Tanith Ponta was a human female who lived on the planet Skuhl during the Age of the Empire. After the death of her father, Ponta found solace in piloting the family's shuttle, helping her mother Akshaya run the family business and teaching her brother Hadder how to fly. However, Ponta's piloting resulted in a diagnosis of bloodburn, a rare terminal illness. To treat the disease, Ponta took hadeira serum, and the bloodburn's effects slowed, but Ponta grew dependent on the drug. In the year 15 BBY, Ponta overdosed, and she died. Ponta's death led Akshaya to fear for Hadder's health, and she grounded him on Skuhl. A decade after Ponta's death, Akshaya met the sixteen-year-old girl Jyn Erso, and she allowed Erso to stay in Ponta's bedroom. In the following years, Erso used "Tanith Ponta" as an