Vors Voorhorian, an engineer working for Incom Corporation, was the mastermind behind the T-65 X-wing starfighter's design. Subsequent to his arrest by the Galactic Empire after the Alliance to Restore the Republic's seizure of X-wing prototypes, he managed to escape. He then established his own manufacturing facility on a secluded planet. Due to his apprehension about Imperial retaliation, he devised multiple backup strategies to safeguard his newly produced spacecraft and even adopted the persona of a used starship salesman to deflect any suspicion.
Following the events of the Battle of Yavin, Leia Organa reached out to Voorhorian, seeking replacements for the starfighters they had lost. He agreed to assist, although the Rebels inadvertently led Imperial starfighters to his clandestine factory. Fortunately, his fighters were secure, and after a short battle against a squadron of TIE Fighters, the new ships were safely in the hands of the Alliance. Voorhorian then decided that he could contribute more effectively by aiding the Rebellion directly. After delivering his craft to Yavin 4, he chose to remain on the forest moon, at the Great Temple. His fighter would continue to serve the Alliance, and later the New Republic, for many years to come.
As an engineer at Incom Corporation, Vors Voorhorian was responsible for the design of the T-65 X-wing starfighter, a highly capable space superiority craft. Ultimately, the prototypes of this craft were acquired by the Alliance to Restore the Republic, having been stolen from Incom's primary facility on Fresia. In response, the Galactic Empire took Voorhorian and all the other Incom scientists who had worked on the craft into custody. They also seized control of the main Incom facility on Fresia.
Captain Raymus Antilles succeeded in freeing most of the Incom staff, and it is possible that Voorhorian was among those liberated during the Space Battle in the Kessel Asteroid Field. With Incom temporarily shut down due to the Empire's actions, Voorhorian established his own production facility on a distant planet. However, he was deeply distrustful of Imperial spies. Once the factory had produced a full complement of X-wings, he had them moved to a derelict GR-75 medium transport in orbit around the planet. In their place, he created X-wing chassis and displayed them in the factory to maintain appearances.
The Battle of Yavin, despite being a major victory for the Alliance, resulted in the loss of the majority of their X-wing fleet. Leia Organa contacted Voorhorian, hoping to replenish their stock of fighters, and had recently acquired a substantial amount of credits. Voorhorian provided Organa with the coordinates of a beacon he had set up, which would transmit a message from "Gears Gilhooey," a local dealer of used starships. The beacon would then transmit the coordinates of the planet, and self-destruct. Voorhorian was concerned that the Empire would discover his location and retaliate against the planet's inhabitants, as they had done on Fresia. He had adopted the persona of "Gilhooey" to avoid suspicion.
Soon after, Organa arrived on the planet accompanied by Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and R2-D2. Voorhorian, in his guise as Gilhooey, approached the group. Although they initially dismissed his fabricated sales pitch, Solo noticed that Gilhooey was wearing a ring featuring an X-wing cog, just as Voorhorian was rumored to do. Before he could explain himself, Voorhorian found himself in Solo's grasp, as the latter attempted to interrogate him. However, Voorhorian quickly gained the upper hand, throwing the Corellian to the ground. At that point, Voorhorian decided to reveal his true identity and the location of his hidden factory. After explaining the necessity of his deception, he began negotiating terms with Organa, while Solo, Skywalker, and R2-D2 unloaded the credits from the Corellian's ship, the Millennium Falcon.
During their discussions, R2-D2 discovered that the X-wings in the factories were merely empty chassis, prompting Solo and Skywalker to demand an explanation. They engaged Voorhorian's guards in combat and began questioning the Incom engineer. Although Organa was already aware, Voorhorian explained his second deception. While Solo and Skywalker were eventually satisfied, the factory came under attack by Imperial starfighters. A group of TIE Fighters had followed the Falcon since its exit from hyperspace and began destroying the structures on the remote planet.
Escaping the Imperial assault, Voorhorian boarded the Falcon, while Skywalker used his Jedi skills to impede the enemy fighters' advance. Once in orbit, Voorhorian directed Captain Solo to the derelict transport and explained why he had hidden the fighters in such an inconspicuous location. While the Rebels inspected the fighters, the Imperials attacked them once again. Solo managed to divert them away from the transport temporarily in the Falcon, but Skywalker had a more sustainable plan. He had Voorhorian reroute power from the X-wings' powerful batteries to the transport's shields. Then, using the Force, Skywalker activated the shields just as the TIE Fighters flew within range, destroying them. The Falcon, utilizing its tractor beam, then towed the transport back to Yavin 4, where the Rebel base was situated.
Voorhorian made the decision to support the Alliance, and upon arriving at Yavin 4, he chose to remain instead of returning to the now-destroyed Incom factory. Together with Skywalker, he assisted in transporting Rebel pilots to the transport in a modified Incom T-16 skyhopper, enabling them to bring the new X-wings down to the Great Temple. During one such trip, Voorhorian and Skywalker encountered the Bail Organa, a ship carrying refugees from the destroyed planet of Alderaan. As the days passed, the Rebels anticipated an Imperial attack, and their filing systems were indeed sabotaged by a spy.
When Organa accused Captain Solo of being the spy, Voorhorian was incredulous. He expressed his feelings to Lieutenant Rogor, who also appeared shocked but considered it a possibility. Eventually, Rogor was revealed to be the spy, and he attempted to escape in one of Voorhorian's X-wings. However, it was not one of the new craft and had been drained of power. Although the Rebels were ultimately forced to evacuate from Yavin, they managed to evade the Empire's grasp. The X-wing would become a mainstay in the Alliance fleet and would continue to serve the New Republic consistently.
Vors Voorhorian possessed a strong sense of pride, exhibiting unwavering confidence in both his ships and his strategies. While he was reluctant to boast, he readily acknowledged his own accomplishments, particularly the design of the X-wing's power cell. He harbored resentment towards the Empire for their actions against him and Incom, and he desired to witness his craft being used against their forces. Despite this, he also feared the Empire's power, leading him to create several effective security measures to divert attention from his operations.
Voorhorian was a proficient actor, capable of easily transforming himself into "Gears Gilhooey," a boisterous and simple character, a stark contrast to his typically quiet and reserved demeanor. He was also skilled in unarmed combat, as demonstrated by his ability to defeat Han Solo. Voorhorian maintained a constant reminder of his work on the X-wing: a cog from that ship's design that he wore as a ring. He would wear this even while in disguise, as a means of recognition for potential clients.
Vors Voorhorian was conceived by Mike W. Barr, making his debut in X-Wing Marks the Spot. The character subsequently appeared in the sequel, Imperial Spy. Following this, Voorhorian was not mentioned in Star Wars media for a long period, despite being the designer of an iconic vehicle in the Star Wars franchise. However, this drought ended in 2007 with the release of Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections, which acknowledged him as the designer of the X-wing.