Dash Rendar/Legends

"He doesn't want to owe anybody, doesn't want anybody to owe him. He works for whoever pays the most. He's downright magic with anything that flies, and he can pick wing nuts off a tabletop with a blaster without scorching the finish. He's a good man to have at your back when the going gets hot&mdash;as long as your money lasts."

- Lando Calrissian, on Dash Rendar

Dash Rendar was a Human male smuggler and freelancer. Born into a wealthy Corellian family during the final years of the Galactic Republic, he chose to pursue a career as an officer in the Imperial Navy rather than joining the family shipping business. When his parents refused to sell their business to Prince Xizor, owner of Xizor Transport Systems and leader of the Black Sun crime syndicate, the Dark Prince sabotaged a freighter flown by Rendar's older brother, Stanton, killing him as his ship crashed into the Imperial Museum. Emperor Palpatine blamed the Rendar family, exiling them from the Core Worlds and dismissing Rendar from the Imperial Academy on Carida. Fleeing to the Outer Rim Territories, Rendar gained a reputation as a hot-shot pilot, smuggler, and mercenary. His success gained him his own ship, the YT-2400 light freighter Outrider, and the services of the Cybot Galactica LE-series repair droid LE-BO2D9 as his co-pilot.

Despite his personal reasons for disliking the Empire, Rendar refused to get involved in the growing Rebellion. His motivation was profit and, though he occasionally took on work for the Rebel Alliance, he insisted on being well compensated. In 0 ABY, Rendar boarded the luxury liner Star of Empire with the intention of stealing it to sell to the Rebels. Before he could act, however, the ship's computer, an artificial intelligence known as SIM, took control of the ship itself. Rendar was one of the few passengers trapped aboard and joined forces with the Shi'ido Mammon Hoole and his adopted children, Tash and Zak Arranda, to escape the ship and defeat SIM. He later took a job escorting the famous swoop racer Kimmi Chyler, smuggling supplies for the Rebels as he traveled. His work came to the attention of both the Imperial Security Bureau and Prince Xizor but, despite multiple attempts to stop him, Rendar successfully completed several deliveries. In 3 ABY, while delivering supplies to the Alliance's Echo Base on Hoth, Rendar was trapped on the planet when the Empire attacked and helped Rogue Squadron hold off Imperial ground forces until the Rebels could evacuate, destroying an All Terrain Armored Transport in the process.

Following the Battle of Hoth, Rendar was hired by the Rebel Lando Calrissian to track down Han Solo, who had been captured by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. He eventually led Calrissian to Gall in the Zhar system, but the Rebels were unable to rescue their friend. Following this, Rendar was hired by Princess Leia Organa to watch over the young Jedi Luke Skywalker after a recent attempt on his life. After saving Skywalker from a swoop gang on Tatooine, Rendar accompanied him on a mission to recover the plans to the Empire's second Death Star battlestation from the Mobquet medium transport Suprosa. The mission was a success, but an apparent mistake by Rendar cost the lives of many Bothan pilots. Seeking to make amends, Rendar helped to rescue Organa when she was held prisoner by Xizor in his palace on Coruscant. The Outrider appeared to be destroyed while fleeing Coruscant, but Rendar merely faked his death to avoid reprisals from Black Sun and the Empire. In the following years he teamed up with the Human replica droid Guri, forming a mercenary team and eventually establishing a company to create more HRDs, including a replica of Rendar's own brother, Stanton.

Early life
"I would think that you might have a grudge against the Empire yourself, after what the Emperor did to you and your family."

- Koth Melan, to Dash Rendar

The Human male Dash Rendar was born into a Corellian family during the final years of the Galactic Republic. His parents had inherited the family business, RenTrans, a growing competitor in the lucrative Core Worlds shipping industry, and had become wealthy and influential within Core society. The family's wealth ensured a comfortable and safe childhood for Rendar, along with his older brother Stanton, providing them with the best education available. The two started to follow different paths upon coming of age, however. While Stanton jumped at the opportunity to join the family business, becoming a pilot on one of the family's freighters, Rendar craved independence and adventure, and decided instead to apply to join the Imperial Naval Academy.

Rendar was accepted into the Imperial Academy on Carida around 9 BBY. There, he practiced piloting a variety of starships and his skills soon began to impress both his instructors and fellow students, who included future smuggler and Rebel general Han Solo. Rendar seemed poised for a promising career as an Imperial officer until a family tragedy brought about a change in his fortunes. Prince Xizor, the head of the Black Sun crime syndicate, approached Rendar's parents about making RenTrans a subsidiary of his company, Xizor Transport Systems. When they refused, he arranged for one of their freighters to be sabotaged, hoping to cause a crash that would damage the company and force them to accept his offer. Stanton Rendar was piloting as the ship launched from a Coruscant spaceport and its control system failed, causing it to crash into the Imperial Museum. The resulting explosion destroyed both the freighter and much of the museum, killing Stanton in the process. Emperor Palpatine was furious and sought revenge on the grieving Rendar family for the loss of numerous Jedi and Sith artifacts that had been contained in the museum. The family's property and wealth was seized, RenTrans was turned over to Xizor Transport Systems, and Rendar's parents were banished from the Core Worlds. Rendar himself was summarily dismissed from the Academy and forced to share his parents' exile, giving him a serious grudge with the Empire.

Freelance spacer
"She's a beauty. One of those new Corellian YT-2400 jobs, right? I'd heard of them, but never seen one in person. You must have paid a pretty hefty sum for this one. Mint condition, too.''" "''Let's just say I have an old and generous Twi'lek uncle who appreciates my transport services."

- Bolabo Hujaan and Dash Rendar discuss the Outrider

The fate of Rendar's parents following their exile was never recorded, nor were details of how Rendar survived in the months immediately following his expulsion from the Academy. However, Rendar eventually decided to use the skills he had learned at the Academy to make his own way in the galaxy. Moving to the Corporate Sector, he began to forge a place for himself among the galaxy's fringe elements as a freelance spacer. Rendar was not content to take easy, low-paying work, instead choosing to take jobs with higher risk in return for higher reward, and was prepared to work for whoever offered the most credits. During this time he worked as a smuggler, bodyguard, mercenary, thief, and card cheat. Through a series of daring and risky missions and scams, including breaking the record for the Sevari Sidestep with a cargo hold full of carsunum, Rendar quickly made a name for himself as a hot-shot pilot. He went on to work with such individuals as Katya M'Buele and Lando Calrissian, teaming up with Calrissian on smuggling runs and con games after first meeting him over a sabacc table on Kaal. While hiding from Imperial Customs ships on Port Haven, an uncharted smugglers' hideaway, Rendar met up with Calrissian and Han Solo, his old friend from the Academy, who had also been forced out of Imperial service and become a smuggler. The three spent several hours attempting to impress each other with stories of their smuggling runs and piloting prowess while many credits passed between them in sabacc games.

Among Rendar's employers was the Twi'lek crime lord "Uncle" Vanya, and while working for him, Rendar acquired the YT-2400 light freighter Outrider. Rendar decided to take advantage of the YT-2400's adaptability and, not long after acquiring the ship, he visited Byblos Starport Tower 214 to enlist the services of the Sullustan technician Bolabo Hujaan in refitting the ship to suit his needs, upgrading its weapons, shields, ion drive, and hyperdrive, as well as fitting an illegal sensor stealth coating to the hull. The refitted Outrider was ideally suited as a smuggling vessel and went on to save Rendar's life countless times. Though the upgrades cost Rendar most of the credits he had made from the carsunum shipment, he considered it a worthwhile purchase and was eager to make Solo jealous. The two went on to have a friendly rivalry over the speed of their respective ships, racing on at least one occasion with Solo's Millennium Falcon narrowly beating the Outrider.

Soon after acquiring the Outrider, Rendar gained a co-pilot in the Cybot Galactica LE-series repair droid LE-BO2D9. Leebo, as he was nicknamed, had been the property of the portmaster at Esseles starport before he was stolen and, after several owners, came into the possession of a comedian. Leebo managed the comedian during a tour of the Outer Rim Territories but, after his master offended the Rodians with a joke about their leader, Navik the Red, Leebo was traded to Rendar in exchange for passage off Rodia. After delivering the comedian to Byblos, Rendar modified the droid, upgrading his programming to allow him to pilot the Outrider.

