Chaf'orm'bintrano

Serving as his Family's representative for interests in Chiss frontier space in 27 BBY, Chaf'orm'bintrano conducted an inspection tour, traveling on one of his family's distinctive diplomatic vessels. During this tour, he arrived at the location of the Expansionary Fleet's Picket Force Two in the Crustai system—where the Force Commander was the young Thrawn—who would later become famous as an Imperial Grand Admiral.

At this juncture, Thrawn extended an invitation to Maris Ferasi and Jorj Car'das, Corellian smugglers whom he held as somewhat willing guests, to observe the formal reception for the Aristocra. Car'das and Ferasi perceived Chaf'orm'bintrano as possessing the assured arrogance characteristic of a born aristocrat—an impression generally reinforced by his conduct towards them. He seemed to regard them with disdain as non-Chiss, declined to offer any greeting, and refused to lower himself to using the Sy Bisti trade language to communicate with them. While it is possible that Thrawn intentionally invited the Humans to the ceremony to provoke the Aristocra, his behavior still stood in contrast to the reactions of Admiral Ar'alani and Syndic Thrass a few weeks later.

Some weeks later, following the confrontation between Thrawn's picket force, the Vagaari, and the Outbound Flight project, Chaf'orm'bintrano reappeared at the head of a fleet comprised of Fifth Family vessels, determined to seize control of the Republic technology aboard Outbound Flight's Dreadnaught Cruisers, and to bring charges against Thrawn for exceeding the boundaries of the Chiss rules of engagement. Formbi was clearly prepared to fight senior representatives of both the Eighth Ruling Family and the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force if he believed that his actions would shift the balance of power within the Ascendancy in favor of his Family, but in the end, when Thrass and Jedi Lorana Jinzler removed Outbound Flight from the equation, Thrawn and Ar'alani negotiated an alliance to their mutual benefit, and he retreated empty-handed.

In 22 ABY, a communication was dispatched via Nirauan to Luke Skywalker, purportedly originating from Chaf'orm'bintrano on the planet of Sarvchi, inviting the Jedi Master to enter Chiss space as a representative of the New Republic, due to the rediscovery of Outbound Flight deep within the Redoubt.

The initial communication, however, was intercepted by Lorana Jinzler's surviving brother, Dean, who was then employed as a communications technician for Talon Karrde's organization. Jinzler had received a mysterious tip from Car'das, who was attempting to fulfill a promise he had made fifty years earlier to Lorana. Upon the communication to Luke passing through Jinzler's hands, he stole it and departed for the rendezvous, intending to impersonate a New Republic ambassador in order to attempt to reconcile with his sister or her memory. Car'das subsequently intercepted him when his ship experienced a mysterious drive failure, and transported him to a meeting with a Chiss whom he introduced as Chaf'orm'bintrano. Car'das then departed, leaving Jinzler alone with the Chiss, who seemingly accepted his claims of being a New Republic envoy.

Thanks to Karrde's intervention, Luke and his wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, also arrived at their rendezvous point at Crustai, where they encountered the Chiss diplomatic vessel Chaf Envoy, carrying Chaf'orm'bintrano, his second niece Chaf'ees'aklaio, Dean Jinzler, as well as Commander Chak Fel and Unit Aurek-Seven of the 501st Legion from the Empire of the Hand, whose presence the Aristocra had apparently requested from Admiral Voss Parck when it appeared that the Jedi would not arrive in time.

Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the Aristocra was using the mission to recover Outbound Flight as a lure for the Vagaari, drawing them into a preemptive strike that would allow the Ascendancy to retaliate, ending their threat.

However, the Chiss were unprepared for the massive number of Vagaari warriors hiding onboard the "Geroon" ambassador's ship. When they arrived at the crashed ship, the Vagaari were unleashed, and killed several Chiss and Humans onboard the wreck. However, thanks to the two Skywalkers, who likely killed hundreds of Vagaari by themselves, the group won the Battle of the Redoubt. It was revealed to the others that Formbi had known the Geroons were actually Vagaari, and had attempted to lure them into a trap, and now blamed himself for the loss of life.

In this, Chaf'orm'bintrano was ultimately successful. Mara and Luke later observed that his plan, with its complex subtleties, felt more like the sort of idea that Thrawn would have come up with than the thinking of the conventionally-minded Chiss nobleman that he claimed to be.

Five years following the Yuuzhan Vong War, the same Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano who had spearheaded the mission to Outbound Flight played a crucial role in the events surrounding the conflict between the Chiss and the ancient insect species, the Killiks. In 35 ABY, Formbi paid a visit to Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker on Ossus to deliberate on the crisis unfolding in the Unknown Regions and the involvement of the Jedi. It was during this meeting that Formbi disclosed that the reduction of the Ruling Families from nine to four was a consequence of the Killiks.

Formbi commanded the Chiss military forces throughout the crisis, holding overall command during the significant Battle of Qoribu. In 36 ABY, as the conflict between the Chiss and the Killiks escalated into a full-scale war, Formbi once again emerged as the commander of Chiss military forces. Formbi led the Chiss forces at the decisive Battle of Tenupe, where, with the assistance of the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi, the Swarm War reached its conclusion.

As a Chiss Aristocra, Chaf'orm'bintrano possessed the self-assured arrogance typical of someone born into aristocracy. He seemed to look down upon non-Chiss individuals, demonstrated by his refusal to speak the Sy Bisti trade language with Maris Ferasi and Jorj Car'das. He also strictly adhered to the Ascendancy's isolationist policy, as well as their rules of engagement. Formbi prioritized loyalty to his family above all else and was evidently prepared to engage in conflict with senior representatives of both the Eighth Ruling Family and the CEDF if he believed that his actions would shift the balance of power within the Ascendancy in favor of his Family.

By 22 ABY, Formbi's personality had undergone a significant transformation. He spoke Basic fluently and had no reservations about conducting business with Humans or allowing them to address him by his core name, "Formbi". Perhaps even more significantly, his adherence to the Ascendancy's revered policy of isolation and their rigid rules of engagement was merely superficial. Following the Battle of the Redoubt, Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker observed that Formbi's plan, with its intricate subtleties, was more reminiscent of an idea conceived by Thrawn than the thinking of the conventionally-minded Chiss nobleman he purported to be. During his later meeting with the Skywalkers in 35 ABY, Formbi expressed his disdain for the Chiss non-Aggression Law, though he would abide by it even if it meant the destruction of the Ascendancy. Formbi was also a capable military leader, holding overall command of the Chiss forces during both the Dark Nest Crisis and the Swarm War.

Chaf'orm'bintrano was a creation of Timothy Zahn and made his initial appearance in Zahn's 2004 novel Survivor's Quest as the Chiss leading the expedition to the crash site of the Outbound Flight. In the first novel of Troy Denning's Dark Nest Trilogy, The Joiner King, Formbi's name is misspelled as "Chaf'orm'bintrani".