Jek Tono Porkins/Legends

"The lieutenant and I once knew a very fine Human pilot who went by 'Piggy.' There's no 'derogatory component' to it in this squadron. Rather, it's a badge of honor I hope you can live up to."

- Wedge Antilles, to Voort saBinring

Jek Tono Porkins, who flew as Red Six during the Battle of Yavin, was the first Rebel pilot to die in the battle. He got the nickname "Belly Runner" from both his skill at low-altitude strafing runs and his rotund physique.

Biography
"I'm right with you, Red Three."

- Jek Porkins, to Biggs Darklighter



Porkins, like so many others, gained experience flying in the cockpit of a T-16 skyhopper. He was a member of the Y-wing Tierfon Yellow Aces Squadron with Wes Janson.

By 0 BBY, Porkins had reached the rank of lieutenant.

When Janson was down with a seemingly ill-timed case of Hesken Fever, Jek took his place in Red Squadron and transferred to Yavin 4.

Soon after arriving on Yavin, Porkins attended a briefing by General Jan Dodonna. The Alliance was in need of additional starfighters and had recently learned of a number of T-65 X-wings at an Incom Corporation assembly facility. Dodonna outlined a plan to capture the fighters by using four TIE/ln starfighters, recently brought to the Alliance by the defecting crew of the Class II Frigate Rand Ecliptic, to draw the defending TIE fighters away from the nearby Imperial Security Bureau base. Once the Incom facility was undefended, the Rand Ecliptic would arrive to retrieve the X-wings. The mission was a success, with the Rebels capturing several of the new starfighters, though Peate Kurin was killed and Derek Klivian lost a leg during the diversion. Porkins later joined Biggs Darklighter, Wedge Antilles and Cesi Eirriss in practicing in the captured fighters. After visiting Klivian in the infirmary, the group were called back for another briefing with General Dodonna.

Though the Alliance now had a supply of starfighters at Yavin 4, they still needed astromech droids to help their pilots operate the ships. Though the Empire seemed to have anticipated their need and responded with strict controls over the droids, a source had been found when Captain Nera Dantels of the Starduster arranged to take a shipment of R2 and R5 units to the Imperial stronghold of Commenor. Porkins, along with Darklighter, Antilles and Eirriss were dispatched undercover to the world to rendezvous with the smuggler.

After arriving at Commenor, the Rebels landed their X-wings at the spaceport, rented a landspeeder and headed to a local cantina, where they had been told to play a game of sabacc while waiting for Dantels. While there, they watched the latest news of the disillusion of the Imperial Senate on the HoloNet, learning of the apparent disappearance of Senator Leia Organa or Alderaan. Porkins won the game but, as they prepared to play another, Antilles received a signal from Dantels and the group departed. Outside, they were met by a group of local ruffians who claimed to have chased some thieves away from the landspeeder and demanded a reward. When Porkins refused to play along, one of the gang insulted him, causing the Rebel to knee the youth in the midsection. The situation rapidly descended into a brawl, before the Rebels ended the fight by pulling their blasters and left in the speeder to head to their rendezvous.

The Rebels finally met with Captain Dantels and examined the cargo of astromechs. After confirming the cargo, they arranged to meet up with her in orbit and lead the Starduster back to Yavin 4. However, unknown to the Rebels, one of the street gang had followed them, leading a stormtrooper to the meeting. The stormtrooper called the Imperial base on the nearby moon of Folor to warn them of the fleeing Rebels. By the time the Rebels collected their X-wings and reached orbit, the Imperials had already dispatched TIE/ln starfighters to intercept them.

Seeing the incoming fighters, Antilles and Darklighter broke formation to intercept, leaving Porkins and Eirriss to provide cover for the Starduster. Nevertheless, some TIEs made it through and were able to get on Porkins's tail. Eirriss eliminated his pursuers and Porkins soon reciprocated, but more TIEs came and attacked Eirriss, damaging her shield generator and hyperdrive. With no time to eject before the next wave of TIEs arrived, and no way to leave the system, Eirriss set a collision course for the incoming fighters, telling her comrades leave without her. Her X-wing was destroyed in a head-on collision with the Imperial fighters.

Porkins, Antilles and Darklighter jumped to hyperspace, leading the Starduster back to Yavin 4. After landing in the Great Temple, and learning that the Empire's new Death Star battlestation was en route to Yavin to destroy the Rebel base, the Rebel pilots agreed to dedicate the destruction of the superweapon to their fallen comrade. Soon after, Porkins met Darklighter's old friend, Luke Skywalker, who had himself just arrived on Yavin 4 and was to join Red Squadron for the upcoming battle.

Soon, the Death Star arrived in the system. However, the Rebels believed they had found a weakness in the battlestation. Plans provided by Leia Organa had revealed a small thermal exhaust port leading to the main reactor core. With the Death Star's defenses geared towards a large-scale attack, the Rebels believed it would be possible for their starfighters to navigate down a narrow trench on the Death Star's surface, and fire a proton torpedo into the exhaust port, triggering a chain reaction that would destroy the station. After General Dodonna outlined the mission, the Rebel pilots prepared for battle.

Porkins flew under the call sign Red Six during the Battle of Yavin. After arriving at the approaching battlestation, the Rebels initiated strafing runs in the area around the trench, coming under heavy fire from a turbolaser emplacement near one of the surface's many deflection towers. Darklighter moved to attack the tower, telling Porkins to provide cover. The two pilots dived towards the surface, opening fire on the tower and scoring a direct hit. However, as the tower exploded, Porkins was caught up in the blast, causing instruments throughout his fighter to malfunction. Though his X-wing fighter was generally maneuverable enough to avoid the Death Star's sluggish turbolasers, incorrect readings from his instrumentation left him unable to judge his altitude and he found himself too low and an easy target for enemy fire. Darklighter attempted to warn his friend that he was too low and advised him to eject, but Porkins felt that he could control the problem. Before he was able to regain control, however, he was hit by enemy turbolaser fire and killed as his X-wing exploded around him.

A holographic memorial to Porkins, along with the other pilots killed during the mission, was installed in the Great Temple following the battle.

Behind the scenes
Jek Porkins was created by George Lucas for the 1977 film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he was played by William Hootkins. His first appearance was in Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the film, in which his call sign was given as Blue Four. In the Marvel comic adaptation of the film, Star Wars 6: Is This the Final Chapter?, by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin, Porkins was given the call sign Blue Six and was depicted as being killed by a TIE fighter after his mechanical malfunction. The nickname "Piggy" was first used in Foster's novel and also appeared in Star Wars 6, in a panel in which Darklighter briefly mourns the death of his friend.

Star Wars 6 was also the first source to provide the character with a first name, calling him Lieutenant Tono Porkins.

Appearances



 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars: Empire 12: Darklighter, Part 3
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron ½
 * Star Wars: Empire 15: Darklighter, Part 4
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars 6: Is This the Final Chapter?
 * Slave Ship
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Family Ties
 * X-wing: Rogue Squadron
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap
 * X-wing: Wraith Squadron
 * The Last Command
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * Jedi Search
 * I, Jedi