Wes Janson/Legends

"This is Major Wes Janson, and if you're not aware of his exploits, I'm sure he'll be delighted to give you the whole story."

- Wedge Antilles on Wes Janson

Wes Janson was a pilot for the Rebel Alliance and New Republic. He served as Wedge Antilles's gunner at the Battle of Hoth. He later went on to become a key member of both Rogue Squadron, the Rebel Alliance's most elite fighter squadron; and Wraith Squadron, the New Republic's pilot/commando unit, eventually reaching the rank of at Major after years of service. Janson continued to serve the New Republic by leading a group of volunteers during the Yuuzhan Vong War.

In addition to his pilot skills, Janson was deadly with blasters and skilled at hand to hand combat. When he wasn't fighting, Janson believed in having fun today, because tomorrow might not come, and was known for his practical jokes and witticisms among his fellow pilots.

Early Galactic Civil War
"Good shot, Janson!"

- Wedge Antilles

Wes Janson, a native of Taanab, originally joined the Rebel Alliance as a member of the Tierfon Yellow Aces, a Y-wing squadron in training during the early years of the Alliance. For their first mission, the Yellow Aces were tasked with ambushing an Imperial convoy carrying supplies that the Alliance needed badly. When the convoy arrived at the system, its armed escort was larger than anticipated. One pilot, Kissek Doran, was suddenly struck with panic and tried to leave the group. With the prospect of compromising the entire ambush party if he was detected by the Imperials, Wes and Jek Tono Porkins were ordered to bring him back. Since using his ion cannon would give away their position, Wes was forced to use his lasers, vaping the fleeing pilot. It was his first kill. Janson also met Tomer Darpen in the squadron, whom he would later encounter on Adumar.

Janson, who was good friends with Jek Porkins, was eventually transferred to Yavin. However, he was stricken with Hesken Fever and was unable to join in the Battle of Yavin.



Later, Janson joined Luke Skywalker's Rogue Squadron and took part in the First Battle of Balmorra where he and Luke destroyed an AT-AT factory, slowing the production of them down severely at the time. Janson also served as a gunner for Wedge Antilles at the Battle of Hoth. By the time he had reached Hoth, Janson had already earned a reputation for skill in combat on both the ground and in the air, having earned a True Gunner award for accuracy prior to service on Hoth. In that battle, he helped bring down an Imperial AT-AT walker with his tow cable. Wedge would later tell new recruits about him and Janson being stranded on the ice planet for months, with Janson eventually being slain at the hands of scavengers, only to have Janson emerge, alive and well.

Helping the search for Solo
During Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa's attempt to rescue Han Solo from the bounty hunter Boba Fett, Janson, as part of Rogue Squadron, was based on the moon of Kile from a temporary facility set up for them. Luke's plan had them attack two entire wings of TIE Fighters, plus two Imperial Star Destroyers in a surprise raid. The real purpose of the assault was to make a distraction, allowing the Millennium Falcon and the Outrider to reach Fett's craft and rescue Han.

When the Imperials launched more TIE fighters, Luke called for a retreat as the Rogues were beginning to take casualties. However, Wes's astromech droid suddenly took control of his X-wing. Programmed by a bribed technician, his ship began shooting at Luke's X-wing, with Wes powerless to stop it. Thankfully for Janson, Luke managed to disable Janson's rogue droid without causing any injury to him.

Later, Janson and the other Rogues participated in a space brawl over Coruscant with Black Sun forces while escorting the Millennium Falcon to safety. Ultimately, the intervention of the Imperial Navy, particularly the Executor, resulting in the destruction of the Black Sun leader's skyhook allowed the Rogues and the Falcon to escape in the confusion.

Endor and beyond
Janson flew in the Battle of Endor, where he rendered "meritorius service" as a pilot. After the battle, Janson and Tycho were assigned to ground patrol on the surface of Endor in search of an Imperial patrol that the Ewoks had told them about. During the patrol, Janson and Tycho were attacked by a gorax. Janson's skill with a blaster pistol allowed him to kill the beast with a single blast to the eye. After the incident, they were recalled to base and given a new assignment under Luke Skywalker.

