Before the events of 4 ABY, Kovacs served as a stormtrooper and was stationed on the Forest moon of Endor. He belonged to a platoon tasked with establishing communication with the indigenous Ewoks. An Ewok placed a flower inside the barrel of a trooper's blaster, which the platoon leader wrongly perceived as an attempt to sabotage their weaponry, resulting in an order to fire upon the Ewoks. Following this incident, the Ewoks initiated nocturnal assaults against the Imperials, including Kovacs, who was later discovered by his fellow squad members, his body defiled.