During the Galactic Empire's Imperial Era, a male human named Driller MarDapp resided on the planet Coruscant. MarDapp, along with Juahir Madras, cultivated a friendship with Arihnda Pryce from Lothal. As the leader of the Higher Skies Advocacy Group, MarDapp personally brought Pryce into his organization. Unbeknownst to Pryce, a native of Lothal, the group was secretly allied with a spy ring working for an insurgent leader known as Nightswan. When Pryce ultimately betrayed this spy ring to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the Imperial Security Bureau apprehended Driller, Juahir, and their associates.
In the Imperial Era, Driller MarDapp made his home on Coruscant. He spearheaded the Higher Skies Advocacy Group, which in actuality functioned as an intelligence-gathering front for the elusive insurgent, Nightswan. Nightswan held a particular interest in the Empire's mining endeavors.
An uncle of Driller MarDapp held a high-ranking position at the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant. As the "favored" nephew, Driller was granted a three-month stay at his uncle's opulent apartment located in the Sestra Towers of Coruscant's prestigious Core Square. Driller maintained a friendship with Juahir Madras, a waitress and skilled martial artist, who in turn befriended Arihnda Pryce, an aide to Lothal's Senator Domus Renking.
Driller permitted Juahir and Pryce to reside at his uncle's Sestra apartment in exchange for Pryce facilitating their access to exclusive gatherings within Coruscant's Federal District. At a function held in the grand ballroom of the Alisandre Hotel, Driller and the women observed the presence of Senior Lieutenant Thrawn, a blue-skinned Chiss officer in the Imperial Navy. Upon Driller's inquiry about whether Thrawn was a Pantoran with an "eye condition," Juahir gently reprimanded him for his lack of tact. Pryce approached Thrawn and his entourage, which included Colonel Wullf Yularen of the Imperial Security Bureau and Ensign Eli Vanto, but she could not introduce her friends to them.
Before departing to deliver a datacard to Moff Ghadi, Pryce instructed Driller and Juahir to enjoy themselves, but cautioned against excessive consumption of swirlydips. In her absence, Pryce was coerced by Moff Ghadi into returning the datacard to Senator Renking. This act triggered an investigation, resulting in Renking's loss of funding. In response, Renking dismissed Pryce from her position as a citizen assistance officer. Following Pryce's eviction from her apartment, Driller and Juahir extended their support. Pryce accepted Driller's offer to stay at his uncle's apartment for a week until she secured a new position at the Proam Avenue Citizen Assistance.
After Renking unfairly terminated Pryce's employment, Driller capitalized on her growing discontent with the Galactic Empire and enlisted Juahir into Nightswan's espionage operation. Juahir left her waitressing job and became a martial arts instructor at the Togorian dojo H'sishi's Yinchom Dojo. This dojo provided and trained bodyguards for Imperial officials and senators. With Driller's awareness, Juahir leveraged her position to persuade and blackmail bodyguards into procuring confidential files and information pertaining to Imperial mining operations for Higher Skies. Unbeknownst to all, the Empire was extracting metals and raw materials to construct its highly classified Death Star superweapon.
Collaborating with Juahir, Driller invited Pryce to the upscale Pinnacle restaurant located in a luxurious area of Coruscant. Aware of Pryce's expertise in mines, mining, and refining, Driller proposed that Pryce join his Higher Skies Advocacy Group. Pryce accepted the offer, seeing it as an opportunity to escape a stagnant job and re-enter influential circles. To further incentivize the offer, Juahir offered Pryce accommodation at her apartment near the Senate Building in exchange for Pryce handling the cooking. Driller and Juahir hoped to bring Pryce into their rebel cause.
Driller proved to be a dependable employer, consistently paying Pryce on time and possessing ample resources to acquire attire for the elite officials she interacted with. One evening, Driller tasked Pryce with investigating a series of unusual Imperial takeovers of mines and, in some instances, entire planets. Recalling the Empire's seizure of her family mine, Pryce decided to delve deeper into the matter. She discovered that the Empire had since nationalized 28 mines, with the most recent being Umbara, where Captain Thrawn had previously engaged in action against Nightswan's operatives.
Driller's clandestine activities eventually attracted the attention of Imperial authorities. Following a visit to Yinchom Dojo, Thrawn and Colonel Yularen learned about Higher Skies from Arihnda Pryce. Higher Skies also incurred the displeasure of Moff Ghadi after smugglers gained access to his financial records and raiders targeted one of his mines. Moff Ghadi demanded that Pryce spy on Higher Skies. However, Pryce sought counsel from her ally Captain Thrawn, who persuaded her to spy on both Higher Skies and Moff Ghadi in order to secure the protection and favor of Colonel Yularen. Pryce successfully baited Ghadi by offering to provide him with information on his rival Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin.
Prior to meeting with Tarkin, Pryce informed Driller of her strategy to gain access to Lady Teeyr Hem, the Phindian senator, by purchasing a bottle valued at 2,000 credits. Driller expressed his disapproval of this extravagant expenditure, voicing concerns about the diversion of public funds from essential services such as schools and hospitals. Driller then informed Pryce that he had arranged an audience for her with Grand Moff Tarkin, whom he described as a "big fish."
During the meeting with Tarkin, Pryce instead betrayed Driller, Juahir, and the rest of Higher Skies by revealing their espionage activities against the Empire. Pryce also exposed Moff Ghadi's opportunistic intentions to exploit Higher Skies' files on Tarkin to gain an advantage over his rival. In addition to security immunity, Pryce also persuaded Tarkin to appoint her as the new Imperial Governor of Lothal and to grant Thrawn's friend Eli Vanto a long-overdue promotion.
After one of Juahir's students, Kaniki, attempted to assassinate his employer, Senator Evidorn, ISB Colonel Yularen ordered a crackdown on Driller, his Higher Skies associates, and Juahir.
Driller MarDapp, a man of human descent, possessed tan skin, black hair, and dark eyes. Driller held reservations regarding the Galactic Empire's policies, particularly its allocation of funds away from schools and hospitals. He harbored a desire to improve the Empire for the benefit of its populace. His dissent with the Empire motivated him to establish a spy ring centered around the Higher Skies Advocacy Group. Driller provided intelligence to the elusive insurgent leader Nightswan, leveraging his position as the nephew of an official at the Royal Imperial Academy to gain access to Imperial elite circles.
Following Senator Renking's mistreatment of Pryce, Driller perceived her as a potential sympathizer to the rebel cause. With the assistance of fellow sympathizer Juahir, he recruited Pryce into Higher Skies, aiming to utilize her proficiency in mines, mining, and refining. Driller hoped to sway Juahir to his cause. However, Pryce's primary focus lay in advancing her own political ambitions and seeking retribution against Senator Renking and Governor Ryder Azadi, who had caused her family to lose their mine. When Driller and Juahir's objectives clashed with her own, Pryce was prepared to abandon them.
Driller MarDapp made his debut appearance in Timothy Zahn's 2017 novel, Thrawn, a rebooted canonical origin story of the character of the same name. His dialogue is conveyed through Arihnda Pryce's perspective.
His first illustration occurred in Marvel Comics' Thrawn 3, a comic adaptation of the novel that premiered on April 11, 2018. He was illustrated by Luke Ross and colored by Nolan Woodard.