On this mission, Janson accompanied Luke Skywalker, Tycho Celchu, Ten Numb and Wedge Antilles to Corellia. Janson and the other Rogues, having not found any trace of the Empire, were enjoying themselves in a local tapcafe when they were attacked by Imperial forces, who had come to reclaim the planet. Recovering from the assault, the Rogues counter-attacked and defeated Imperial General Weir. Janson also participated in many other Rogue Squadron missions during the Galactic Civil War.

Wraith Squadron
"Oh, wonderful. I killed his father. He hates me. He knows how to make bombs. Come on, Wedge, how does this story end?"

- Wes Janson talking about Kell Tainer



Eventually, Wes and his good friend Hobbie left frontline combat duty and were tasked with building and training new starfighter units, resulting in the creation of both Corsair Squadron and Gauntlet Squadron, as well as the ill-fated Talon Squadron. When Wedge Antilles and the rest of the reformed Rogue Squadron left the New Republic to hunt down Ysanne Isard, the New Republic needed a Rogue Squadron to keep up appearances of the famous X-wing unit. In response, they created a temporary Rogue Squadron led by Hobbie and Wes and filled by former Rogues. After Wedge's return from Thyferra, this squadron was disbanded, and some of its members incorporated into the returning Rogues.

Shortly after, Wedge put Rogue Squadron under the command of Tycho Celchu and Hobbie while he and Wes formed the infamous Wraith Squadron, with Wes as the executive officer. Wraith Squadron was an experimental group comprised largely of rejected pilots and wash-outs that doubled as both a commando unit and a starfighter squadron. Wes served as Wedge's second in command of Wraith Squadron and helped select the squadron members. One of the great ironies of the Wraiths came to fruition when a man by the name of Kell Tainer was selected for the squadron, with a specialty in demolitions. He was the son of the late Kissek Doran and had changed his name when word reached him that his father had turned coward in the middle of battle. There was much angst between Wes and Kell at first, but as the campaign against Zsinj and his affiliates wore on, the two came to terms with one another, especially when Janson and Kell both realized that the stiffness around each other wasn't a sign of aggression, but of fear. The two pilots resolved their differences and dropped their long-standing hostility and mistrust of the other.

Night Caller
"Why isn't Hobbie here to take this abuse?"

- Wes Janson, being pranked by his fellow Wraiths

The Wraiths were originally based at Folor, but were forced to evacuate when Admiral Apwar Trigit attacked. The Wraiths, having barely finished their training hastily evacuated. Janson helped escort the straggling freighter Borleias, shooting several TIEs off of it. However, they were pulled out of hyperspace by an Empion mine which also disabled their X-wings. Thanks to some unorthodox tactics and improvised weaponry, the Wraiths were able to capture a mine-laying vessel, the Night Caller. Posing as the actual crew of the vessel, Janson and the other Wraiths used the ship to gather intelligence on Trigit's and Warlord Zsinj's activities. A rendezvous with New Republic forces allowed them to become officially commissioned as a squadron, but Wes and Wedge grew concerned about the lack of emotional and personal stability among some of the pilots, such as Kell Tainer and Tyria Sarkin. It seemed to Wes that this group of rejects and wash-outs might be headed for disaster.

Wedge and Wes, as senior officers, stayed somewhat aloof from the other pilots, interacting with them only in an official manner. After several infiltration and intelligence gathering missions on Zsinj-allied businesses, the Wraiths suffered their first casualty, Jesmin Ackbar, when a group of pirates attacked them. However, their missions continued, despite the loss. One on infiltration mission to Storinal, Janson posed as an expatriated Bakuran Senator, helping infect an Imperial shuttle with Bunkurd Sewer Disorder and the mission resulted in the Wraiths stealing two TIE fighters to equip the Night Caller with. The Wraiths even ambushed another corvette and a frigate belonging to Zsinj, and were able to maintain the charade of being Zsinj's crewmen. The culmination of their Night Caller escapades was the ambush and destruction of the Star Destroyer Implacable, commanded by Apwar Trigit. In that battle, Janson scored several combat kills, but was unable to rescue Wraiths Grinder or Falynn Sandskimmer, who had flown into a hole in the Star Destroyer's power cells to destroy it from within, and both perished, though the Star Destroyer and Admiral Trigit also were destroyed.

