Kirby

As a Human male, Kirby became a member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the conflict known as the Galactic Civil War, serving as a pilot of starfighters and achieving the rank of commander by 3 ABY. Following the Battle of Hoth that occurred in 3 ABY, Kirby received the assignment to command a B-wing squadron on a patrol mission near the Dreighton Triangle, a region of space infamous for reports of ghost ships dating back to the Battle of Dreighton during the Clone Wars. Unbeknownst to the Rebels, the Galactic Empire was exploiting these mysterious occurrences to conceal the testing of the TIE Phantom, a newly developed starfighter equipped with a cloaking device that rendered it undetectable to other vessels.

During the patrol, the Rebels received a distress signal originating from within the Dreighton Nebula. Kirby instructed "Rookie One," a young Rebel pilot and one of his wingmates, to join him, and they separated from the squadron to investigate the nebula. Upon entering the nebula, the two Rebels established contact with the captain of the YT-1300 light freighter Corellia Star, whose ship was under assault by Imperial fighters. The captain stated that he possessed information of critical importance to the Alliance, but signal interference disrupted the transmission. As they moved to provide assistance, they were swiftly intercepted by a large number of TIE fighters. Despite being outnumbered, Kirby and Rookie One managed to eliminate the enemy fighters, but not before the Imperials boarded and seized control of the Corellia Star. With the area secured, the Rebels proceeded toward the planet Dreighton in pursuit of the captured freighter.

Kirby remembered a Rebel patrol vanishing in the same area three days prior and found it suspicious that the TIEs had arrived so quickly to the freighter. He suspected something was amiss, and warned Rookie One to remain alert as they neared the planet. The younger pilot soon detected the distress signal, but a TIE Phantom decloaked behind his B-wing and opened fire moments after. Rookie One's fighter lost an S-foil and hurtled toward the planet's surface, though the pilot managed to eject before the crash. With one B-wing destroyed, the Imperial pilot targeted Kirby's B-wing. Unable to avoid the enemy laser fire, Kirby was killed when his starfighter exploded.

Kirby was a seasoned pilot who had a serious attitude. He was well-regarded and respected by his subordinates, due to his personable nature. He tended to be cynical, and he made fun of Rookie One for seemingly believing in the Dreighton Triangle's ghost ship legends.

Kirby's character was conceived for the 1995 video game Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire, developed by LucasArts, where he appears in the cutscenes for the initial two levels. Chopper Bernet portrayed the character. In the game, if Rookie One is killed during the level titled "The Dreighton Triangle," the game over cutscene shows Kirby reporting Rookie One's death and stating that he will continue to Dreighton alone.

Vincent Lee, the designer of Rebel Assault II, created storyboards and scripts which included a brief description of Kirby, dated November 16, 1994. Although it was not included in the game or its manual, the biography was adapted for the LucasArts website and later published in Rob Smith's Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts. Lee's notes indicate that the character was in his early forties, although his age is not specified in the game or his online biography. Lee also noted the actors he thought embodied each character in the game, selecting Ed Harris to represent Kirby.

The article "Excerpts from the Journal of a Rebel Pilot" by Sue Seserman in Star Wars Insider 27 was presented as Rookie One's diary entries regarding the mission to the Dreighton Nebula. The article incorrectly describes the circumstances of Kirby's death, stating that his B-wing was destroyed before Rookie One's, while Rebel Assault II depicts Kirby's death occurring after Rookie One has already crashed on Dreighton.

The props and costumes used in the original trilogy of Star Wars films were also used during the filming of Rebel Assault II. The flight helmet worn by Kirby is of the same design as the one worn by Wedge Antilles in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.