Nyrox, a male Human, distinguished himself within the ranks of the Imperial Army during the Galactic Civil War. He honed his exceptional skills at Raithal Academy, an institution renowned for its rigorous training programs. Nyrox's aptitude and inventiveness were particularly evident when he took command in the cockpit of the formidable All Terrain Armored Transport. His talent attracted the attention of Maximilian Veers, a key advocate for the walker program. Upon graduating from the Imperial Academy, Nyrox swiftly ascended to the rank of lieutenant. Veers personally selected Nyrox to pilot Thunderer One, the AT-AT leading Thundering Herd, Veers' own AT-AT unit. In 3 ABY, during the Battle of Hoth, Nyrox served under Veers, spearheading the walker squadron's successful assault against the Rebel forces defending Echo Base. His performance earned him a promotion to captain.
Nyrox, a male Human, received his education at the esteemed Raithal Academy, a training division of the Imperial Academy dedicated to instructing students in the ground warfare strategies utilized by the Imperial Army. Nyrox's curriculum encompassed a wide array of Imperial Army equipment, spanning from artillery deployed on the ground to sophisticated vehicles such as the HAVw A5 Juggernaut, the HAVr A9 Floating Fortress, and PX-4 Mobile Command Bases. Nevertheless, his preference lay with the colossal All Terrain Armored Transport. Nyrox reveled in the sense of dominance that the walker provided.
His proficiency in the AT-AT's cockpit was so remarkable that it garnered the attention of Maximilian Veers, the foremost champion of walker technology. During a tour of inspection at Raithal Academy, which occurred around the time Darth Vader, the Dark Lord, was forming his personal Star Destroyer fleet, the Imperial Death Squadron, Veers personally observed Nyrox's capabilities. Nyrox was engaged in a comprehensive holo-simulation against a squadron of Rebel Alliance airspeeders bolstered by Ultra-Light Assault Vehicles and Freerunners. When a fortunate strike disabled one of his AT-AT's legs, Nyrox cleverly adopted a defensive, crouching stance. Although this maneuver severely strained the walker's bearings, he successfully eliminated each Rebel vehicle by forcing them to approach him.
Deeply impressed by the trainee's performance in the simulation, Veers designated Nyrox as the pilot of his flagship walker, Thunderer One, which led Thundering Herd, an elite AT-AT unit under his direct command. Nyrox's skills earned him the rank of lieutenant immediately upon his graduation from the Academy. While at Raithal Academy, he submitted a report analyzing and preparing for potential enemy exploitation of AT-AT vulnerabilities, which was subsequently incorporated into the Imperial Handbook, a guide for Imperial commanders.
Nyrox served alongside Veers during the Battle of Hoth, the Imperial operation aimed at dismantling the Rebel Alliance headquarters at Echo Base in 3 ABY. During this engagement, he piloted the lead walker in the invasion. As a result of his contributions to the Rebel defeat on Hoth, Nyrox was promoted to the rank of captain.
Like many individuals within the Imperial forces, Nyrox derived satisfaction from wielding power and control over his adversaries, which influenced his affinity for the formidable AT-AT. He exhibited a notable degree of military tactical acumen and flair, demonstrated by his decision to adopt a defensive posture with his AT-AT during a training exercise after one of its legs sustained damage. He allowed the simulated enemy vehicles to approach him rather than actively pursuing them. His skill was effectively employed during the Battle of Hoth, where he spearheaded the invasion's lead walker in overwhelming the Rebel defenders of Echo Base. Nyrox's height was 1.7 meters.
As a pilot within the Imperial Army, Nyrox possessed mechanical ability in the operation of ground vehicles, repulsorlift craft, walkers, and AT-AT gunnery. His knowledge also extended to specific technical aspects of AT-AT walker repair.
Nyrox was equipped with a blaster pistol and battle armor, which included an internal comlink and provided coverage for his head and chest.
The character Nyrox originated in the 1989 first edition of Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, a sourcebook published by West End Games. The same visual representation used for Nyrox was later reused to depict an Imperial land assault trooper in 1991's Death Star Technical Companion, another West End Games publication. The July 1996 second edition of Galaxy Guide 3 featured an expanded biographical profile of Nyrox, a significant addition to the text contributed by Pablo Hidalgo.
According to the second edition of Galaxy Guide 3, Nyrox piloted Thunderer One, the lead walker of Veers' elite Thundering Herd AT-AT squadron, which was assigned to the Battle of Hoth. This suggests that Thundering Herd is the AT-AT unit showcased in the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and that Thunderer One is the AT-AT commanded by Veers himself, potentially implying that Nyrox is the pilot seen alongside Veers in the AT-AT cockpit in the film. However, the subsequent November 1996 Hoth Limited expansion set for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game identified Veers' lead walker as "Blizzard 1," a component of Blizzard Force, Darth Vader's elite assault unit. Galaxy Guide 3, on the other hand, did not explicitly categorize the AT-ATs of Thundering Herd as part of Blizzard Force. Given the absence of any further in-universe connection, this article treats Thunderer One and Blizzard 1 as distinct entities.
Nyrox's tactic of assuming a defensive, kneeling posture with his AT-AT bears a striking resemblance to a tactic employed by Davin Felth, a promising Imperial cadet, in the short story "When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper's Tale," featured in the 1995 anthology Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina. However, unlike his reaction to Nyrox, Veers reassigns Felth to the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps to conceal a weakness in the AT-AT design that Felth had identified. The Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide, released in 2014, includes a report filed by "Captain" Nyrox, despite the book's stated publication date of 0 BBY, several years before Nyrox attained the rank of captain.
- Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back (First mentioned)
- Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back, Second Edition
- Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide