Ketcher

Prior to the events of the Battle of Hoth, Ketcher enlisted in the Imperial Navy. Around the time the Imperial forces triumphed over the Rebel Alliance at Hoth in 3 ABY, Ketcher was a TIE pilot with the rank of flight officer stationed on the EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate Fogger. He cultivated strong friendships with two fellow pilots, Alimet and Carith, also known as "Grommet," and the three spent a considerable amount of their free time together, playing sabacc or engaging in practical jokes. During a series of Imperial offensives following the Battle of Hoth, which culminated in the destruction of the Rebel MC40a light cruiser Lulsla, the trio encountered the future ace pilot Maarek Stele, who at the time was a newly assigned cadet on the Fogger. Stele eventually became a close friend to Ketcher and the others.

Shortly after the destruction of the Lulsla, Stele was reassigned to the Victory-class Star Destroyer Protector, leaving his friends behind on the Fogger. During this period, Ketcher and his comrades faced numerous perilous situations, and Carith was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. The group was later reunited with Stele, who had since been promoted to captain, when all four were assigned to the Nebulon-B2 frigate Ludwick, as part of Vice Admiral Thrawn's fleet operating in the Pakuuni system.

Thrawn's mission was to establish a new Imperial base within the system. The campaign commenced when the vice admiral took his flagship, the Victory-class Star Destroyer Stalwart, to Argoon to collect the necessary parts and equipment for the base's construction. Stele was tasked with identifying the specific cargo containers containing the required equipment for delivery to the Stalwart, but the operation was jeopardized by the arrival of Rebel forces. Ketcher was among the Imperial pilots who fought to repel the Rebel assault.

During this assignment, Carith persuaded his friends to join him on an unauthorized visit to the ship's hangar during one of Thrawn's visits. Their intention was to take some TIE fighters for an unscheduled flight, but upon seeing Thrawn, they observed from behind some TIE bombers as the vice admiral explained their mission to the Ludwick's commanding officer, Commander Buckeye. Thrawn then dispatched the Ludwick to destroy a Pakuuni Pirate base to facilitate the construction of the new Imperial facility. Ketcher performed admirably during the mission, as Imperial fighters destroyed several cargo containers, pirate starfighters, and the CR90 corvettes Leach, Clavier, and Grapler.

Following the destruction of the Pakuuni Pirate base, Commander Buckeye discovered that a group of pilots had infiltrated the hangar during his meeting with Thrawn. It didn't take him long to identify the culprits, and he punished them by assigning them to clean up and salvage parts from the wrecked pirate base before the arrival of the new Imperial base equipment. The group realized that their punishment could have been more severe, as Buckeye had been lenient due to their recent performances, and they appreciated the opportunity to spend some time away from the Ludwick.

The pilots found little of value at the pirate base, but among the discarded droid and transport components, Ketcher discovered a small, red crystal that caught his attention. He showed it to his friends, who suggested he turn it over to his superiors, but Ketcher, believing it to be valuable, decided to keep it for himself and swallowed it to avoid confiscation. After the crystal passed through his system, he kept it on a small wire around his neck.

Construction of the new Imperial station progressed rapidly, and soon station NL-1 was nearing completion. Thrawn was scheduled to arrive in the Stalwart to inspect the facility, and the Ludwick's pilots were assigned to protect the vice admiral while his transport traveled to and from the station and the Stalwart. Ketcher and his friends were summoned to a briefing by Buckeye regarding the upcoming mission. With most of the ship's TIE interceptors undergoing repairs after recent missions, the pilots were forced to use a combination of TIE interceptors and TIE bombers. Nevertheless, they successfully defended against attacks from both Rebel and Pakuuni forces until Thrawn safely returned to the Stalwart.

In the weeks that followed, Ketcher became increasingly withdrawn. After a mission for which he was not scheduled, his friends decided to visit him in his quarters, where they found him looking listless and barely acknowledging their presence. Concerned about him, the group tried to persuade him to join them for a game of sabacc to cheer him up, but Ketcher assured them that he was fine and simply needed to rest. This would be the last time Stele saw his friend alive.

Ketcher passed away sometime between this tour of duty and the completion of the TIE/D Defender prototypes by Grand Admiral Demetrius Zaarin. Stele had been transferred off the Ludwick before Ketcher's death, but he eventually received the news from Alimet, and both of them briefly mourned the loss of their comrade.

Ketcher was a tall man, just shy of the maximum height allowed for an Imperial TIE pilot. His height caused him to stand with his shoulders forward and his head craned, a posture that Stele thought made him appear to have difficulty hearing. He had pale skin, reddish-brown hair, and thin lips, and his hands were long, thin, and appeared slightly deformed to Stele. Despite his height, Commander Buckeye considered Ketcher to be one of his best pilots.

He was an integral part of a close-knit group of friends consisting of Stele, Alimet, and Carith. The group spent most of their time together, although Ketcher was not particularly energetic and preferred to play sabacc, a game in which he was known for his bluffing skills. The group was known for playing pranks on the crew. On more than one occasion, Carith would imitate the call of a Tusken Raider outside the officer's mess, and the group would run and hide while their superiors came out to investigate. It was during one of these incidents that they met Stele, who covered for them by claiming he had seen an escaped animal running past.

However, Ketcher was the most reclusive member of the group. When Stele came to say goodbye before his first transfer, the others gave him a warm farewell, while Ketcher barely looked up from the holofilm he was watching. After discovering the crystal, Ketcher's energy waned, and he became increasingly isolated, making little effort to spend time with his friends.

Ketcher was a character created by Rusel DeMaria for the 1994 book TIE Fighter: The Official Strategy Guide, which told the story of Maarek Stele, the player character in the game Star Wars: TIE Fighter. In the book, Ketcher is portrayed as a friend of Stele's and identified as one of the previously unnamed pilots of the non-player starfighters in the game. During the character's introduction, his name is spelled "Ketchel," but it is spelled "Ketcher" throughout the rest of the book. Since the latter spelling is more frequent, it is assumed to be the correct one.

The nature of the crystal found by Ketcher at the Pakuuni Pirate base remains ambiguous in the book, as do the details of his death. However, the Force-sensitive Stele sensed a dangerous power emanating from the crystal when Ketcher first discovered it.