Born on Tatooine, Darklighter enjoyed a privileged upbringing as the son of Huff Darklighter, a wealthy agricultural leader, and his wife. The elder Darklighter controlled numerous moisture farms, purchasing water cheaply from other farmers and reselling the surplus at inflated prices. As a youth, Darklighter spent significant time in Anchorhead, where he formed a close bond with Luke Skywalker. Along with friends like Janek "Tank" Sunber, the envious Laze "Fixer" Loneozner, Camie Loneozner, and the younger "Deak" and Windy Starkiller, they frequently gathered at Tosche Station, a power hub near Anchorhead.

The strong friendship between Darklighter and Skywalker was enhanced by a competitive spirit that kept their lives exciting. They raced landspeeders through Anchorhead's streets and T-16 skyhoppers in Beggar's Canyon within the Jundland Wastes, engaging in "tagging" of womp rats. Constantly challenging each other, they became skilled pilots. Skywalker excelled as a marksman in his T-16, while Darklighter was the superior pilot in his more advanced model. During one canyon run, Darklighter's successful navigation through a narrow opening in the Stone Needle, a sixty-meter rock formation, earned him local acclaim. Skywalker soon matched this accomplishment.

Darklighter and Skywalker also participated in a risky sport, "invented" by Fixer. Sandsurfing involved a "surfer" with repulsor disks on their feet being pulled by a sand skiff. Fixer, envious of his friends' piloting skills, created an obstacle course in the Dune Sea to prove his superiority. During a run over the Great Pit of Carkoon, Fixer lost consciousness and nearly fell into the Sarlacc's maw. Darklighter and Skywalker rescued him, leading them to declare Fixer "king of the sandsurfers" to discourage further attempts.

In his youth, Darklighter had feelings for Kandji, a local girl. When she was captured by Tusken Raiders and died before a rescue could be mounted, he carried a hologram of her for the rest of his life.

As they matured, Darklighter and Skywalker planned to attend the Imperial Academy together, intending to buy a starship and start a business after graduating, though they lacked specific plans. Darklighter's father secured his son's admission to the Prefsbelt IV Naval Academy, where Tank was also accepted. However, Skywalker's uncle, Owen Lars, kept him on Tatooine for "another season." Before Darklighter's departure, the Anchorhead group celebrated with a race in Beggar's Canyon, which turned into a battle with Tusken Raiders. When Darklighter was wounded by a Raider's gaderffii, Skywalker flew him to safety through the dangerous Diablo Cut.

Darklighter possessed mechanical skills. He stressed to Skywalker the importance of a pilot knowing every detail of their ship. Before leaving for the Academy, he constructed a T-16 with Skywalker's help. Although the final product was somewhat unrefined, Darklighter was proud and confident in its capabilities. Skywalker mocked the craft, provoking Darklighter to challenge him to a race. The race became intense, with Darklighter speeding off without a word. His T-16 began to falter, but he pushed harder. After about five minutes, Skywalker caught up, only to see the T-16 disintegrating. It crashed, rolling several times. Skywalker rushed to the wreckage, but Darklighter was gone. As he feared his friend's death, Darklighter tackled him from behind, laughing. Skywalker never understood how Darklighter survived the crash.

At the Prefsbelt IV Naval Academy, Darklighter studied under Soontir Fel alongside Derek Klivian and Tycho Celchu. Darklighter and Klivian began to view the galaxy differently from the Galactic Empire's perspective. A trip to Bestine IV led them and other cadets to contact the Rebel Alliance, solidifying their rebellious ideas. They secretly met with like-minded individuals, planning to overthrow the Empire. The Commander discovered these meetings through an informer and arrested the participants. Darklighter and Klivian were absent and not implicated, but their friends disappeared. The two initially assumed it was a punishment or transfer, but they eventually realized the grim reality.

The fate of their friends deeply affected Darklighter and Klivian. They shifted from childish talk of overthrowing the Empire to serious plans of deserting to join the Rebellion. Darklighter's secret dissent became known to Rivoche Tarkin, a Clær student and niece of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, influencing her views on the New Order.

Darklighter and Klivian waited until graduation, when they were assigned to the space-freighter Rand Ecliptic. Given the ship's small size, both officers received important roles: Darklighter as first mate and Klivian as executive officer. Darklighter observed that the Empire prioritized expediency over ethics, accepting innocent deaths to cover up mistakes.

