Rav Horan was a male human enrolled as an Imperial cadet at the Galactic Empire's officers' academy located on the planet of Arkanis. His physical build was described as "wiry". As a cadet in attendance at this academy, he was in the running to become an Imperial officer. Being among the top-performing cadets at the academy, Horan held membership in the Commandant's Cadets, an exclusive group of cadets personally selected by the academy's leading officer, Commandant Brendol Hux.
On his initial day at Arkanis Academy, Zare Leonis, who was there on a mission to locate his sister, first encountered Horan. When Leonis attempted to join Horan and other cadets at their table, Horan informed him that the seat was unavailable because Leonis wasn't "one of them," implying that perhaps he could join them if he proved to be "good enough." Leonis soon discovered that this group was known as the Commandant's Cadets. During a Strategy and Tactics class taught by Colonel Julyan, Horan brought up leadership as a vital attribute for an officer, a quality that Julyan believed many individuals struggled to define. Later, Leonis ran into Horan at a formal gathering and jokingly inquired if such gatherings always coincided with the appearance of the sun on the planet, alluding to Arkanis's rainy climate. Horan responded with laughter and a pat on Leonis's back. Horan was also present during the tribunal where Leonis was exposed as a traitor and given a death sentence. Alongside the other Commandant's Cadets, he participated in stripping Leonis of his ceremonial attire.