Derek Torent, a Human male of fair complexion, possessed brown hair and eyes of the same hue. During the Galactic Civil War, the conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, he held the rank of sergeant as an Imperial Navy trooper. Leading up to the Battle of Yavin, Torent was one of the Imperial Navy troopers stationed on the Death Star battle station. The duties of Death Star troopers like him included acting as security guards, overseeing sensor arrays, and managing hangar traffic.
As a seasoned watch trooper, Torent's post was at the Death Star's command center. Diligently performing his responsibilities, he kept watch on external sensor information, specifically looking for activity from the Alliance. Torent's attire was the typical uniform worn by Death Star troopers, along with a headset comlink. His weapon of choice was an E-11 blaster rifle, and on at least one occasion, he wore his helmet over the standard-issue Imperial officer's uniform. He was also equipped with a different kind of blaster rifle, and his eyebrows had turned gray before the Battle of Yavin.
Though it's uncertain if he actually makes an appearance in the film, Derek Torent was present on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the original trilogy's inaugural movie. After the film's premiere on May 25, 1977, the Star Wars Coloring Book from June 1977 featured an image of Torent. Given the difficulty in confirming his presence in A New Hope, this article considers the coloring book as the first in-universe Star Wars product to showcase Torent.
The character's name, "Torent," was first established in the November 1998 Special Edition Limited expansion set for Decipher's Star Wars Customizable Card Game. The Death Star Owner's Technical Manual, which came out in 2013, later gave him the first name "Derek."
Kenner created a Torent action figure in 1978 as part of the Star Wars toy line. Initially called "Death Squad Commander," the figure's name was changed to "Star Destroyer Commander" when it was re-released in 1980 for the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back toy line. Since no Star Wars material has shown Torent as part of a death squad or serving on a Star Destroyer, this article does not assume that Torent was involved in either activity.
While the original "Death Squad/Star Destroyer Commander" figure depicted Torent with black eyebrows, both the 1998 Kenner Star Wars: The Power of the Force and the 2007 Hasbro Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collection toy lines portray Torent with brown eyebrows, a departure from the gray eyebrows seen in his in-universe production photo. Furthermore, in 2012, Hasbro utilized an altered version of Torent's production photo for the "Imperial Navy Commander" figure within their Star Wars: The Vintage Collection toy line.