female stormtrooper, although the first canonical female stormtrooper was the unidentified female stormtrooper appearing in Star Wars Legacy 0.

A figure of Jes Gistang was created by Entertainment Earth and unveiled at the Comic-Con International 2008 comic book convention as part of the Joker Squad action figure six-pack.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Legacy 4: Noob