Jarek Yeager

"You can work as a mechanic on my team. But when it comes to your mission as a spy, I don't want anything to do with it."

- Jarek Yeager, to Kazuda Xiono

Jarek Yeager was a human male mechanic who owned a repair shop on the Colossus during the era of the New Republic. A former Rebel pilot and veteran of the Galactic Civil War, Yeager once served with the Alliance to Restore the Republic. After the war, he sought a quiet, peaceful life and, therefore, retired to a refueling installation located on the ocean planet Castilon in the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories.

In addition to his occupation as a mechanic and shopkeeper, Yeager was the leader of a racing team known as Team Fireball, which consisted of a younger generation of starship pilots. During the cold war, his team accepted the New Republic pilot Kazuda Xiono as the newest addition to their ranks. Although Yeager permitted Xiono to work as a member of his crew, he knew the young pilot was, in fact, a spy for the Resistance and wanted no part in their conflict with the First Order.

Galactic Civil War
"Wow, he was in the rebellion too? I didn’t know Yeager was at the Battle of Jakku."

- Kazuda Xiono

During the Galactic Civil War, Jarek Yeager served as a Rebel pilot in the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and later with the New Republic when he participated in the Battle of Jakku. At the end of the battle, Yeager was photographed along his victorious X-wing squadron in front of the wreckage of a downed Star Destroyer.

War veteran
"You showing up always means trouble."

- Jarek Yeager to Poe Dameron

Following the defeat of the Galactic Empire and subsequent rise of the New Republic, Yeager started a family; marrying a woman and having a daughter with her. At one point, Yeager was photographed with his family on the planet Batuu. Yeager also became a successful racer, earning the envy of his younger brother, Marcus Speedstar. During one such racing event around 24 ABY, that both Yeager and Speedstar were competing in, Speedstar used large amounts of coaxium to fuel his ship in an effort to beat Yeager. However, Speedstar's ship crashed, killing Yeager's wife and daughter, who were attending the event at the time. Furious at Speedstar's actions, Yeager ceased contact with him for many years.

At some point following the deaths of his wife and daughter, Yeager retired to the Outer Rim Territories, where he settled on the ocean planet of Castilon as a member of the Colossus community. While living on the refueling station, Yeager established himself as a starship mechanic, a repair shop owner, and the leader of Team Fireball &mdash; a racing team composed of a younger generation of mechanics and pilots, including Neeku Vozo and Tamara Ryvora. In addition to its organic members, Yeager's team was served by his droid R1-J5, a decrepit and obsolete astromech commonly referred to as "Bucket". Yeager also at one point competed in the station's races, often winning, but by 34 ABY he no longer did so. He owned a supply of hyperfuel which he occasionally used as a boost when racing.

Sheltering a spy
At the height of the cold war, the Resistance planted a spy on the Colossus in the hopes of gathering intelligence on the rising threat of the First Order. Resistance Commander Poe Dameron, who was an old friend of Yeager's, asked him to hire the spy, former New Republic pilot Kazuda Xiono, as a worker at his shop as cover. Yeager had misgivings, especially after Xiono was embroiled in a bar brawl less than an hour after arriving, but acquiesced, although he wanted nothing to do with the conflict between the Resistance and the secretive First Order.

Yeager and his team had to quickly to fix up an old racing ship, the decrepit Fireball, for Xiono to use in a solo race he had been unwillingly signed up for by the overly-eager Vozo. Ryvora was displeased, as Yeager had promised her the ship, and he told her he was doing it as a favor for a friend. Yeager was unimpressed with the used parts Xiono acquired for the ship, who hadn't had enough credits to pay for new parts. In the race the next day, Yeager warned Xiono not to fly too fast or he would cause the ship's engines to flame out. Xiono flew well, and eventually ignored the advice due to sensing victory, causing him to crash. After Xiono came to in the repair shop afterward, Yeager took him aside and told Xiono that, although he could work on Team Fireball, Yeager had no interest in getting involved in his mission.

The pirate raid
A short time later, Yeager and Team Fireball were hired to work on a shuttle belonging to Hallion Nark, a Neimoidian who claimed to be in a hurry. He was not impressed by Xiono taking an unnecessarily long time to fetch a part, and after Xiono accidentally made Nark lose his comlink, he promised to deduct the cost for it from Xiono's pay. Yeager was unaware that Nark was spying on the Colossus for pirate leader Kragan Gorr and his gang. During the pirates' subsequent attack, which coincided with a "triple dark" storm, Yeager took shelter with Ryvora, Vozo, and Bucket in one of the platform's designated safe areas. When they returned to the repair shop, they found Xiono working on the Fireball, which he claimed to have been doing for the entire time. Yeager didn't believe Xiono when he was told that the spy had helped drive off the pirate attack.

