Strunk was a male human who lived on the desert planet Jakku at the time of the Cold war. He made a living as a scavenger, collecting salvage from the Starship Graveyard with his partner, Devi. When Strunk and Devi discovered a Ghtroc Industries 690 light freighter belonging to Rey, a fellow scavenger, the two helped her repair it before stealing the ship and escaping the planet.