Zeerid Korr, also known as Z-man, was a male Human smuggling operative, formerly a Republic military elite soldier within Havoc Squad. He later affiliated himself with The Exchange during both the Great Galactic War and the initial period of the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and the re-established Sith Empire. He participated in the Battle of Balmorra, forming a friendship with Jedi Master Aryn Leneer. After delivering Leneer for her confrontation with Darth Malgus, he journeyed to Vulta to retrieve his daughter, subsequently relocating to Dantooine where he became an agriculturalist. It was there that he later encountered Aryn Leneer again, harboring romantic feelings for her.
Details regarding Korr's early years are scarce. Nevertheless, he distinguished himself as an elite fighter within the Republic's Havoc Squadron, battling against the Sith Empire. His piloting skills were exceptional, on par with those of Jedi pilots. He also developed proficiency in blaster combat and hand-to-hand fighting, capable of lethal strikes. During the pivotal Battle of Balmorra, Korr forged a strong bond with Jedi Knight Aryn Leneer. Korr's service in the military was tragically cut short due to the sudden passing of his spouse Val and the injury sustained by his daughter Arra. Leneer provided support to Korr during his time of grief. Departing from the military to care for his daughter who had lost her legs, Korr struggled to find legitimate employment to support his family. Consequently, he resorted to using his combat and piloting skills as a smuggler for the Exchange, a criminal syndicate. Driven by the need to acquire enough credits to provide Arra with cybernetic replacements or, at the very least, a repulsorlift chair, Korr, under the alias Z-Man, engaged in weapons-running operations throughout the Outer Rim.
Korr operated under the direction of Oren, a handler about whom he knew very little. Oren assigned him various weapon smuggling tasks. Frequently, these missions resulted in ambushes, leading Korr into significant debt with the Exchange. Following a particularly unsuccessful mission on Ord Mantell, where he survived a pirate encounter due to his military training, Oren tasked Korr with spice runs to compensate for the lost merchandise. Korr was extremely hesitant to assist in the distribution of spice, but he had no choice as his debt continued to accumulate. Simultaneously, the Sith Empire, led by Darth Malgus, initiated a surprise assault on the Republic capital of Coruscant, devastating the Jedi Temple and likely killing numerous members of the Galactic Senate, including the Chancellor. By blockading the [planet](/article/planet-legends], the Sith severely hampered criminal activities on Coruscant. Consequently, spice addicts reliant on imported engspice experienced withdrawal symptoms. Oren presented Korr with an ultimatum: delivering engspice to Coruscant, bypassing the Imperial blockade, would clear his debts; refusal would result in his termination. Through negotiation, Korr secured a deposit of 100,000 credits into his account from the Exchange before embarking on the mission.
With the agreement in place, Korr traveled to his home planet of Vulta to finally acquire the hoverchair he had long desired for Arra. He purchased and delivered the chair to his daughter, who was being cared for by Korr's sister-in-law, Nat. Korr learned about their difficult living conditions, stemming from Nat's low wages, and promised to improve their situation soon, although he concealed the nature of his illegal activities from his daughter. However, the engspice delivery attracted the attention of Hutt crime bosses seeking to enter the spice trade. They dispatched a bounty hunter named Vrath Xizor, a former Imperial sniper (referred to as a "skulker" by Republic soldiers), with orders to eliminate Z-Man before the spice reached Coruscant. Korr unknowingly almost thwarted the plan when he noticed Xizor observing his family in a park, but Xizor convinced Korr of his harmless intentions. Nevertheless, Korr guarded Nat's apartment for several hours, leading to an unexpected encounter.
Korr experienced a surprising reunion with Aryn Leneer on Vulta just before his departure. Leneer, having learned about the Sith attack and the death of her Master Ven Zallow, requested Korr to transport her to Coruscant. She was unaware of the cargo aboard Fatman, Korr's starship. En route to the spaceport, Korr and Leneer were ambushed by Vrath and a group of accompanying mercenaries. After eliminating several mercenaries and narrowly escaping Vulta, Korr and Leneer entered hyperspace. Employing unusual cunning for a smuggler, Korr attached his ship to an unsuspecting Imperial transport, arriving at Coruscant concealed in its shadow. Korr and Leneer nearly bypassed the blockade. However, Vrath had reached Coruscant and informed Darth Malgus about the impending arrival of the smuggler, Jedi Knight, and their illicit cargo.
Upon discovery, Korr boldly breached the blockade and entered the atmosphere of the city-planet. However, Malgus' cruiser Valor fired upon Fatman, destroying it just as it entered the atmosphere. Using the Force, Leneer shielded herself and Korr, slowing their descent and allowing them to land safely on the elevated walkways of Galactic City.
Having lost the engspice shipment, Korr resolved to return to Vulta, retrieve his daughter, relocate to Dantooine to escape the Exchange, and begin a new life. As he planned to reach a spaceport, he accompanied Leneer to the Jedi Temple, uncertain of her intentions. During this journey and subsequent exploration of the ruined Jedi Temple with Aryn, Korr found himself falling for the Jedi. They reached the Temple through the Works, an industrial zone of Coruscant containing a secret passage to the Temple. After reuniting with Leneer's droid T-7 and recovering a recording of her master's death, Korr realized that Leneer intended to kill Malgus for revenge, possibly even murdering his lover to inflict further pain. He repeatedly attempted to dissuade Aryn from seeking vengeance against the Sith who killed her Master, but without success. Zeerid then scouted the spaceport used by Imperial transports, devising an escape plan. He soon discovered that Leneer had returned to the Temple to kill Malgus, finding them engaged in a fierce duel. Korr rescued Leneer, explaining that he had located an Imperial shuttle for their escape.
They entered the spaceport and found the shuttle. Aryn, choosing to remain on Coruscant to confront Malgus, sent Korr with her astromech on the shuttle. Korr tried to persuade her to join him, but she refused, although she ultimately spared the life of Malgus's lover. Leneer convinced him to leave on the shuttle while she faced Malgus alone. Korr reluctantly agreed and, after kissing her, departed. Unbeknownst to Korr, the ship belonged to Vrath. He encountered Vrath shortly after takeoff, engaging him in a brutal hand-to-hand fight. Both combatants, with military training, sustained severe injuries. Zeerid learned of Vrath's military history during the fight, and Vrath learned of Korr's. After Vrath made a tactical error, Korr knocked him unconscious, secured him, and bypassed the Imperial blockade, as Malgus had ordered the shuttle to be allowed to leave, fearing his lover might be aboard. Korr eventually realized that because Vrath knew about his daughter and would likely betray his family to the Exchange, Vrath had to be eliminated. Zeerid was extremely hesitant to kill the unarmed man. However, in a dark act to protect his family, Korr rejected Vrath's pleas for mercy and ejected Vrath from an airlock.
Aryn, reminded of her commitment to the light side, battled Malgus but was ultimately defeated. Malgus spared her out of respect and gratitude for sparing his lover, a Twi'lek named Eleena. He granted her and Korr clearance to leave Coruscant. Korr eventually retrieved Arra, provided her with prosthetic legs, and established a homestead on Dantooine. Months later, after believing Aryn to be dead at Malgus' hands, he was reunited with her. Initially worried that the Exchange had found him, he soon recognized Aryn, who explained the events following the duel. She informed him that she would be staying on Dantooine with him, and he and Arra welcomed her warmly.
Zeerid favored a hip holster containing twin BlasTech 4s. Typically, he carried an E-3 blaster in his ankle holster and an E-9 blaster at the small of his back.
Paul S. Kemp has suggested that Zeerid is a possible ancestor of Jaden Korr. However, no official source has verified this connection.