Naka Iit

"I'm Naka Iit. A scavenger of sorts. I might just scavenge you."

- Naka Iit introduces himself to Poe Dameron

Naka Iit was a Blarina male who worked as a scavenger on the planet Jakku. Around thirty years after the Battle of Endor, Iit encountered the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron while out scavenging. Dameron had survived a crash in the desert nearby and needed transport back to the Resistance base on the planet D'Qar. Iit did not believe Dameron's story about stealing a TIE/sf space superiority fighter from the First Order, but agreed to take him to Blowback Town in his speeder as he found the pilot's story amusing. Enroute the pair were attacked by the Strus clan of thieves, but managed to escape after the Blarina gave control of the vehicle to Dameron. Happy to have gotten away, Iit promised to speak to the merchant Ohn Gos in Blowback Town and ensure the pilot got offworld.

Biography
"I owe you, my madman friend. Beyond just picking you out of the desert, I owe you most thankfully. I will intercede with Ohn Gos. One way or another, we will get you off Jakku!"

- Iit promises to get Dameron off Jakku

Naka Iit began operating as a scavenger of sorts on the planet Jakku years after the Battle of Endor. During his time on Jakku, he came into conflict with the junk dealer Unkar Plutt, and after the encounter avoided Niima Outpost, which Plutt ran. Twenty years into his scavenging career, he was out scavenging on his speeder in the desert when he was waved down the pilot Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot who had recently had to eject out of a crashing TIE/sf space superiority fighter while escaping from the First Order. After getting down from his vehicle, Iit examined his find and introduced himself, joking about Dameron's predicament and claiming that he might "scavenge" the pilot.

Dameron then tried to persuade Iit he had nothing worth scavenging, and then explained he had stolen the TIE fighter he had crashed in from the the First Order Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer and now needed to return to the Resistance base on the planet D'Qar. Iit assumed Dameron was lying and cried with laughter at the preposterousness of his claim, but agreed to help because he found the story so amusing. He shared a drink of water with the pilot once they were inside his speeder and offered to take him to a Blarina merchant in Blowback Town named Ohn Gos who was likely to be sympathetic.

Iit was silent during the journey to the town until he and Dameron came under attack from a speeder belonging to the Strus clan who began shooting to disable. Dameron then asked to take the control of the speeder, and the pair wrestled over the controls after Iit refused. The Blarina eventually gave in and Dameron banked sharply left and began to decelerating, telling Iit to pretend they were surrendering, As the Strus approached, Dameron then tilted the speeder's nose skyward and shot up and away at full power, dumping large amounts of sand on their pursuers and rendering their vehicle temporarily inoperable. Overjoyed at their escape, Iit promised to make sure that Dameron got off Jakku, planning on interceding with Gos for him.

Personality and traits
"It's said that the Blarina are an exceptionally hospitable people." "You've heard that? That must be referring to some other Blarina. It certainly doesn't sound like me."

- Iit is surprised by Dameron's claim that Blarina are hospitable

As a Blarina, Naka Iit was not particularly strong, but was relatively fast. He stood a little over half Dameron's height and had a broad face above a wide snout and a toothy grin. His skin was scaly and his eyes were gold-hued. Like all Blarina, Iit was fast with words, and at one time came fifth in a soliloquy contest on his homeworld. He made a cackling hiss when delighted.

After meeting Dameron he at first denied being at all hospitable, but offered help after finding the pilot's story amusing. He considered the Strus clan to inept to do anything but steal the hard work of the more competent, and his mood turned grim when they attacked him. As he considered his speeder his only valuable asset, he was at first reluctant to give his passenger control of it, but eventually gave in. When Dameron managed to escape, Iit was overjoyed and began to believe there might be some truth to his passenger's tale, although he considered Dameron mad for having attempted such a feat.

Equipment
"No, wait&mdash;you are. Why should I let you take control of my only real asset?"

- Iit refuses to give Dameron control of his speeder

While out scavenging, Iit wore mirrored eyeshades and rode on a slow, ugly, speeder with a flat front and a bulging stern. He kept a slender metal drinking flask of water with a sipping tube in the vehicle.

Behind the scenes
Naka Iit first appeared in the novelization of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens released in conjunction with the film in 2015. The scene involving Iit, which explained how Dameron left Jakku, was created by Alan Dean Foster, author of the novelization, and was not included in the film itself. Michael Kogge, author of the junior novelization of the film, stated that he was specifically ask to also include the scene in his version of the story and so based his take of it on Foster's work.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens novelization
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens junior novelization