Hanc Thorben was a Human male officer who served in the Rebel Alliance holding the rank of Captain. Stationed at Haven Base on the planet Arbra, he also served as a pilot for the flight group known as Rogue Squadron during the height of the Galactic Civil War. Thorben was a member of the four-person Flying Bantha Squadron during the Rebels' efforts to destroy the Empire's teezl device in 3 ABY, personally overseeing the refitting of four Imperial TIE starfighters before flying in the mission himsel.
A Human male, Hanc Thorben put his technical skills to use in the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War, reaching the rank of Captain by 3 ABY. A member of the elite Rogue Squadron, Thorben was tapped to be one of four Rogue pilots forming a special unit known as Flying Bantha Squadron for a mission of dire importance at the height of the war. The Galactic Empire had discovered a potent natural hyperspace communicator called the teezl on the fringes of known space, one which could facilitate instantaneous mass coordination between all aspects of the Imperial war machine. Seeing this as a potential game-changer, Thorben and the Flying Banthas—under the command of Yavin hero Luke Skywalker—were tasked with making sure the teezl never reached the Imperial capital.
Captain Hanc Thorben at Spindrift.
The Flying Banthas elected to approach this task through subterfuge, acquiring four reconstructed Imperial TIE starfighters that would allow them to blend in with the massive armada convoying the teezl. Thorben directly oversaw the preparation of these craft as Refit Supervisor, heading a team of technical specialists to make several key adjustments, including bolstered laser cannon power, the addition of extra shielding and an ejector seat—although Thorben believed it to be a suicide mission, he wanted to still give his team their best shot at returning alive. Thorben and the Flying Banthas tested these successfully in a sortie at the Imperial outpost of Spindrift—afterward, Thorben searched the Imperial base and discovered the route coordinates of the Imperial armada, giving them every tool they would need to pull off the raid. Soon after the raid on Spindrift, Thorben joined Skywalker and other Rogues in a mission to Shalyvane, the homeworld of fellow Flying Bantha Shira Brie, in order to provide Brie support as she performed a vital religious rite to her people. The Rebels were ambushed by Em'liy natives and pinned down in a vicious firefight, only escaping when Brie slipped around the Em'liy force and strafed their attackers with her X-wing.
When the time came to launch the raid on the teezl's armada, Thorben joined Skywalker, Brie and Alph in obtaining recognition codes for the Imperial convoy from a captured TIE pilot before infiltrating the armada itself. Once in formation, the Flying Banthas struck out from within, causing chaos among confused Imperial forces that couldn't immediately identify where the enemy was. Imperial Admiral Mils Giel eventually countered by ordering the teezl to jam Rebel transmissions—cut off from the rest of his squadron, Thorben sustained damage severe enough that he had to withdraw from the battle, returning to Haven Base on Arbra. Thorben wound up being one of only two Flying Banthas to make it home safely, as Skywalker managed to destroy the teezl and return victorious—however, Thorben greeted Skywalker with ill news, as the flight commander was immediately placed under investigation for apparently shooting down Brie in an act of friendly fire.
To Thorben's relief, Skywalker was ultimately cleared of treason charges when it was uncovered that Brie was an Imperial double agent. In the immediate aftermath of the not-guilty verdict, Thorben was conversing with fellow Rebel officer Gemmer Sojan when a remark Sojan made about a glowing paperweight from the former Rebel base at Golrath Station sparked his curiosity. After examining the trinket, Thorben realized that Golrath stone had a unique ability to replay events that had occurred in its vicinity, potentially meaning Rebel secrets could be exposed to Imperials investigating the facility. Thorben immedaitely reported this news to Rebel leadership, and a subsequent raid on Golrath ended in the station's destruction.
A balding, taciturn man, Hanc Thorben's technical expertise was integral to the success of Flying Bantha Squadron's attack on the teezl—although personally pessimistic that he would survive, Thorben diligently worked to give himself and his fellow pilots the best possible chance to return home safely. Thorben had a strong respect for his flight commander, Luke Skywalker, believing him to be exactly the sort of man the Rebellion needed to win the war. Although highly regarded for his technical skills, Thorben was also a talented starfighter pilot and capable in a close-range blaster fight.
Hanc Thorben appeared in several issues of the original Marvel Comics Star Wars run, where he was written by David Michelinie and Walt Simonson and illustrated by Simonson and Tom Palmer. The 2003 Cory J. Herndon Wizards of the Coast article Arbra: Sanctuary In the Storm contained a section written from Thorben's point-of-view, and was the first source to place his first name as "Hanc."