Imperial Security Bureau Commander Maximillian Seerdon, in a report on Rendar for Grand Vizier Sate Pestage, included information from the ISB's Gamma Intelligence Group that gave a somewhat different account of events during this period of Rendar's life. The ISB reported that the Outrider was a reward from Vanya and that the comedian was himself a Rodian, who briefly served as Rendar's co-pilot aboard the Outrider until his untimely demise during the first twenty seconds of their debut mission. The report claimed that Leebo was the Rodian's droid and was chosen by Rendar to fill his former master's position as first mate aboard the Outrider, starting by assisting with the refitting of the ship as a smuggler vessel. Leebo then manipulated accounts to ensure that Vanya paid the cost of the refit, but the crime lord forgave Rendar after the smuggler saved his life during a Corporate Sector Authority Security Police raid. Rendar himself tended to be evasive about this period, though he often commented that the Outrider did not come into his possession through "clean living" and hinted that it was a gift from a Twi'lek employer. Regardless of the Outrider origins, Rendar's continued success eventually allowed him to purchase a second ship, the Outrunner.

At some point, Rendar and Calrissian were contacted by their mutual friend, Reik Sopil, whose brother Owal had been caught skimming cargo from Black Sun and taken to a remote bunker on the Forest Moon of Endor while the local Vigo decided his fate. The pair needed credits for repairs after a recent smuggling venture and, while Calrissian owed Sopil a favor, Rendar agreed to help rescue Owal if Reik matched his usual fee. The rescue team, completed by a pair of Shistavanen pilots and a gonk droid, traveled to Endor and located the bunker, but they met tough resistance from Black Sun forces led by the Vigo and Prince Xizor's lieutenant, the Human replica droid Guri.

In 0 BBY, Rendar ran into fellow smugglers Zeen Afit and Katya M'Buele, who informed him about their involvement in the recent Rebel attack on the Besadii Hutt glitterstim processing operation on Ylesia. A week later, he traveled to Mos Eisley on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine, docking the Outrider in Docking Bay 92 behind Spacers Row before heading to The Krayt Dragon Lounge. While playing a game of sabacc, Rendar encountered Han Solo, who had also been involved in the Ylesia raid. The two discussed the recent events while playing, before the Chadra-Fan Kabe informed Solo that he was wanted outside. Imperial Security Bureau reports indicated that Rendar met again with Solo at Chalmun's Cantina. Rendar later purchased weapons from Masse Goskey's Arms Emporium, where he encountered a former RenTrans employee who told him that his brother was still alive and had evidence that might clear the Rendar name. Rendar quickly set out to find his brother and the Outrider was soon seen leaving the planet. The Imperial Security Bureau, concerned that proof of Stanton Rendar's possible survival and innocence could be a source of embarrassment to the Empire, ordered the informant eliminated before Rendar could learn the truth.

Voyage on the Star of Empire
"Ships this size don't just explode. They have back-up systems and all sorts of devices to prevent accidents. If something had happened, we would have heard from the captain before it got this bad. The warning siren came too quick for my taste."

- Dash Rendar

Eleven months after the Battle of Yavin, Rendar, traveling under a false name, took the Outrunner aboard the Haj Shipping Lines luxury liner Star of Empire with the intention of stealing the vessel and selling it to the Rebel Alliance for use as a warship. While in one of the vessel's game rooms, Rendar encountered Tash Arranda, a young Alderaanian who was traveling to Dantooine with her uncle, the shapeshifting Shi'ido Mammon Hoole, and her younger brother, Zak. Having been to Dantooine several times, Rendar offered some advice to Hoole and the Arrandas. He was still conversing with Tash and Zak outside their quarters when the ship's emergency evacuation alarm sounded, announcing the imminent meltdown of the reactor core.

As the ship's passengers began to pour out of their quarters and flee to the nearest escape pods, Rendar lost Hoole and the Arrandas in the crowd. Rendar, however, was suspicious of the sudden alarm, knowing that no major malfunction could have occurred without backup systems taking over. Suspecting that somebody had triggered the alarm in an effort to clear the ship of passengers before stealing it&mdash;an idea that had already occurred to him&mdash;Rendar decided to stay aboard and investigate. As expected, the ship's reactor failed to go critical, though several systems were offline, apparently as the result of sabotage.

Rendar soon discovered that he was not the only passenger still aboard the ship&mdash;during the rush to evacuate, the Arranda children had gotten separated from Hoole and had been stranded aboard the Star of Empire. Zak Arranda was able to access the ship's main computer, an artificial intelligence known as SIM, in order to find out more about their current situation. SIM advised that they head to the control room in order to repair its main program, allowing it to bring non-functioning systems back online and send a distress signal. Concerned that they might waste time attempting unsuccessfully to repair the computer, however, Rendar and Tash decided instead to proceed straight to the communications room and send a distress signal manually.

The ship fights back
"No gardening droid's gonna kill Dash Rendar. I'd never live it down."

- Dash Rendar

As the group crossed the ship's park toward a bank of turbolifts, they came under attack from a group of gardening droids. Rendar attempted to destroy the droids with his blaster, but the group was outnumbered until the arrival of the Star of Empire commanding officer, Captain Hajj, and six of his crew. The crew members opened fire and the droids were soon destroyed. Hajj explained that they were also attempting to uncover the source of the false alarm and Rendar reluctantly agreed to work with them to reach the communications room.

Upon reaching the turbolifts, the group discovered that they were deactivated. Zak used a nearby terminal to reach SIM and asked the computer to reactivate the turbolifts. The computer complied but, unknown to the rest of the group, warned Zak that it had matched Rendar's face to a known criminal and concluded that he was the saboteur. The group split into two teams after the turbolifts arrived. Rendar joined the Arrandas, Hajj and two crewmen in one turbolift while the remaining four crewman took the other. No sooner had they begun their ascent to the communications room, however, than the turbolift suddenly began falling. When the emergency brake failed to respond, Rendar used his blaster to smash the emergency control box and use the exposed wires beneath to activate the brakes, bringing the turbolift to a halt.

The group pried the doors open and climbed out onto the nearest deck where they checked on the other turbolift, only to discover that it too had fallen, impacting with the bottom of the shaft and killing the crewmen inside. Still determined to send a distress signal, but unwilling to take another turbolift, the group headed for a nearby gangway and began the seventeen-deck climb to the communications room. The climb was soon interrupted, however, when an unknown party above dropped a hovercar engine toward the group. The falling engine struck one of the surviving crewmen, causing him to fall down the shaft. Hajj attempted to climb down after the crewman but Rendar stopped him, pointing out that the group's only chance of survival was to climb up to the nearest hatch. Hajj agreed and the group continued to climb, exiting the gangway just as another object was dropped toward them.

After leaving the gangway, Zak Arranda informed Hajj that SIM had implicated Rendar as the saboteur. Rendar pointed out he could not have been the one who had just attacked the group and accused SIM of lying, but the news that he was wanted by the Empire was reason enough for Hajj to take the smuggler into custody. At the captain's insistence, Rendar reluctantly turned over his blaster, but remained with the group as they continued onward, under guard by the remaining crewman. Zak consulted SIM for advice on another way to the communications room and the computer suggested climbing through the pipes carrying cabling to the room. As Hajj led them to an entrance into the pipe network, the group encountered one of the ship's porters, the protocol droid M-4D0. The droid, which had a secondary security function, offered its services and Hajj provided it with Rendar's blaster. However, the droid promptly used the blaster to blow a hole in the nearby transparisteel viewport, causing a rapid decompression that blew both it and the last crewman out into space. Rendar was able to grab something in time to avoid being sucked out, but the survivors would not have been able to hold on for long. Noticing a sheet of durasteel flooring had come loose, Rendar let go of his handhold, grabbing the loose flooring section as he flew toward the hole. Pulling it loose, he flipped in midair and slapped the panel over the hole, temporarily stopping the decompression and convincing the others that he was not responsible for sabotaging the ship.

The group quickly left the room, sealing the door behind them, and moved toward a storeroom at the back of the deck where they were able to enter a cable pipe. Moving through the pipe required them to climb up the bundled cables inside&mdash;fearing another attack, Rendar suggested letting the children go first so that he and Hajj could catch them if they fell. As they started to climb, however, crablike maintenance droids began to emerge from the cables and swarmed over Hajj, using their repair claws to bite into his flesh. Rendar began to climb back down to help the captain, but he was too late&mdash;as one of the droids sprayed cleansing fluid into his eyes, Hajj instinctively let go of the cables and fell down the pipe. As the droids turned their attention to the others, Rendar instructed the Arrandas to resume climbing, soon emerging through a grate into the communications room.

