Rezi Soresh

As a Supreme Commander within the Galactic Empire, Soresh selected seven individuals and subjected them to a harsh program of mental and physical conditioning designed to transform them into obedient agents. Through the use of carefully developed drugs, he effectively overrode their original personalities. The subjects were then forced to compete against each other until only one remained. X-7 emerged as the quintessential assassin, completely loyal to Soresh, and consistently executed every mission flawlessly.

By the year 0 ABY, Soresh harbored resentment over his perceived demotion, feeling undervalued despite his capabilities. Upon encountering Darth Vader, Rezi devised a plan to eliminate him, hoping to elevate his own standing in the Emperor's favor. Through questionable intelligence, he learned that the Rebel Luke Skywalker was, in fact, Vader's son. Soresh intended to assassinate Skywalker, thereby discrediting Vader, who was also actively searching for the young Rebel. Soresh dispatched X-7 to hunt down Skywalker, emphasizing the importance of success.

Throughout the pursuit, Soresh frequently contacted X-7 to inquire about progress. Despite gaining Skywalker's trust under the assumed identity of Tobin Elad, X-7 repeatedly failed to eliminate his target.

Eventually, Soresh grew frustrated with X-7's failures and recalled him for further conditioning. However, these efforts only exacerbated X-7's already fragile mental state, leading him to question his master's motives.

When the Rebels orchestrated a trap for X-7 on Belazura, he fell victim to it. They employed Lune Oddo Divinian, a mercenary previously hired by X-7, to impersonate X-7's brother and reveal his true name: Trever Flume. Ultimately, X-7 was forced to choose between his potential past and his duty to his master. X-7 incapacitated Divinian and joined the Imperial assault against Rebel infiltrators. The confrontation concluded with the death of Soresh's most skilled assassin.

Having discovered Soresh's attempts to seize power, Lord Vader ordered his apprehension. An Imperial Lieutenant confronted Soresh, informing him that Vader was personally coming to deal with the arrogant commander. In a panic, Soresh activated his contingency escape plans while the Lieutenant waited outside. By the time Vader arrived, Soresh had successfully fled. Enraged by Soresh's escape, Vader executed the Lieutenant for his failure.

For the next twenty-seven days, Soresh evaded Vader's pursuit, traveling through obscure systems in his CloakShape fighter. Upon reaching the Sixela system, Soresh landed and began leveraging his remaining influence to exact revenge on Luke Skywalker.

While the Heroes of Yavin were engaged in a Mission to Nyemari, a Glymphid approached Skywalker to deliver a message. It was a holographic communication from Soresh, demanding that Skywalker meet him in the Sixela system, under the threat of killing all 100+ passengers aboard a colony vessel. To demonstrate his power, Soresh used a delayed-action poison to kill the messenger in Skywalker's presence.

Skywalker knew he had to surrender, but his companions refused to let him face Soresh alone. Just before the deadline, they landed on Soresh's moon aboard the Millennium Falcon. Han Solo emerged and greeted a man claiming to be Soresh. Simultaneously, two T-65 X-wing starfighters flew over the compound, disabling the laser turrets. Solo then shot the impostor. After the Rebels landed, a series of mines detonated amongst the hostages. The Rebels rushed into the crowd to rescue them, but were captured.

Solo and Leia Organa were imprisoned in a cell guarded by emotionless individuals, further evidence of Soresh's manipulations. Meanwhile, Soresh had taken Skywalker and intended to transform him into a perfect, Force-sensitive assassin. Over two weeks, Soresh systematically broke down Skywalker's resistance. Skywalker nearly succumbed, but remembering his friends' reliance on him, he feigned compliance.

When Solo and Organa next saw Skywalker, he appeared to be a mindless puppet of Soresh. Ordered to execute his comrades, Skywalker was given a blaster and aimed it at his friends. Suddenly, a sharp screech filled the air, causing his shot to miss. The droid duo, R2-D2 and C-3PO, who had been left behind during the initial raid, created a diversion. Solo, Organa, and Chewbacca took cover. As a guard prepared to execute Solo, Skywalker shot him, revealing his deception. Solo urged him to escape, but Skywalker refused to leave without uncovering Soresh's plan. He asked Solo to shoot him in the shoulder to maintain the illusion of being Soresh's servant. Upon awakening, Skywalker pretended to be upset about failing his master. Soresh forgave him, but still punished him for his failure. The other Rebels had escaped and were later joined by the mercenary Divinian and Organa's longtime protector, Ferus Olin. The two were on an unauthorized reconnaissance mission.

Soresh had planted false information with the Rebellion, suggesting that Emperor Palpatine and the Imperial High Command would be meeting in the Sixela system with only a small escort. General Jan Dodonna committed the Alliance Fleet to attacking the supposed contingent. Soresh also contacted Vader to lure him into his trap. Soresh planned to exact his revenge immediately. Through his contacts, he acquired his ultimate weapon: resonance torpedoes, which he intended to use to destroy the fleets.

When the Alliance Fleet emerged from hyperspace, they quickly realized it was a trap, as a large Imperial fleet appeared. Soresh offered Skywalker his lightsaber back if he launched the torpedoes. Instead, Skywalker turned against him. Soresh launched the torpedoes at the sun and fled. Skywalker's companions arrived but were unable to prevent the launch. Meanwhile, Darth Vader had landed and was searching for Soresh. Skywalker used a mind trick to subdue the remaining guards, allowing them to escape. Solo and Skywalker then joined the battle in space.

The torpedoes struck the sun, triggering a chain reaction that would culminate in its destruction in 40 minutes. The two fleets retreated, and Skywalker returned to the moon to rescue the remaining hostages. Olin sacrificed himself to engage Vader. He was swiftly defeated by Vader and found peace.

Having completed their mission, the Rebels boarded the Falcon. They were intercepted by Soresh, who attempted to shoot Skywalker. However, Solo shot Soresh, ending his schemes. The Rebels fled the system before the sun exploded, obliterating all traces of Soresh's endeavors.

Soresh was an ambitious individual, yet many perceived him as merely a sycophant. He resented his perceived demotion and plotted to gain the Emperor's favor. He demanded absolute obedience from his subordinates, even to the point of forcing them to kill each other. Soresh was intelligent enough to plan for every eventuality and had a backup plan in case of failure. Even in exile, he managed to rebuild his power base.

Soresh was a meticulous man who valued preparation. He studied the blueprints of every building he planned to spend significant time in, ensuring he always had an escape route. He never arrived on a planet without having a secondary ship on standby for alternative transportation.

Rezi Soresh serves as a major antagonist in the Star Wars: Rebel Force series penned by Alex Wheeler. These books mark his sole appearance in Star Wars canon, although the series was featured in the 2012 reference book The Essential Reader's Companion, which provides summaries of all Star Wars literary works.