Due to the customs of his homeworld, Somov Rit, Hardin was known as Bug for much of his early life. This Human was Force-sensitive and was brought into Jedi Lord Hoth's Army of Light when he was still young; he would ultimately meet his end while serving this group. Hardin lived a rather unremarkable existence on Somov Rit alongside his cousins Root, Darovit, and Zannah, but he yearned for something more, wanting to escape and take control of his own destiny. When Jedi Torr Snapit came to Somov Rit and recruited Hardin, Darovit, and Zannah to join the Army of Light for training, Hardin eagerly seized the opportunity to leave his homeworld.
Not long after arriving on Ruusan, Zannah was presumed dead. This event, coupled with Snapit's sacrifice to protect the two boys, caused Hardin to shed his cynical and tough exterior. He began to admire the Jedi, a stark contrast to his previous criticisms, which were often made in response to Darovit's idealization of them. Darovit's faith was shattered when he saw the Jedi's flaws and the grim reality of the Light and Darkness War. As a result, he betrayed the Jedi, joining the Sith Brotherhood of Darkness. This defection only strengthened Hardin's resolve to prove himself as a Jedi Knight and to make up for Darovit's betrayal. During the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, Hardin was guarding an exit from the caves when Dark Lord of the Sith Skere Kaan unleashed his thought bomb. It was then that Hardin encountered Darovit and engaged him in a duel. Githany, Darovit's Sith Master, severely wounded Hardin, but Darovit was unable to bring himself to kill his own cousin. Instead, Hardin's spirit was ensnared by the thought bomb, where it remained for over a millennium. However, his death served as a catalyst for Darovit, leading him to reject the Sith and live as a recluse on Ruusan.
Hardin's early years were spent on the peaceful world of Somov Rit, untouched by the Light and Darkness War that raged across the galaxy. He lived a simple, rural life with his cousins Darovit and Zannah, whom he knew by the nicknames "Tomcat" and "Rain." The people of Somov Rit believed that speaking one's true name would summon a swamp demon to claim them, so they used nicknames instead. Hardin was known as "Bug" to those around him. Root, an elder cousin, cared for them. Hardin and Darovit were known to have Force-sensitives abilities, but Zannah was not believed to be able to touch the Force.
Hardin developed his Force abilities, using them to attract fish for the family's meals. Darovit, an idealistic young man, disapproved of this use of the Force. Hardin often clashed with Darovit because he idolized the Jedi, a belief that Hardin found naive. Hardin was restless on their isolated homeworld, longing for a better life elsewhere and wishing to be free from his family, whom he found irritating.
In 1000 BBY, their lives changed when Torr Snapit, a Jedi scout, arrived seeking Force-sensitive individuals to join Jedi Lord Hoth's Army of Light for training. Despite being concerned by Hardin and Darovit's constant arguments, Snapit agreed to train them. Although he was skeptical of the Jedi, Hardin was eager to leave Somov Rit and seek his fortune in the wider galaxy. After Zannah displayed her Force abilities, she was also permitted to travel with Snapit to Ruusan, where Hoth was engaged in a long campaign against Dark Lord of the Sith Skere Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness. Hardin remained sullen during the trip to Ruusan, eventually accusing Darovit of using the Force during Zannah's test instead of her. Darovit defended himself, saying that he did not want to abandon their family. As Snapit prepared to land on Ruusan, their ship was attacked by Sith Buzzard fighters, and the argument continued. Their fellow recruits Slatka and Sladak were killed, and Zannah was thrown from the ship into the forest below. Jedi reinforcements arrived and drove off the Buzzards, but not before Hardin's cousin was lost.
Snapit was forced to crash-land the damaged ship in the forest, compelling the boys to journey with him on foot toward Hoth's camp. One evening, as they traveled, they were ambushed by Sith soldiers. Hardin defended himself with only a tree branch, managing to subdue at least two warriors in the process. Constant attacks by Sith forces forced the group to flee to a rope bridge spanning a small canyon. Snapit, wounded by an arrow in the leg, defended the bridge as the boys crossed before cutting it, sacrificing himself and the enemy troops to the chasm below to ensure the safety of the Jedi candidates. Hardin wanted to continue to safety, but Darovit insisted on descending into the ravine to recover the Jedi Knight's lightsaber. By the time Darovit returned to the top, a Sith party had arrived. Before they could attack, a Jedi squad under General Kiel Charny annihilated the Sith contingent, saving the boys.