Weeks later, during a mission to the Imperial Naval Yard in the Bestine system, Darklighter and Klivian enacted their plan to join the Rebellion. They intended to desert, find Klivian's friend Lindy with Rebel connections, and enlist. Their mission was to deliver a shipment of rubindum ore to the shipyard. The captain, Heliesk, unusually sent both Darklighter and Klivian, raising their suspicions. Instead of contacting shipyard personnel, they sought out Lindy, who led them to a hangar where smugglers supplied the Alliance with starship parts and materials. Lindy awaited a Rebel contact, "Starfire." To their shock, stormtroopers led by Captain Heliesk entered the hangar. Heliesk ordered Darklighter and Klivian imprisoned, but slipped a rank cylinder to Klivian.

The cylinder unlocked the captain's quarters, where they found Heliesk, who revealed himself as "Starfire," a Rebel spy. To protect his position, Darklighter and Klivian would stage a mutiny. They forced the crew to abandon ship by setting the Ecliptic to self-destruct. With Lindy's help, they manned the bridge and prepared to leave with the ore. However, TIE/LN starfighters intercepted them. The Rand Ecliptic's weak weapons were no match, but they needed time to jump to hyperspace. Darklighter devised a plan: he dumped half the ore into the path of the fighters, creating an asteroid field. Many fighters were destroyed, and the survivors couldn't prevent Darklighter, Klivian, and the Rand Ecliptic from entering hyperspace to join the Rebellion.

After deserting the Ecliptic, Darklighter and Klivian joined the Rebel Alliance, becoming valued pilots. They served together in the Ecliptic Evaders, a squadron in the Sullust system. Despite their close bond, they were separated due to their rare Imperial Academy training. General Jan Dodonna assigned them where they would be most effective.

In his first mission, Darklighter and Wedge Antilles attacked an Imperial convoy protected by an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate. The frigate launched two dozen TIE fighters. Darklighter destroyed five, becoming a starfighter ace. However, Amil Karsk claimed his third kill to become an ace. Darklighter, recognizing Karsk's experience, allowed him the kill. Afterward, Darklighter would playfully give Karsk the third of any five achievements. Karsk reciprocated by taking the third of Darklighter's five patrols, a courier mission to Alderaan. Karsk was on Alderaan when the first Death Star destroyed the planet. Darklighter became known as a skilled X-wing pilot, participating in numerous space battles, including a mission to steal X-wings from an Incom Corporation facility.

Later, Biggs attended Rivoche Tarkin's debutante ball, passing her information to Rebel contacts to prevent a CompForce attack on the Duros Allied Army. Encouraged by this, Tarkin continued as a covert agent, with Darklighter connecting her to the Alliance.

After the defeat of Operation Strike Fear, Rebel outpost AX-235 in the Cron Drift intercepted schematics for the first Death Star using stolen Imperial communications satellites. Darklighter was sent to retrieve the data. His X-wing's power generator failed, and he was attacked by Imperial forces. The Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Independence sent three R-22 Spearheads to protect him until a rescue team arrived. He delivered the plans to the Independence and befriended Keyan Farlander and Samuel Raider. Darklighter was assigned to protect Massassi Station on Yavin 4.

Before the Battle of Yavin, Darklighter visited Tatooine, trying to convince his father of the Empire's evil. His father remained unconvinced. Later, he and Skywalker reunited at Fixer's shop in Tosche Station. Skywalker told of a battle he saw, but Darklighter saw only refueling ships. In private, Darklighter told Skywalker he and his friends were joining the Rebel Alliance, concealing that he had already joined to protect him. They shared a farewell, with Luke calling Biggs his best friend. Darklighter left the next morning.

After his Tatooine visit, he went to Commenor to escort a shipment of R2-series astromech droids with smuggler Captain Nera Dantels on her spaceship Starduster, becoming romantically involved. With the Death Star approaching, Darklighter joined X-wing Red Squadron as Red Three. He reunited with Skywalker, who was to fly as his wingman as Red Five. They promised to catch up later. Darklighter assured Red Leader Garven Dreis that Skywalker was "the best bush pilot in the Outer Rim Territories." They would fly together against the Empire's superweapon.

During the assault on the battle station, Darklighter was saved by Skywalker when a TIE fighter attacked him. He destroyed several TIEs. His task, with Skywalker and Antilles, was to provide air cover for Gold Squadron's attack on the Death Star's thermal exhaust port, and then for Red Leader's approach. When both attacks failed, it was up to Skywalker, Darklighter, and Antilles.

They began their attack run down the Death Star trench, with Skywalker in the lead. They were pursued by Darth Vader. Darklighter and Antilles acted as a buffer between the enemy fighters and Skywalker. Antilles was hit and aborted the run. Darklighter was hit next. His X-wing, along with his astromech R2-F2, was destroyed by Vader's ship. Skywalker, with the help of Han Solo, destroyed the Death Star. Darklighter's sacrifice bought Skywalker time to complete the mission.

