A soldier within the Rebel Alliance ranks, known as a trooper, was positioned at Echo Station 3-8 on the frigid planet of Hoth, a world covered in ice. This event occurred in 3 ABY. This soldier contacted Echo Base to report an unknown object heading towards their location. The object was later revealed to be an Imperial Viper probe droid. Before the trooper could determine the nature of the intruder, the [probe droid](/article/probe_droid/legends] obliterated Station 3-8, killing the trooper and ending their communication.
The initial appearance of this unnamed Rebel trooper occurred in the novelization of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and was limited to a single line of spoken text. This character also made appearances, with minor variations in their dialogue, in Star Wars (1977) 39 and the publication titled The Empire Strikes Back Storybook. In contrast to the novel and storybook's depiction of the trooper initiating contact with Echo Base, the Marvel comic adaptation presents a scenario where Echo Base initiates the communication with Station 3-8.