Charny escorted the pair to the Jedi encampment. There, Darovit expressed his disappointment with the Jedi's harsh camp life and vulnerability to death, leading Hardin to drop his gruff facade and defend the Jedi as honorable and admirable. When the pair was assigned to help move the kitchen wagon, Hardin accepted the task, while Darovit angrily protested, seeing it as beneath him. Hardin continued to serve in camp until after the devastating Sixth Battle of Ruusan. He sought out Darovit, who had been involved in the fighting, only to discover that his cousin had murdered Charny and joined the Sith. Shocked and enraged, Hardin was initially disgusted by his cousin's actions. However, he soon realized that it was his responsibility to take Darovit's place among the Jedi and restore balance within his family. As Hoth prepared for a final confrontation with the Brotherhood of Darkness, Hardin and the rest of the support staff were armed. Hoth personally questioned Hardin's commitment after Darovit's defection, wanting to ensure that he was not motivated by revenge or sympathy for his relative. Hardin's explanation impressed Hoth, who gave him a lightsaber and welcomed him into the Jedi Order, prompting Hardin to reveal his true name.
As Hoth led his forces into the caves where Kaan awaited, Hardin and two other kitchen staff members were assigned to guard a rear exit. Hearing sounds inside, Hardin led the others into the caves. There, they encountered the Sith Lord Githany and her apprentice, Darovit. The others were killed, and Githany disarmed Hardin before he used his affinity with animals to summon the bats within the cave to attack her. Hardin then dueled his cousin, mocking him as a traitor. After Githany recovered, she used her lightwhip to sever Hardin's right leg, leaving him for Darovit to kill. However, Darovit could not bring himself to kill his cousin. At that moment, Kaan activated his thought bomb. The thought bomb drained Hardin's life, and as the cave began to collapse, a falling stalactite crushed his withered body.
Hardin's death was the shock that Darovit needed to turn away from the dark side of the Force. After surviving the thought bomb, he abandoned both the Jedi and the Sith, choosing to live as a simple hermit. Hardin's spirit was trapped by the thought bomb and remained in what became the Valley of the Jedi for over a thousand years. His spirit, along with the spirits of the other trapped Jedi and Sith, was eventually released when Kyle Katarn defeated Jerec and freed the souls in the Valley of the Jedi in 5 ABY.
As a boy on Somov Rit, Hardin was often rude, skeptical, and argumentative. He rejected Darovit's idealization of the Jedi, believing that reality was not as heroic as his cousin thought. He frequently challenged Darovit's views, often antagonizing him. He struggled to get along with others, preferring to be rid of them and his dull life on Somov Rit. After Zannah's presumed death, Hardin became less confrontational and more likely to show affection for others. He was visibly horrified when Torr Snapit sacrificed himself on Ruusan, crying out in protest. He defended the Jedi's inner nobility after Darovit criticized camp life in the Army of Light and was outraged when his cousin insulted Snapit. Following Darovit's defection, Hardin was furious with his cousin. His anger soon turned into a commitment to join the Jedi and atone for Darovit's actions by taking his place and fighting for the light. He saw their cause as noble, and when he confronted Darovit, he expressed his anger and betrayal at his desertion, scolding him for abandoning the Jedi path.
Root believed that Hardin had a strong connection to the Force. As a young man on Somov Rit, Hardin was able to use the Force to attract fish, allowing him to kill them for food. This was a manifestation of a telepathic ability that enabled him to read the minds of others and communicate with animals.
Writer Darko Macan created the character of Hardin for the comic Jedi vs. Sith, with illustrations by Ramón Bachs. Although he was initially portrayed as the darkest of the three cousins featured in the comic, Hardin was the only one to remain loyal to the light side throughout the entire story.