X-7

Biography

Hunt for Skywalker

An Imperial commander, Rezi Soresh, discovered X-7 and took him under his wing. Soresh erased X-7's past and suppressed his emotions, intending to mold him into the perfect assassin. X-7 was one of seven individuals subjected to Soresh's intense training regimen, but he was the sole survivor, becoming Soresh's personal executioner.

After the Battle of Yavin, Soresh tasked X-7 with infiltrating the Rebel Alliance to identify the individual responsible for destroying the Death Star. X-7 successfully gained the Rebels' confidence by adopting the alias "Tobin Elad" and orchestrating the destruction of a TIE/LN starfighter, which he had paid to attack the Millennium Falcon while it was en route to Muunilinst on Rebel business. He eventually managed to sabotage the Millennium Falcon's weapons system and track down Leia Organa.

Upon arrival, they connected with General Carlist Rieekan, and tried to start a new movement for the Rebellion. They later encountered Ferus Olin while he was disguised as Fess. They continued gaining the Rebels' trust until Leia was captured by a group of Alderaan survivors and handed over to the Galactic Empire for revenge. The Alderaanian refugees intended to administer a serum to force her to reveal all she knew. However, X-7 intervened, administering the serum himself and demanding to know who destroyed the Death Star. She identified Skywalker. Upon learning his target's name, X-7 intended to kill her, but Skywalker's arrival prevented him. The assassin would have killed him then and there, but he had to report to Soresh. Skywalker freed Organa, and they returned to the Rebel base.

Upon the group's return to Yavin 4, X-7 proceeded to plant explosives on Luke's speeder bike and frame Solo by placing the evidence in his quarters. When Skywalker started the bike, it exploded, but he managed to jump off and survive, although he sustained severe injuries. X-7 then attempted to suffocate the injured Skywalker, but the presence of a growing crowd deterred him. Solo was accused of the attempted assassination, but Chewbacca helped him escape from his cell, and they fled Yavin IV together. X-7 then sneaked into Luke's room, intending to poison him with Sennari poison. However, Skywalker, along with Organa, R2-D2, and C-3PO, had already left for Tatooine to attend Biggs Darklighter's funeral. X-7 accessed Skywalker's computer files and discovered an invitation to Biggs' funeral. Seeing it as his best lead, he traveled to Tatooine. Once there, he informed Bossk, who was also pursuing Skywalker, of his whereabouts. However, Skywalker defeated Bossk. X-7 was positioned on an overhang with a sniper rifle, ready to eliminate Skywalker. Solo then appeared and held a blaster to X-7's head, who spun around with his blaster, initiating a standoff. Chewie emerged from an Anchorhead cantina, followed by Skywalker and Organa. Solo revealed 'Elad's' true identity, and the Rebels believed him over the traitor. X-7 took off with a hidden jetpack, promising to complete the mission later. Ferus Olin then reappeared to Organa, revealing that he had sent Solo an anonymous tip, as Olin had never trusted Elad.

On the run

For the first time in his life, X-7 met with failure. Uncertain of his next move, he escaped the area. Soresh contacted him, ordering him to return for reconditioning. However, his time with the Alliance had shown him a level of camaraderie he had never experienced. X-7 defied Soresh's orders and embarked on his own mission to assassinate Skywalker. Shortly after, X-7 hired several pilots. He first tested them, during which most were either killed or fled. Six survived, including Lune Divinian. He then unleashed them on Rogue Squadron, who happened to be on Kamino at the time. The pilots ambushed the Rebel pilots, but several more mercenaries were killed. Two crashed on an abandoned cloning facility and faced off against the Rebel pilots. Unbeknownst to them, the Imperials were conducting bio-engineering projects. The creatures killed the other mercenary, forcing Divinian to work with Skywalker to escape the planet. When the Rebels returned to the planet, they imprisoned Divinian.

Endgame

In the Great Temple, Divinian refused to cooperate with the Rebels. Eventually, a commando team broke Divinian out of his cell. After the Rebels investigated his room, they discovered he had been taken to Belazura by Rezi Soresh. When the Heroes of Yavin traveled to the planet, they met up once again with Ferus Olin. They would devise a strategy to raid the Imperial base on Belazura. But to do that, they needed X-7's help. However, during that time, X-7 had confronted Soresh and demanded to know his true identity. Soresh provided him with codes to access an Imperial database containing his real identity; Soresh believed the information had been erased and assumed his search would be futile. However, X-7 discovered his status as Project Omega's most successful creation and his real name: Trever Flume. Flume was believed to have died on Belazura in 12 BBY at the age of nineteen, but his body was never recovered. Instead, he had been captured by the Imperials, undergone facial surgery to eliminate any questions about his identity, and been reconditioned, along with six others.

X-7 then began an extensive search to uncover his true self. It led him to the Divinian family grave, where he questioned locals and learned that he was the brother of the mercenary he had hired to kill Skywalker, Lune Divinian. Div was at the Divinian family home when X-7 arrived, and both sought the truth. Div listened to X-7's story and believed it. He and the Rebels informed him of the planned assault on the Imperial base. After the attack commenced, it became clear that it was a trap set by Soresh. Soresh contacted X-7 and ordered him to complete his mission. Uncertain of what to do, X-7 was confronted by Divinian. Ultimately, X-7 shot Divinian in the shoulder, stunning him. He resolved to finish Div and had a fight with his brother and Ferus Olin. X-7 was stabbed through the heart by Ferus Olin, ending his hunt for Skywalker. However, with his dying words, he asked Div if he had ever mattered to someone. Conflicted, Div finally relented and told him that he had mattered to someone.

Rezi Soresh would later become a fugitive from the Empire for his actions. In his final attempt to exact revenge on Skywalker, he was killed, and his body was left to vaporize when the sun went supernova.

Personality and traits

X-7 possessed the ability to alter his appearance and even his very self using a custom Medpac. He could use his small durasteel mallet to crush his nasal bones. He used a bone fuser to set his bones in different ways if necessary. If his eyes needed changing he would use a colored lens and sometimes would print different drawings and tattoos on himself. He was also a skilled pilot and sniper. During a mission, he would relentlessly pursue his target. Until his encounter with Skywalker, he had never experienced failure.

X-7 also possessed the artificial trait of being a Force blank, meaning he had no connection to the Force. This was first noticed by Ferus Olin while protecting Princess Leia Organa on Delaya. He described X-7 as the Force flowing around him, not through, and his body merely being a hollow shell. This is the only known instance of a Force Blank being artificially created in history.

When he masqueraded as Tobin Elad, his eyes were described as "dead." Despite Soresh's complete reconditioning, he was still capable of feeling emotions. These emotions confused him and led to his ultimate demise. Also, to refer to those emotions, he started to feel angry at Skywalker for escaping death one too many times. He thought he was broken for having wants and for having flashbacks of memories that seemed to belong to another person, another life.

X-7 also developed a photographic memory as a result of Rezi Soresh's treatment.

Behind the scenes

X-7 was created for the Star Wars: Rebel Force series written by Alex Wheeler. To date, it is his only appearance in "Star Wars" canon. In the fifth book, he is told he was a reconditioned Trever Flume. The author hints that this fact is actually true, but X-7's true identity still remains somewhat uncertain.