Hawk-Bats
""Bad news: I'm back. Bad for me, because I was enjoying my rest, and bad for you, because if some of you had been a little quicker, I wouldn't have been shot."

- Wes Janson briefing the squadron upon his recovery.

Returning to Coruscant for some downtime, the Wraiths narrowly escaped capture by a group of impostors posing as military police after they got into a bar fight, and Janson suffered a blaster graze along his ribs in a brawl with the impostors, but the wound was not serious. After their successful use of the Night Caller, the Wraiths decided to pose as a pirate group, the Hawk-Bats, to cause further damage to Zsinj as well as gather more information. In their first mission, they stole several TIE Interceptors from an Imperial base to complete their squadron's complement of starfighters&mdash;they had not received replacements since sustaining losses and they needed craft for their piratical charade. In between missions, Janson returned to Coruscant to pick up cargo and orders for the Wraiths, and also a stuffed Ewok doll that would play heavily into his tricks.

In their next mission, Janson, paired with Dia Passik, joined in a dogfight with a large group of starfighters from the recently arrived Iron Fist, Warlord Zsinj's flagship. The Wraiths largely escaped, save for Ton Phanan who was shot down and later died, and destroyed a refueling tanker that Iron Fist had tractor beamed, causing damage to the hangar bay. This action also caused Zsinj to offer employment to the Hawk-Bats. However, the grueling missions, coupled with recent casualties, wore the Wraiths down. Wes was kept busy working with Wedge to maintain stability among the unit and interpreting data to use against Zsinj. While analyzing the defenses of Zsinj's target, Wes believed that the target was Coruscant, but Wedge correctly determined that it was actually Kuat, and Zsinj was trying to steal the newest Super Star Destroyer. Janson also helped set Dia Passik, his wingmate, up with Face Loran at a formal dance, and the two later developed a romantic relationship.

During Zsinj's attempt to steal the craft, Janson and several of the Wraiths stayed on Mon Remonda in their X-wings to ambush Zsinj in their escape attempt while other Wraith pilots infiltrated the new battleship and served as pirates flying for Zsinj. The mission and subsequent ambush, which Janson took part in, was largely a success, with the Razor's Kiss destroyed, although Iron Fist escaped.

Defeat of Zsinj
"Yub, yub, Commander."

- Wes Janson teasing Wedge Antilles with an Ewok joke.

With the Razor's Kiss destroyed, the Wraiths abandoned their Hawk-Bats scheme temporarily and rejoined Han Solo's flagship, the Mon Remonda, while continuing their intelligence and sabotage missions. Wraith Squadron at this point was reorganized, with Face Loran being promoted to the commander of the unit. Although Janson was the senior officer of the two Lieutenants, he had never wanted (or intended) to stay with the Wraiths past their initial formation period, and was perfectly at ease taking orders from the much younger officer, remaining XO of the unit. And although Wedge technically rejoined Rogue Squadron at this point, it did not even slow down Wes from his continuous teasing and practical jokes against the commander. In a fleet battle against a large part of Zsinj's fleet, including Iron Fist, Janson, the Wraiths and the Rogues destroyed two Carrack-class cruisers, but Janson's craft was disabled by an ion cannon. He was rescued, and Solo's fleet escaped to fight another day.

