Bow was the designation of a clone stormtrooper who achieved the rank of commander within the Galactic Empire's renowned 501st Legion. As a steadfastly loyal and obedient soldier, he ascended to this rank around the time that Emperor Palpatine issued Order 66, which served as the catalyst for branding all Jedi as traitors against the Empire, thereby initiating the galaxy-spanning Jedi Purge. One month following the purge's commencement, Bow was a member of a squad of 501st stormtroopers led by Clone Commander Appo to Kessel. While there, Bow and his fellow troopers successfully rescued the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, from a group of Jedi Knights who had managed to survive Order 66. Bow, along with his comrades, eliminated Jedi Masters Jastus Farr, Tsui Choi, and Roblio Darté, executing them amidst their ongoing battle with Vader. Subsequently, Bow personally submitted reports concerning several of the Jedi victims, and he continued his service within the 501st even after Appo's demise during the Battle of Kashyyyk.
Born on the planet of Kamino, the clone stormtrooper later known as Bow achieved the rank of commander within the 501st Legion by 19 BBY. He served in this unit, which was among the most highly decorated within the Galactic Empire's newly established Stormtrooper Corps.
One month after the formation of the Empire, Bow found himself as part of a 501st squad dispatched by Emperor Palpatine to Kessel, a planet situated in the Outer Rim. Under the command of Clone Commander Appo, the overall commanding officer of the 501st Legion, Bow and his fellow clone stormtroopers were tasked with the mission of rescuing Palpatine's apprentice, the Dark Lord of the Sith known as Darth Vader. Vader had become embroiled in a conflict with a group of Jedi Knights who had evaded the initial execution of Order 66, a directive utilized by Palpatine to denounce all Jedi as enemies of the Empire, thereby initiating the ongoing Jedi Purge.
By the time Bow and his comrades reached the abandoned spice mine on Kessel, where the Jedi holdouts had gathered, Vader was in a weakened state and at the mercy of the remaining Jedi. Positioned on a platform overlooking the mine, Bow and the other troopers brandished their DC-15Ss and opened fire, eliminating Jedi Masters Jastus Farr, Tsui Choi, and Roblio Darté, executing all three before they could inflict further harm upon Vader. With the situation resolved, Appo informed Vader that the Emperor had requested his presence. Subsequently, Vader returned to the galactic capital, Imperial Center, to provide a report to Palpatine.
Following the Kessel incident, Bow submitted reports detailing the termination of Choi, as well as two other Jedi victims, Koffi Arana and Bultar Swan, who had already fallen before the 501st's arrival. Later, after Vader killed Jedi Master Roan Shryne—who had decapitated Appo before being killed—during the Battle of Kashyyyk, Bow also filed the report concerning Shryne's execution. Imperial Moff Marcellin Wessel integrated Bow's official documentations into a compilation of incident reports that detailed the success of Order 66 and the ongoing Jedi Purge.
Standing at a height of 1.83 meters, Bow was a Human male clone originating from the genetic template of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. As a devoted soldier, he demonstrated unwavering obedience to Darth Vader's directives, serving the Galactic Empire without reservation.
Bow was recognized by the distinctive blue and white armor worn by members of the 501st Legion. His stormtrooper armor was equipped with a macrobinoculars visor, a kama half kilt, and a pauldron. Furthermore, he utilized holsters to carry his preferred weaponry: a chest sling for his DC-15A blaster rifle and a pair of waist holsters for his dual blaster pistols. During the Kessel mission, he was armed with a DC-15S blaster.
The character of Commander Bow was conceived by author Daniel Wallace for his Star Wars Insider article titled Order 66: Destroy All Jedi, which was published in April 2006 within the magazine's eighty-seventh issue. Wallace created the character to provide another clone officer capable of reporting on the death of Commander Appo, who had already been credited with filing several reports within the in-universe article. In 2007, Bow was featured in his own figure pack—alongside Darth Vader—of Hasbro's 30th Anniversary Collection.
For a period, uncertainty surrounded the identity of the clone stormtrooper commander leading the 501st squad in the December 2005 comic Star Wars: Purge. The character remained unnamed within the comic's dialogue, leaving his identity open to interpretation, including the possibility of the unidentified character being Appo, Bow, or another 501st commander. Adding to the confusion was the absence of a defined timeline for Purge relative to the November 2005 novel Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, in which Appo is killed; both Purge and Dark Lord were stated to occur one month after the events depicted in the film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. The identity of the Purge commander was clarified in 2006 when Hasbro released a figure of Appo as part of its Saga Collection. The figure packaging identified Appo as the commander in charge of the 501st squad in the comic.
In December 2008, Bow was given a brief entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, which established his presence in Purge as one of the clone stormtroopers serving under Appo. However, the specific trooper in the comic who is Bow has not been definitively identified.