Nord was a Human male Imperial officer holding the rank of colonel, serving as a member of the bridge crew aboard the Tarkin superweapon. Due to Darth Vader's habit of executing officers for even slight failures, Nord found himself entangled in a plot to eliminate the Sith Lord. When a Rebel Alliance strike team attempted to flee the Tarkin, the colonel commanded the firing of the station's superlaser; however, Leia Organa had previously sabotaged the weapon, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that destroyed the Tarkin and killed everyone on board, including Nord.
Serving in 3 ABY, Nord was a Human male Imperial colonel who was part of the bridge crew on the Tarkin superweapon, a space station equipped with a superlaser akin to the Death Star's. He joined a group of officers in a conspiracy to assassinate Darth Vader because of the Dark Lord's propensity for harsh punishment of subordinates' errors. Shortly after Vader's arrival, Nord and his fellow conspirators, including General Biel, convened and agreed to take action against him.
When Vader made plans to confront Rebel Luke Skywalker, who was part of a Rebel strike team that had infiltrated the Tarkin, Nord saw an opportunity and opened an airlock near the Dark Lord, hoping to eject him into space. However, Vader used the dark side of the Force to survive the vacuum's pull and return to the Tarkin. Nord realized his attempt had been discovered, but he was temporarily spared as Vader focused on capturing the escaping Rebels.
Several TIE Series starfighters, including a TIE Advanced x1 piloted by Vader, engaged the Rebels' ships. The arrival of the Millennium Falcon changed the battle, and Vader's fighter was left damaged. Nord, seeing another chance to kill Vader, ordered the Tarkin's superlaser to fire on the Rebels, hoping to eliminate Vader in the process. However, the Rebels' sabotage of the firing mechanism caused the Tarkin to self-destruct, ending the conspiracy and the lives of all officers aboard, including Nord.
While appearing to be a loyal Imperial officer to Darth Vader, Nord was secretly part of a group of Imperials aboard the Tarkin who aimed to assassinate the Dark Lord to stop his frequent executions of fellow officers. In addition to Vader, he also held a dislike for the Rebels and desired their elimination. The colonel had fair skin and wore the standard grey Imperial officer's uniform.
Colonel Nord's first appearance was in the fifty-second issue of the Marvel Star Wars comic series, To Take The Tarkin, released in 1981. He was later mentioned in the 2011 short story Vader Adrift, published in the Star Wars Insider Special Edition 2012.