Ciena Ree, designated as LP888, was a Human female First Waver villager from the planet Jelucan who fought as a pilot, then a captain, for the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War, then later as a combat pilot and senior lieutenant for the Resistance during its war with the First Order before traveling through time into the future, where she and the crew of the Lothal-class Exploration cruiser Adventurer subsequently joined the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, eventually becoming an esteemed admiral. Born into a family descended from individuals that had first emigrated to Jelucan after they had refused to abandon their loyalty to their previous king, Ciena's twin sister, Wynnet would perish mere hours after her birth, leaving the young Ree with no memories of her, although Ciena would nonetheless strive to live her life for both her and her sister, constantly keeping a leather bracelet with her in accordance with First Waver customs. In addition, Ciena would grow up in an environment that was supportive of the Galactic Empire, as her parents would regard it as a welcome change to the inequality between First Wavers like themselves and the Second-Wave aristocrats. In an ironic twist of fate, on the day of the Empire's arrival to Jelucan, Ciena would strike a surprising friendship with Thane Kyrell, a second waver who she found shared her love of flying and ambition to join the Imperial Military, which was encouraged by an encounter with Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. An accomplished student of her homeworld's preparatory academy, Ciena, along with Thane, were therefore selected as cadets at the Royal Imperial Academy, where she would become close friends with Kendy Idele, Jude Edivon and Nash Windrider, who would come to develop a crush on Ciena that she did not recuperate. Over their time as cadets of the most prestigious Imperial academy, the friendship between Ree and Kyrell would develop into a mutually felt affection for one another, although they refrained from telling one another out of fear that the other did not share their feelings.
The destruction of the planet Alderaan would have a cataclysmic effect the relationship that Ciena had with Thane. Ree stayed loyal to the Galactic Empire, despite her personal misgivings on its tactics, due to her belief in honor and upholding her sworn oath. Furthermore, the destruction of the Death Star marked decisively how Ciena regarded rebels to the Empire, as her friend and former roommate, Jude, was among those lost in the Yavin system. On the other hand, Kyrell became disillusioned with the Empire's increasing draconian tactics and chose to desert the Empire in favor of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Despite their conflicting loyalties, the love the two felt for each other continued and Ciena would claim to her fellow Imperials that Thane had committed suicide in the wake of the Death Star's destruction, despite knowing otherwise. Though she would rise eventually to the rank of a captain in the Imperial Navy, Ree disillusioned with the Empire grew solidified when her mother was convicted of a crime on what Ciena considered to be insufficient evidence.
Participating in the Battle of Endor despite her disillusionment, Ree survived the ground-shaking battle, but was badly injured and left unable to perform active duty for almost a year, although she was thought dead by Thane. Made the captain of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Inflictor despite her young age, Ree would again find herself fighting against her lover, Thane, during the Battle of Jakku, when the Inflictor was boarded by the New Republic. Driven to suicide as a means to escape the Empire's clutches without abandoning her honor, Ciena, after ordering a mass evacuation of all on-board personnel, attempted to bring the Inflictor crashing down onto the surface of Jakku in order to prevent it from falling into the New Republic's hand, but was unwillingly saved by Thane, who forced his way onto the command bridge and rescued her, albeit without her consent. Though thought dead by her fellow Imperials, who considered her a shining example of loyalty and courage, Ciena in fact survived and was taken prisoner by the New Republic for her allegiance and service to the Empire, although she was released months afterward thanks to recognitions that she had served the Empire ultimately due to an admirable sense of duty, which was further supported by petitions given by Thane and various others.
Along with Kyrell, Ciena was later recruited by Leia Organa to join the beginning of the Resistance, a group formed to fight against the growing threat of the First Order, the Empire's successor. Made a pilot in the reformed Corona Squadron, which was made up of herself, Thane, Kendy Idele and several others, Ciena became a key participant in the effort to thwart an attempt made by the First Order's ally, General Jalica Shale and her loyalists to initiate a mass assassination of the New Republic's leadership, although she and her teammates were unable to prevent the loyalists from murdering at least 30% of their intended targets. They were also horrified afterward when they discovered from a small fraction of information the Squadron had successfully secured from the loyalists' databanks before they were wiped that the group's spy network ran deep into the Republic, including in its allies various highly influential individuals that were secretly First Order spies. In response and as the Cold War grew between the Republic and the First Order, the Empire's successor state labeled Ciena a traitor and sent one of their operatives, Mark Smith, after her. Smith would proceed to capture Ciena, torturing her to near-death, then using her to lure the rest of Corona Squadron into a trap. Observing that Ree had little in the way of concern regarding her own life, Mark Smith rigged a rifle to be fired if the door to the entrance of the room she was being held in, intending to force Ciena to watch as people were killed attempting to save her. To Ciena's horror, not only was the trap successful, but the Resistance member that would find her was none other than her lover. When Thane found the room where she was being held, Ciena threw herself in the path of the rifle and took the bullet in her shoulder but was swiftly subjected to emergency surgery and therefore survived, although she lost half a lung and was thus pulled from field work to instead assist the Resistance's science division while she underwent intense rehabilitation and therapy.
