The Tempest Zero starfighter represented a specific starfighter design. This model was flown by Tofen's Raiders, a squadron of elite pilots, or ace flyers, originating from the planet of Valahari. Throughout the Clone Wars, a conflict fought between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Tofen's Raiders leveraged these fighters to conduct numerous missions for the Confederacy across its northern regions.
The initial reference to Tempest Zero starfighters within the updated Star Wars canon universe occurred in Rise of the Separatists. This was a 2019 addition to the Star Wars Roleplaying game series developed by Fantasy Flight Games. In the Star Wars Legends timeline, the Tempest Zero was initially featured in the tenth issue of the comic-book series titled Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This issue was written collaboratively by Henry Gilroy and Steven Melching, with illustrations by Brian Koschak, and was released on November 11, 2009 by Dark Horse Comics.