A human male known as Paltr Carvin once served as a General within the Galactic Empire's military and also held the position of Tribune on the Imperial Ruling Council around 5 ABY. After Interim Emepror Sate Pestage was accused of treason and subsequently fled Coruscant, Carvin and the council took power. Carvin, in collaboration with Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard, issued an arrest warrant for Pestage, which led to the former Grand Vizier's capture on Ciutric IV.
To retrieve Pestage and bring him back to Coruscant, Carvin tasked Admiral Delak Krennel with the mission; however, the evacuation of Ciutric disrupted the plan. New Republic agents had rescued Pestage, but they were stranded on the planet due to the presence of the Interdictor Star Destroyer Binder. Krennel's initial handling of the situation was a failure, turning it into a debacle. Meanwhile, Isard orchestrated the assassination of Carvin's closest allies, and then had Carvin himself arrested. As his control over the Empire slipped away, Carvin was imprisoned within the Lusankya prison facility, where Isard intended to recondition him into a loyal servant.
Around 5 ABY, Paltr Carvin, a general within the Imperial Military, was appointed to the Imperial Ruling Council. Following the initial death of Galactic Emperor Palpatine above the forest moon of Endor in 4 ABY, the council and Grand Vizier Sate Pestage engaged in a brief power struggle to dominate the Galactic Empire. Pestage ultimately seized the throne, declaring himself Interim Emperor. The council, eager to depose Pestage and gain control of the Empire, formed an informal alliance with Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard, who served as a seemingly neutral go-between for the council and Pestage. In the wake of the disastrous Battle of Brentaal IV, Isard summoned the council, led by Carvin, to a meeting. She implied that Pestage had secretly allied with the New Republic and planned to cede the Empire to them. Isard specifically suspected that Pestage had secretly met with Princess Leia Organa of the New Republic on the crime-ridden planet Axxila and subsequently ordered her release.
Carvin expressed skepticism. When Isard claimed to possess incriminating data files from "confidential sources," he accused her of dishonesty. Isard did not object to the accusation, instead asserting that her primary concern was the security of the state. Contemplating her report, Carvin concluded that if Isard's claims were accurate, the council would need to govern in Pestage's place. However, council member Challer cautioned the general and proceeded to question Isard. The director requested that the council remove Emperor Pestage from power and put an end to his treasonous actions, and Carvin agreed to her demand.
Consequently, Isard received carte blanche to ground ships to prevent Pestage's escape from Coruscant. Simultaneously, Carvin and his tribunal charged Pestage with treason, issued a warrant for his arrest, and assumed control of the Galactic Empire. Carvin, as the head of the tribunal, effectively took command of the Empire. In his new role as Tribune, Carvin displayed the rank insignia of an admiral. Despite the curfew, Pestage managed to escape to Ciutric IV, only to be apprehended by Governor Brothic. Isard prepared to dispatch her own forces to "recover" him, ostensibly for a trial on Coruscant. Carvin, however, forbade Isard from transporting Pestage, instructing her agents only to secure him. Concurrently, he ordered Admiral Delak Krennel to travel to Ciutric IV aboard the Star Destroyer Reckoning, to personally retrieve Pestage.
Isard initially protested, then requested permission to observe Pestage's retrieval personally. Carvin questioned Isard's responsibilities on Coruscant, expressing disbelief. He and his colleagues denied Isard's request, instructing her to delegate the task to Krennel and attend to her duties on the capital. Disobeying the tribunal, the director dispatched her agents to Ciutric IV. At the same time, Republic commandos attacked the planet and freed Pestage from custody. Both Krennel and Isard's forces failed to prevent the escape, but the presence of the Intel Director's Interdictor Star Destroyer, Binder, which could prevent ships from entering hyperspace, prevented the Republic from escaping and forced them to retreat to the wilderness of Ciutric IV.
Carvin and the tribunal placed the entire blame for the debacle on Isard, severely reprimanding her for insubordination. The general warned the director that any future non-cooperation with the tribunal would result in the abrupt termination of her career. Carvin then provided Krennel with additional fighters to flush out the Republic agents, but the TIE craft were subsequently destroyed by Rogue Squadron.
Due to the tribunal's criticism and the jeopardizing of her position as Intelligence Director, Isard decided to expedite her plan to eliminate the council. While Krennel engaged Rogue Squadron above Ciutric, Isard systematically eliminated the tribunes. She had her agents assassinate Tribunes Challer and Plumba, alarming Carvin. Before he could react, Isard dispatched Royal Guards to apprehend him. The guards beat the general before presenting him to the triumphant Isard. Helpless before the director, he could only denounce her for treason. Isard intended to make Carvin serve her as she assumed his role as ruler of the Empire, but the general refused to cooperate. Unfazed, the director expressed confidence that a period in the Lusankya prison facility would change his mind. Carvin was then dragged away from Isard and taken into captivity.
Paltr Carvin, driven by ambition, readily seized Sate Pestage's position when the Grand Vizier faced accusations of betraying the Empire. While his colleagues, such as Challer, occasionally restrained him, he was generally regarded as the leader of the Empire following Pestage's departure from Coruscant. His leadership initially inspired confidence in figures like Delak Krennel, but his later attempts to shift blame to conceal his own errors undermined the faith some had placed in him.
Carvin dismissed Ysanne Isard as insignificant and readily challenged her arguments during meetings. Isard reciprocated this sentiment, viewing the general as a fool. Carvin swiftly rejected Isard's request to travel to Ciutric IV and, along with his colleagues, mocked the director by listing her failed objectives. Later, even when bloodied and defeated before Isard, he remained defiant and refused to serve her, although she remained confident that the Lusankya prison facility would alter his resolve.
Paltr Carvin's debut occurred in X-Wing Rogue Squadron 32, penned by Michael A. Stackpole and illustrated by Steve Crespo. This issue marked the beginning of Mandatory Retirement, the final story arc of the Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron comic series. Carvin also appeared in the subsequent three issues of Mandatory Retirement, all written by Stackpole and featuring illustrations by Crespo and John Nadeau.