Rucklin and the hyperfuel heist
Due to Xiono's lack of mechanical skills and experience, he struggled to adjust to life at Yeager's repair station. When Xiono failed to repair an engine, Yeager did not allow the youth to go to the races and ordered him to finish the engine by the end of the day. When a careless Xiono allowed the hoversled carrying the engine to fall overboard, Yeager chastised Xiono for being distracted by the races and warned him not to blow his cover as a spy.

During his break time, Xiono went to Aunt Z's Tavern where he was befriended by the racer Jace Rucklin and his associates Lin Gaava and Gorrak Wiles, who lived seemingly carefree lives. Rucklin, who wanted to steal a canister of hyperfuel from Yeager, sought to gain Xiono's trust by inviting him out for a speeder bike race. Rucklin managed to gain Xiono's trust by staging an accident and rescuing him.

When Xiono failed to return from his break, Yeager confronted him and chastised Xiono for being two hours late. Back at the garage, Yeager chastised Xiono for his tardiness and reiterated his order to fix the engine. Later, Rucklin convinced Xiono to let him into Yeager's trophy room under the pretext of wanting to see Yeager's racer. While there, he took the opportunity to steal a canister of hyperfuel. The two also narrowly avoided being detected by Bucket, who was fetching a macro-fuser for Yeager.

Later, Bucket discovered that the hyperfuel canister was missing and alerted Yeager. When Xiono learned of the volatile nature of hyperfuel from Vozo, he rushed to Rucklin's hangar and tried to warn him. Xiono managed to save Rucklin but Jace's racer was destroyed in the process. Yeager helped BB-8 to rescue Xiono and Rucklin from the sea.

While Yeager was angry at Kaz for letting Rucklin take advantage of him, Yeager decided to give Xiono a second chance. While accepting Kaz was not a skilled mechanical or spy, he told Kaz that he was a good person and that Rucklin was lucky to have him as a friend. Yeager told Xiono to improve his skills as a mechanic and allowed him to repair the engine while watching the race above.

Watching over Kaz
Before leaving the repair shop, Yeager warned Kaz to be careful not to damage the casing while he, Ryvora, and Vozo were installing an acceleration compensator aboard the Fireball. Despite his warnings, Kaz damaged the compensator. While searching for funds to procure a new compensator, Xiono, Ryvora, and BB-8 were caught up in a plot to locate two child refugees named Kel and Eila, who had survived a First Order massacre on Tehar. Xiono and his friends managed to hide and protect the children from the First Order with the help of the Chelidae engineers and mechanics who lived in the engineering deck.

Later, Yeager woke up Xiono early in the morning for a "salvaging job" off-platform. Yeager flew Xiono on a Star Commuter 2000 to rendezvous with Captain Dameron for a training flight aboard a T-70 X-wing starfighter. While flying, the two responded to a distress call from a Darius G-class freighter in the Castilon system's sector six. After braving several Kowakian monkey-lizards and a Kowakian ape-lizard, the two managed to rescue the pirate Synara San, who posed as a crew member. While Yeager was reluctant to take a stranger aboard, he allowed Yeager to bring the unconscious Synara for medical treatment. As a result, the Warbirds gained a spy aboard the Colossus.

Following Xiono's adventures in Sector six, Yeager sent BB-8 to find Xiono because he wanted to show him how to operate a targeting computer. BB-8 visited the Colossus marketplace and Aunt Z's Tavern only to find Xiono working on the targeting computer. Xiono asked BB-8 to find Yeager, causing the droid to bow his head in exasperation.

The second pirate raid
Later, Yeager and his Team Fireball received a contract from Captain Doza to service the station's aerial defense system's tracking computer. Since Ace Squadron was escorting an important supply mission, Captain Doza told Yeager to have the cannons ready within three hours as the Colossus platform was otherwise defenseless.

After learning that the tracking computer needed a CoMar Tri-Tracker chip, Yeager ordered Xiono and Ryvora to obtain a new one and kept Vozo in the garage due to his tendency to blurt out secrets. With the help of Synara San, Kaz and Tam managed to obtain a new tri-tracker chip. Yeager was pleased and ordered Neeku to keep it a secret. Neeku took his command literally and muffled his speech.

