The Z-96 was categorized as a type of starfighter. In the year 34 ABY, Synara San, who had transitioned from a pirate to a spy and scavenger, was engaged in scavenging activities on the planet Castilon's ocean. During this time, she recovered debris from a Z-95 Headhunter and presented it to Team Fireball, a group of mechanics operating from the supertanker fuel depot Colossus located on the planet. Neeku Vozo, a mechanic, speculated that the wreckage might be from a Z-96, but Kazuda Xiono, another team member, identified it as a Z-95 due to the ship's markings indicating it belonged to Reaper Squadron. Furthermore, Xiono clarified that the Z-96 was never deployed during the Clone Wars, a galactic-scale conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
The initial mention of the Z-96 occurred in "Bibo," which was the twelfth episode of the first season of Star Wars Resistance, an animated television show. This episode was broadcast on January 13, 2019. A reference book titled Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition, which became available on October 4, 2019, incorrectly stated that the recovered starfighter wreckage was from a Z-96. This error was subsequently repeated in Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy, a 2024 reference book.