Biggs Darklighter became one of the Heroes of Yavin. His name became synonymous with bravery among Rebel pilots. Princess Leia Organa promised Skywalker a monument with Darklighter's name after the fight with the Empire. A New Republic starfighter base on Coruscant was named Biggs Field in his memory. Skywalker, though saddened, felt Darklighter through the Force, viewing his death as a new level he had reached.

Though he died before the formation of Rogue Squadron, Darklighter was considered an original member. Commander Antilles often mentioned Darklighter's name as a legend in his introductory speech to new recruits. Darklighter's legacy led his cousin, Gavin Darklighter, to join the Rogues. Gavin earned his place with Rogue Squadron and improvised a maneuver called a Darklighter spin.

From his early years, Darklighter showed himself to be a fierce competitor. He took immense pride in his piloting skills, which were often superior, but he never became arrogant. Instead, he frequently used his own achievements as a way to inspire others to reach their full potential. With his natural talent and striking good looks, he exuded an aura of unwavering confidence in everything he undertook. Before he personally witnessed the Empire's true cruelty, he was known for his excessive enthusiasm, similar to that of his younger fellow pilots. People recognized him by his distinctive shaggy black hair and mustache. During his time at the Imperial Academy, he was required to shave both his head and face. Even after experiencing the harsh realities of the Empire, he never completely lost his optimistic outlook.

Any hint of egotism he possessed typically manifested as a signature grin or a telling expression on his face, directed at those he had defeated, during moments of personal triumph. His comrades, including Antilles, Klivian, and his cousin Gavin, often playfully mocked this look. On the rare occasions when he was outdone, Darklighter, driven by his competitive spirit, would not allow his opponent to bask in their victory for long. He was especially intolerant of complacency or satisfaction if he believed someone had correctable shortcomings. He would relentlessly push that person until they addressed the issue or until his prodding ceased to have any effect. He couldn't stand to see someone squander their potential when they were capable of achieving so much more. This is why Darklighter persistently encouraged Skywalker to attend the Academy.

Garrick Hagon portrayed Biggs Darklighter in the 1977 theatrical release of Star Wars.

He originally appeared in the various script drafts of Star Wars as the son of King Kayos and the brother of the princess who would later become Leia Organa. In the second draft, he was Luke Skywalker's younger brother and the brother of Windy Marstrap. By the third draft, his character was changed to Skywalker's friend.

According to The Essential Guide to Characters, Darklighter was born in 24 BBY. Furthermore, the revised fourth draft of Star Wars describes him as "a burly, handsome boy a few years older than the rest." However, in the novel X-Wing: Rogue Squadron, his cousin Gavin Darklighter, who was born in 10 BBY, states that he is only "eight years younger" than Darklighter. This would place Darklighter's birthdate in 18 BBY, making him one year younger than Skywalker.

Although Darklighter's screen time in the film is limited, the original version of the movie contained several scenes, which were later removed for the final cut, that gave him a more significant role in the story. These deleted scenes were included in the novelization and the radio adaptation, where Kale Brown provided his voice. The scene depicting Darklighter and Skywalker's reunion on Yavin 4 was reintroduced in the 1997 special edition of the film. Only a small portion of the dialogue was omitted, possibly due to the upcoming release of the Prequel Trilogy, as this section of dialogue touched on Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker.

Despite being cut from A New Hope, these scenes were incorporated into the A New Hope radio dramatization, the A New Hope novelization, and Marvel Star Wars #1. In these scenes, Biggs details his intentions to abandon the Rand Ecliptic and join the Rebellion, indicating that he joined the Rebellion after the events on Tatooine at the beginning of Episode IV. However, X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide claims that Biggs participated in the capture of the Death Star plans, an event that occurred before the events on Tatooine. The radio drama further specifies that Biggs graduated from the academy into the Merchant Service and that the Ecliptic is a commercial vessel, a detail that would later be contradicted by depictions of him serving in the Imperial Navy. Years later, the comic story Star Wars: Empire: Darklighter offered a retcon to reconcile these inconsistencies. Through Biggs' narration, it was revealed that he had withheld the complete truth from Luke on Tatooine to protect him.

The TIE pilot gear featured in Darklighter takes creative liberties and includes a feature that the editors acknowledge is not canon. To allow Biggs' face to be visible, the comic's artists depicted him with a clear face plate sealing the helmet, in addition to the recognizable black TIE pilot helmet visor. This addition was solely for the purpose of giving the characters individual identities and enabling them to express facial emotions.

In 2008, Hasbro released an Evolutions-series Legacy Collection action figure set that portrayed Biggs Darklighter in the TIE pilot gear from the Empire comic. The set included a removable open-faced helmet, a removable life support pack, and Biggs' SE-14r light repeating blaster.