Hodnar Borrum was a human male who held the rank of officer within the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic, and later in the Imperial Army of its successor state, the Galactic Empire. Near the conclusion of the Clone Wars, a three-year war that ended with the transition from the Republic to the Empire, it is said that Borrum spearheaded the assault on the final Jedi resistance, personally leading clone troopers against a fortified mountain stronghold. Borrum advanced to the rank of general in the Imperial Military, serving for such an extended period that he became widely known as "the Old Man" throughout the Empire.
Despite this, perhaps due to his advanced age or his lack of regard for the Force, Borrum was never elevated to the position of Grand General, an honor bestowed upon Kenner Loring instead. Following the Empire's significant defeat at Endor, General Borrum was granted a position on the Shadow Council, a clandestine military advisory group headed by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax. Borrum subsequently led the Imperial ground forces during the devastating Battle of Jakku, which resulted in the New Republic's victory in the Galactic Civil War.
During the [Clone Wars](/article/clone_wars], Hodnar Borrum held a position as an officer in the Grand Army of the Republic. He is believed to have participated in the Great Jedi Purge, commanding clone troopers against Jedi who had taken refuge in a mountain fortress, possibly located on Madar or Morad. Borrum continued his service within the army of the Galactic Empire, eventually attaining the rank of general. By 5 ABY, Borrum had acquired the moniker "the Old Man" among his Imperial Military colleagues, a testament to his extensive service to both the Republic and the Empire.
Despite his vast experience and skill as a general, Borrum was not promoted to Grand General. That position was instead given to Kenner Loring. Some, like Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, speculated that his age, practicality, and disdain for the Force, which likely angered Darth Vader, were the reasons he was passed over. Borrum was among the high-ranking Imperial officers who survived the disastrous aftermath of the Battle of Endor. Due to his abilities and reputation, Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax recruited Borrum into his secret Shadow Council, a clandestine advisory council that secretly governed the Empire's remnants. Rax, along with his figurehead Sloane, commanded Imperial forces in the Vulpinus Nebula.
During the Shadow Council's inaugural dinner, General Borrum observed that the Empire was facing a curious reversal of fortune. He suggested that many Imperials had not yet accepted the reality that the Empire was no longer a dominant power. Sloane and the Imperial propagandist Ferric Obdur agreed, advocating that the Empire should portray itself as an underdog fighting to save the galaxy. Rax was pleased with Borrum and his comrades' ideas, entering the room to announce that he had formed the Shadow Council as a think tank to rebuild the Empire.
Rax then informed the Shadow Council that he secretly commanded other Imperial remnant fleets in various locations, including the Almagest, the Recluse's Nebula, the Queluhan Nebula, the Ro-Loo Triangle, and the Inamorata. When Borrum pointed out that the Empire still needed ground troops and equipment, Rax revealed that the Empire still controlled factories on the Outer Rim worlds of Zhadalene, Korrus, and Belladoon. Rax pledged to use these resources to cripple the New Republic, the successor government to the Rebel Alliance.
Following the attack on Chandrila, General Borrum and the other members of the Shadow Council attended an unscheduled meeting with Fleet Admiral Rax. Rax claimed that Grand Admiral Sloane had been lost to the New Republic and that every effort was being made to find her. When Rax declared his intention to continue her vision for the Empire, Borrum questioned whether Rax was claiming the title of Emperor or Grand Admiral. Rax responded that he was unworthy of such high positions and instead chose to take on the title of Counselor to the Empire, serving as an interim leader until Sloane's return.
Borrum, skeptical of Rax's decision, argued that it was unprecedented and would leave the Empire without direction. Rax countered that the Empire needed to evolve and that the position of Counselor would only be temporary. Borrum then noted that the office of Emperor had not been temporary when Sheev Palpatine ceased to be Supreme Chancellor of the former Republic. Rax simply replied, "perhaps." When Borrum demanded to know why Rax had brought them to the strategically insignificant planet of Jakku, Rax claimed that it would serve as a testing ground for the Empire amidst the chaos engulfing the New Republic after the attack on Chandrila. Secretly, Rax planned to eliminate Borrum and the other Council members, except for Commandant Brendol Hux, whom he considered essential to his plans.
For several months, the Empire waited on Jakku for the New Republic to attack. Rax justified their presence on Jakku by claiming that the planet's harsh, arid conditions would strengthen the Imperials into a more formidable fighting force. In reality, Rax was carrying out the Emperor's posthumous Contingency plan to dismantle the Empire and begin anew. This plan involved destroying much of the Empire and bringing a select group to the Unknown Regions to rebuild it. During this time, Borrum was stationed aboard the Ravager, the Imperial command ship.
After the New Republic deployed a probe droid and scout ship to Jakku, Borrum attended a Shadow Council meeting. During the meeting, Borrum voiced his impatience with the prolonged wait. He explained that his men were becoming weary and demoralized from being on constant alert for so long. Grand Moff Randd countered that the New Republic's slow arrival would allow the Imperial forces to reinforce their positions. Borrum was also known to collect artifacts from the Clone Wars. When Imperial forces captured the B1-series battle droid Mister Bones, the Imperial officer Effney considered sending him to Borrum. However, Bones managed to kill Effney and free Norra Wexley, the mother of his master Temmin Wexley, from Imperial captivity.
During the Battle of Jakku, General Borrum commanded the Imperial ground forces. Unaware of Rax's true intentions, he assured the Counselor that they would win the battle. Borrum's forces employed unconventional tactics to slow down the New Republic landing forces. The battle turned in favor of the New Republic after the Super Star Destroyer Ravager was destroyed, depriving the Imperials of a central command.
Hodnar Borrum was a battle-hardened military officer with experience in both the Galactic Republic's and the Galactic Empire's armies. He was a practical General who did not subscribe to the beliefs of the Force. By 5 ABY, Borrum was an elderly man with deep lines, craggy features, and dark age spots on his cheeks. However, his eyes remained sharp and clear. Borrum was an astute and insightful thinker who enjoyed posing difficult questions.
Borrum was critical of Fleet Admiral Rax's strategies and tactics. He objected to Rax's decision to appoint himself Counselor to the Empire, arguing that he was failing to take full leadership of the Imperial remnants following Sloane's supposed capture by the New Republic. He was also puzzled by Rax's decision to gather the Imperial remnant fleets over Jakku for a final confrontation with the New Republic, viewing Jakku as a strategically unimportant and desolate world.
Borrum later expressed his disapproval of Counselor Rax's decision to bring the Empire to Jakku to await a final showdown with the New Republic. He pointed out that the planet's harsh conditions were negatively impacting the mental and physical well-being of his troops. Borrum later expressed confidence in the Empire's victory in the Battle of Jakku, unaware that Rax was implementing the Emperor's posthumous Contingency plan to destroy the Empire and rebuild it.
Hodnar Borrum made his first appearance as a supporting character in Chuck Wendig's 2016 and 2017 novels Aftermath: Life Debt and Aftermath: Empire's End, the second and third books in The Aftermath Trilogy. Most of his dialogue is presented from the perspectives of Rae Sloane and Gallius Rax.