Yeager then met with Captain Doza to discuss the threat posed by the pirates. Yeager claimed they had all the necessary parts but that installation was problematic. Captain Doza was concerned about leaving the station defenseless due to the growing effectiveness of the pirate raids. Yeager promised to have the aerial defense system operational within the hour.

Meanwhile, Ryvora befriending Synara San in the marketplace. She was unaware that Synara San was a pirate and had informed Kragan Gorr about the Colossus' lack of defenses. When Tam returned, Yeager expressed disappointment that they were behind schedule. Shortly later, the Warbirds attacked the Colossus. While Tam went to find her new friend Synara, Yeager enlisted Xiono's help in installing the tracking computer.

The two transported the tracking computer on a repulsorlift to the anti-aircraft cannons but were harried by Kragan Gorr and his pirates. Following a fierce fight, Yeager and Xiono managed to install the computer into the anti-air defense system. This allowed Captain Doza to open fire on the pirate ships. Yeager was impressed by Xiono's courage and complimented the young man.

Following the attack, Yeager met with Neeku, who told him that he and Bucket had taken shelter during the raid. Yeager told Kaz that it was no coincidence that the pirates had chosen to attack the Colossus when the Aces were away. He rightfully speculated that the pirates had a spy on the Colossus.

Healing old wounds
Later, Captain Doza invited Yeager to participate in the upcoming Platform Classic against his estranged younger brother, Speedstar. While Yeager's employees particularly Kaz and Tam were excited about the upcoming race and Speedstar, Yeager was unhappy to see his younger brother, whom he still blamed for the deaths of his wife and daughter. Yeager refused to speak to his brother and stormed out of the meeting.

When Speedstar visited Yeager's garage, Yeager refused to speak with his younger brother, spurning Speedstar's efforts at reconciliation. When Kaz and Tam pressed Yeager on his reasons for refusing to race Speedstar, Yeager refused to discuss his past and motives. After Tam insinuated that Speedstar was the better pilot, Yeager went to confront Speedstar at Aunt Z's Tavern.

Unknown to Yeager, Speedstar was heavily in debt to the Guavian Death Gang and had signed up for the Platform Classic to pay off his debts. Yeager stumbled on a distraught Speedstar after Guavian enforcers took his friend Oplock hostage to ensure that he would pay his debts. Still bitter towards Speedstar, Yeager tried to bully his brother into pulling out of the race. Determined to save his friend, Speedstar refused to pull out of the race and challenged Yeager to race him. In response, Aunt Z and her customers began placing bets on Yeager and Speedstar.

Annoyed at Kaz for admiring Speedstar, Yeager "loaned" Xiono as a mechanic. Yeager and Bucket then went to prepare Jarek Yeager's racer for the race. When Neeku asked why he had fallen out with his brother, Yeager replied that Speedstar had not been there for him but avoided talking about his family. Meanwhile, Kaz learned about Speedstar's role in a tragic racing accident that claimed the lives of Yeager's family.

The following day, Yeager and Speedstar traded barbs over the intercom prior to the race. During the Platform Classic, Yeager remained in the lead with Speedstar close behind. The two brothers cleared through the obstacle course hoops, the atmospheric climb, and the re-entry phases. During the final leg of the race, Speedstar reached out to his brother and apologized for causing the deaths of Yeager's family. He told Yeager that he was racing not for fame and money but to save his friend. Taking pity on his brother, Yeager pulled his racer out of the race, allowing Speedstar to reach the finish line first.

By winning the race, Speedstar was able to pay back his debts to the Guavian Death Gang and free his friend Oplock. The two brothers subsequently embraced each other. Yeager told Speedstar that it was good to have him back. While Yeager had still not fully reconciled with Speedstar, he promised that their relationship would be good one day.

Kaz's second trip offworld
Yeager allowed Xiono to "borrow" the Fireball for an offworld mission with Poe Dameron. When Bucket asked if Yeager had lent the ship to Xiono, Yeager quipped that he did not have much choice and said that Tam would find out soon. Shortly later, an angry Ryvora confronted Yeager over letting Xiono fly "her ship." Yeager responded that the Fireball was still technically his ship. However, Ryvora countered that she had "forgotten" to install a new stabilizer on the fighter.

