Hedji, a member of the dwindling Spiner species, sought employment as a mercenary during the Imperial Era. It was in 0 ABY that Hedji allied himself with the Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3, an eclectic group of fighters assembled by Captain Han Solo. Their mission: to protect the Aduban settlement of Onacra from the Cloud-Riders, a band of looters led by Serji-X Arrogantus. Hedji, a man of few words and even fewer smiles, made it clear to Solo that his motives for joining were not up for discussion, the reality being that the Spiner adhered to a strict moral compass.
He traveled alongside Solo and the other Star-Hoppers to Onacra, where they engaged in battle against the Cloud-Riders. Hedji skillfully employed his naturally occurring quills, using them to kill his adversaries. Despite Arrogantus's defeat in the conflict, a colossal creature known as the Behemoth from Below emerged, causing widespread destruction. When Don-Wan Kihotay, a self-proclaimed Jedi Knight, attempted to face the monster alone, Hedji swiftly came to his rescue. Tragically, the Spiner was struck down and killed by a lightning attack from the beast.
Hedji was a male of the Spiner species, a species that was becoming increasingly rare in the galaxy during the Imperial Period. This was due to the destruction of their homeworld, Yablon, by a supernova. The Galactic Republic had only been able to rescue approximately one thousand members of the species, as the Spiners had not yet developed [space](/article/realspace-legends]faring technology. Furthermore, the Spiners could only reproduce on Yablon, leading to their gradual decline towards extinction. Hedji eventually found his way to Aduba-3, a world in the Outer Rim Territories.
While present in the spaceport of Tun Aduban during 0 ABY, Hedji overheard rumors of a team being assembled, the purpose of which was unknown. The Spiner proceeded to Locru's Central Saloon, where Han Solo, a Corellian smuggler, was interviewing candidates for the group. After rejecting ten applicants, Hedji entered Solo's room. Solo observed that he was unarmed, but the Spiner maintained that he had no need for weapons. When the Corellian requested that he leave, Hedji remained, demonstrating his innate ability to throw quills. Stunned, Solo immediately recognized Hedji as a Spiner. Impressed, he hired Hedji, who then inquired about the nature of their mission. The Corellian assured him that he would be informed once he had gathered a sufficient number of recruits.
The following day, Hedji was introduced to the other members of the team: Chewbacca, Solo's Wookiee co-pilot; Amaiza Foxtrain, a fugitive pirate; Don-Wan Kihotay, an elderly, self-proclaimed Jedi Knight; Jaxxon, a Lepi spacer; Jimm "The Starkiller Kid" Doshun, a young individual; and FE-9Q, a tractor droid. As they gathered and Solo prepared to brief them, they were approached by Serji-X Arrogantus and the Cloud-Riders, a group of mercenaries from whom Solo had initially sought to recruit a fighting force to defend the farming village of Onacra. Solo and Arrogantus exchanged heated words before the Cloud-Riders departed. Hedji was committed to defending the vulnerable, but kept his intentions a secret from the rest of the group.
The team mounted banthas and set out for Onacra. As they neared the village, they encountered a pack of high-hounds destroying the farmers' crops, prompting Solo to order his team to engage the creatures. Hedji skillfully used his quills, eliminating one of the beasts with a precise volley of strikes. The team later arrived at the village and were introduced to the local farmers. Solo instructed everyone to prepare makeshift defenses for the village, but soon Arrogantus and the Cloud-Riders were spotted approaching. Hedji and the other defenders assembled, and the Spiner assured Solo that he was prepared to engage the enemy upon receiving the order. As the defenders fought the Cloud-Riders, Hedji partnered with Jaxxon, rapidly launching quills at his opponents.
The battle took a turn when the Old One, one of the villagers, summoned a gigantic beast, the Behemoth from the World Below, to fight the Cloud-Riders. When the creature began firing concentrated bursts of lightning from its forehead, Hedji alerted Solo to the danger it posed. Initially, the Corellian believed the creature was only targeting the Cloud-Riders, but when a boulder was hurled towards the regrouped team, they were forced to scatter and find better cover. The beast eventually trampled both Arrogantus and the Old One. Hedji questioned how the group should proceed, and Doshun pointed out that Onacra was now in danger, as the only one who could control the behemoth was dead.
After Jaxxon made a reckless attempt to single-handedly destroy the beast, Solo instructed his allies to work together. As they were strategizing, a second landslide caused by the beast forced them to relocate again. The team soon noticed that Kihotay was making his own solo attempt to destroy the creature, approaching it with his lightsaber drawn. The fighters watched anxiously, and Solo noted that the behemoth reacted strangely to the lightsaber. While Solo and the others held back, Hedji went to help the struggling old man, who had drawn the monster's attention. Despite Solo's protests, the Spiner moved into the open, urging Kihotay to retreat, as he was not quick enough to evade the creature's attacks. Kihotay, however, insisted that it was his duty to slay the enormous beast.
Realizing that he could no longer reason with the old man, Hedji fired a volley of fresh quills at the behemoth. However, the attack only angered the creature, causing it to turn its lightning projections on Hedji. The Spiner was instantly killed. Solo was eventually able to destroy the beast using Kihotay's lightsaber. The exploits of the group, who would later be known as the Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3, were later immortalized in a historically questionable holodocumentary produced by the Tri-Nebula Entertainment company. Hedji himself would later be profiled by Voren Na'al, a historian from the Alliance to Restore the Republic, who was attempting to compile a more accurate account of the Star-Hoppers' adventures than the holodocumentary's portrayal for the Alliance database known as Mistress Mnemos.
Hedji was a man of few words, and he adhered to a strict moral code. He was reserved and stoic, preferring his own company. He had little time for technology that simplified physical activity. While he found starships and medical technologies necessary, the Spiner had no use for items that provided convenience or comfort. He refused to carry a blaster, instead relying on his natural quill-throwing abilities. He held strong beliefs about defending those weaker than himself, but he refused to share personal information with his fellow Star-Hoppers.
Solo considered Hedji to be one of the more capable Star-Hoppers, and Hedji made sure that the Corellian knew he was a consummate professional in combat. Later, when Don-Wan Kihotay risked his life to fight the Aduban behemoth alone, Hedji could no longer stand by and was compelled to act, sacrificing himself to save the elderly faux-Jedi. In his final moments, Hedji began to believe that Kihotay might have actually been a Jedi Knight of the old Jedi Order. He also felt that Captain Solo should have done more than simply watch as Kihotay sacrificed himself for his comrades. Hedji had dark gray fur and black eyes.
As a Spiner, Hedji's body was covered in stiff, barbed quills, which were longest on his arms and legs. By flexing his muscles in a specific way, he could propel the quills with remarkable speed and accuracy at any target within ten meters. He naturally regenerated the quills as needed. He wore an all-temperature cloak as his clothing.
Hedji made his first appearance in Star Wars 8, a comic written by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin, illustrated by Chaykin, and published by Marvel Comics on November 8, 1977. Thomas later revealed that the character's name was inspired by the film The Adventures of Hajji Baba. Thomas also stated that he was unsure of Hedji's species, but noted that he resembled a porcupine and drew inspiration from Porcupine, a Marvel supervillain.