On a intelligence gathering mission, the Wraiths investigated Binring Biomedical, but were ambushed by Zsinj's forces. Janson was burned when the Wraiths fell through a trapdoor into a crematorium, but they escaped, capturing Dr. Edda Gast, a top scientist for Zsinj, in the process, despite moderate injuries to most of the pilots. Janson later earned a commendation for bravery for his actions, which he received after finishing bacta therapy. After Wraith Tyria Sarkin was forced to shoot down a brainwashed A-wing pilot trying to kill Han Solo, Janson was able to talk with her and help her recover, due to his own experience of shooting down a friendly pilot.

On a mission to Kidriff 5, Janson and three other pilots flew TIE Interceptors to ascertain the security of the planet, and later linked up with the decoy Millennium Falsehood and the other Wraiths and Rogues on their egress from the planet, pursued by enemy starfighters. During the last stages of the battle, Myn Donos deliberately fired on a fellow Wraith. He was placed on probation, and eventually sought advice from Janson, who convinced him to have fun and let himself go more often. The advice helped, and Donos eventually returned to active flying status. Janson was also the target of Wedge's revenge for his many pranks when he was tricked into walking naked into a room with all the Wraiths inside.

Janson, still in a TIE Interceptor (his X-Wing being used by members of Wraith Squadron who did not have their own fighter, nor TIE fighter experience), and the Wraiths would later fly escort missions for Nova Squadron's B-wing starfighters in attacks on Iron Fist in the Battle of Vahaba and the subsequent Battle of Selaggis, the latter made possible by the efforts of Lara Notsil, who had forcibly left the squadron after being fired upon by Donos and had pretended to join Zsinj so she could sabotage and kill him. In the battles, Janson destroyed several more TIE Interceptors.

Return to Rogue Squadron
"I'm coming back to Rogue Squadron. That was the deal." "Wes, the Wraiths don't want you anyway." "That's right. You're unlucky." "I hate how serious he is all the time." "We don't like the way he chews his food." "But we'll miss his rear end."

- Wes Janson, Wedge Antilles, and fellow Wraiths Elassar Targon, Dia Passik, Runt, and Shalla Nelprin

Upon his return to Rogue Squadron, Wes participated in the Thrawn campaign, culminating in the Battle of Bilbringi. Shortly before the Bilbringi mission, he, Wedge, Hobbie, and Tycho were part of a New Republic disinformation attempt to convince the Empire that Tangrene was the original target. They encountered Aves, a member of the Talon Karrde organization, and convinced him that their target was Tangrene. Janson believed that Aves was going to sell the information to the Empire, but little did they know that a massive Smuggler force was going to hit Bilbringi also. The cooperation of the two sides and the death of the Thrawn allowed the New Republic to be successful in the battle.

With Thrawn's assassination and the Empire again retreating, the New Republic decided to launch an offensive against Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel's Ciutric Hegemony as an example to the other Imperial warlords. Following the Thrawn campaign, Admiral Ackbar insisted on promotions for several members of the squadron, including Wes to Major along with Hobbie, assuming command of Two Flight of the Rogues. As preparations for the Ciutric campaign geared, Wes also participated in a raid on Commenor to help free some of the Lusankya prisoners after a prisoner named Urlor Sette showed up at a Rogue Squadron victory celebration and was gorily killed by a device planted in him. Janson and the Rogues were able to easily defeat the meager resistance on the ground, and intelligence garnered from the rescued prisoners revealed that Ysanne Isard, believed to be dead over Thyferra, was still alive.

Wes flew in the Battle of Liinade III, helping engage Krennel's TIEs in space and then making runs against ground targets in preparation for the New Republic's occupation of the world. Upon learning of the possibility of a Death Star-like superweapon being constructed near or inside nearby Distna, the Rogues and Nrin Vakil were assigned to reconnoiter the system, with Janson predicting that they would later finish the job by killing the superweapon. However, the entire superweapon was a hoax designed to kill the Rogues. Upon arrival, they were ambushed by six squadrons of TIE fighters. In the ensuing battle, Wes acquitted himself well, as did the rest of the squadron, but was shot down, and left drifting in vacuum. While the rest of the surviving Rogues were rescued by a group of TIE Defender pilots, Janson was stranded, fated to die of exposure. The timely arrival of the Errant Venture saved him, as Booster Terrik's crews rescued him and he recovered with the aid of bacta. However, Wedge and the other Rogue pilots were rescued and taken elsewhere by the Defender pilots. They assumed Janson had died.

