Nova Stihl

Nova Stihl was a guard sergeant in the Imperial Marines in 0 ABY. He was a stormtrooper stationed aboard the Death Star.

Behind the scenes
Stihl is described as wearing the 18-piece suit of stormtrooper armor and being one of the stormtroopers who chase Han Solo and Chewbacca aboard the Death Star. However, earlier in the book he is called an army trooper. Elsewhere, his description seems to indicate he is one of the Death Star troopers in the Death Star conference room when Cass tellks Grand Moff Tarkin the Rebels had deserted Dantooine. The authors of the novel seem to believe army troopers, Death Star troopers, and stormtroopers are identical, just wearing different uniforms, whereas previous EU sources indicate they are discrete, the Death Star troopers belonging to the Imperial Navy (not Army) and the Stormtrooper Corps being a separate entity. It is possible the "Imperial Marines" represent an elite group who cross train in all three branches, although this is only speculation.

Stihl used to be a guard who trained self-defense to prisoners of the prison planet of Desparyre. When violence in the prison planet lowered by twelve percent thanks to Sithl, he was immediately transported aboard the Death Star where he trained self defense classes to stormtroopers. Occasionally, he went to a bar called the Hard Heart where he met a bouncer named Rodo who can fight as good as Stihl. During his time on the Daeth Star, Stihl had nightmares that haunted him of his upcoming death where he and Rodo were fighting off Imperial guards and he was shot in the end right after Rodo was killed. When he reported his nightmares to one of the Death Star's surgeons, Dr. Kornell "Uli" Divini, Uli realized Stihl had a midi-chlorian count of more than five hundred, thus revealing Stihl is Force-sensitive. Stihl, because of his Force-sensiivity, had sensed the deaths that occurred on Desparyre and Alderaan when the Death Star used its forces to blow both planets up. Eventually, Stihl met Memah Roothes, the bartender of the Hard Heart who was Rodo's friend, a slave named Teela, Vil Dance, an Imperial TIE fighter flier, Atour Riten, one of the Imperial leaders, and also realized that a prisoner from Desparyre named Ratua escaped before its destruction to come from the Death Star. Along with Rodo and Uli, Riten had agreed with everyone he met that was mentioned that they all wanted to get off the Death Star after the destructions of Desparyre and Alderaan. They planned to escape through a medical carrier while the Battle of Yavin was occuring between the Empire in the Death Star and the Rebel Alliance on Yavin. With the exception of Riten who couldn't make it, all of them attempted to escape, but Stihl and Rodo had to stay behind and fight off Imperials who tried to stop them from escaping. After Rodo was shot from the back and killed, Stihl was shot immediately in the face - referencing the death in his dreams.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Death Star (First identified as Nova Stihl)