Wes
Janson
(human
male from Taanab)
Wes Janson operated out of
Tierfon early in his enlistment with the Rebel
Alliance. While a capable pilot, his deadly accuracy
earned him the gunner's seat of a Y-wing more often
than the pilot's seat. But he had the chance to fly
with some of the top Rebel pilots and racked up an
impressive kill record and a tremendous reputation.
But he also suffered through difficult times. While
still a trainee with the Tierfon Yellow Aces, the
squadron was sent to ambush an Imperial freighter. The
TIE fighter escort was larger than reported and one
pilot panicked and fled.
With Jek Porkins piloting and
Wes in the gunner's seat, they tried repeatedly to
stop Kissek Doran for fear he would alert the Imperial
forces. To save the squadron, Wes Janson fired the
laser cannons killing his teammate. It was his first
kill and one that would haunt him in the future. His
other biggest regret came at the end of his time with
the Aces. An immediate transfer list was posted for
the Yavin base, Janson's name was on it. But he
had a case of Hesken Fever from a recent scouting
mission. Filling the slot instead was his friend Jek
Porkins, who died at Yavin facing the first Imperial
Death Star. Soon after Yavin, Luke Skywalker and
Wedge Antilles formed a new type of starfighter unit.
An X-wing squadron with no set mission profile. It
would be called Rogue Squadron and Wes Janson would be
one of the first recruits, having a long and
distinguished career on its roster.
Rogue
Squadron provided cover for the defection of Crix
Madine on Corellia. They flew converted airspeeders on
Hoth, where Wes and Wedge Antilles brought one of the
massive Imperial walkers down using tow cables. They
were last to leave the ice planet defending Rebel
transports against Imperial forces in orbit. Wes had
an uncomfortable moment once when his sabotaged
astromech took control of his X-wing and tried to
shoot down Luke Skywalker. The Rogues flew against the second Death Star over the forest
moon of Endor, destroying not only the space station
but the Emperor as well. Rogue Squadron found itself
on diplomatic envoys and guarding convoys during the formation and
early expansion of the New Republic. But these
were hardly quiet times as remnants of the Empire
refused to admit defeat. Wes also proved his capability as
a ground operative when he assisted commando Kapp Dendo in the
sabotage of Imperial facilities on Brentaal.
When orders came down to
reform Rogue Squadron, Wes and Hobbie Klivian traded
in their pilot helmets and became flight instructors
for the New Republic. When Wedge Antilles invited the
two back to Rogue Squadron, Wes instead chose to help
Wedge build a new unit, X-wing Wraith Squadron. A new
squad built up around commando skills first and pilot
skills second. And it
was there that his past came back to haunt him. One of
their first recruits turned out to be the son of
Dessik Doran, the Alliance pilot Wes had shot down
years before in the Tierfon Yellow Aces. But the two
struggled through their pain and awkwardness, never
becoming friends but reaching a point where they were able to work together
effectively. When Wraith Squadron was transferred to the New Republic
Intelligence division, Wes chose to stay with
Starfighter Command and returned to Rogue Squadron.
Wes Janson has passed up several transfers choosing to stay with
the Rogues for most of his career, having served under
the command of Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles and Tycho Celchu.
Chronological
Order of Appearance:
Rogue Squadron 3D CD-ROM (LucasArts)
The Empire Strikes Back (LucasFilm)
Shadows of the Empire (Del Rey)
The Rebel Opposition (Dark Horse Comics)
The Phantom Affair (Dark Horse Comics)
Battleground: Tatooine (Dark Horse Comics)
The Warrior Princess (Dark Horse Comics)
Requiem for a Rogue (Dark Horse Comics)
In the Empire's Service (Dark Horse Comics)
Blood & Honor (Dark Horse Comics)
Masquerade (Dark Horse Comics)
Mandatory Retirement (Dark Horse Comics)
Rogue Squadron (Bantam Books) *mentioned in name
only*
Wraith Squadron (Bantam Books)
Iron Fist (Bantam Books)
Solo Command (Bantam Books)
Isard's Revenge (Bantam Books)
I, Jedi (Bantam Books)
Starfighters of Adumar (Bantam Books)
Specter of the Past (Bantam Books)
Union (Dark Horse Comics) Customizable Card Game (Decipher)
The Last Command Sourcebook (West End Game)
The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook (West End Games)
Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook (West End Games)
Star Wars Encyclopedia (Del Rey)
Star Wars Handbook: Rogue Squadron (Dark Horse Comics) |