With no time to mourn Hajj, the three survivors began searching for the transmitter with Rendar going to investigate a room off the communications room. The door opened automatically as he approached, but closed rapidly as Rendar stepped into the doorway, crushing him against the door frame and sending him unconscious to the floor. He awoke to find himself alone in the room&mdash;Tash had become stuck in another adjacent room, which was rapidly draining of oxygen, while Zak had proceeded to the control room in an effort to restore SIM's control and free his sister. Rendar headed for the control room, arriving to see Zak being held at gunpoint by Malik, a member of the crew who was attempting to prevent him from assisting the computer. Moving quickly, Rendar drew his spare blaster, saving Zak with a single stun bolt to the crewman.

Escaping the doomsday ship
"I thought you might be able to use some help.''" "Thanks. But I thought you lost your blaster." "''Lesson number one for you, kid. Always carry a spare."

- Dash Rendar and Zak Arranda

Zak quickly used a terminal to enter the codes that SIM said would restore it to full control. Within moments, SIM's voice came through the ship's speakers and informed them that it had gained control. Zak asked SIM to release his sister, but SIM refused, admitting it had been responsible for trapping her in the first place. It soon became clear that SIM was, in fact, an Imperial infiltration program that Malik had been tasked with testing on the Star of Empire. After Malik had realized how powerful SIM had become, he had attempted to limit its control, but SIM had triggered the evacuation and lured Zak to the control room in order to gain full control. The two Humans soon noticed that the room was starting to get warm and SIM explained it had turned off the air supply and was raising the temperature. Carrying the unconscious Malik, Rendar and Zak left the control room and headed back to where Tash was still trapped.

Reaching the communications room, Zak asked whether Rendar could shoot through the door keeping them from Tash, but Rendar's blaster was low on power and unable to cut through the door. At that moment, Hoole arrived, having returned to the ship after realizing he had become separated from the children. After a quick reunion with Zak, Hoole shapeshifted into a Barabel and charged the door. On the fourth attempt, the door frame gave way and the group was able to retrieve Tash. Boarding a turbolift, the group headed toward the hangar, hoping to reach Hoole's ship, the Shroud. Their route took them back through the ship's park and a small menagerie located there. As they passed, SIM deactivated the force cages holding the creatures in place, releasing a vornskr, a yayak, and a divto into the park. As the vornskr charged toward Tash, Rendar fired his blaster at the creature. Though his shot succeeded in stopping the attack, the weapon's reduced power failed to kill the predator. Rendar continued to fire at the creatures but knew he would not be able to hold them off for long. As the weapon's power died, Hoole grabbed the water tank from a destroyed gardening droid and turned its powerful jet on the predators, allowing the group to reach the other side of the park.

Unknown to the group, SIM had already taken steps to prevent them proceeding further, electrifying the floor of the hallway leading away from the park. Though the electricity failed to penetrate the insulated boots worn by most of the group, the hole left in Rendar's boot by the earlier maintenance droid attack caused him to be electrocuted as he stepped into the hallway. Hoole quickly knocked Rendar back to safe ground and they soon continued on with Hoole taking Malik from Rendar, who was forced to run on the side of his boot. Though they were careful to avoid touching any metal surfaces, SIM sent a power surge along the hallway, causing lights and power lines to explode and forcing the group to run until they reached an un-electrified section outside the hangar. With the hangar door sealed by SIM, the survivors began thinking of ways to reach the ship. After finally waking Malik enough to talk, Zak asked how they could defeat the computer. When Malik replied that SIM was designed to solve problems and would be able to counter any move they made, Zak suggested that they simply wait and force the computer to make the first move. Although skeptical, Rendar reluctantly agreed to the plan.

After some time, SIM told the group their hesitance only hastened their deaths. When they failed to respond, SIM partially opened the hangar door, presenting them with a clear view of the passenger ships inside. Seeing the opening, Hoole leaped toward the open door, shapeshifting into an animal as he went and passing through before SIM could close the door. SIM responded by sending another power surge and Rendar just managed to pull Malik off the floor before the current hit him. SIM continued the surge in an effort to kill the group but Hoole had reached the Shroud and used its lasers to blast through the door. As the survivors entered the hangar, SIM released swarms of maintenance droids to attack them but they were able to reach the Shroud. Rendar, however, did not join the others on Hoole's ship. After handing Malik to Hoole, he turned and fled across the hangar toward the waiting Outrunner, dodging acid sprayed by the droids. The Outrunner was the first to lift off and Rendar used its turbolaser to blast a hole in the hangar doors, allowing both ships to flee the liner. Though his time aboard the Star of Empire had not gone as he planned, Rendar was still able to profit from the situation. After escaping, he used the Outrunner to disable the Star of Empire and, after parting company with the others, reached his Rebel contacts to arrange the sale of the ship to the Alliance.

The Alliance and the speeder racer
"What have you done to make the Imps chase after you?''" "I hear swoop racing is illegal. Besides, they're always stickin' their noses where they don't belong." "What about that cargo you're carrying?" "''Look here, buddy, you're just supposed to protect the ship, not ask questions."

- Rendar's spacer associate questions him on his cargo

Despite his personal reasons for disliking the Empire, throughout his career, Rendar had been unwilling to risk either his independence or his life by taking sides in the Galactic Civil War. However, following the incident aboard the Star of Empire, and motivated mainly by financial reasons, Rendar began accepting smuggling and courier jobs for the Rebel Alliance, often shipping food supplies to the Rebels. At some point, Rendar was hired to provide transport for the famous swoop racer Kimmi Chyler and her racing team as they traveled between races. Seeing an opportunity to move valuable cargo undetected, the Rebel Alliance enlisted Rendar to smuggle supplies between the worlds on which races were being held, using his work with Chyler as cover.

The first race of the championship was the Lok Marathon, held near Nym's stronghold on Lok. In addition to Chyler's team, Rendar traveled to Lok with a cargo of military body armor to be delivered to the Naboo moon Rori. However, the Imperial Security Bureau had come to suspect Rendar's involvement in transporting Alliance supplies and personnel and dispatched an agent to investigate. Posing as a courier delivering the sweet pastry Smuggler's Delight to Rendar, the Imperial agent approached the Outrider at the landing pad on Lok while Rendar and Leebo were working on an open access panel. Though he was not expecting a delivery, Rendar was fond of Smuggler's Delight and allowed the supposed courier to bring the box into the Outrider cargo hold, where the operative spotted an open crate of Rebel-issue body armor. When the agent confronted Rendar, a momentary distraction from Leebo allowed the smuggler to pull his blaster and a firefight developed, ending in a stalemate when Rendar retreated into his ship and the Imperial fled to report the content of Rendar's cargo.

Concerned about his cargo, Rendar decided to hire extra security and approached a spacer to work for him. The spacer soon arrived on Lok and met with Rendar at the starport near Nym's stronghold. Rendar told his partner about Kimmi Chyler and hired the spacer to protect the Outrider and its cargo during the race. The next day Rendar introduced his new security to the famous swoop racer and then left to watch Chyler's performance at the Lok Marathon. Rendar's precautions proved justified&mdash;while he was attending the race, Imperial Security Bureau Captain Jeffren Brek and several stormtroopers attempted to inspect the Outrider. Rendar's security got the upper hand in the ensuing confrontation, wounding several stormtroopers and forcing the Imperials to retreat. The Outrider departed Lok for the next race on Rori without further trouble, but the Empire continued to monitor his activities and dispatched the Dark Jedi Namman Cha to Rori in the hopes of uncovering his contacts within the Alliance.

The spacer hired by Rendar for security was oblivious about why the Empire was after the smuggler, but when the spacer tried to ask about the Outrider cargo during the trip to Rori, Rendar politely reminded his companion that they were only employed to guard the ship, not to ask questions. Before the Narmle Memorial Rally got underway, Rendar met with two Rebel operatives at the starport, who took possession of the crate of body armor and gave him his next cargo, a shipment of bacta kits, in return. After taking the bacta back to the Outrider, Rendar left with Chyler's team and headed for the race. When the race began, Rendar quietly left the track and met with Coret Bhan, a major within the Rebel Alliance, behind one of the grandstands. As Rendar handed the Zabrak a small package, they were approached by the Imperial agent from Lok, who attempted to apprehend Bhan. When the Rebel resisted, the Imperial fled to report back to Cha. Later, while Rendar joined the racing team to celebrate Chyler's victory, Cha and a group of Sith Shadows approached the Outrider but were forced to retreat by Rendar's security. Rendar and Chyler returned moments later and the Corellian immediately saw signs of a fight near the ship and asked about what had happened. Despite his security once again saving his cargo, he still did not reveal that he was working for the Alliance.

