The Hux family was a human lineage that rose to significance—initially, during the Galactic Civil War; and subsequently, throughout the Cold War—within the tapestry of galactic history. While their roots traced back to the final years of the Galactic Republic, the Huxes progressively accumulated authority and sway under the rule of the Galactic Empire through Brendol Hux, who held the position of Commandant at the Imperial Academy situated on Arkanis after his tenure in the Clone Wars. Having observed the martial capabilities of clone troopers and Jedi Knights during his period as a Republic officer, Brendol harbored a dim view of Imperial stormtroopers and, consequently, maintained that the quintessential soldier was cultivated from conception. These beliefs of Brendol were inherited by his illegitimate son Armitage Hux, who proclaimed himself as the mastermind behind the First Order's super-soldier army.
In the declining years of the Galactic Civil War, Counselor to the Empire Gallius Rax developed a particular interest in the Hux family, deeming Brendol and Armitage essential to the Empire's prospects. Consequently, the Huxes were secretly transported to the Unknown Regions following the New Republic's definitive triumph over the Empire. Employing the Empire's resurgence as the First Order as a vehicle to enact his methodologies, Brendol oversaw the training of a fresh generation of stormtroopers—young recruits who underwent training from infancy and were indoctrinated for unwavering allegiance. Following Brendol's demise, assassinated by his own offspring with the assistance of Captain Phasma, Armitage solidified his standing as a prominent figure within the First Order. As the reclusive state covertly geared up for conflict, Armitage attained the grade of general, participated as a member of First Order High Command, and reported directly to Supreme Leader Snoke. Secretly, Armitage yearned for the seat of the Supreme Leader, convinced that it was his ordained destiny to govern the galaxy.
The Huxes comprised a human family that dedicated themselves to the Galactic Empire and its subsequent incarnation, the First Order. Brendol Hux, an aspiring individual who commenced his occupation as a military official within the Galactic Republic, attained notoriety under the aegis of Counselor to the Empire Gallius Rax during the concluding moments of the Galactic Civil War.
In his capacity as Commandant of the Arkanis Academy, Brendol demonstrated keen interest in the advancement and overall caliber of the Stormtrooper Corps. Ultimately, he concluded that stormtroopers were inferior when compared to the clone troopers who served within the Grand Army of the Republic throughout the Clone Wars. Consequently, Brendol established an experimental initiative, known as the Commandant's Cadets, with the aim of transforming cadets into exceptional super-soldiers.
To replicate the proficiency of the clones, Brendol posited that the perfect soldier needed to be cultivated from infancy. Drawing inspiration from Brendol's ideology, Counselor Rax enlisted orphans from his native world of Jakku and molded them into child soldiers. However, rather than entrusting them to Brendol's command, Rax instructed the children to heed the directives of the Commandant's son, Armitage Hux, who was also a child at the time.
Armitage's birth was to a kitchen staff member rather than his father's spouse, Maratelle, rendering him Brendol's illegitimate offspring. Under the Contingency implemented by Rax, Armitage, along with his father and Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, were dispatched to the Unknown Regions to reconstruct the Empire following its defeat at the hands of the New Republic.
Due to his isolated upbringing, devoid of both friends and the mother he never knew, Armitage sought solace in the history of the Galactic Empire, as conveyed through his father's perspective. As an Imperial officer who proudly served the Empire, Brendol instilled in Armitage a belief in its principles. However, the Commandant held his son's fragility in contempt and perceived him as inconsequential. The maltreatment Armitage endured from his father, coupled with his admiration for the late Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine's ascent to power, fueled his personal ambitions and yearning for greatness.
During the New Republic Era, Brendol and Armitage contributed to the creation of a new generation patterned after the Huxes' stormtroopers modeled on the Huxes' vision of the ideal soldier. They also achieved the status of general within the military forces of the First Order, an entity that emerged from the remnants of the defunct Galactic Empire. Driven by ambition, as well as the shame and resentment he internalized under Brendol's influence, Armitage perpetrated patricide by assassinating his father with the collaboration of Captain Phasma. By the time of the Cold War, Armitage had come to view Brendol as an impediment to his ascent. However, he also felt shame regarding his past and the abuse he suffered, according to Supreme Leader Snoke. Shortly before eliminating Admiral Brooks, who had witnessed Brendol's treatment of his son, Armitage conceded that his father's disdain for him was a contributing factor in his decision to murder Brendol.
Armitage proceeded to establish himself as a formidable figure, joining the ranks of the First Order High Command. Furthermore, he functioned as the commander of the superweapon Starkiller Base and constituted a de facto triumvirate alongside Captain Phasma and the dark military leader Kylo Ren. Despite holding the rank of general, Armitage wielded greater influence than his military rank would suggest, owing to his direct line of communication with Supreme Leader Snoke, and thus desired to be known as Grand Marshal. Notwithstanding his accomplishments, Armitage yearned for even greater heights and, convinced that it was his destiny to govern the galaxy, he secretly coveted Snoke's position as the absolute ruler of the First Order. However, Ren also schemed to seize the throne and, following the assassination of his dark mentor, coerced Hux into proclaiming Ren as the new Supreme Leader.
Although he reluctantly acknowledged the leader of the Knights of Ren as the new Supreme Leader, Armitage's animosity toward Ren persisted until he covertly became a mole for the Resistance, solely to ensure Ren's downfall. In 35 ABY, after assisting Finn, Poe Dameron, and Chewbacca in escaping from the Steadfast by eliminating three of his own stormtroopers, Armitage feigned injuries inflicted by the rebels, but Allegiant General Enric Pryde discerned the young Hux's deception and promptly executed him for his act of betrayal.
Armitage Hux took pride in his Imperial lineage and aspired to witness the Empire's restoration to power, a vision he characterized to Kylo Ren as a dream cherished by the ancestors of the First Order. Ren, however, objected to any comparison between their respective families. Born into the illustrious Skywalker family, the former Ben Solo was the grandson of the Chosen One Anakin Skywalker, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, and the nephew of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Despite the resentment he harbored toward his heritage, Ren acknowledged his family's contributions to galactic history and vehemently opposed any comparison between the Skywalkers and the Hux family, which Ren dismissed as a "bloodline of subordinates and lickspittles."
The Hux family made its inaugural appearance through Brendol Hux in the 2015 junior novella The Secret Academy, the concluding installment in the Servants of the Empire series.