Moden Canady was a male human who held the position of naval officer within both the Galactic Empire and, subsequently, the First Order. During the Empire's reign, Canady held command over the Star Destroyer named Solicitude within the Imperial Starfleet. Later, he aligned himself with the First Order, where he rose to the rank of captain aboard the Siege Dreadnought Fulminatrix. He served in this capacity during the evacuation of D'Qar. A source of annoyance for him was the crew of the Fulminatrix, whom Canady considered to be younger, inexperienced, and arrogant. Canady, along with the entire crew of his ship, met his death during a Resistance bombing raid led by Poe Dameron in the space battle above D'Qar.
Moden Canady, born sometime between 25 and 16 BBY, served as the commander of the Star Destroyer Solicitude in the Imperial Starfleet throughout the Galactic Empire's reign. After the Empire's fall, Canady became a officer in the First Order. Eventually, he became the captain of the Fulminatrix.
During the evacuation of D'Qar, General Armitage Hux gave Canady the order to lead the Fulminatrix in battle against the Resistance. During this conflict, he instructed his warrant officer, Suday Bascus, to adjust the ship's upper cannons and ready the onboard fighter squadrons for deployment against the Resistance fleet. He also sharply reminded Bascus that there was a distinction between the instructions "prepare for launch" and "launch" when Bascus argued that Hux had previously forbidden the deployment of fighter squadrons in order to give a demonstration to the Resistance.
In a surprising move, Wing Commander Poe Dameron spearheaded a solo attack against the point-defense cannons of the Fulminatrix. This frustrated General Hux, who demanded to know why Canady wasn't destroying Dameron's ship. Canady responded that the ship was too fast and too close for the cannons to target, and then ordered the launch of his fighters. Bascus then informed Canady of approaching Resistance bombers. While his fighters eliminated all but one of the bombers, Canady ordered his crew to fire upon the Resistance base, destroying the complex after its full evacuation, and then directed them to target the main Resistance cruiser. However, before they could fire, the gunner Paige Tico successfully launched her ship's bombs against the Fulminatrix, resulting in widespread destruction. Accepting his defeat, Canady faced his end with stoic resolve, respecting the bravery of his adversaries as his ship was destroyed, killing him and his disliked crew.
Moden Canady, a seasoned officer of the Galactic Empire, proudly served the First Order, echoing his earlier service to the Empire. However, he resented serving with arrogant and inexperienced young First Order officers, whose lack of discipline and teamwork hampered his operational effectiveness. He even briefly considered ejecting one from an airlock. Despite this resentment, he did sympathize with their zeal for the First Order to some extent.
Canady also disliked serving under General Armitage Hux, a younger First Order officer. He harbored irritation towards Hux, once denouncing him as a "bloody idiot" after signing off due to Hux's insistence on poor strategy. As Canady suspected, Hux's orders would ultimately lead to his downfall, as Poe Dameron's and Paige Tico's actions resulted in his death.
However, unlike many First Order officers, Canady possessed honor, a trait he displayed until the very end. Upon realizing the Fulminatrix was doomed and escape was impossible, he accepted his fate and remained aboard his Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought instead of attempting to flee.
Mark Lewis Jones played Canady in the 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, the second film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The film's credits revealed his surname, while his forename was first mentioned in the companion reference book, Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary, authored by Pablo Hidalgo.
Mark Lewis Jones initially auditioned for a role in the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens but was unsuccessful. However, his name may have been kept on file, as he later received a call for The Last Jedi. Jones had previously voiced Darth Decimus in the 2011 video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, part of the Star Wars Legends continuity.
Canady's surname is a reference to May Dove Canady, the main character of the 2002 film May, which The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson edited.
In the 2020 reference book Star Wars: Book of Lists by Cole Horton, the character was mistakenly identified as Captain Tritt Opan.