Sunnar Jan-lo, an Agamar native, was a member of the Agamar Resistance. After hearing a recruitment address by Mon Mothma, the Rebel Chief of State, she enlisted in the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Prior to her Alliance service, Jan-lo, a robust, energetic, and decisive individual, had demonstrated leadership qualities on her homeworld. Despite her aspiration to work in intelligence, she began her career as a starfighter pilot, participating in combat against the Galactic Empire during and after Operation Strike Fear, the Imperial offensive.
During an attack on the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Intrepid, which had become stranded and vulnerable in the Circarpous system, Jan-lo served as wingmate to pilot Keyan Farlander. A missile struck her X-wing during the mission, and although she successfully ejected, she sustained cuts and burns to her face, arms, and legs. Following this incident, she spent several days in a bacta tank and was subsequently grounded. Her inability to fly presented her with the chance to pursue intelligence training. Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, she transferred to Alliance Intelligence.
Sunnar Jan-lo, a female from the Outer Rim world of Agamar in the Imperial era, became a natural leader within the local anti-Imperial resistance movement. After the Galactic Empire destroyed the Agamarian town of Tondatha in 1 BBY, Mon Mothma, the Rebel Alliance Chief of State, visited Agamar to discuss incorporating the resistance into the broader Rebellion. Prior to negotiations with the resistance leaders, Mothma delivered a speech at a rally in Calna Muun, the Agamarian capital, to members of the resistance, but Jan-lo needed little convincing and was among the four Agamarians who immediately chose to join the Alliance.
Following the rally, Jan-lo, along with fellow new recruits Keyan Farlander, Breth Gart, and 'Ndranth Poussan, boarded a shuttle to the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Independence. The shuttle landed in a hangar at the rear of the Mon Calamari vessel, and the recruits were escorted to a waiting room before being shown to their quarters and assigned liaison officers for the duration of their training. Although Jan-lo desired to work in Alliance Intelligence, senior Alliance personnel determined a greater need for starfighter pilots at that time. Consequently, she was assigned to the Alliance Starfighter Corps along with the other new recruits. Her basic training commenced with flight maneuvers in the pilot proving grounds, followed by simulated combat scenarios under Commander Wex "TIE-Die" Dafid.
Jan-lo demonstrated competence as a pilot, outperforming Poussan in training. Before long, Farlander was chosen for active duty, soon followed by Poussan, who, despite his limited experience, was selected for the evacuation of the Rebel base on Brigia due to a shortage of pilots. Jan-lo herself was assigned to Red Squadron aboard the Independence shortly after the evacuation. During her first mission briefing, she reunited with Farlander, also a member of Red Squadron, and informed him that Poussan had been killed at Brigia and that Gart had failed training due to disorientation syndrome.
The Alliance discovered that the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Invincible, the command vessel for Operation Strike Fear, was low on supplies following the attack on Brigia and sought to resupply before attacking Rudrig. Jan-lo's initial mission, flying alongside Farlander and two pilots from Blue Squadron, involved ambushing a supply convoy en route to the Invincible, thereby delaying the Imperial campaign by several weeks. Upon exiting hyperspace near the Invincible, Farlander dispatched Jan-lo to engage the convoy's TIE fighter and TIE interceptor escorts in her X-wing, joining her after expending his proton torpedo payload on the escorting CR90 corvette Ranger. While Blue Squadron's Y-wings engaged the BFF-1 bulk freighters of Juno group, the two continued to dogfight the Imperial fighters. After destroying the fighters, the X-wing pilots assisted in eliminating the freighters before the Rebel forces returned to the Independence.
Around this time, Ordnance and Supply Command informed all Alliance forces about dwindling supplies of astromech droids, which provided pilot support and computer functions in starfighters. Upon learning of an Imperial shipment of R2-series astromech droids aboard the freighter Ars Opus, forces from the Independence were sent to capture the droids. The new droids were quickly assigned to a three-ship X-wing patrol. Although Jan-lo was not part of the patrol, she was in the ship's Operations Section when a message indicated the X-wings were out of control. Aware that Captain Hamo Blastwell, Farlander's friend, was among the pilots, Jan-lo contacted her fellow Agamarian to warn him. It was soon discovered that the droids had been sabotaged with hidden programming that would cause them to seize control of the X-wings and deliver them to the Empire, but the Rebels successfully retrieved the ships before they fell into Imperial hands.
The Rebels then conducted operations to recruit the Sullustans into the Alliance. Farlander was promoted to captain for his role in these missions, and Jan-lo assisted in organizing a party to celebrate. The Sullustans collaborated with General Crix Madine of Alliance Special Forces to devise a plan to end Operation Strike Fear by destroying the Invincible. The initial phase of the plan involved capturing members of the Cygnus Spaceworks design team to make specialized modifications to a Lambda-class shuttle. Jan-lo was assigned as Farlander's wingmate in a two-ship A-wing group tasked with escorting the Delta-class transport Lightning as it captured the Cygnus staff during starfighter performance trials. Emerging from hyperspace, the two Rebel pilots found several inactive TIE Series fighters and a heavily shielded fighter of an unfamiliar design, which Jan-lo labeled a "Gunboat." Jan-lo quickly targeted the TIEs before they could activate, while Farlander scanned nearby transports to locate the design staff; the Gunboat retreated to hyperspace upon confrontation. By the time the Lightning arrived and moved to board the designers' transport, TIE fighters were scrambling in response. However, Jan-lo and Farlander prevented them from reaching the Lightning until its mission was complete, and the Rebels returned to the Independence, reporting the unusual sighting.
