Madel Wharen, a male Human from the Legends continuity, served as a researcher and developer for the Drever Corporation. This company, situated in the Parmel sector, was a relatively small manufacturer of weaponry. Wharen's diverse skill set and technical expertise were instrumental in establishing Drever Corporation's reputation for dependable products. However, his Rebel sympathies led to frequent clashes with the corporation's board and its managing director. Due to his valuable technical abilities and political leanings, both the Rebellion and the Empire took a keen interest in him. Rebel agents began strategizing ways to recruit him, while Imperial agents focused on preventing his recruitment by the Rebellion.
A male Human, Madel Wharen worked as a researcher and developer for the Drever Corporation, a minor weapons manufacturer in the Parmel sector. He gained recognition as the creator of the Phoenix Plasma Punch, a cutting tool that received high praise from organizations like Imperial Customs. He also held a position on the corporation's Board of Directors for a period. Notably, Wharen was the closest confidant of Jenson Drever II, who served as the managing director of the Drever Corporation.
Despite maintaining a low profile, Wharen was a devoted supporter of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. While he avoided openly endorsing the Rebel cause, he consistently advocated for corporate policies that would benefit the Alliance or harm the Galactic Empire. These political inclinations often sparked disagreements with Drever, eventually leading to Wharen's transfer to a remote research and development facility. This move also strained his friendship with Drever. Paradoxically, this transfer proved beneficial for the Drever Corporation, as Wharen excelled in his new environment and significantly improved the corporation's product lines. His ability to identify and rectify product flaws cost-effectively during the research and development process was a key factor in establishing Drever Corporation's reputation for reliability.
Sometime between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance became aware of Wharen's pro-Rebel sentiments and sought to enlist him. However, the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) was also aware of his sympathies, complicating matters. ISB agents maintained close surveillance on Wharen, his wife, Bea, and their young son, Padyn. In fact, an Surveillance agent had infiltrated the Drever Corporation Board during Wharen's tenure and uncovered his support for the Rebels. Following Wharen's transfer to research and development, the ISB ensured that his work was closely monitored by several other agents, anticipating an Alliance attempt to extract him. To prevent such an extraction, these ISB agents were granted access to Investigations resources and the authority to call upon the Drever Corporation's internal security forces.
Madel Wharen's personality was marked by erratic and temperamental behavior. He would often interrupt himself mid-sentence to pursue an idea at a nearby computer terminal. Considering himself an inventor rather than a corporate employee, Wharen had little patience for those who prioritized profits over quality or for corporate executives in general. Despite his outspoken criticism of corporate activities, Wharen secretly sympathized with the Rebels, though he was too cautious to openly support the Alliance. He maintained this support even after being removed from the Drever Corporation's Board of Directors, which negatively impacted his friendship with Drever.
Wharen's physical build was thin and lanky, lacking in strength and agility. He had fair skin and unkempt gray hair.
Despite his eccentricities, Wharen possessed exceptional skills as a technician, inventor, and engineer, demonstrating a genius-level aptitude for mechanics. He excelled in engineering and repairing blasters and other machinery, as well as repairing and programming computers and droids. He was particularly skilled at enhancing existing designs. Furthermore, Wharen possessed extensive knowledge of and proficiency with mechanical security systems.
Wharen's consistent ability to engineer profitable products fostered a strong sense of loyalty among a significant portion of the Drever Corporation's staff. His expertise extended to C-227 motivators, DDX pulse modulators, flux control modules, integrated power flow control chips, and microprocessors. In addition to his technical skills, he was adept at persuasion, despite his unpredictable temperament.
Madel Wharen originated as a character in the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game sourcebook Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim, authored by Simon Smith and Eric S. Trautmann. Since the sourcebook presented a collection of elements and "adventure hooks" for use in games, Madel Wharen's fate was intentionally left ambiguous, allowing gamemasters the freedom to incorporate the character into their games as they saw fit.
One suggested possibility for Wharen's character involved Alliance agents ousting Drever from his own company and installing Wharen as the head of the Drever Corporation. This scenario would then force the Empire to either directly seize control of the company, which would have repercussions among other corporations, or attempt to discreetly remove Wharen, which would create a dangerous internal power struggle within the corporation and increase the likelihood of the Empire's interference being exposed.