Yolo Ziff, a male human artist, served as a pilot for the Resistance during their conflict with the First Order. In the year 34 ABY, Ziff was responsible for creating propaganda to support the Resistance cause. He also fought in the Battle of Starkiller Base, where he flew under the leadership of Poe Dameron, known as Black Leader. During that battle, the Resistance pilots were tasked with attacking the thermal oscillator of Starkiller Base, a major vulnerability in the superweapon's design. Initially, their weapons proved ineffective against the structure. However, Ziff noticed an opening in the oscillator, which had been created by Han Solo and Chewbacca, who were operating on the planet's surface as members of the Resistance. This new opening allowed Ziff and his fellow pilots to intensify their attack on the oscillator, ultimately leading to Dameron's successful destruction of the target and the crippling of the weapon.
Yolo Ziff, a male [human](/article/human], demonstrated talent as a holographer, digital editor, illustrator, and starfighter pilot. By the year 34 ABY, Ziff had become a member of the Starfighter Corps within the Resistance, a military organization established by Leia Organa to defend the New Republic from the threat of the First Order. It was a running joke among the Resistance pilots that Black Leader Poe Dameron could significantly boost recruitment if he posed for a poster. Inspired by this jest, Ziff produced a mock propaganda poster titled Resistance. It featured Dameron in a heroic pose against a "sky full of promises," accompanied by the X-wing fighters under his command. Intended as a prank, the poster inadvertently made its way onto the HoloNet, resulting in a surge of new recruits.
Following this unexpected success, Organa commissioned Ziff to create a piece that would convey the true intentions of the First Order to the New Republic. The subject of the poster was to be the attack on Tuanul, a devastating event witnessed firsthand by Dameron. Ziff quickly created The Massacre at Tuanul, an illustration depicting flametroopers in Tuanul setting fire to the settlements of peaceful religious pilgrims. Ironically, by the time Ziff completed the artwork, the First Order had already used Starkiller Base, a secret superweapon, to destroy Hosnian Prime, the capital of the New Republic.
In the immediate aftermath of the Hosnian Cataclysm, the First Order set its sights on D'Qar, the planet housing the Resistance base. Upon learning of the impending attack, the Resistance devised a plan to disable Starkiller Base's thermal oscillator, a critical point of weakness, with the hope of destroying the weapon. However, the planet was protected by a shielded defense system. Finn, a former First Order strormtrooper, volunteered to escort Han Solo and Chewbacca inside the base to disable the shield. In preparation for the assault, Ziff and the other Resistance pilots were informed that they should expect casualty rates as high as 80 percent.
Under Dameron's leadership, Ziff, flying with Red Squadron and Blue Squadron, jumped into hyperspace. Once the ground team successfully deactivated the shield, Dameron received authorization to commence the assault and relayed the command. Ziff acknowledged Dameron's signal, and the squadrons emerged from lightspeed, following Dameron into the planet's atmosphere and deploying the S-foils of their T-70 X-wing starfighters into attack configuration. Upon reaching the oscillator, Dameron ordered them to open fire, and Ziff and the other pilots launched proton torpedoes at the structure. Despite hitting their target, they failed to inflict any damage, and they were immediately engaged by squadrons of TIE/fo space superiority fighters. The ensuing dogfight pushed the battle into the planet's orbit, where the First Order starfighters gained the upper hand against the Resistance pilots.
On the planet's surface, Solo and Chewbacca identified an opportunity to aid the pilots and planted explosives within the oscillator's structure. When the charges detonated, they created an opening that Ziff quickly spotted. He informed Dameron of this development, and the commander ordered them to resume their attack on the target. As the pilots approached the oscillator, Dameron instructed the remaining pilots to provide cover while he entered the structure through the opening created by Solo and Chewbacca. From inside, Dameron destroyed the building, and the Resistance pilots followed him as they retreated from the planet as the damage caused it to implode.
As a Resistance pilot, Ziff piloted a T-70 X-wing starfighter, a model manufactured by the Incom-FreiTek Corporation. During the assault on Starkiller Base, Ziff wore a flight suit and a flight helmet adorned with red and gray markings. His astromech droid was M9-G8.
Yolo Ziff was conceived for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, the seventh installment in the episodic Star Wars saga, which premiered on December 18, 2015. His helmet design was contributed by Henry, son of J.J. Abrams. The film's screenplay was penned by Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt. Ziff was portrayed by Stefan Grube, who also served as the editor for the film's initial two trailers. Following the film's release, Ziff made an appearance in LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a LEGO video game adaptation of the film. However, Ziff is absent from both the adult and junior novelizations of the film, with his role being assumed by Poe Dameron. Furthermore, Temmin Wexley takes on Ziff's role in The Force Awakens Adaptation 6, a comic book adaptation of the film's concluding scenes.