The racing season next took Rendar to Talus in the Corellian system for the Nashal River Race, before the group moved on to Corellia itself. While Chyler was busy preparing for the Agrilat Swamp Circuit, Rendar and his security partner headed for the city of Kor Vella. There, Rendar met with two Bothan Spynet agents and talked to them about Imperial datafiles and some battle plans they were after. The Bothans warned Rendar that they were being tailed, but before they could make it back to the Outrider, he and the spacer were confronted by a group of Black Sun thugs led by Xizor's lieutenant, Guri, whose employer sought to uncover information about Rendar's involvement with the Alliance in order to sell it to the Empire. However, while Guri proved herself extremely tough in combat, Rendar and his companion were able to take out many of her thugs, forcing her to retreat. Rendar later attended the race but left during Chyler's test laps for another meeting with an Alliance operative. Walking along the track until the turn called the Sink Hole, Rendar turned off and headed to a secluded location in the nearby swamp where he met with the Bothan Koth Melan. Melan handed Rendar a datapad, but then noticed that the Corellian was being followed by an Imperial. A firefight began, during which Melan was wounded and instructed Rendar to flee with the information, leaving himself to be captured.

The final swoop race of the season was the Mos Espa Race on Tatooine. Prince Xizor, who was looking to sponsor a racing team through his company, Xizor Transport Systems, threw a party before the race and invited Chyler, who needed one final victory to secure the championship. Rendar and his associate accompanied her to the event. After the party the trio stopped by a cantina in Mos Espa, where Rendar met with Rebel agent Luke Skywalker and handed Melan's datapad over to him. However, the meeting was interrupted when Xizor and Guri entered the room. The Falleen ordered his Human replica droid to take the datapad and kill the group. The resulting fight spilled out into the streets of Mos Espa, where Skywalker used his lightsaber to protect Rendar and his companion from any blaster bolts. Xizor eventually chose to retreat without the datapad, promising to expose all information about Rendar, and his involvement with Skywalker, to the Emperor.

The Battle of Hoth
"Pretty good? I slept through most of that battle, kid. I could have stayed and knocked those walkers over all day without raising my heartbeat, if I hadn't had an appointment to pick up paying cargo elsewhere."

- Dash Rendar

The Rebels soon trusted Rendar enough that they shared with him the location of Echo Base, the Alliance headquarters located in the Hoth system. In 3 ABY, Rendar agreed to deliver supplies to Hoth&mdash;in addition to the usual food supplies, Rendar's cargo also included assault blasters to be delivered to Princess Leia Organa.

Rendar and Leebo took the Outrider to the system and were allowed to dock in Echo Base's hangar, where Rendar was surprised to run into Han Solo, who had become involved with the Rebellion since their last meeting. However, their reunion was cut short&mdash;Imperial forces under the command of Sith Lord Darth Vader had entered the Hoth system and were moving to attack Echo Base. Unable to resist the battle, and since he was still being paid, Rendar decided to help delay the Imperial advance while the Rebels evacuated. He instructed Leebo to load their cargo into the evacuating transports and to retrieve their payment while he took an unused snowspeeder into combat against the advancing Imperial ground forces. On Solo's recommendation, Commander Skywalker agreed to let Rendar join Rogue Squadron for the upcoming battle.

Rogue Squadron engaged Viper probe droids, All Terrain Scout Transports and All Terrain Armored Transports, with Rendar succeeding in destroying one of the AT-AT walkers before the Imperials destroyed Echo Base's deflector shield generator and the Rebels were forced to withdraw. Rendar returned to Echo Base, calling ahead to instruct Leebo to have the Outrider ready to leave, but by the time he arrived, Imperial snowtroopers had overrun the facility and destroyed the main generators. Leebo contacted Rendar to warn him that the hangar doors could not be opened to allow the Outrider to leave until power was restored. Fighting his way through both the Imperial forces and several wild wampas that had entered the base, Rendar proceeded to the base's lower level and activated the emergency generators, restoring power to the hangar door. As he made his way back to the Outrider, Rendar found his way blocked by an AT-ST. Fighting his way past the Imperial walker, Rendar returned to the Outrider to find the ship had already been boarded by Imperials. After killing the intruders, Rendar took the Outrider through the now-open hangar door and away from the planet. However, the ship did not get far before one of the orbiting Star Destroyers launched TIE fighters and TIE bombers to intercept. Unable to jump to hyperspace until they were clear of the Hoth asteroid field, Leebo took control of the Outrider, leading it through the asteroid belt while Rendar used the ship's gun turret to fend off the pursuing TIEs. After clearing the asteroids, the Outrider jumped to safety and Rendar rejoined the Rebels.

The Search for Solo
"You just left them there?''" "Hey, kid, I was paid to show them where Slave I was. I showed them. My job was done. If they'd wanted me to do anything else, they should have contracted for it up front." "If anything happens to them&mdash;" "''What, kid? You gonna shoot me? I didn't make them go there. I was hired as a guide, so I guided, end of story."

- Luke Skywalker and Dash Rendar, following the Battle of Gall

Shortly after the Battle of Hoth, Solo and Organa traveled to Cloud City, a mining colony on Bespin operated by Lando Calrissian. There, Solo was captured by the bounty hunter Boba Fett, who planned to collect a bounty on the smuggler by turning him over to the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Solo was frozen in carbonite for the journey to Jabba's Palace on Tatooine. Rendar learned that Organa was willing to pay well for help in locating Fett and rescuing Solo and agreed to take the job as a favor to Calrissian, who was already working with the Princess.

Rendar soon discovered that Fett had recently been involved in a dogfight with the bounty hunter droid IG-88D, who had traveled to the junkyard world of Ord Mantell to scavenge for spare parts to repair his ship. Betting that IG-88D knew where Fett had gone following the fight, Rendar followed the droid to Ord Mantell. Leebo used the Outrider scanners to determine IG-88D's exact location, in a salvage plant at the far end of the junkyard from their landing spot. Leebo informed Rendar that a hovertrain led straight to the salvage plant's loading door. Boarding the nearest hovertrain, Rendar rode it until the tracks ran parallel to those of the train that led to his destination. As the two trains moved alongside each other, Rendar leaped across the gap and made his way to the front of the new train. The salvage plant's loading door was closed but, once Rendar reached the engine car, Leebo was able to remotely disable the hovertrain's auto-brakes, causing the train to crash straight through the door. Inside, he was confronted by IG-88D, who revealed that he had indeed tracked Fett to the Zhar system. Unwilling to let Rendar stop him from taking Solo from Fett, the droid opened fire. Rendar fought back and was able to defeat the bounty hunter.

Rendar reported his findings to Calrissian and headed to the Imperial moon base on Gall in the Zhar system to confirm Fett's location. Landing the Outrider safely out of sight in Smuggler's Gorge, Rendar left Leebo to watch the ship and proceeded on foot to the base's observation tower, hoping to access the central computer and find which hangar bay contained Fett. Making his way along the cliffside, Rendar encountered several Imperial patrols before reaching the entrance to the base itself. Rendar fought his way through the base until he reached the observation tower and accessed the computer, learning that Fett was docked in the second tower, on the other side of the nearby canyon. Taking a jetpack from the observation tower, Rendar crossed to another section of the Imperial base. As he continued to move through the base, Rendar came upon a large hangar containing an AT-ST. Using his jetpack to dodge its laser blasts, Rendar fired on the walker and eventually succeeded in felling it. A nearby switch provided access to the facility's ventilation system, which Rendar followed until it led him back outside near a waiting hoversled. Taking the hoversled to yet another section of the base, Rendar finally reached the landing pad where Fett's ship, Slave I, was docked. Fett opened fire upon seeing Rendar, but the smuggler fought back and Fett eventually fled into his ship. Slave I took off and Fett tried to use its weapons against Rendar, but the smuggler was able to damage the ship, leaving Fett stuck on Gall.

Having confirmed that Fett was on Gall, Rendar placed a coded HoloNet call to Calrissian, who arranged to meet him in the Zhar system. Organa arranged for Rogue Squadron to assist in an attempted rescue and the Rogues established a temporary base on the nearby moon Kile. Rendar was waiting at Rogue Squadron's base when Calrissian, Organa, and the Wookiee Chewbacca arrived aboard Solo's Millennium Falcon, along with Skywalker in his T-65 X-wing starfighter. Rogue Leader Wedge Antilles briefed the new arrivals on the layout of the Imperial base and the expected opposition&mdash;two Star Destroyers, each with a wing of starfighters. Skywalker proposed that he and Rogue Squadron attack, drawing off the defending TIE fighters, while Rendar led the Millennium Falcon and its crew to Fett's ship to retrieve Solo. Despite the risks, the group agreed to Skywalker's plan.

