Cinda Tarheel

"I didn't rise to the rank of Captain in the Alliance just to end up a side dish on some scaly-tongued maniac's table!"

- Cinda Tarheel

Cinda Tarheel was a Human female starfighter pilot who served with the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. Assigned to Rogue Squadron under the command of Luke Skywalker, she flew a T-65 X-wing starfighter. After serving as a snowspeeder gunner during the Battle of Hoth, she was stationed at the Rebel base known as Salvation, located on the world of Arbra, and held the rank of captain.

War in the snow
"Alright boys, keep tight now."

- Luke Skywalker, to Cinda Tarheel and the rest of Rogue Group

Cinda Tarheel, a Human female, was a native of the planet Socorro who lived during the Galactic Civil War. After working as a smuggler, she joined the Rebel Alliance, and in 3 ABY she was part of the Alliance's starfighter complement at Echo Base, an Alliance stronghold on the snowy world of Hoth. The complement included Rogue Flight, Blue Squadron, and Green Squadron. The Alliance was being actively hunted by the Galactic Empire, and when Echo Base was discovered by an Imperial probe droid, Alliance General Carlist Rieekan ordered an evacuation. The Imperial Navy quickly arrived in the Hoth system, and an ad hoc T-47 airspeeder unit known as "Rogue Group" was created from various members of the Rebel starfighter complement, including Tarheel.

With the dour Nala Hetsime in the pilot's chair and Tarheel serving as a rear gunner, Rogue Seven flew with the twelve-speeder group into the Battle of Hoth. Commander Luke Skywalker led the Rogues as they tried to delay the Imperial AT-AT walkers of the Imperial Army's Blizzard Force while Alliance personnel evacuated Hoth in GR-75 medium transports. Numerous airspeeders were shot down by the AT-ATs during the combat, including Skywalker's, and although the commander survived the crash, Wedge Antilles in Rogue Three became the temporary Rogue Leader. Several AT-ATs were brought down by the Rogues' harpoons and tow cables and by explosives, but the walkers managed to destroy the base's deflector shield generator. However, the Rogues bought enough time for the evacuation to proceed successfully, and both Tarheel and Hetsime survived.

Crash in the forest
Several months later, Tarheel was a captain in the Alliance and a seasoned combat pilot. She was stationed at the Rebels' Haven Base on the planet Arbra when the Alliance learned of increased Imperial presence in the Belial system. Tarheel, Skywalker; and Commander Berl were thus dispatched to the system's planet Serphidi in order to establish a friendly set of eyes and ears with the local Serps. After being briefed by the Alliance's Princess Leia Organa, the three pilots took X-wing starfighters to the Belial system, where Tarheel's sensors detected the presence of four Imperial TIE fighters. The Rebels destroyed all four of the enemy craft, but the engines of Tarheel's X-wing were knocked out in the melee. As fuel streamed from her fighter, she opted to make a controlled crash-landing on Serphidi's surface, and she set down safely on a mesa despite losing an S-foil during a brush with a cliff.

Skywalker and Berl set down nearby, but they were soon attacked by a raiding party of Serps riding atop mounts. The tyrannical King S'Shah himself led the raiders, and shots from their energy lances killed Berl and knocked Tarheel unconscious. Skywalker was forced to flee, and Tarheel was brought to Castle S'Shah, where she was dressed in an elegant gown and brought before the king as his "new toy."

S'Shah had Tarheel thrown into a dungeon with the intent of turning her into a delicacy soon after. Cinda fought back against her captors and managed to briefly escape from the dungeon, but S’Shah himself intercepted her and returned her to her cell.

Soon after, S'Shah met his end at the hands of Luke Skywalker. An Alliance-friendly Serp named Elglih was crowned the new king of Serphidi. His first order of business was to set all of S'Sha's prisoners, including Captain Tarheel, free.

Personality and traits
Captain Cinda Tarheel was an attractive young woman with long, black hair. She wore the standard-issue X-wing flight suit and carried a BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle. The rash, fast-talking pilot often found her way out of her reckless combat decisions with her quick reflexes.

Behind the scenes
The character of Cinda Tarheel was created by Marvel Comics writers Michael Fleisher and David Michelinie.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Manga: The Empire Strikes Back 1
 * Star Wars 64: Serphidian Eyes