- "No message for your brother?"
"He knows what I would say." - ―Wes Janson and Todr Fel
Todr Fel was a Corellian, the younger brother of Imperial fighter ace Soontir Fel. He grew up on an Allied Grain and Roughage agro-combine, where he learned the values of loyalty, duty, and hard work from his family. He married Ajai Fel, and together they had a son, Fyric, around 3 ABY. Soontir's success allowed him to gain a barony and an estate, on which Fel and his family were allowed to live.
Nearly five years after the Battle of Yavin, Soontir was captured by the New Republic, and his wife fled into hiding with their children to avoid Imperial retaliation. Hoping to pressure the Fels into divulging her location, Imperial Intelligence backed Ilir Post in kidnapping his son, Fyric. Determined not to betray his family or to let his son be used against him, Fel used three New Republic pilots sent by Wedge Antilles, Soontir's brother-in-law, to place a tracker on Post and draw him out. Fel killed Post with a sniper shot, risking Fyric's death when he fell from the balcony on which Post held him, because Fel felt it was the only case in which Fyric had any chance of living. One of the New Republic pilots caught Fyric, and the three pilots took Todr, Ajai, and Fyric Fel to safety in the New Republic.
Biography[]
Life on Corellia[]
- "Fels take care of their own."
- ―Todr Fel, to Corran Horn
Fel as a child with his mother in 10 BBY.
Todr Fel was born into the Fel family, nearly all the members of which worked for Allied Grain and Roughage. Fel's father worked as a pilot for AGR, and Fel's family was raised on an AGR agro-combine. Fel had at least two brothers and one sister, and grew up with the Fel family's strict sense of duty and loyalty to each other. Around 10 BBY, his father was accidentally poisoned, and Fel's older brother, Soontir, began flying his routes for him. In 10 BBY, Soontir broke up an attempted assault by Ilir Post, a son of a member of AGR's board. He was given an appointment to the Academy of Carida, which kept him from testifying on the matter. In exchange, AGR made sure that the Fels were provided for and did not punish their father for having let Soontir operate AGR equipment without official authorization.[2]
Fel carried on his life on Corellia, marrying a woman by the name of Ajai. Around late 2 ABY, Fel became a father, with Ajai giving birth to a son, Fyric.[1] In 3 ABY, Fel moved into far more luxurious conditions when Soontir, who had achieved great fame as an Imperial pilot, was made a Baron of the Empire and given a massive estate on Corellia. All Soontir's relations were moved to the estate, where they lived in comfort.[2] The Fels were joined there by Wynssa Starflare, Soontir's wife, and her two children, Chak and Davin.[3] Fel was trusted with the dangerous knowledge that Starflare had been born Syal Antilles, and was the sister of Rebel Alliance hero Wedge Antilles. For that reason, Starflare had plans to flee if her identity was ever exposed to Ysanne Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence and a nemesis of Soontir Fel.[1][2]
Around nine months after the Battle of Endor, Soontir was captured by the New Republic in an engagement over Brentaal IV.[4] Starflare, fearful of Imperial retaliation, took Chak and Davin and went into hiding.[1][3]
Kidnapping[]
- Estillo: "Todr? You made that shot?"
- Fel: "Had to. Post would have killed him anyway. It was my one chance."
- Estillo: "You thought your son was dead, so you took that shot and hoped he might cheat death."
- ―Isplourrdacartha Estillo and Todr Fel[1]
Around ten months after the Battle of Endor, Fyric was kidnapped from the estate one morning, much to the Fel family's distress. Todr and his family quickly realized that it was an attempt to uncover the location of Starflare, and resolved to resist, even when the kidnappers gave them a meeting point. Corellian Security Force investigators Corran Horn and Iella Wessiri were assigned to the case and began investigating the grounds and interviewing the Fels. Later in the day, a group of three strangers came by the house, claiming to be friends; Fel was called over by Horn, and the strangers' use of "Wedge" convinced Fel that they were sent by Antilles to make contact. He suggested they come back later.[1]
Fel is reunited with his son.
As the strangers had given Fel their docking bay number, 385, he sent Ajai to them, having her claim that she was angry that the Fels would not give up Starflare's location to save Fyric, and gave them a hologram of Fyric—one with a tracking device built in. Ajai claimed that she would give them Starflare if they could retrieve Fyric, and sent them to the rendezvous the kidnappers had arranged. During the meeting, Isplourrdacartha Estillo, one of the New Republic pilots Antilles had sent, gave the hologram to Ilir Post, the self-appointed nemesis of Soontir Fel and the leader of the kidnappers, backed by Imperial Intelligence.[1]
Fel used the tracker signal to travel to the remote estate Post was using as his hideout. He let the CorSec agents and Rogue Squadron pilots storm the estate, but Post appeared on a balcony, holding Fyric and threatening to kill the child if they did not leave. Fel, knowing that Fyric would eventually die if they did so, decided that while shooting Post would risk Fyric falling off the balcony, it was less risky than letting Post live. From the woods, he lined up a sniper shot that took Post directly in the forehead, killing him instantly. Fyric tumbled over the edge, but was saved by Estillo's diving catch. Fel was waiting when the group came back to the woods, and gladly accepted his son back, explaining how he had tracked Post.[1]
Wes Janson, one of the Rogue pilots, tried to persuade Fel that he and his family should take refuge in the New Republic, now that Soontir had defected to them and was flying for Rogue Squadron. Fel spoke with the rest of his family, and it was decided that he and Ajai should take Fyric to the New Republic and out of danger. The next day, they packed up and flew from Corellia with the Rogues. They came under attack by mercenaries working for Imperial Intelligence on their way out, but timely assistance by Horn allowed them to escape safely.[1]
Personality and traits[]
- "You were here when we arrived and used us to draw him out. You took quite a risk."
"You would have done less?" - ―Corran Horn and Todr Fel
Todr Fel was devoted to his family, willing to take risks and suffer hardships for the members of his clan, with whom he was quite close. He was also willing to take incredible gambles when he felt they were the best option available to him, as when he shot Ilir Post.[1]
While his brother was a hero of the Galactic Empire, Fel himself was somewhat more dubious of the institution, regarding it as dishonest and simply using his brother under false pretenses.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Todr Fel first appeared in X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25 anonymously, as Soontir Fel's younger brother.[2] In the next two issues, comprising the Family Ties arc, he appeared as an adult and was named.[1] Both comics were written by Michael A. Stackpole, the creator of both Todr Fel and his more famous brother Soontir.[2][1]
Appearances[]
- X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25 (First appearance) (In flashback(s))
- X-Wing Rogue Squadron 26 (First identified as Todr Fel)
- X-Wing Rogue Squadron 27
Sources[]
- Star Wars Handbook 1: X-Wing Rogue Squadron
- Star Wars: The Comics Companion
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: Family Ties
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 X-Wing Rogue Squadron 25
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Official Star Wars Fact File 122
- ↑ Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: In the Empire's Service