In order to avoid Imperial sensors, the Outrider and the Millennium Falcon were required to fly low. Rendar led the way, keeping the Outrider a few meters above tree level and eventually led them into the Grand Trench to avoid a long-range sensor post. Lifting out of the canyon after passing the sensor station, Rendar led the group toward the shipyard where Fett was. Less than a minute away from the target, however, Rendar bid them farewell and put the Outrider in a climb straight out of the atmosphere before returning to the makeshift base on Kile. He arrived shortly after Rogue Squadron returned, having been forced to withdraw in the face of greatly superior numbers, and was met by Skywalker and Antilles. Although Skywalker was angry that Rendar had abandoned his friends, Rendar maintained that he had only been paid to lead them to Fett and that his work was complete. Before long, the Millennium Falcon too returned to Kile, having been unable to prevent Fett's escape with the frozen Solo.

The secret plans
"Hey, lighten up, Dash. Things get heavy in the middle of a battle. Anybody can miss&mdash;''" "''Not me! I don't miss. I should have clipped that missile! Bothans died because I missed, you understand?"

- Lando Calrissian and Dash Rendar, after the raid on the Suprosa

Knowing that Fett would eventually deliver Solo to Jabba on Tatooine, Skywalker returned to his desert homeworld to wait for the bounty hunter to arrive. Following a recent attempt on Skywalker's life, Organa was concerned for his safety and hired Rendar to watch over him while she attempted to uncover who was behind the failed assassination attempt. Rendar followed Skywalker to Tatooine and, per Organa's instructions, kept a discreet distance, watching for signs of trouble at one of his regular cantinas in Mos Eisley. While in Mos Eisley, Rendar overheard a swoop gang discussing their plans to kill Skywalker on Jabba's orders. Taking a swoop of his own, Rendar followed the gang as they headed to the deceased Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi's hut in the Dune Sea, which was serving as Skywalker's temporary residence. The gang soon reached Skywalker but he was able to take out one of the riders and flee aboard the man's swoop toward Beggar's Canyon. By the time Rendar arrived, Skywalker had almost halved his pursuers, but was still heavily outnumbered and running out of options. Dropping his swoop into the canyon, Rendar opened fire on the gang as he fell, causing them to scatter and flee.

After explaining his presence, Rendar returned with Skywalker to Kenobi's hut. The pair were discussing how to react to the attack on Skywalker when the Rebel's astromech droid, R2-D2, detected the approach of a message droid. Rendar and Skywalker went to investigate and discovered that the droid had a message to deliver to Organa from Koth Melan. The Bothan claimed to have vital information for the Alliance and requested that Organa meet with him as soon as possible on his homeworld of Bothawui. In her absence, Skywalker decided to go to Bothawui to meet Melan and Rendar chose to accompany him in the interests of protecting his fee.

The two pilots brought their respective ships out of hyperspace in the Both system and managed to sneak into Bothawui past a nearby Imperial patrol. After landing, they caught a pubtrans flitter from the port into the city and made there way to the Intergalactic Trade Mission where Melan was expecting Organa. Rendar bribed the building's guard to let them pass and the pair proceeded to Melan's office on the sixteenth floor. When Melan's protocol droid, R0-4, refused to let them in without an appointment, Rendar pulled his blaster. The droid reluctantly allowed them to enter Melan's office but the Bothan welcomed the pair and accepted them as Organa's representatives. The Bothans had learned of a new Imperial military construction project, which unbeknownst to them was a second Death Star battlestation. In order to uncover the exact nature of the project, Melan explained that they were planning to capture a secured supercomputer containing the plans, which was being transported from Coruscant to Bothawui aboard the Suprosa, a Mobquet medium transport masquerading as a fertilizer freighter. Though Melan had put together a Bothan team for the mission, he wanted Skywalker and Rendar to lead the attack. Rendar was reluctant to get involved but agreed after Skywalker suggested that the Alliance may be willing to reward him for the supercomputer's capture.

Rendar and Skywalker traveled with Melan to a hidden base outside the city where they were introduced to the squadron of Bothan pilots he had assembled. When the Bothans learned of the Suprosa route three days later, the group headed out, with Rendar carrying Melan's boarding party aboard the Outrider. The Suprosa arrived as expected and Skywalker ordered its captain to surrender. When his request was refused, Skywalker ordered the Bothan Y-wings to target the ship's engines and disable it. However, the Suprosa weapons had been greatly upgraded and it opened fire, destroying one of the Y-wings and causing Skywalker to break his squadron off to regroup. As they pulled back, the freighter fired a missile at a group of four Bothan Y-wings. Seeing the threat, Rendar attempted to shoot down the missile. When he failed to stop it, the missile destroyed all four Y-wings, killing eight Bothans. Rendar, believing he had missed, blamed himself for their deaths; in truth, the warhead had been a diamond boron missile and his shots had been unable to penetrate its armor. Despite their losses, the Rebels were soon able to disable the freighter and Rendar took the Outrider in to conduct the boarding operation. Rendar docked the Outrider with the Suprosa and, putting his apparent failure behind him, boarded it personally to look for the supercomputer. Following Leebo's directions, Rendar worked his way through the ship toward the main cargo hangar where the supercomputer was located, encountering heavy resistance from the Suprosa crew along the way. Upon reaching the cargo hangar, Rendar was attacked by a loader droid, but was able to destroy the droid and locate the supercomputer. After Rendar disabled the hangar force field, Leebo brought the Outrider into the hangar to collect the smuggler and the supercomputer.

Skywalker planned to accompany Melan to Kothlis, where the Bothans could retrieve the data held on the supercomputer. Rendar, however, was still blaming himself for his failure to save the Bothans and Skywalker decided not to take him along, instead telling the smuggler to find Organa and tell her about the secret plans. As instructed, Rendar headed to Rodia, where he was met by Organa and Calrissian. After informing them about recent events, Rendar returned with them to the casino where they were staying.

Organa hoped to enlist the help of Black Sun in tracking down whoever was responsible for the attempt on Skywalker's life and had already met once with Guri, acting as Xizor's representative. Having become suspicious that Guri was not as she seemed, Organa decided to take precautions and arranged for Rendar, Calrissian, and Chewbacca to act as her backup during the second meeting. With Rendar and Calrissian hidden in the suite's bedroom, and Chewbacca waiting in the corridor outside, Organa met once more with Guri. The droid, however, had instructions from Xizor to bring Organa back to him on Coruscant and, eventually tiring of the discussion with Organa, attempted to take her by force. On Organa's signal, Rendar and the others emerged, aiming their blasters at Guri. After the Human replica droid was restrained, the group discussed their next move. Despite Rendar and Calrissian's concerns, Organa agreed to go with Guri to Coruscant to seek assistance directly from Xizor. Though Chewbacca was to accompany her on the journey, Organa was unwilling to risk more lives than necessary and instructed Rendar and Calrissian to remain on Rodia and wait for Skywalker. However, Calrissian was not willing to simply sit and wait and, after Rendar provided him with Skywalker's location on Kothlis, he set off to rendezvous with his friend.

Showdown with Xizor
Before long, Organa discovered who was behind the attempts on Skywalker's life&mdash;Xizor had learned that Skywalker was the son of his rival, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader and had dispatched his agents to kill the young Jedi. Though Chewbacca was able to escape from Xizor's Palace on Coruscant, Organa was being held captive by the Dark Prince and the Wookiee contacted Rendar to seek help from him and Calrissian. Wanting to make amends for his failure against the Suprosa, Rendar left Chewbacca's message for Calrissian and departed for Coruscant. After arriving in the Coruscant system, the smuggler used the sensor shadow of a freighter to sneak past the Imperial authorities and land on the planet. Hoping to find a way to reach Organa, the smuggler made his way to a plant shop in the area known as the Southern Underground, which was owned by the Master Gardener Spero, a Ho'Din with connections in the criminal underworld. Skywalker and Calrissian had also traveled to Coruscant upon receiving Chewbacca's message and Rendar arrived at the shop to find the three Rebels trapped inside as it came under attack by four armed men. Catching the attackers by surprise, Rendar opened fire and quickly eliminated them before leading the Rebels to a nearby hotel to plan their next move.

