Harsh Harsh was a Human male who served the Galactic Empire as Moff of the Bosph sector in the Outer Rim Territories during the Galactic Civil War against the Alliance to Restore the Republic . He grew up with the dream of commanding a vessel the size of a Star Destroyer and attended the Imperial Academy as a young man , graduating with the highest honors after being mentored by a senator who taught him politics . Following his graduation , Harsh joined the Imperial Navy and was eventually made captain of the Star Destroyer " Cauldron " . At the start of the Galactic Civil War , Harsh led stormtroopers to victory in an assault against Rebel forces during a battle on the planet Chabosh but was gravely wounded in the process . Against the advice of a medical droid , Harsh refused a cybernetic replacement limb and instead waited until the wound recovered . After his victory and recovery , Harsh came to be considered a legend , and Emperor Palpatine personally promoted him to Moff . Given control of the Bosph sector , Harsh ruled with an iron fist , bombarding the planet Bosph and killing many of its inhabitants on Palpatine ' s orders . Following the Emperor ' s death , Harsh , who had taken residence on the planet Otunia , conspired with the Human Seth Kabul to take control of the mining company Kabul Industries . With company head Lorn Kabul , Seth ' s brother , out of the way , Seth could then partner the company with the Empire . Lorn was successfully killed , but his daughter , Arista Kabul , survived and destroyed the mines used by Kabul Industries , ruining Harsh ' s plans . Biography . Early life and career . The Human male Harsh was born the child of a minor bureaucrat and , as a young boy , came into possession of a toy Imperial Star Destroyer , which he played with until the toy was destroyed by a larger bully . In retaliation , Harsh took the stone the bully had used to break the Star Destroyer and turned it on its wielder , smashing the other boy ' s face . As a young man , Harsh attended the Imperial Academy , where he became friends with a prominent senator who mentored him in the art of politics . Harsh eventually graduated with honors and , with the senator ' s continued mentoring and patronage , was promoted rapidly through the command structure of the Imperial Navy , reaching the rank of captain and taking command of the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Cauldron " . At the start of the Galactic Civil War against the revolutionary Alliance to Restore the Republic , Harsh was sent to the planet Chabosh , where he led a fleet in an orbital blockade after the planet ' s Imperial governor was overthrown by the Rebels . Harsh personally led a company of stormtroopers in the final assault on the Rebels ' planetary stronghold , which was defended by powerful deflector shields . During the attack , which was successful , Harsh was severely injured and taken back to the " Cauldron " , where a 2 - 1B surgical droid informed him that his leg would have to be replaced by a cybernetic prosthetic . Harsh rejected the idea and held those trying to treat him at bay by threatening other patients with a blaster . Harsh ' s leg eventually healed on its own , allowing him to walk , and the captain became a legend for his deeds . He quickly earned a number of promotions over many more senior officers , and one year after his victory on Chabosh , Emperor Palpatine personally granted him the title of Moff . Harsh received the promotion in a ceremony in the Imperial Palace on the planet Coruscant , where he was given control of the Bosph sector in the Outer Rim Territories . Imperial Moff . While Harsh was Moff of the Bosph sector , Rebel activity was negligible in the area ; however , the Emperor became aware of the " ela b ' Yentarr " , a Force - sensitive faction of the Bosph species who were native to the sector . On the Emperor ' s orders , Harsh immediately blockaded the Bosph homeworld before bombarding it and killing huge numbers of its inhabitants . At some point during or following the year 4 ABY , Harsh lived on the world of Otunia within his sector , and there he survived following the Empire ' s catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Endor , which saw the death of Palpatine . Sometime after the Emperor ' s death , Lorn Kabul , the head of the Otunia - based mining company Kabul Industries , was unwilling to enter his company into a partnership with the Empire . Displeased with the decision , Harsh made arrangements with Kabul ' s brother , Seth , to have Lorn killed , after which Harsh would gain easier access to the raw material from the mine in exchange for performing political favors for Seth . Seth would set charges in a mining tunnel , which he would detonate when Lorn and his daughter , Arista Kabul , were visiting for inspection . After significant delays to the plan , Harsh contacted Seth by hologram to demand the scheme move forward , and the event took place the next day . The charges successfully detonated , and Lorn was killed , allowing Seth to take his place as head of the company and create the partnership Harsh wanted . The Moff then traveled to the Kabul Estate in person , along with Imperial forces , to occupy and secure it for Seth . Arista Kabul , however , had not been killed in the explosion , of which Seth had become aware and sent men out to correct , without informing Harsh . Arista , along with her Gamorrean companion , Grissom , sneaked into the Kabul Estate shortly after Harsh arrived and visited Seth . Instead of killing Seth , Arista and Grissom had Tek , a Jawa criminal , destroy the Kabul mines , leaving her uncle with nothing , following which they fled the planet . Personality and traits . As a boy , Harsh dreamed of one day joining the Imperial Navy and commanding such huge vessels as Imperial Star Destroyers like the toy he owned . Even from a young age , however , he was combative and violent , attacking another child with a rock for destroying his property . The senator who mentored Harsh taught him a great deal about politics , especially the importance of winning political battles as well as military ones . When wounded at Chabosh , Harsh deemed having a cybernetic limb as being incomplete and thus refused treatment and threatened other patients to ensure he got his way , willing his leg to heal instead . When made Moff of the Bosph sector , Harsh did not let himself become complacent and ruled his territory with an iron fist . During his work with Seth Kabul , Harsh became angry at his co - conspirator when there were numerous delays to the plan , although the amount of wealth the plan would earn Harsh pleased him . He was a wise and charismatic individual . Harsh had pale skin , brown eyes , and was bald when working with Seth Kabul . Skills and abilities . Harsh was proficient in the use of blaster pistols , blaster rifles , simple weapons , heavy weapons , and vibroweapon s , as well as all types of armor and the piloting of a starship . Equipment . Harsh carried a blaster pistol , a datapad , and a comlink with him while on duty . During his time working with Seth Kabul on Otunia , he wore a standard Imperial officer ' s uniform . Behind the scenes . Harsh first appeared in " Three Against the Galaxy " , a comic story published in " Star Wars Tales 3 " in 2000 . The comic was written by Rich Hedden and illustrated by Rick Leonardi . Harsh ' s backstory was given in " Unusual Suspects " , a 2001 article written by Andrew Hind and published in " Star Wars Gamer 6 " , which provided rules for using the character in Wizards of the Coast ' s " Star Wars Roleplaying Game " . Finally , Harsh received an entry in 2008 ' s " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " .