The commander known as Dunwell oversaw operations at the Whaladon Processing Facility, commanding a squad of Aqualish on the world of Mon Calamari after the Battle of Endor. He aided the warlord Trioculus in his quest to locate Darth Vader's Glove. Dunwell met his end when his submersible suffered a catastrophic explosion.
A male Human named Dunwell served as a seafarer during the Galactic Civil War. He held the rank of Captain and led a team of Aqualish on the world of Dac. The Whaladons of Dac, though possessing nobility and intelligence as a species, were prized for their meat by the Galactic Empire's elite. By providing Whaladon meat to the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, Dunwell secured his position as a trusted associate of the Empire's most influential figures.
During an excursion to the Valley of the Giant Oysters, Dunwell came across wreckage from an explosion. Intrigued, Dunwell took several pieces of the metal back to his Whaladon Processing Facility to be examined, hoping to determine the source of the debris. The captain's technician discovered that the metal fragments originated from the Second Death Star, which had been destroyed in the Endor system, a vast distance from Dac. Dunwell proposed that some of the Death Star's remnants had been pulled into a black hole before being ejected elsewhere. Upon examining a larger piece of metal on-site, Dunwell noticed it was hollow, leading him to use a portable X-ray scanner to investigate its contents. The X-ray images revealed a five-fingered object inside the mass of melted metal. Concluding that the object could be the supposedly indestructible right-hand glove of Darth Vader, Dunwell resolved to contact the Central Committee of Grand Moffs. Following Sate Pestage's short rule, the Supreme Prophet Kadann had proclaimed that only the one who found and wore Darth Vader's glove would govern the Empire. Despite the so-called Supreme Prophet being a fraud perpetrated by a Bimm agent named Rajah Ubooki, his prediction had gained significant traction, and the Grand Moffs sought the glove to give their protégé, the three-eyed mutant Trioculus, an advantage.
Upon contacting the Grand Moffs, Dunwell reached out to Trioculus directly regarding his discovery. The captain then invited the would-be Emperor to the Whaladon Processing Facility to explain his find. Trioculus was pleased with Dunwell's show of loyalty, and the captain offered to take him to the Valley of the Giant Oysters in his new Whaladon-hunting submarine. After the glove was recovered, Trioculus insisted on a private discussion with his counselor, Grand Moff Bertroff Hissa, and his medical droid MD-5. Dunwell permitted them to use his private quarters, which he had secretly equipped with hidden microphones. In his haste to find a secluded place to converse, Trioculus failed to have the cabin checked for listening devices. Through his microphones, Dunwell learned that the famed glove of Darth Vader possessed no inherent abilities, and that Trioculus would need to use concealed sonic devices to mimic the Dark Lord's use of the Force.
While observing the tank containing Leviathor, the leader of all Whaladons, who was being held, Dunwell considered how to use the valuable information he had obtained. After a moment of reflection, he noticed three intruders aboard the submarine: one man and two droids. Drawing his weapon, the captain fired twice, hitting the smaller droid with one shot and causing it to spin. Dunwell was unable to fire again, as he was quickly disarmed by the glowing blade of a lightsaber wielded by the mysterious Human intruder. The man, who was actually the rebel hero Luke Skywalker, demanded that Dunwell grant him access to a terminal so he and his droids could connect to the submarine's main control system. The captain refused, but Skywalker used a Jedi mind trick, compelling Dunwell to obey. When Dunwell regained his awareness, he realized that Skywalker's droid was attempting to break Dunwell's communication code in order to open the Whaladon storage chambers and free the noble creatures. Although Dunwell doubted the droid's success, R2-D2 did open the gates to the storage chambers and even activated the submarine's self-destruct sequence. At that moment, Trioculus returned from the captain's quarters. Seeing Skywalker, the mutant aimed his altered glove at the Rebel. However, Skywalker dodged, and the deadly vibration struck Dunwell instead.