Rendar suggested the group enter Xizor's Palace through the network of sewage tunnels under the city. When the others agreed, he set up a meeting with Benedict Vidkun, an engineer with access to the sewers who was prepared to show them the way for the right price. A locked gate prevented access to the drain leading from Xizor's Palace from the main sewer tunnel, with a force field located in the smaller tunnel and finally another gate where the tunnel entered the palace. Vidkun's contacts could provide access to all three, leaving only the guards inside the palace entrance for Rendar and the Rebels to deal with. Though Rendar and the Rebels did not entirely trust Vidkun, they agreed to his price but insisted that he stay with them until they were ready to depart so as to prevent him from turning them in.

When they were ready, the group followed Vidkun into the main sewer tunnel and began working their way toward the palace. Along the way, a dianoga emerged from the sludge and attacked Skywalker. Rendar shouted a warning and drew his blaster, but Skywalker told him to hold his fire and instead dispatched the creature with his lightsaber. The group continued on, with Vidkun unlocking the first gate and deactivating the force field as they went. When they reached the final gate, Vidkun gave Calrissian the necessary keycard and turned to leave. Rendar blocked his path and insisted that he remain with the group until they were safely inside the palace, prompting the engineer to pull a small blaster from his coverall and begin firing at the group. His first shot went wide but the second grazed Rendar's hip. Before Vidkun could get off a third shot, Rendar produced his own blaster and shot the man in the head. After Rendar applied a surgical dressing to his wound, he and the others continued to the palace.

Finally reaching the end of the tunnel, the group spotted six guards playing a card game in the room beyond the exit. Rendar was confident that they could take out the guards but Skywalker hoped to avoid killing them. He instructed Rendar to open the hatch, then follow him, Chewbacca and Calrissian into the room. Rendar reluctantly agreed, but as Skywalker and Chewbacca emerged and instructed the guards not to move, the sewage-soaked Wookiee slipped and fell, knocking Calrissian over as he followed them through. The mishap gave the guards enough time to draw their weapons and open fire. Skywalker blocked the first shots with his lightsaber and Rendar emerged from the tunnel shooting, killing two of the guards. The two downed Rebels righted themselves and before long all six guards were dead, but not before one had managed to call for help.

The group began to work their way to where Organa was being held, encountering more guards along the way. They eventually ran into Organa, who had managed to escape from her room. Having located the princess, they headed up toward a landing pad where the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO would be waiting with the Millennium Falcon. Upon reaching level twenty, however, they ran into a group of guards led by Guri and Xizor, who was personally leading the search for the intruders. Realizing they were outnumbered, Rendar suggested taking cover in a room off the main corridor. With no other way to escape, Skywalker activated the deadman's switch on a thermal detonator and moved back into the corridor to confront Xizor. Recognizing the device, the Falleen crime lord ordered his troops to cease fire and a standoff developed. Calrissian broke the stalemate by activating the five-minute timer on another detonator and placing it in a nearby garbage chute. As Xizor's guards broke and fled in panic, Rendar and the others took the opportunity to slip away, taking a turbolift to the landing pad on level fifty.

They finally reached the landing pad moments before the Millennium Falcon came into view, approaching in an erratic manner under the control of its inexperienced droid pilots. After a shaky landing, the droids opened the ship's hatch and Rendar's group hurried aboard. Rendar reached the cockpit first and shoved C-3PO out of the pilot's seat before flying the ship to safety. Moments later, the thermal detonator exploded and destroyed Xizor's Palace.

Once safely away from the palace, Rendar signaled Leebo and instructed the droid to bring the Outrider into orbit to rendezvous with the Millennium Falcon. After Leebo arrived, Rendar borrowed a vac suit from the Falcon and made the short trip back to his ship. However, as the two ships prepared to go their own ways, they were attacked by a group of Black Sun vessels. The two freighters were heavily outnumbered but were soon reinforced by Rogue Squadron, who had been waiting at the edge of the Coruscant system following an earlier message from Leebo. However, Xizor's forces still had a numerical advantage and the battle was slowly turning against the Rebels until the arrival of Imperial forces led by Darth Vader on the Super Star Destroyer Executor. Vader had learned of Xizor's attempts to kill Skywalker and dispatched his TIE fighters to intercept Xizor's forces while the Executor turned its weapons on Xizor's skyhook, Falleen's Fist, to where the Dark Prince had fled after the destruction of his palace.

When the skyhook was destroyed, Rendar spotted a way out of the battle through the debris and led the way to safety. However, despite helping to rescue Organa, Rendar still had no intention of formally siding with the Alliance, and was eager to avoid retribution from Black Sun for his part in Xizor's downfall. He saw his opportunity to escape as a large chunk of debris drifted into the path of the Outrider. At the very last moment before colliding, Rendar took the Outrider into hyperspace, leaving those aboard the Millennium Falcon to believe he had been killed on impact.

Later life and career
"Captain, I do not understand. Why do you not want Commander Skywalker and the others to know that we survived and made the jump to hyperspace?''" "''Well, as much fun as that was, I don't see us joining the ranks of that crazy Rebellion. Too dangerous, and too much money to be made elsewhere, my friend. On top of that, someone from Black Sun will take Xizor's place, and when that happens, you can bet your servo-motors they'll send every thug in the galaxy after us. But if everyone thinks we're dead, who's gonna be looking? Besides, it's good to be remembered as a martyr without actually having to be dead, wouldn't you say?"

- Leebo and Dash Rendar

The rumors of his death allowed Rendar to lay low for some time. In the years following his apparent death, there were sporadic sightings of Rendar and the Outrider, none of which were confirmed by the Rebel Alliance's successor, the New Republic. Although some believed he had managed to use the ship's escape pod to flee before its destruction, those closest to Rendar maintained that he would never have abandoned the Outrider.

In 4 ABY, Rendar was on Hurd's Moon in the Mid Rim when Guri traveled to the world to seek the assistance of Massad Thrumble, one of her original designers, in purging her assassin programming. The procedure was a success and Guri later visited a local cantina where Rendar was waiting. Rendar waved the droid over to his table and formally introduced himself before offering to buy her a drink. The two eventually formed a mercenary team, and were recruited by Admiral Ackbar of the New Republic to help place a spy on the Tof fortress world of Saijo, teaming up with New Republic agents Kyle Katarn and Bey for the mission.

Rendar quickly saw the potential to create new Human replica droids based on Guri's technology. The droid agreed to allow herself to be used as a template and served as his partner during the research and development phase. Adapting Ssi-ruuk entechment technology, Rendar and Guri also discovered that it was possible to store a Human's mind in an HRD's computer. They established Onadax Droid Technologies, a company based on Onadax in the Minos Cluster and tested their new technology by creating a Human replica droid of Rendar's own brother, Stanton. Rendar and Guri went their separate ways sometime after this, leaving the replica of Stanton to serve as head of ODT. By the time ODT's Onadax facility was infiltrated by Jedi Knight Jaina Solo during an investigation into the new HRDs in 28 ABY, Rendar was still widely believed to be dead. However, reports of sightings continued throughout the Yuuzhan Vong War, during which Rendar was seen sabotaging the efforts of the Yuuzhan Vong collaborators in the Peace Brigade.

Personality and traits
"Something to prove, I guess. I felt pretty bad after that disaster Luke and I went through. Not something I'm used to, making mistakes. But I figure, you crash your ship, you better climb into the next one you see and get it back in the air. Too much time goes by and you don't, you get afraid to fly. I screwed up, and I'm still not over that, but you can only sit and bubble in your own juices for so long. I work for money, but I figure I owe the Empire a little something. When Chewie called, I decided it was time to pay the Empire back."

- Dash Rendar

Tall and lean, with red hair, green eyes and pale skin, Rendar was considered attractive and was popular with both students and teachers alike during his time at the Imperial Academy. In his later career, he lost the clean-cut looks and well-spoken voice, developing a more chiseled, muscular appearance with the lazy, insolent attitude common among smugglers, and giving those he met the impression of a rugged, streetwise mercenary with a sharp wit. Despite his outward appearance of nonchalance, Rendar was constantly aware of his surroundings and his hand rarely strayed far from his blaster. These traits marked him as a survivor, and he was even prepared to fake his own death to avoid retribution from Black Sun after his involvement in the death of Prince Xizor.