While the Rebels successfully destroyed the Invincible, ending Operation Strike Fear, news of a greater threat soon emerged. After the rescue of Rebel pilots from Stars' End prison, the escapees reported a shipment of Wookiee slaves to an Imperial construction project. During a briefing led by Commander S'man, the Independence's planning officer, Captain Samuel Raider, one of the escaped pilots, proposed a plan to rescue the Wookiees and selected Jan-lo and Farlander to accompany him. However, when fellow escapee Toalagar requested immediate active duty, Raider chose him over Jan-lo. Toalagar was killed during the mission.
Jan-lo continued to serve with Red Squadron as the Rebels sought information about the Imperial construction project. After veteran pilot Captain Puck Naeco joined the squadron, he initiated a series of practical jokes targeting his wingmates. Aware of Naeco's attraction to Jan-lo, the other pilots enlisted her help in exacting revenge. Jan-lo engaged Naeco in conversation and arranged a private meeting in a storage shed in the Quarren section of the ship. As Naeco entered the darkened room, Jan-lo directed him to kiss her. Only when he did so did the hidden pilots illuminate the room, revealing that he was kissing a Quarren kitchen worker who was part of the prank.
Following the acquisition of the plans for the Empire's new Death Star battle station, the Imperial construction project, shortly before the Battle of Yavin, the Alliance learned that the Star Destroyer Intrepid had been damaged in a collision with a frigate and was awaiting repairs to its hyperdrive. A series of raids launched by the Independence prevented these repairs, leaving the Intrepid stranded in the Circarpous system. Subsequently, the Rebels initiated a direct starfighter assault on the Intrepid. The battle plan incorporated X-wings from Red Squadron, Y-wings from Blue Squadron, and A-wings from Gold Squadron, with Jan-lo assigned to an X-wing as Farlander's wing.
Upon entering the Circarpous system, Farlander tasked Jan-lo with targeting the TIE fighters launching from the Intrepid while the Y-wings commenced their attack on the Star Destroyer. After eliminating the initial wave of TIE fighters, Jan-lo and Farlander engaged an approaching wave of TIE bombers. Although Farlander's target survived his initial pass, Jan-lo successfully destroyed it. However, another bomber locked a concussion missile onto her X-wing. Jan-lo ejected as the missile struck and destroyed her starfighter, resulting in burns to her face and seared patches and deep gouges on her arms and legs. Despite their losses, the Rebels successfully destroyed the Intrepid. Following the battle, Jan-lo was rescued and returned to the Independence, where she received medical treatment in a bacta tank for several days. Her recovery progressed well, and she anticipated returning to active duty. Farlander and Naeco were among the pilots who visited her during her recovery.
By the time Leia Organa was captured over Tatooine while delivering the Death Star plans to the Rebel base on Yavin 4 in 0 BBY, Jan-lo had recovered from her injuries but was not cleared for flight duty. This allowed her to pursue her intelligence training. She transferred to Alliance Intelligence and was assigned to a classified mission that would keep her away from the Independence for some time.
Jan-lo possessed a robust build and was decisive and energetic. As a dedicated member of the Agamar Resistance, she readily joined the Rebel Alliance after Mon Mothma's rally. Her determination was evident in her rapid recovery from injuries sustained against the Intrepid and her eagerness to return to a cockpit. She was typically calm and reserved, often remaining silent, such as on her first trip to the Independence, and usually kept her comments concise. While seeking revenge on Naeco for his pranks, the uncharacteristically seductive tone in Jan-lo's voice surprised Keyan Farlander.
Despite her quiet demeanor, Jan-lo had always been a leader on her homeworld, a trait that continued after joining the Alliance. Upon arriving aboard the Independence, Jan-lo reassured 'Ndranth Poussan and Breth Gart when they were anxious, and the typically withdrawn Gart confided in her about his desire to retry his flight training after failing initially. Jan-lo maintained positive relationships with her wingmates, particularly Keyan Farlander and Naeco, who was visibly attracted to her. She assisted in organizing a party to celebrate Farlander's promotion to captain and made sure to inform him about her transfer to Alliance Intelligence. Both Farlander and Naeco visited her while she recovered from her injuries.
Although Jan-lo decided she wanted to work in intelligence soon after joining the Alliance, she undertook flight training to address a pilot shortage and became a skilled pilot. She particularly enjoyed fighting standard TIE fighters, finding them easy targets.
Rusel DeMaria created Sunnar Jan-lo for the 1993 book X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide. This book detailed the story of Keyan Farlander, the player character in the game Star Wars: X-Wing. The book identifies Jan-lo as one of the previously unnamed pilots aboard the Independence from the game.