Fey'lya, Borsk

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Kothlis

• Species:
  Bothan

• Gender:
  Male

• Size:
  1.4 meters

• Affiliation:
  New Republic

• 

From the Expanded Universe

Though Borsk Fey'lya exhibited the most unsavory traits of a politician and a Bothan, many consider him a hero for his noteworthy achievements. His influence brought the Bothans into the Rebellion, and he was a key figure in shaping the New Republic government that supplanted the Empire.

Fey'lya, of the Bothan Alya clan, was born on Kothlis, a Bothan colony world. He demonstrated a knack for maneuvering the dangerous twists of Bothan politics, honing his opportunistic talents to ascend in the world of business. Fey'lya's melodic, easy-going voice lulled many a rival into a false sense of security. His relentless ambitions were often underestimated by friend and foe.

Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Fey'lya joined the Rebel Alliance, bringing in a sizable faction of Bothans and their remarkable intelligence-gathering network. Around this time, the Mon Calamari and their mighty starships also joined the struggling Rebellion. This led to an immediate rivalry between Fey'lya and Admiral Ackbar. Ackbar dismissed Fey'lya as just a political blowhard, but the two would be at odds many times.

It was Fey'lya's Bothans who managed to obtain information regarding the second Death Star for the Alliance. Though their intelligence proved to be a trap, the Bothans -- and Fey'lya in particular -- were regarded as heroes for their contribution.

As the Empire collapsed, Fey'lya was one of the original signers of the Declaration of a New Republic. He earned a position in the New Republic Provisional Council and the Inner Council, much to the chagrin of Admiral Ackbar. Fey'lya's political agenda always favored his fellow Bothans, but his shrewd tactics and careful conniving kept him from being branded for his special interests.

Fey'lya maintained his business ventures while he served as a Councilor. A corporation he owned funneled money to Garm Bel Iblis, a Corellian rogue who was waging his own private war against the Empire. As Bel Iblis fostered a deeply rooted animosity towards Mon Mothma, Fey'lya thought it prudent to keep him as an ally.

Though Fey'lya truly hated the Empire, his shortsighted political games often hindered the New Republic's progress. He saw nothing wrong in pouncing on an ally's missteps if it furthered his agenda. Fey'lya's downfall began with a miscalculation during the hard-fought battle with Grand Admiral Thrawn over the long-lost Katana fleet. The Bothan ordered a retreat, trapping some of the Rebellion's top people. Fey'lya's true nature was exposed, and he was put under military arrest, and returned to Coruscant.

Although the Provisional Council granted him a pardon, he had lost face and his base of support, and his power steadily diminished. The coolly calculating Fey'lya would rarely lose his composure, but the notion of the New Republic taking the Emperor's storehouse on Wayland intact terrified him. He was even willing to pay Talon Karrde 70,000 credits to ensure Mount Tantiss was obliterated. He offered very little by means of explanation, and the truth of what he was hiding did not appear for years.

Ever the survivor, Fey'lya again ascended during the New Republic's reorganization following the resurrected Emperor's destructive campaign. During the Yevethan crisis, Fey'lya served as chairman of the Senate Justice Council. He leaked information to the media and supported the petition of no confidence in Chief of State Leia Organa Solo.

Fey'lya quietly bided his time during Ponc Gavrisom's term as Chief of State, and Organa Solo's return to office. When Leia's term finally ended, Borsk Fey'lya put his years of experience and contacts to good use, and was elected Chief of State of the New Republic in a landslide.

It was during Fey'lya's time in office that the Yuuzhan Vong struck. The alien invaders began their bloody incursion into New Republic space, and despite a wealth of disturbing evidence, Fey'lya refused to label the Yuuzhan Vong a definite threat. The closer they encroached to the Core and Bothan space, the more active Fey'lya became.

Though he authorized the use of the New Republic Navy to defend against the aliens, he refused to give Luke Skywalker's new order of Jedi Knights an official role in the defense. He did not send aid to the besieged Jedi academy on Yavin 4, claiming the world did not fall under New Republic jurisdiction.

Despite such self-serving maneuvers, Fey'lya stayed behind on Coruscant when the capital world eventually fell to the Yuuzhan Vong. Fey'lya detonated a powerful charge in his executive office, killing himself and several prominent Yuuzhan Vong and destroying many of the Republic's most sensitive state secrets. For this sacrifice, even some of the Yuuzhan Vong have shown begrudging respect for the Bothan politician.