After the Battle of Ciutric and defeat of Krennel, Wes was happily reunited with the other Rogues, who had covertly infiltrated Krennel's forces posing as TIE Defender pilots. Wedge, in particular, was quite pleased to see his long-time friend alive and well.

Following his recovery, Wes continued to serve in Rogue Squadron, helping in the fight against the Invid pirate group. Janson helped disable the Booty Full after it tried to attack the liner Glitterstar and was likely present at the Battle of Xa Fel.

Mission to Adumar
"I am so glad the people of this planet like to wave and shake hands." "Why is that?" "Well, what if their usual greeting for visiting dignitaries was to throw paint?" "Point taken."

- Wes and Wedge

In 13 ABY, Wedge was selected by the New Republic to be sent as an ambassador from the New Republic to Adumar. Wedge was instructed to bring along three of the New Republic's best starfighter pilots. Tycho, Hobbie and Wes were chosen to accompany Wedge. The four soon, under the designation of Red Flight, landed in the largest nation of Adumar, Cartann, where they met with Tomer Darpen, their diplomatic liaison, and their local guide Cheriss ke Hanadi. Janson had known Darpen from his days in the Tierfon Yellow Aces, jokingly referring to him as "Ejector" Darpen from an ejection seat mishap during Darpen's combat days. Janson was quick to adopt local customs, such as the blastsword, and wild clothing tastes, including cloaks that glowed and had flatscreen panels sewn onto them.

The mission was quickly complicated when the New Republic pilots learned of the Adumari fascination with death duels, on ground and in the air, and of the presence of Imperial 181st pilots competing with them for the Adumari's regard. The Red Flight pilots were also hampered by the subversion of Darpen, who was trying to manipulate them. Although they had initially been honored guests of Adumar, showered with gifts, attention, nicknames, (Janson was "the darling one") and participating in simulated duels in the local fighter craft, that relationship was ruined when the perator of Cartann announced that he was creating a planetary government, annexing all other nations of Adumar. While the Imperial pilots agreed to join him, Wedge, Wes, Tycho, and Hobbie declined the offer. Darpen then betrayed the Rogues, goading the perator to send them to their deaths and cutting off communications with the Star Destroyer that had brought them to Adumar. Wes and the other Rogues had to dodge the blasters of over a hundred people, escaping down the streets of Cartann's capital to a local airbase, where Blade-32s awaited them to take them to their orbiting Star Destroyer, Allegiance. Janson's skills with a blaster pistol were valuable in their running of the gauntlet of mob fire, killing or injuring many of their attackers. Boarding their Blades, Red Flight engaged in a desperate 4 on 30 dogfight, emerging victorious, but with all of their craft too badly damaged to reach space. Janson was shot down, but ejected and he and Hobbie escaped on the ground. The intervention of sympathetic Adumari pilots allowed the other Rogues to escape, the help of New Republic Intelligence agent Iella Wessiri (recently engaged to Wedge), allowed them to escape to a friendly nation threatened by Cartann.

After Wedge agreed to take command of an alliance formed by the other nations of Adumar not allied with Cartann, Janson joined him in a massive airstrike on Cartann. The pilots were still in local craft, which placed them at a competitive disadvantage to the Imperial pilots, flying TIE Interceptors. Though the Adumari Union achieved the element of surprise, they were outnumbered and outgunned. However, a group of commandos and Intelligence personnel located the New Republic X-wings and Red Flight quickly blasted open a tunnel access of the perator's palace before taking to the skies to challenge the Imperial pilots. Having shot down three of the four TIEs, Red Flight also accepted the surrender of numerous Cartann squadrons after their perator was captured.

