As a member of the Scyre clan, Torben fought as one of Phasma's warriors. He once aided Phasma in protecting Frey, the Scyre's only child, from the Claw clan, who were under the leadership of Balder. Later, a First Order starship, carrying Brendol Hux, was downed by Parnassos' automated defense system. Brendol and three stormtroopers found themselves near Claw territory after landing in their escape pod. Torben joined Phasma and her warriors in disrupting Balder's negotiations with Brendol, resulting in the deaths of Balder and a dozen Claw warriors. They escorted Brendol and his troopers back to the Scyre, hoping to secure passage off-planet in exchange for delivering him to his ship. Keldo, their leader, deemed the risk too great and refused to help. Undeterred, Phasma, Torben, his close friend Carr, his love Siv, and Gosta departed that night with Brendol and his troopers.
The group traversed Claw territory and entered the desert beyond. In the desert, Carr was bitten by a Parnassos beetle and became ill. As they pressed on, Carr's condition worsened. During an attack by bandits riding lizard sleds, Carr dissolved into a black liquid, which was then consumed by Parnassos blood beetles. Freed from Carr's burden, they continued their journey and encountered a large mass. Brendol fired upon it, causing a swarm of creatures to scatter, revealing a carcass covered in warty skin wolves. Despite the efforts of Torben and the others, the troopers quickly eliminated the wolves. Brendol, however, sustained an injury during the attack and became infected. Before he succumbed to the infection, they were rescued by the droid TB-3, who led them to a Con Star Mining Corporation facility. The facility's droids saved Brendol, but demanded payment for their services, forcing the group to work until Brendol awoke and helped them disable the droids.
The group then stole a Ground Assault Vehicle (GAV) and drove it until they were caught in a trap near Arratu Station. The inhabitants captured them and forced them to fight for their entertainment. During their captivity, the other prisoners consumed LE-2003, one of the stormtroopers, who had been mortally wounded in the trap. In their second battle for the Arratu leader's amusement, Phasma and Torben defeated a large warrior. Phasma used Torben as a platform to reach the leader's booth and decapitate him. She then claimed leadership of the city and used its resources to facilitate their escape. They traveled on two stolen GAVs and encountered a large fence surrounding the dead lands, guarded by a Gand named Churkk. While they were speaking with Churkk, the remaining Scyre and Claw clan members, led by Keldo, ambushed them, resulting in Gosta's death. Torben and the others managed to escape through the fence.
Their journey continued until they reached the ship. As they attempted to access the cockpit, Keldo and the two clans attacked once more. During the ensuing battle, Torben found himself in a duel with his brother. Despite having multiple chances to kill his brother, Torben hesitated, and ultimately, his brother killed him. Phasma and the remaining members of the group killed Keldo and the last of the attacking clan members, except for Frey, the child. The First Order arrived and evacuated Phasma, Brendol, and Frey, leaving Siv as the sole survivor in the area. Siv later gave birth to a child in Calliope Station, near the crash site, and named him Torbi in honor of her deceased friend and love, Torben. The father of the child was either Torben or Keldo.
Delilah S. Dawson's 2017 novel, Phasma, marked Torben's first appearance. Dawson drew inspiration from actor Jason Momoa when developing the character. Later, a male figure appeared in a flashback scene in the third issue of the miniseries Star Wars: Captain Phasma. Dawson later confirmed that this individual was indeed Torben.