The criminal syndicate boss Toren, also known as Papa Toren, was a male Axaleem who ran his operations on the planet Castell. After Lando Calrissian managed to retrieve one of Toren's possessions, the crime lord manipulated the smuggler into undertaking the theft of the Emperor Palpatine's private vessel, the Imperialis, as a means of settling his outstanding obligations. By the time the New Republic era had arrived, Toren, along with his Ximpi associates, found himself incarcerated at the Megalox [prison](/article/prison] facility located on the planet Megalox Beta. In a failed attempt to break free from imprisonment, Toren made an agreement with Terex, a First Order Agent, to assassinate Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot, along with his Black Squadron, and to launch an assault on the fortress of Grakkus the Hutt. This scheme ultimately failed, leading Terex to abandon Toren and his fellow criminals to their demise under the crushing atmospheric pressure of Megalox Beta.
At a certain point in time, Papa Toren orchestrated the delivery of various presents to Grakkus the Hutt. These gifts included items such as Maz Kanata's Journal and a Mark VII Gladiator Droid.
During the Galactic Empire's presence on Castell, Moff Ssaria pilfered a valuable trinket belonging to Toren. Subsequently, Toren enlisted the services of Lando Calrissian, a smuggler, to retrieve the trinket from Ssaria as a way to settle his debt. However, Toren went back on his word and informed Calrissian that only a small portion of his debt had been cleared. To fully repay the debt, Toren commissioned Calrissian to steal the Imperialis, the personal luxury yacht of Emperor Palpatine. Toren assured Calrissian that his sole interest was in acquiring the vessel itself, allowing Calrissian to retain its contents. During this arrangement, Toren was assisted by a Ximpi, who facilitated communication between him and Calrissian.
Lando accepted the proposition and recruited Lobot, the Ugnaught scholar Korin Pers, along with the alien clones Aleksin and Pavol, to aid in the operation. Utilizing stealth suits provided by Toren, they successfully infiltrated the Sienar Fleet Systems Orbital Shipyard CC-24 and absconded with the yacht. Following a pursuit by a squadron of Imperial Star Destroyers, Lando and his team discovered the ship's true identity and the Sith artifacts it contained. Aleksin and Pavol succumbed to the corrupting influence of a Sith mask aboard the vessel, turning against their fellow crew members. Aleksin murdered Pers, but Lando and Lobot managed to escape with the assistance of Chanath Cha, a bounty hunter. After Chanath eliminated Aleksin and Pavol, she destroyed the ship, and the three survivors fled in escape pods.
In the wake of the resurgence of the criminal organization known as Crimson Dawn and the subsequent battle between the Hutt Clans and the Empire, the relationship between these two powerful entities began to deteriorate. Subsequently, Crimson Dawn started to encourage various other criminal factions to compete for the Empire's favor, including Papa Toren's organization. Operating from their base on Castell, Toren and his associates welcomed Trinia, an emissary from Crimson Dawn, who conveyed this message to them.
By the year 32 ABY, Toren and his Ximpi companions were incarcerated on the planet Megalox Beta within the prison facility, which was widely regarded as one of the New Republic's most secure and unforgiving penal institutions. Toren rose to prominence as a criminal leader, commanding a gang within the prison walls. During the search for Lor San Tekka, Toren, along with fellow crime bosses Kan Be and Isin, convened with Terex, an agent of the First Order Security Bureau. Grakkus the Hutt, the most influential crime lord within the prison, had reneged on his agreement with Terex to provide information regarding Lor San Tekka.
During the meeting, Toren, through one of his Ximpi translators, inquired about the First Order agent's intentions. Seeking retribution against Grakkus, Terex enlisted Toren and the other crime bosses to launch an assault on Grakkus's fortress and to eliminate Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot, along with his Black Squadron associates. In exchange, Terex promised Toren and his fellow crime bosses the opportunity to escape Megalox aboard his vessel, the Carrion Spike. Implementing their plan, the crime bosses initiated the attack on the fortress but encountered resistance from Black Squadron and the Hutt guards.
Ultimately, the assault was unsuccessful due to the actions of Poe's astromech droid, BB-8, and the squadron's droids, who managed to disable the gravity field protecting the prison from Megalox Beta's intense gravity. Toren, along with the other gangsters and Terex, were overwhelmed by the planet's extreme gravitational forces. One of Toren's Ximpi companions perished due to the immense pressure. Upon learning of his comrade's demise, Toren was overcome with grief and began to weep. Terex fled aboard the Carrion Spike, abandoning Toren and the other criminals to their fate.
Papa Toren was a male individual belonging to the Axaleem species. He was unable to communicate in Galactic Basic Standard and spoke in a language incomprehensible to Lando Calrissian and Terex. When interacting with humans, Toren employed several small, winged Ximpi as associates and translators. Toren had a reputation as an exploitative employer, having deceived Calrissian into retrieving his trinket under the false pretense of clearing his debt. He maintained Calrissian's indebtedness to coerce the smuggler into stealing the Emperor's yacht, the Imperialis.
As a crime boss, Toren commanded a gang within Megalox prison. His desire to escape the harsh confines of the prison motivated him to participate in Terex's scheme to attack Grakkus and Black Squadron. Despite his exploitative nature, Toren held affection and respect for his Ximpi companions. When one of them was crushed to death by Megalox's intense gravity, his fellow gangsters Kan Be and Isin witnessed him weeping.
Toren made his debut appearance in Lando 1, a comic book published by Marvel Comics in 2015, with writing by Charles Soule and illustrations by Alex Maleev.