Banu Hydia, a Duros male scout, flourished around 3700 BBY, and the Hydian Way derives its name from him. Initially a rival to Freia Kallea as she mapped space, he eventually became her ally.
Hydia's story intertwined with Kallea's when Neimoidians named Thoax and Farge Osaax hired him to eliminate her, an order he refused. He encountered Kallea in a cantina on Denon as she sought a shortcut linking the Corellian Run and the Rimma Trade Route. Their discussion revolved around the dangers posed by the Itani Nebula and the black holes within the Tyus Cluster. Despite Hydia's warnings, Kallea proceeded to chart the route. While Kallea succeeded, the Osaaxes employed Gran thugs to imprison her on Malastare. Hydia intervened, liberating Kallea and delivering a warning from Brentaal's influential figures to the Gran, while also alerting Kallea to her new adversaries.
Shortly after her return to Brentaal, Kallea's desire to extend the route intensified. Ignoring Hydia's cautions, she revisited Malastare and was shot down on Nuvar. Six years elapsed before Hydia located Kallea. Bound by secrecy, she returned to Brentaal and, disguised as an agent of the Bureau of Ships and Services, discovered that her route had been connected to the Rimma Trade Route during her captivity. Hydia assisted Kallea in charting the final segments, bridging the Rimma to the Corellian Trade Spine. Together, they navigated the Tosste system's clouds and discovered the planet Terminus.
While Hydia considered their journey complete, Kallea sought vengeance against the Neimoidians. Kallea lured the Osaaxes to Imynusoph, a treasure world supposedly inhabited by a peaceful species, while Hydia informed her benefactor, Sival Brentioch, in Brentaal of her survival. The Osaaxes fell into the trap, arriving at a temple for a banquet in their honor, only to find Kallea controlling the Imyni. The Neimoidians summoned their Gran and Dug guards for protection, but were confronted by a fleet from Brentaal led by Sival and Hydia. During the ensuing conflict, Hydia rescued Kallea but suffered a fatal wound. As he lay dying on the temple floor, Sival revealed himself to Kallea, and Hydia implored them to leave. Following Hydia's death, the Neimoidians were apprehended, and Kallea and Sival transported his body to Brentaal for burial. In recognition of his contributions, Kallea's charted route was named the "Hydian Way".
Hydia's part in Freia Kallea's endeavors was made memorable through its depiction in the Brentaalian opera, The Kallea Cycle. In this performance Amaro Fonteen, a Human, played Hydia. The casting caused significant debate, as it went against the tradition of using a Duros double-bass vocalist for the role.
In the centuries that followed his passing, differing viewpoints on Hydia's significance to the Hydian Way arose, particularly during the Galactic Empire era. Imperial archivists argued that his role had been overstated.