The Nova Prince functioned as a bulk freighter under the control of exiles originating from the Red Nebula during the Galactic Civil War period. In the year 0 ABY, Klysk, the leader of this exiled group, held numerous mercenaries, smugglers, and spacers as prisoners on the Nova Prince. These individuals had been abducted from outlying worlds, such as Terminus, with the intention of using them as thieves in a planned robbery of the Great Life Jewels located within the Red Nebula.
Due to the considerable size and limited maneuverability of the ship, the exiles found themselves dependent on the skills of Han Solo, a captured pilot, to navigate the Nova Prince through an asteroid field en route to the Red Nebula. Shortly after, Solo and his companion Chewbacca seemingly returned with the jewels, which led Klysk—who intended to destroy the Red Nebula by destroying the jewels—to pilot the Nova Prince directly into the central star of the nebula. Unbeknownst to Klysk, Solo and Chewbacca had secretly hidden the actual jewels, rendering the deaths of all those aboard the Nova Prince meaningless.
Archie Goodwin penned the story in which the Nova Prince made its debut, Star Wars 50: The Crimson Forever, which was published in 1981.