Neeku's reward
To reward Neeku for his hard work, Yeager treated him for a meal. Vozo got Yeager to purchase him a gorg from Bolza Grool's stand as a meal. However, the gorg escaped and led Neeku on a wild chase through the Colossus market. Vozo managed to recapture the gorg but decided to have bantha milk instead. While Grool returned the gorg to its tank, Yeager told BB-8 that Neeku could have easily gotten a droid instead.

Teaching the Aces
Sometime after the Battle of Castilon and the mission to obtain coaxium, Yeager joined the Ace Squadron along with Kaz and became their new instructor.

Personality and traits
Jarek Yeager was a human male with brown eyes and dark skin. By the time of the cold war, approximately three decades after the Battle of Endor, his black hair had begun to turn gray.

Having survived the Galactic Civil War, Yeager enjoyed his retirement on the Colossus, which kept him far removed from the central systems of the galaxy. Possessing a life's worth of experience, Yeager was noted for his quiet and hardworking attitude, as well as the wisdom that came with age. Yeager could be a demanding employer who expected high standards from his employees. However, he respected Xiono's willingness to save his friends from danger.

Yeager was deeply affected by the loss of his wife and daughter during a racing accident caused by his younger brother Marcus Speedstar. Yeager severed his relationship with Speedstar and turned his back on his racing career. Yeager's bitterness towards Speedstar led him to reject his younger brother's efforts at reconciling with him. Yeager's feelings towards Speedstar softened after realizing that Speedstar did care for his friend Oplock, who had been held for ransom by the Guavian Death Gang. While Yeager was still unable to forgive Speedstar, he allowed him to win so that Speedstar could save his friend Oplock.

Poe Dameron
Yeager was an old friend of Resistance ace pilot Poe Dameron and agreed to look after the young Resistance spy Kazuda Xiono as a favor to Poe.

Tamara Ryvora
Yeager regarded Tamara Ryvora as one of his most reliable mechanics and placed her in a supervisory role over Xiono. In return for working for him, Yeager promised Ryvora the starfighter Fireball if she repaired the ship. Ryvora was protective of the Fireball and objected to Yeager's decision to allow Xiono to ride the starship. As a precaution, Ryvora once disabled the ship's stabilizer to express her opposition to others flying the Fireball.

Yeager and Ryvora also disagreed about the Galactic Empire and the First Order. While Ryvora welcomed the employment opportunities the Empire brought her grandfather, Yeager recognized that the Empire took advantage of the vulnerable. While Ryvora welcomed the protection that the First Order brought the Colossus, Yeager feared that the First Order was taking away liberty under the guise of protection.

Marcus Speedstar
Jarek Yeager and his younger brother Marcus Speedstar were once close, having both being New Republic pilots and racers. The two brothers fell out after Speedstar's negligence caused the deaths of Yeager's wife and daughter during a race. A bitter Yeager cut Speedstar out of his life and refused to speak with him. Yeager forgave Speedstar after realizing that Speedstar was racing in the Platform Classic in order to save his friend Oplock, who was being held hostage by the Guavian Death Gang.

Kazuda Xiono
Though a father figure to the young members of Team Fireball, Yeager found Kazuda Xiono to be a source of both trouble and grief due to the latter's spying activities. Knowing Xiono's ties to the Resistance, the former pilot declared that he had no intention of getting involved in their fight against the First Order.

Yeager was frustrated by Xiono's lack of mechanical savvy and tardiness. However, he recognized that Xiono was a good person and gave him a second chance after he saved Rucklin's life during a racing accident.

Skills and abilities
Possessing a lifetime of experience, Jarek Yeager's skills included piloting and repairing starships. He was also experienced at running a local business through his occupation as a repair-shop owner on the Colossus installation. Yeager knew how to handle a blaster, easily helping stun a pair of First Order stormtroopers after being rescued by Kazuda Xiono.

Behind the scenes
"Yeager represents the old school. Yeager was a pilot for the Rebellion. Now he's just trying to live his life, as mainly, a mechanic on this installation in the middle of nowhere. And he, unfortunately, keeps getting pulled back into the action...He's the father figure of Team Fireball."

- Meet Team Fireball featurette

Jarek Yeager is a character created and developed for the Star Wars Resistance animated series. He first appeared in "The Recruit", the first episode of the series. He is voiced by Scott Lawrence, who was the official voice of Darth Vader in all Star Wars games from 1994 to 2006 when Matthew Sloan became the official voice of Vader in spin-off material.