Olin Garn

"Hey, man, I was really sorry to hear about what happened to your family. But I'm glad you've decided to join the Rebellion! Just remember, this isn't about revenge. It's about fighting injustice and tyranny! We're going to bring the Empire down! And put an end to tragedies like what happened to your family!"

- Olin Garn, to Ace Azzameen

Olin Garn was a bounty hunter and freighter pilot who frequently contracted with Twin Suns Transport Services during the Galactic Civil War. While working for the Azzameen family, Garn developed a close friendship with Aeron Azzameen and soon became accepted as one of the family. By the time of the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY, Garn decided to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic, serving as a pilot in the Alliance Starfighter Corps. He remained in contact with the Azzameens, serving as their contact when Aeron's father, Tomaas, arranged to deliver a supply of bacta to the Rebellion. Soon after, Tomaas and his eldest son, Galin, were killed by the Galactic Empire, and the surviving family members declared traitors. When Tomaas's children, Aeron, Emon, and Ace, sought sanctuary with the Alliance, Garn vouched for the group and recommended Ace Azzameen for training as a starfighter pilot.

In the months leading up to the Battle of Endor, Garn was stationed aboard the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty. During this time, he fought alongside Ace Azzameen in several missions, including the capture of the Imperial spy Kupalo, the rescue of several Bothan operatives whose ship had been detained by the Star Destroyer Accuser, and escorting the Star Cruisers Independence and Defiance as they rendezvoused with the Alliance Fleet near Sullust.

Joining the Rebellion
"I finally got a message from Olin. I'm all for the Rebellion, but it plays havoc with relationships. Not that Olin and I have one. Oh, forget it."

- Aeron Azzameen, in an e-mail to Ace Azzameen

During the reign of Emperor Palpatine, the Human male Olin Garn worked as a freighter pilot and freelance bounty hunter. By the early Galactic Civil War, he was working on a contractual basis for Tomaas and Antan Azzameen, owners of the shipping company Twin Suns Transport Services. While working for the Azzameen family, he developed a close friendship with Tomaas's daughter, Aeron, and the entire family came to consider him as one of their own.

Around the time of the Battle of Hoth in 3 ABY, Garn decided to leave his work with the Azzameens and join the Alliance to Restore the Republic. His experience in flying freighters led him to become a pilot in the Alliance Starfighter Corps, and he was assigned to the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Defiance with the rank of lieutenant. His infrequent leave allowed him little time to spend with Aeron, but Garn stayed in contact with her through e-mail and gave her the coordinates of the Alliance Fleet in case she needed to contact him in an emergency. Shortly after leaving, he contacted Tomaas's youngest son, Ace, asking him to keep an eye on Aeron for him and encouraging the young pilot to practice his skills and consider joining the Rebellion. When Garn learned of an increase in Imperial activity in the region, he contacted the Azzameens again, warning them to stay alert for any trouble.

Reunion with the Azzameens
"Congratulations on your first Imperial kill! I heard about your first tangle with the Imperials. Well, you're gonna tangle a lot more now that you've joined the Rebellion. If that first kill is bothering you, just remember what we're fighting for."

- Olin Garn, in an e-mail to Ace Azzameen

Following the Battle of Hoth, during which Imperial forces under the command of Darth Vader forced the Rebels to evacuate their base on Hoth, the Alliance sent many of those wounded in the battle to their XQ2 Platform Hospital for treatment. Having had problems dealing with smuggler groups in the past, the Rebels approached Tomaas Azzameen to act as a middleman in acquiring a supply of black market bacta with which to treat the wounded. After the Azzameens picked up the bacta from their supplier, they arranged to deliver it to the Alliance. Due to his experience with the family, Garn was chosen to act as their contact and a rendezvous was arranged at Brint-wo Colony. Flying a lone T-65 X-wing starfighter, Garn met with the Azzameens and led them to Hospital. The pilot had little time to catch up with his friends, however, and returned to hyperspace as Tomaas's ship, the GR-75 medium transport Vasudra began to transfer its cargo to Hospital. Soon after Garn's departure, the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Corrupter interrupted the cargo transfer. The Rebels were forced to evacuate, along with Ace and Emon Azzameen, who had been escorting their father, but the Vasudra was unable to escape, and both Tomaas and Galin Azzameen were killed.