The injuries that Ciena suffered would prompt Thane, with the permission of his superiors, to endeavor to find and kill Mark Smith in revenge while Ciena recovered. Though she would support this initially out of her own wish for vengeance, when Thane's attempt to assassinate Smith resulted in an attack being launched on the Resistance-aligned therapist, Andrew Garner, Ciena convinced her partner to give up on his single-minded drive to eliminate Ree's tormentor, worried that continuing such a path would lead to them changing and ultimately would become as demented as their enemies. Shortly afterward, Ciena was deemed fully healed and returned to active duty as part of Corona Squadron. Later on, however, she and Thane were captured during a mission into First Order territory that forced them to resign from the Resistance in order to protect it after Leia was forced to disavow them to prevent them from being executed, the two former Imperials biding their squad mates and closest friends goodbye, who offered them a 'spy's goodbye' in farewell.
Following the Hosnian Cataclysm and the First Order's subsequent takeover of the majority of the galaxy, Ciena and Thane founded and led a sizable cell of civilian resistance based on their homeworld of Jelucan, which remained primarily untouched by the First Order. Though initially, their operations remained confined to Jelucan and its system, after the Battle of Crait, the pair were contacted by Kyrell's old friend from the Rebellion, Yendor, who had joined the Resistance. Although Thane was hesitant at first due to predictions given regarding Ree's upcoming pregnancy with their first child, Ciena would convince him they had not only a moral responsibility, but also a duty as future parents, to do all they could to ensure their child would grow up in a free universe. Along with their cell, the pair therefore rejoined the Resistance and Ciena became one of its leaders along with her partner, again reforming the Corona Squadron and assisting Leia in leading the Resistance movement against the seemingly unstoppable advancement of the First Order. Ciena and Thane would ultimately also join Black Squadron, with Ciena become the Squadron's third-in-command. Having taken up residence on the moon Ajan Kloss with the rest of the organization, Ciena attended Leia Organa's funeral, then leant her voice in multiple meetings held to discuss strategies for the Battle of Exegol, which pitted the small forces of the Resistance against the First Order, the Final Order and the Sith Eternal, all of which were now united in service to the reborn Darth Sidious, better known as Emperor Palpatine. Though the Resistance suffered many casualties, including many of Ciena's friends, the sudden arrival of the vast Citizen's Fleet turned the tide and allowed for the Resistance, led after Leia's death by Poe Dameron and Finn, to destroy the Final Order's planet-killing Star Destroyers while Sidious, the Emperor that Ciena had once served, was destroyed for good by the Jedi apprentice Rey. Following the battle, Ciena reunited with Thane back on Ajan Kloss, the two lovers kissing long and passionately upon reuniting.
Later, the couple separated themselves from the ensuing celebrations to pay homage to their late comrade, Temmin 'Snap' Wexley, in a private eulogy she alongside Thane and the other four remaining members of Black Squadron — which comprised of General Poe Dameron, Suralinda Javos, Jessika Pava and the newly-widowed Karé Kun — who she shared her memories of their deceased squadmates with before the six collectively raised their glasses in tribute to all those the war had cost them.
Biography[]
Mourning Snap Wexley[]
I remember when we first met while I was serving with Intelligence. He knew about my past with the Empire, but that didn't stop him from stepping in when a few older veterans decided to pick a bone with the only Imperial in the room. He once told me that we aren't defined by our past, but by the choices that we make in the present. And he was right.
—Ciena Ree, to Black Squadron, about Snap Wexley.
Ciena and her former squadronmates raise their glasses in honor of Temmin Wexley.
During the celebrations that occurred following the Resistance’s return from Exegol, Ciena Ree – alongside Thane Kyrell and the other four remaining members of Black Squadron – removed themselves from the cheering masses to instead gather for a private eulogy in tribute to their late comrade and friend Major Snap Wexley. Standing around the dying embers of a fire with a drink in one hand, Ree listened without comment as Poe Dameron delivered a speech to the five assembled with him, raising his glass to the fallen members of their disbanded starfighter squadron. As Karé Kun expressed her grief over the loss of her beloved husband, Ciena offered the widow what comfort she could provide, reflecting that the grief she harbored over the death of her twin sister would forever be with her and encouraging Kun that accepting this pain made it no less real, the memories that she had made with Snap meant that he would always be with her, which the grateful Karé thanked her for. As the squadron reminisced about their experiences with Wexley, Ciena Ree noted that, despite her previous allegiance to the Galactic Empire, Temmin had never treated her as anything lesser, nor acted with the prejudices some former rebels had harbored towards their enemies, telling the others with a watery smile that their friend had once told her that people were not defined by their past, but rather by the choices that they then proceeded to make. The five then proceeded to raise their glasses in celebration of Snap, their previous stories and the future that was still to come.[1]
Family tree[]
 Ree family | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kyrell family | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Huyena Ree | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| One generation |  Verine Ree |  Paron Ree |  Ganaire Kyrell |  Oris Kyrell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sefton Nierre |  Wynnet Ree |  Ciena Ree |  Thane Kyrell |  Dalven Kyrell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unborn child |  Leto Ree-Kyrell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Multiple generations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kyheem's partner |  Kyheem Kyrell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Leto Kyrell | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Lost Stars