Only days after Cartann was defeated and Adumar united and preparing to join the New Republic, Wes and Red Flight again took to their craft, this time to defend against an Imperial attack force. Janson fought in the battle, shooting several TIE Interceptors off of Wedge. The New Republic and Adumari force was victorious over the Empire, and, mission accomplished, the pilots returned to the New Republic.



Sometime after the end of the Galactic Civil War, Janson, along with many other Rogue pilots, retired from active duty.

The Yuuzhan Vong War
"Sithspawn, I was flirting with a nine-year-old." "Nineteen. And she has more kills than the three of us put together at the same age."

- Wes Janson and Tycho Celchu referring to Jaina Solo

Wes later went on to found the volunteer squadron of A-wings and E-wings called the Taanab Yellow Aces during the Yuuzhan Vong War. This squadron arrived to help Wedge Antilles and his New Republic forces in the defense of Borleias in 27 ABY. Wes and the Aces acquitted themselves well the New New Republic military as an elite starfighter squadron along with Twin Suns, Vanguard, Blackmoon and Rogue Squadrons during the siege. During his time in the Twin Suns Squadron, Wes accidentally flirted with Jaina Solo. The Yellow Aces fought with distinction at Borleias. At Selvaris, some five years into the war, Janson and the Yellow Aces helped the New Republic liberate captured troops and also participated in the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar.

Personality
"I thought you'd be able to do what I never could: get Janson up to an emotional age of fourteen, maybe fifteen." "Nothing in the galaxy could do that. Not Darth Vader and the dark side of the Force, not the nuclear devastation of an exploding sun."

- Wedge Antilles to Tycho Celchu

Wes was regarded as the joker, despite being a lethal opponent, being particularly accurate with blaster pistols and starfighter-grade weaponry. Luke Skywalker said that he had only seen Janson happy when he was the gunner of a Y-wing or a snowspeeder. Luke also said that he had a short temper, often having to pull him out of Cantina fights.

He enjoyed playing pranks on his fellow squad mates. During his time in Wraith Squadron, he developed the character Lieutenant Kettch who was supposed to be an Ewok starfighter pilot. Kettch became a recurring theme in Janson's pranks. This originated when he claimed that a candidate for Wraith Squadron was an Ewok, and then it got out of hand, including the time Castin Donn reprogrammed Wedge's TIE Interceptor to make his voice sound like an Ewok. This led to Wedge being forced to fly into battle, against Imperial forces, while wearing a stuffed Ewok in his lap. When the stuffed Ewok doll started showing up everywhere and appeared to move on its own, Wedge attached a transponder to it, leading to the discovery that Janson was placing the doll in those places. The Wraiths got back at Janson by convincing him that the real Kettch had gotten loose and he had to strip naked and cover himself in Ewok food to find and recapture it. The joke only ended when Lara Notsil found a real Ewok that fit Kettch's description exactly. She found this hilarious.

Janson did have a serious side though, that exhibited itself through grim, angry determination. It didn't come out often, but Janson apparently was in this mood when flying against an enemy of his.

Behind the scenes

 * Wes Janson was portrayed by Ian Liston in The Empire Strikes Back. During filming of The Empire Strikes Back, a call was put out for an actor, not an extra, to play an AT-AT gunner; Liston filled in the role. Thus he ironically played both an Imperial and a Rebel, and in one sequence of the film is in effect trying to shoot himself down.


 * In Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Janson is voiced by Terence McGovern.


 * Janson's non-canon death was written in Marvel Star Wars 78: Hoth Stuff, which contains several glaring continuity errors. The story was later retconed to be a tall tale that Wedge would tell new recruits, only to startle them with Janson's appearance.


 * Janson's helmet, like most, is pulled from A New Hope, where it is worn by Theron Nett. However, Nett's regular helmet is a different one: Janson's type of helmet can only be seen when Nett gets shot down, as seen in this card


 * In West End Games' first edition of Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, in Wedge's entry, his gunner is named "Derit Janson". Any other mention of Janson in the book uses the name "Wes". The error was corrected in the second edition.

Notes and references
Wes Janson