The Empire soon declared the entire Azzameen family traitors and issued a warrant for their arrest. The surviving members of the family attempted to escape to the Outer Rim, but Antan was captured in an attack by their rivals, the Viraxo. With their options limited, Tomaas's three surviving children, Ace, Aeron, and Emon, decided to seek refuge with the Rebel Alliance. Using the coordinates that Garn had supplied to Aeron, the Azzameens were able to locate the Defiance and were given permission to dock. Though there was some suspicion of the group following recent events, Garn vouched for them, and his superiors agreed to offer them sanctuary. Though the elder Azzameen children soon left in search of their uncle, Garn was impressed that Ace had achieved his first Imperial kill during the skirmish at Hospital and decided to recommend him for training as a starfighter pilot. Following Garn's recommendation, the Defiance tactical officer, Commander Devers, arranged for Azzameen to take part in simulated combat trials.

Garn was assigned as Azzameen's instructor during both of his trials. The first assessed his performance in deep space strike missions, using a BTL Y-wing starfighter to conduct a series of bombing raids against Imperial targets. The second trial tested Azzameen's ability to dogfight against Imperial starfighters, both individually and teamed with other Alliance pilots, including Garn. Impressed by Azzameen's performance in both trials, Garn cleared him for active duty.

Transfer to the Liberty
"No scumbag traitor can get away from us, eh? LOL. I guess we showed that Kupalo character how to fly. Poor fool, he's probably still getting his brain zapped right now. It was good flying with you, kid."

- Olin Garn, in an e-mail to Ace Azzameen

Shortly thereafter, the Alliance transferred several pilots from the Defiance to the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty to replace those lost in a recent operation. Garn and Azzameen were among those sent to serve on the Liberty. Unbeknown to the Rebels, the Liberty tactical officer, Commander Kupalo, who had been captured by the Empire at Hoth, had been brainwashed to serve as an Imperial agent and had been feeding information to the Empire since his recent rescue by Alliance forces. After the Liberty oversaw the defection of Commander Zaletta to the Alliance, Kupalo revealed his true nature by stealing Zaletta's Lambda-class T-4a shuttle AA-23 and attempting to return it to the Empire before the Rebels could examine the information contained in its computer. Kupalo was able to destroy three X-wings which were sent to intercept him and escaped into hyperspace. Garn and Azzameen were quickly scrambled and sent after him in RZ-1 A-wing interceptors with orders to prevent him from reaching Imperial forces and to ensure his recapture.

The Rebels emerged from hyperspace some distance from Kupalo's shuttle moments before Imperial Alpha-class Xg-1 Star Wings arrived in the area. Garn, leading the mission, moved to intercept the Assault Gunboats and ordered Azzameen to continue the pursuit of Kupalo. When Kupalo ignored Garn's order to stand down, Azzameen fired on the fleeing shuttle, causing damage to its hull and forcing the commander to surrender. The Alliance's Storm Unit arrived aboard their assault transport to board and capture the shuttle, but the operation was interrupted by the arrival of the Star Destroyer Imperator, which began launching TIEs. However, Garn and Azzameen were able to hold off the Imperial starfighters long enough for Storm Unit to capture the shuttle. After Storm Unit departed, the Rebel pilots followed them back to the Liberty.

Following Kupalo's recapture, Garn informed Aeron that Ororo Transportation's base in the Vergesso Asteroids was critically short of supplies and was willing to pay a high price to anybody who could deliver them. Based on this information, Aeron and Ace launched an operation to steal supplies from the Viraxo industrial complex VXO-33274. Aeron decided to remain at Vergesso Base for a while, but Garn soon learned that it had come under Imperial attack and, unaware that Aeron was aboard the station, warned Ace to stay away from the asteroid field. Ace was able to reach the base in time and rescue his sister.

Zaletta, who had taken Kupalo's place as the Liberty tactical officer, provided intelligence indicating that several large convoys had been traveling to a large Imperial construction project and that one such convoy would soon be passing through the Eidoloni system. In order to ascertain the nature of the project, Alliance High Command ordered a reconnaissance flight to determine the composition and cargo of the convoy. Garn and Azzameen were dispatched in A-wings to the Eidoloni system, arriving shortly before the convoy&mdash;several Xizor Transport Systems freighters escorted by the Victory II-class Star Destroyers Protector and Vanguard, along with the Lancer-class frigates Furious and Black Hawk. When TIE Avengers moved to intercept the Rebel fighters, Garn engaged them while Azzameen scanned the convoy. Their assignment complete, the two Rebels returned to the Liberty.

Countdown to Endor
"Well, if it isn't pilots Garn and Azzameen! Glad you could join us. I trust you're both doing well?''" "''Good to see you, Commander. Don't worry, we've got you covered."

