Leevan Tenza was a laconic Sabat male who served under General Jan Dodonna in the Alliance to Restore the Republic. In 5 BBY, he was arrested by the Alliance after disobeying an order and attacking an Imperial target too early, but rather than face court-martial he escaped custody and joined up with Saw Gerrera's Partisans.
Tenza prove better suited to life in the Partisans and proved an efficient member, especially when using his DH-447 sniper rifle. In 1 BBY, he was stationed in the the Partisans base on the moon Jedha, when a group of captive Alliance agents were imprisoned there. The Partisans were then forced to flee when their base was destroyed by a blast wave from the Destruction of Jedha City by the Empire's Death Star superweapon.
Biography[]
In 5 BBY,[5] the Sabat warrior Leevan Tenza was serving in the Alliance to Restore the Republic[4] as part of the team under General Jan Dodonna,[2] which was known as the Massassi Group,[6] when Tenza disobeyed orders to attack an Imperial target earlier than intended. The Sabat was then placed under arrest by the Alliance for the disobedience and, facing a court-martial,[4] he escaped rebel custody to join up with the Partisans led by the freedom fighter Saw Gerrera.[2] Tenza made a name for himself by aligning with the Partisans,[7] and was not the only one who had defected from the Alliance, although his motive was different from most who had chosen to become more radical in their resistance against the Empire.[4]
Later in 5 BBY,[8] Tenza and the Partisans were stationed at a base on[9] the planet[10] Segra Milo. Tenza stood in the base while the rebel Luthen Rael spoke with Gerrera inside.[11]
In 1 BBY,[12] Tenza was amongst the Partisans stationed with Gerrera in the Catacombs of Cadera on the moon Jedha.[2] Shortly after a group of Alliance agents were captured in Jedha City and imprisoned in the catacombs,[3] Tenza was quietly playing a "homemade" variant of dejarik on a table near the cells where the prisoners were being kept. After one of the three human Partisans sat at the table with him rolled a set of dice, Tenza raised his hands in the air and cried out as the others cheered.[3]
He then moved to another part of the catacombs and was stood at a terminal as the Alliance agent Jyn Erso was escorted through the room on her way to see Gerrera. The Partisans were then forced to evacuate the catacombs and flee when the structure was destroyed by the blast wave generated by the Empire's destruction of Jedha City using the Death Star superweapon.[3] While some Partisans did escape with their lives, others,[13] including Gerrera, perished in the blast.[3] At some point an artist mentioned Tenza in his journal, including a depiction of the Partisan as an example of the Sabat species.[7]
Personality and traits[]
Leevan Tenza was a defiant and laconic individual who embraced his guilt rather than declaring his innocence when he was arrested by the Alliance for disobeying an order.[2] He was better suited to life amongst the more casually organization of the Partisans and proved to be a particularly efficient member, especially when using his DH-447 sniper rifle. His casual terseness was put to the test when he came to fully understand that the blast wave from the Death Star's attack was headed toward the catacombs.[4] He had pink skin and gray hair.[3]
Equipment[]
While in the catacombs, Tenza wore a light brown jacket over a dark brown shirt with a black and red kama and brown pants. He also wore black and red fingerless gloves, black boots and a series of brown bandoliers and belts full of ammunition. He chewed on a toothpick while playing dejarik[3] and carried a DH-447 sniper rifle with a supercollimator barrel.[2] Tenza also sometimes flew a T-65B X-wing starfighter for the Partisans[14] which bore the colors of the Cavern Angels squadron.[15]
Behind the scenes[]
Leevan Tenza first appeared in the 2016 Anthology film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The character was played by creature performer[3] Dilu Miah.[16] He was not named in the film,[3] but received identification in the accompanying reference book Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, which was written by Pablo Hidalgo.[2] According to Hidalgo, Tenza's production name was "Lee Van Teef," which was a reference to the actor Lee Van Cleef.[17]
Appearances[]
- Andor — "Daughter of Ferrix"
- Guardians of the Whills
- Guardians of the Whills: The Manga
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (First appearance)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization (and audiobook)
- Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel (and audiobook)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Graphic Novel Adaptation
- Rogue One Adaptation 1
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide (First identified as Leevan Tenza)
- The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
- Star Wars: Alien Archive
- "The Birth of the Rebellion" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Andor | Official Trailer (1:30) on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- "Narkina 5" Episode Guide | Andor on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide
- Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
- Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition — Saw's Renegades Expansion Pack (Card: Leevan Tenza)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
- ↑ Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z states that Leevan Tenza left the Alliance to Restore the Republic five years before the Battle of Yavin. As Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates the Battle of Yavin to 0 BBY, this means Tenza must have left in 5 BBY.
- ↑ Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Star Wars: Alien Archive
- ↑ "A Certain Point of View" — Star Wars Insider 220 places "Daughter of Ferrix" five years before Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which corresponds to 5 BBY per Star Wars: Timelines.
- ↑ Andor — "Narkina 5"
- ↑ Andor — "Narkina 5" (audio description)
- ↑ Andor — "Daughter of Ferrix"
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events on Jedha in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, to 1 BBY.
- ↑ Star Wars (2015) 39
- ↑ Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition — Saw's Renegades Expansion Pack (Card: Leevan Tenza)
- ↑ Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game — Saw's Renegades Expansion Pack (Card: Cavern Angels Zealot)
- ↑ Dilu Miah (@dilu.tricks) on Instagram: Lee vanTenza the most badass alien who I was lucky enough to play on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 😋😋 do you feel lucky...huh punk! (February 19, 2017) (backup link)
- ↑ Pablo Hidalgo (@pabl0hidalgo) on Twitter (November 16, 2023): "That's Leevan Tenza reacting to the game. His production name was Lee Van Teef, a clear reference to Lee Van Cleef. For the Guide, I softened it a bit by combining Lee + Van, and using Sentenza (from TG,TB & TU) as the source of his surname." (backup link)