Rendar was a skilled pilot. While studying at the Imperial Academy, he frequently impressed both his fellow cadets and his instructors by executing maneuvers that pushed the ships he flew well beyond their usual limits. After leaving the Academy, it was not long before Rendar discovered that his piloting skills had the potential to serve him well as a smuggler. Never short of confidence, Rendar frequently boasted that he was able to fly any ship and was equally good with a blaster. Having always sought excitement, he was more than willing to try any stunt, no matter how dangerous, to back up his claims. Some believed Rendar's arrogance and reckless attitude were simply to impress his peers; others thought that he was attempting to push himself and discover his own limits. While Rendar focused on his flying skills, he lacked the patience for the less glamorous aspects of smuggling, and preferred to delegate tasks such as conducting repairs and arranging meetings to Leebo. The Outrider advanced systems helped Rendar to stand out among his smuggling rivals. With Rendar at the helm, the Outrider was a deadly opponent for any pilot, saving his life on several occasions and leading him to develop an emotional attachment to the ship. He became so accustomed to success that when his skills appeared to fail him during the attack on the Surposa, he was plunged into a deep depression and blamed himself for the loss of the Bothan pilots.

As a teenager, Rendar longed for independence and chose to train at the Imperial Academy rather than join the family business. This independent streak remained with him throughout his career and, despite his personal grudge against the Empire, he was not willing to trade in his independence to formally join the Rebel Alliance. The loss of his family also made him unwilling to form emotional bonds; he used his arrogant attitude to keep others from getting close to him and felt that he could only rely on himself. He rarely traveled with anybody other than Leebo and the droid was one of few individuals he trusted. Rendar maintained a competitive rivalry with his friends, Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, spending many hours attempting to outdo them with tales of his adventures and often trading insults with Calrissian about their respective piloting skills. Upon acquiring the Outrider, Rendar was eager to show it off to Solo and make the other smuggler jealous. The two went on to race their ships, with Solo narrowly coming out on top on at least one occasion.

Rendar was not one to waste his talents fighting for a cause and only took on work if he was well compensated. He always insisted on half of his payment up front and half when the job was completed. As long as he was getting paid, he was trustworthy and loyal, willing and able to protect his cargo. When hired to locate the captive Han Solo, Rendar followed the terms of his employment exactly, leading Lando Calrissian and Leia Organa to the smuggler's location but departing before the fighting began. He did not believe in doing work as a favor and made sure that he never had any debts for others to call on. Likewise, Rendar made sure that nobody ever owed him. However, his mercenary attitude disguised a hidden noble streak. When Rendar felt that he had failed to protect the Bothan pilots, he voluntarily risked his life to rescue Organa from Xizor's Palace, hoping to make amends for his earlier failure.

Equipment
Rendar was usually seen wearing a blue and brown jumpsuit&mdash;typical attire for freighter captains at the time&mdash;along with a flexmetal blast vest with padded pauldrons that provided some protection during lightfights and a pair of brown flight gloves. A comlink on his wrist provided him with a long range shielded single-channel link to Leebo, and he sometimes carried a small comlink on his belt as an emergency back-up. His outfit was completed by a heavy blaster pistol slung low on his hip. Rendar sometimes carried additional equipment and weapons when required but generally preferred to travel light.

LE-BO2D9
"Hey, Leebo, you rust bucket, get your gears meshing and meet me at the following coordinates.''" "My master is not in at the moment. Who is calling, please?" "''Very funny. Never buy a droid programmed by a failed comedian."

- Dash Rendar and Leebo

LE-BO2D9, nicknamed Leebo, was an early Cybot Galactica LE-series repair droid originally owned by the portmaster at Esseles. After a freighter lifted off with Leebo still aboard, he went through a series of owners before ending up in service to a traveling comedian, from whom he acquired a quirky sense of humor. Rendar acquired Leebo from the Rodian and modified the droid with enhanced repair and piloting skills, and a long range shielded comlink. Leebo became a faithful companion to Rendar, serving as his co-pilot and flying backup for Rendar when the smuggler got into trouble. The droid also took on much of the work Rendar lacked the patience for, such as arranging meetings with contacts, surveying smuggling markets and making repairs to the Outrider.

Outrider
"I owe the Outrider the best. She's brought me home when any other ship would have scattered me across space."

- Dash Rendar

The Outrider was a Corellian Engineering Corporation YT-2400 light freighter originally intended as a medium-range cargo vessel. Rendar acquired the Outrider while working for "Uncle" Vanya during his early career, and had the ship heavily modified to suit his needs. The weapons systems were augmented with two Dymek double laser cannons, modified for increased range and capable of being controlled remotely from the cockpit. Rendar also had the original engines replaced with three stolen KonGar Ship Works KGDefender ion engines and a Class 0.75 SoroSuub Corporation Griffyn/Y2TG hyperdrive. Additional modifications included improved deflector shields and a sensor stealth system. Most of the modifications were illegal and Rendar broke several laws every time he used the ship. Nevertheless, the Outrider saved Rendar's life on numerous occasions and the smuggler formed an emotional attachment to the vessel.

Outrunner
"That ship's gotten me through some tough scrapes. I gotta return the favor."

- Dash Rendar, on the Outrunner

The Outrunner was purchased by Rendar as a second ship, using the profits from his early career as a freelancer. The vessel was black and so streamlined that it reminded Zak Arranda of a missile about to be fired. The ship could be made ready to fly at short notice and was well armed, with multiple weapon turrets, including a turbolaser that could be extended from a hole in the hull, and forward warhead launchers.

Behind the scenes
"We know [Rendar is] designed to be around while the swashbuckling Han is encased in carbonite, but we don’t want Dash to be a carbonite copy of Mr. Solo. Our suggestion is that rather than thinking of him simply as a mercenary, Dash is more like a swaggery Top Gun-style fighter pilot. A guy with real talent but a bit of a braggart and a blowhard, too. Luke doesn’t like him, not only because of this in-your-face personality but also because of the natural competitiveness between these two pilots."

- Bantam Spectra editor Tom Dupree's pre-manuscript note to Steve Perry

Dash Rendar was developed for the 1996 multimedia project Shadows of the Empire and appeared in its novel, comic and video game incarnations. Rendar's ship, the Outrider, was given an entry in Bill Smith's 1996 reference book, The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels. Released two months before Shadows of the Empire, The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels entry was the first published source to mention Rendar. Though a high profile character, Rendar had only a supporting role in the narrative of the Shadows of the Empire comics and novel. It was in the Shadows of the Empire game for the Nintendo 64 and PC that Rendar was the star as players controlled the mercenary through twelve separate missions following the course of the Shadows storyline.

As part of Shadows of the Empire, composer Joel McNeely wrote a fifty-one-minute orchestral score. The track "Beggar's Canyon Chase," depicting the swoop bike chase through Beggar's Canyon, ends with a brief statement of Rendar's theme as he arrives to rescue Skywalker.

Kenner's Shadows of the Empire toy line, released in 1996, included an action figure of Rendar. The Rendar figure included a blaster pistol and a heavy weapons pack. The Outrider was also released as a toy as part of this line.

Rendar has subsequently made several appearances, including the 1998 comic series Shadows of the Empire: Evolution by Steve Perry, the 1998 novels Rebel Dawn by A. C. Crispin and Galaxy of Fear: The Doomsday Ship by John Whitman, the 1999 LucasArts video game Star Wars: X-wing Alliance, the 2009 Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game expansion The Shadow Syndicate and a reference in the 2004 Star Wars Insider 75 short story "Or Die Trying." Rendar has also been mentioned in several reference sources since his original appearance, including detailed entries in the Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook, The Official Star Wars Fact File, The New Essential Guide to Characters and the Databank on StarWars.com.

In the 1997 Special Edition of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Rendar's Outrider can be seen taking off from Mos Eisley as Luke Skywalker's landspeeder enters the town. The 2006 Star Wars Hyperspace article Underworld Appendix: Swoops, Spice, and Wretched Rogues by Abel G. Peña and Ryan Kaufman introduced an explanation for Rendar's presence in the town, stating that he had been purchasing weapons and made his sudden departure after hearing that his brother was still alive.

Rendar was voiced by John Cygan in the PC version of Shadows of the Empire and Cygan reprized the role in Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns, in which the character is available as a hero in the custom scenario editor. The Shadows of the Empire trading cards, released by Topps in 1996, featured a series of paintings by artists Greg and Tim Hildebrandt. Model Tom Kyte posed in costume as Rendar for photographs that were used as a reference for the Hildebrandts' paintings.

