Zevel Hortine, a Corellian male known for his involvement in glitterstim trafficking, was a prominent smuggler during the period surrounding the establishment of the Galactic Empire. He briefly possessed the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, having won them in a game of chance called Liar's Cut. Apprehended by authorities while in orbit above Ingo, Hortine jettisoned his illicit goods towards the planet below; the droids were unfortunately located within the cargo bay at that moment.
Hortine discovered Kaj Nedmak, a young child who had secretly boarded his transport. Rather than abandon him, Hortine allowed the boy to stay and taught him the ways of a smuggler. Upon his retirement some years later, Hortine bequeathed his starship to Nedmak.
As a Corellian male, Zevel Hortine was already active as a smuggler in the years preceding the emergence of the Galactic Empire. Around that era, Kaj Nedmak, a nine-year-old orphan from the planet Drall situated within the Corellian sector, secretly boarded Hortine's freighter. Developing an affection for the child, Hortine permitted him to remain. Over the subsequent years, Hortine educated Nedmak in the practices of smuggling and wagering.
By 15 BBY, Hortine had gained a reputation as a ruthless glitterstim smuggler. Hortine won the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 in a game of Liar's Cut from the Bimm businesswoman Sindee, the proprietor of a refueling station. Shortly after acquiring the droids, Hortine's vessel was intercepted by law enforcement ships while in orbit over Ingo, a planet within the Bortele Cluster of the Mid Rim. In an attempt to avoid legal consequences, Hortine discarded his cargo of illegal substances and stolen goods and tried to escape, but he was ultimately apprehended. C-3PO and R2-D2, who were located in the cargo hold, were ejected along with the cargo and plummeted to the planet's surface, landing in the Vaj Desert where they were rescued by Jord Dusat and Thall Joben, local speeder racers.
When Nedmak reached the age of seventeen, Hortine determined he was too old to continue smuggling and retired, bestowing his ship upon his younger protege. Thirteen years later, Nedmak found a young woman named Celia Durasha hidden in the cargo hold of his YT-2400 light freighter Tryan Kajme. Echoing Hortine's actions towards him, Nedmak allowed Durasha to remain aboard and work off her debt.
Zevel Hortine possessed a ruthless nature as a smuggler, showing a willingness to transport illicit goods such as glitterstim, a powerful narcotic classified as an illegal recreational drug. Despite his unsavory reputation, Hortine displayed compassion for the orphaned Kaj Nedmak, permitting him to stay and training him in the art of smuggling after discovering the boy on his ship. Such was his esteem for Nedmak that Hortine entrusted his ship to the younger smuggler upon his retirement.
When Hortine's activities brought him into conflict with the authorities, he was prepared to abandon his cargo rather than face prosecution. Hortine enjoyed games of chance such as Liar's Cut, a pastime he introduced to Nedmak during their time working together.
Zevel Hortine was conceived by Charlene Newcomb and Rich Handley for their short story "Crimson Bounty," which appeared in August of 1997 within the fourteenth edition of the Star Wars Adventure Journal. In the June 2004 170th publication of the Polyhedron magazine, Handley and Abel G. Peña's article "Star Wars Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO" identified Hortine as the previously unnamed smuggler initially mentioned as the former owner of C-3PO and R2-D2 at the beginning of "The White Witch," the premiere episode of the animated series Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, penned by Peter Sauder and originally aired on September 7, 1985.