Zana spent much of her youth in the sheltered company of her parents. Though she attended the private Althoronn academy in her childhood, mingling with the children of the Emperor's most important subjects, her parents eventually elected to privately tutor Zana when she entered her teens. This was an isolating experience for the young heiress, exacerbated by the ever-present specter of her sister Mara's recruitment by the Emperor.

Taking a keen interest in robotics and starship technologies, Zana took on a personal project in the form of her father's prototype A-series Liquidation droid. A7 became her ubiquitous companion as she slowly repaired and restored the droid into working condition. Throughout these years, she also intermittently encountered her sister, Mara, at court functions. The radical change in her sister's demeanor, as well as the failure of Mara to even recognize Zana fostered an immense hatred for the Emperor.

Following the destruction of Alderaan Zana learned that the Jade Corporation had been heavily involved in the construction of the Death Star. Disenchanted by the Empire, Zana began to speak out among her inner circle of friends and engaging in anti-Imperial demonstrations. Her father, in an effort to protect the Jade reputation, removed Zana from the public eye entirely. After an intense argument about his role in the destruction of Alderaan, Zana escaped the Jade mansion and made her way into the Rebellion's fold along with A7.

Though initially distrusted by the Rebellion leadership, Zana proved herself a capable mechanic and roboticist. Her knowledge of Jade corporation tech and Imperial procedure also made her valuable as a groundside agent. Preferring this to a simple posting aboard a starship, Zana elected to join a cell of rebels on the world of Abregado-Rae during the Midrim Offensives. Unfortunately, this proved to be a misstep for both the Rebellion and Zana personally.

The cell on Abregado was all but crushed through a siege, leaving Zana as the sole uncaptured survivor. For weeks she hid out in the retrofitted sewers of the capital city, awaiting aid from the Rebellion.

Help finally arrived in the form of Maximillian Eroun and Black Squadron.

A small strike team landed, found and extracted Jade (then under the assumed alias of Zana Inez). Jade would go on to serve under Black Squadron, then Black Fleet as a trusted member of the crew. Later, nearing the end of Black Squadron's time at Vakkar, she would express previously unspoken feelings for Maximillian during a celebration aboard the station. Though neither acted on these feelings, the subsequent death of Max affected Zana terribly, leading to an ugly incident during Max's funeral involving the new commander of Black Squadron, Kred Jervata.

In time, Zana apologized for her synthol-fueled tirade against Kred and the pair warmed to each other. This would slowly evolve over the course of Black Fleet's campaign into a blossoming romance. Following a mission to Yavin, Jade revealed to Kred, now apprenticed to Par Senesca, her true parentage and the nature of her family dynasty. She would then ask Kred to assist her in tracking down and freeing her sister, Mara Jade, from the influence of the Empire.

At war's end, following a dangerous incursion and escape from the Eclipse, Jade and Jervata would embark on a mission alongside Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, former General Han Solo and Chewbacca to find Mara Jade.

Zana would eventually take over her family's affairs after the disappearance of her mother and father during the waning days of the Empire. Aboard her personal ship, the Iridescent Dawn, she and her husband, Kred Jervata, traveled the Galaxy conducting various missions and business dealings for a few years. Kred, now a fully-fledged member of the Jedi Order, would ensure that the couple's days were lively.

At the end of 5ABY, Zana and Kred welcomed their daughter Canna into the galaxy. The couple dedicated the next few years of their lives to the girl, putting aside the most exhilarating missions. With the rest of the Jade dynasty yet unrecovered, Zana invested herself fully into the small family she had fostered with Kred.