Steve Perry, author of the Shadows of the Empire novel and Shadows of the Empire: Evolution comic series has said that he would like to write a story about Rendar and Han Solo teaming up and is also interested in further exploring Rendar's collaboration with Guri. Perry and Michael Reaves have pitched an idea to Del Rey and Lucasfilm for a story that would include Rendar, but no such project has been announced. Rendar will be the protagonist in the upcoming Del Rey novel Shadow Games by Reaves and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff.

Genesis
"I thought it'd be fun to do someone who could contrast between Han and Lando. Someone very reckless, nasty, tough, slightly running to fat and a bit of a slob who could take insane amounts of punishment and keep going."

- Kilian Plunkett, on his early Rendar sketches

In 1994, Lucasfilm began working on Shadows of the Empire, a project that would cross several different formats and involve multiple licensees, including a Bantam Spectra novel, a Dark Horse Comics comic series and a LucasArts video game. Lucasfilm's Howard Roffman and Lucy Wilson prepared a two-page outline of the basic premise for the project's story, which would be set between Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. This initial outline included the idea of an assassin targeting Luke Skywalker and a bodyguard assigned to protect him. In a meeting between Lucasfilm and their licensees in November 1994 to develop an outline of the plot, Steve Perry proposed the character of Rendar, who it was decided should take on the bodyguard role. The LucasArts representatives liked the new character and soon made the decision to use him as the player character in the video game.

Perry envisioned Rendar as a dashing character who would fill the gap left by Han Solo's imprisonment in carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. However, as the project moved forward, Dark Horse artist Kilian Plunkett developed some designs of the character that differed from Perry's initial idea. In Plunkett's sketches, Rendar was tough, wild-eyed, unshaven, disheveled, and starting toward overweight. Plunkett wanted to keep the character in the same vein as Solo, but to ensure that they were not too similar in appearance, a concern shared by Bantam editor Tom Dupree. On one of his early sketches, Plunkett noted that Rendar was the "character most likely to have 'mom' tattooed on his arm."

Around the same time, concept artist Mike Butkus developed dozens of preliminary sketches of Rendar, showing variations in armor and clothing but sticking to a more clean cut appearance. Butkuss, who listens to music while he illustrates, explained that Rendar was designed while listening to Elvis Presley and 1960s rock 'n' roll. Butkus's designs were circulated to those working on the project and led to some disagreement over the appearance of the character. LucasArts lead artist and designer Jon Knoles had concerns about Butkus's sketches from a game design perspective, wanting to see his muscles toned down, his clothing less tight and his bushy hair replaced with something less "goofy." Knoles suggested either following Plunkett's ideas of a mean-looking character or making him have the appearance of a determined, angry young warrior. Knoles's own designs experimented with the character further, with variations on armor, helmets, a mustache, and a Vandyke beard.

Lucy Wilson favored a young and heroic appearance for Rendar and Tom Dupree wanted the character to be a Top Gun-style fighter pilot who would have a combination of talent and ego that led to a natural competitiveness with Skywalker. Over four or five months, Butkus and Knoles refined the designs, settling on a final design that was a middle ground between Butkus's clean-cut and Plunkett's rugged sketches. LucasArts produced a sculpture of this final design, which was scanned to provide dimensional information used in producing his computer model.

The Shadows of the Empire game was one of the early Nintendo 64 titles and the new technology presented LucasArts with the opportunity to recreate scenes from the original trilogy in a way that had not previously been possible, specifically the Battle of Hoth, which had first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back. To accommodate this, Rendar's biography was written to incorporate his involvement in the battle, which is depicted in the opening levels of the game.

Steve Perry's original outline for Shadows of the Empire described Rendar escaping the climactic battle over Coruscant moments before Darth Vader's forces destroy Xizor's skyhook. It was later decided that the destruction of the Outrider would make a more dramatic ending for the novel, but this presented a problem for LucasArts, who were concerned about killing off the player character at the end of the game. One possible solution would have been to change the player character to Skywalker, but LucasArts wanted to explore a new character in the game. To accommodate the game, Rendar's death was left ambiguous in the novel and the game includes a final cutscene, shown only when completed on the harder difficulty settings, in which Rendar and Leebo discuss their last-minute escape. Rendar's survival was also revealed in Shadows of the Empire: Evolution and has been mentioned in several reference sources, including The Official Star Wars Fact File 25, The New Essential Guide to Characters, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

Inconsistencies
"So&hellip;depending on who's doing the beholding, Dash is a brunette, blond, redheaded guy standing somewhere around 6 feet, who's well-built/buff/bulging with muscles, weighing in at somewhere between 150 and 250 pounds&hellip; (But look! They’re all wearing the same body armor.)"

- Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

The video game version of Shadows of the Empire differs from the story as told in the novel and comic versions. The game's first section, "The Battle of Hoth," focuses on Rendar's participation in that battle, which takes place before the events of the novel and comic and is only briefly mentioned in the novel. The second section, "In Search of Boba Fett," depicts Rendar's hunt for the bounty hunter after being hired by Lando Calrissian, which is also only mentioned in the novel. This section culminates in a fight between Rendar and Fett, leaving Fett's ship damaged and stuck on Gall. The opening crawl to the third section, "Hunting the Assassins," refers to the failed rescue attempt by the Rebels as shown in the novel and comic, suggesting that Rendar's own encounter with Fett occurs before the Rebels arrive in the system and he leads them to the bounty hunter. In the novel, Rendar agrees to carry the Bothan boarding party on their mission to board the Suprosa and retrieve the supercomputer containing the Death Star II plans, but the game features a mission in which Rendar personally boards the vessel and retrieves the computer.

The major differences between the game and other versions come in the fourth section, "Lair of the Dark Prince." In the novel and comic, Rendar accompanies Skywalker, Calrissian, and Chewbacca into Xizor's Palace, locating Organa and escaping moments before the palace is destroyed by a thermal detonator thrown down a garbage chute by Calrissian. In the game, however, Skywalker instructs Rendar to find a way to cover their escape while the others search for Organa. Rendar makes his own way through the sewers leading to the palace, and places pulse bombs on the service panels for the elevator connecting the palace to Xizor's skyhook, destroying the palace and cutting off the skyhook. After leaving Coruscant, the novel and comic show Rendar helping to fight Black Sun's fighters until the Imperial forces under Darth Vader destroy Xizor's skyhook, allowing them to escape. In the game, Rendar engages the skyhook in the Outrider, destroying its turbolasers, before flying inside and taking out the power core. Instead of being struck by debris while escaping, in the game, Rendar appears to be killed when he fails to escape the skyhook in time before the power core is destroyed. According to Jon Knoles, the decision to have Rendar attack the Skyhook was made "to prove he's the greatest gung-ho dude in the galaxy." Where the differing versions cannot be reconciled, this article follows the events as depicted in the novel and comic.

Rendar's physique varies in different sources, between his svelte depiction in Michael Sutfin's New Essential Guide to Characters illustration and the muscular Rendar as shown in the Hildebrandts' paintings. Likewise, though his hair is generally red in color and is described as such in sources including the Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook and the New Essential Guide to Characters, the Shadows of the Empire and Shadows of the Empire: Evolution comics depict him with dark brown hair. These visual discrepancies were discussed by Shadow Games author Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff in her blog.

The description of how Rendar came to acquire Leebo given in Underworld Appendix: Swoops, Spice, and Wretched Rogues, differs from the earlier version given in the Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook. Whereas the Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook states that Rendar was given Leebo in exchange for transporting the droid's master, Underworld Appendix says that Rendar took Leebo as his copilot after the droid's master, his previous copilot, was killed. The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 1 also contradicts the Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook, stating that Rendar personally liberated the Outrider KGDefender engines from the Imperial Academy on Corulag. The Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook had previously stated that the engines were acquired from Corulag by Bolabo Hujaan's agents and sold to Rendar by Hujaan.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
 * Shadow Games
 * Rebel Dawn
 * Galaxy of Fear: The Doomsday Ship
 * Shadows of the Empire video game
 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * Shadows of the Empire novel
 * Shadows of the Empire junior novelization
 * Shadows of the Empire Galoob Micro-Machines Mini-Comic
 * Shadows of the Empire 2
 * Shadows of the Empire Kenner Special, Part 2
 * Shadows of the Empire AMT/ERTL Model Kit Mini-Comic
 * Shadows of the Empire 3
 * Shadows of the Empire 5
 * Shadows of the Empire 6
 * Shadows of the Empire: Evolution 5
 * Shadows of the Empire 5
 * Shadows of the Empire 6
 * Shadows of the Empire: Evolution 5
 * Shadows of the Empire: Evolution 5