- Devers and Olin Garn

The convoy's cargo of durasteel and other raw materials led Alliance High Command to suspect that the Empire was constructing a new base of operations or shipyard, and uncovering the nature of the project was made a top priority. Information provided by the Black Sun crime syndicate eventually led the Rebels to the Endor system, where the Empire was constructing a second Death Star battlestation. Bothan spies were sent to the Endor system to gather information about the construction site, but as they were returning to the Alliance Fleet, their ships were stopped, along with several civilian vessels, by the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Accuser and the Immobilizer 418 cruiser Grappler. Admiral Yamarus, commander of the Liberty, dispatched three X-wings from Gold Squadron and three A-wings from Red Squadron to attack the Grappler in order to allow the Bothans to escape.

Arriving in the area as the Accuser began searching the waiting vessels, Garn, commanding the X-wings, feared that the Rebels had arrived too late to rescue the Bothan ships. Nevertheless, he ordered his group to target the Grappler and launch their proton torpedoes. Though the Rebels came under attack from Imperial fighters, Garn's group continued their attack until the Grappler was forced to withdraw. Seeing their chance to flee, the Bothan and civilian ships attempted to escape to hyperspace, prompting the Accuser to open fire on them and kill many of the Bothans. The Rebel fighters fought TIE/sa bombers launched by the Accuser until the surviving Bothans left the area. With their mission complete, the Rebels returned to the Liberty.

After learning that the Death Star was not yet completed and that Emperor Palpatine was due to oversee the final stages of construction, the Alliance Fleet began to gather near Sullust in preparation for a major offensive against the battlestation. Garn's duties temporarily led him away from the Liberty, but he made sure to return before the anticipated battle. As the Empire searched for the Rebel forces, the Liberty received word that the task forces led by the Mon Calamari Star Cruisers Defiance and Independence had both been involved in skirmishes with Imperial patrols. With the arrival of both task forces vital to the Alliance's plans, Garn was sent to lead a group of four A-wings from Gold Squadron in seeing them safely to their last hyperspace jump on the way to Sullust.

The group first rendezvoused with the Defiance Task Force shortly before the arrival of the Victory-class Star Destroyer Vagrant and the Carrack-class light cruisers Nexus and Xerxes. The X-wings intercepted TIE bombers and Assault Gunboats, preventing them from launching torpedoes at the Defiance until it and its task force jumped to hyperspace. With no time to waste, Garn led the group back to the Liberty and made another jump to join Admiral Ackbar's task force. When they arrived, the Star Destroyers Immortal, Protector, and Vanguard were already in the area and launching TIE bombers against the Independence. Garn's group fought off several waves of bombers, only returning to the Liberty once the Independence and its escorts escaped.

Personality and traits
"Hey, Ace. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that major debris is about to fill space. The Empire's on the move&hellip;the Alliance is on the move. Man, I think we're in for a lot of combat duty. Try and keep Aeron out of it. I don't want to see her hurt."

- Olin Garn, in an e-mail to Ace Azzameen

Garn was a competent pilot, the abilities he developed flying freighters serving him well after joining the Rebels, where he was frequently selected to lead combat missions. He was a firm believer in the Rebel cause and felt that ending Imperial tyranny for all was more important than any personal desire for revenge. Though his work required him to take the lives of others, Garn was able to overcome any remorse for his actions by reminding himself what he was fighting for, and recommended that Ace Azzameen do the same after he joined the Alliance. Garn was always eager to be involved in combat missions and, when his duties led him away from the Liberty shortly before the Battle of Endor, he made sure to return before the Rebels launched their assault on the Death Star.

During his time contracting for the Azzameen family, Garn became close with both Aeron and Ace. After leaving to join the Rebels, he stayed in touch with both, encouraging Ace to practice his piloting in the hopes that the youngest Azzameen would one day join him in fighting the Empire and asking Ace to watch over Aeron in his absence. Garn's relationship with Aeron was made difficult by his decision to join the Rebellion; his duties left him little leave time to visit her. When the Azzameens fled to the Alliance after the death of their father and brother, Garn convinced his superiors that they could be trusted and was instrumental in helping Ace to be accepted as a starfighter pilot.

Behind the scenes
Olin Garn was created for the 1999 LucasArts video game Star Wars: X-wing Alliance, in which he was voiced by Steven Jay Blum. The character served as a friend and wingman of the player, in the role of Ace Azzameen. Due to Garn's role in the game's story, his starfighter is set as indestructible in the missions in which he is featured. The character's backstory was expanded in a short biography in the game's manual and on the LucasArts website, which was later adapted for 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. The biography also contained the only image of the character to date.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance