Hoff ( Colby Hoff ' s son ) Hoff was the Human son of Colby Hoff , a former business competitor of Black Sun crime lord Prince Xizor . Colby fell into ruin and then committed suicide after failing to outsmart his rival , leading the younger Hoff to blame Xizor for his father ' s murder . In retaliation and with the help of Darth Vader , who also sought Xizor ' s destruction , Hoff ambushed the Black Sun leader inside a protected corridor on the planet Coruscant . Although larger and more powerfully built , the enraged Hoff could not kill Xizor , who easily defeated the would - be assassin and snapped his neck . Xizor suspected Vader ' s hand in the ambush but never learned who had granted Hoff access to the secure corridor . Biography . Hoff was the son of the businessman Colby Hoff , once a pesky rival of Dark Prince Xizor , the Falleen Underlord of the Black Sun crime syndicate . After a failed bid to outsmart Xizor left him ruined , Colby committed suicide by firing a blaster into his mouth . The younger Hoff blamed Xizor for what he considered the murder of his father and sought vengeance against the Black Sun leader . In 3 . 5 ABY , Darth Vader supplied Hoff with an opportunity to retaliate , as the Dark Lord of the Sith was himself presently locked in a power struggle with Xizor and wished to see him eliminated . On Vader ' s orders , a checkpoint guard allowed Hoff access to a secure corridor deep inside the core of the planet Coruscant , where Hoff soon ambushed Xizor and four accompanying bodyguards as they were approaching . Blaster in hand , Hoff immediately opened fire on Xizor from a distance and dropped one of the bodyguards with a bolt to the chest , but a second guard scored a direct hit on Hoff ' s weapon , knocking it from his grip . With a scream , Hoff then charged at Xizor barehanded . At close quarters , Hoff ' s enraged attack was no match for Xizor ' s martial - arts prowess . Ordering his three remaining guards to stand down , Xizor calmly parried Hoff ' s repeated advances , stunning him with a kick to the stomach ; knocking him to the ground with a hammerfist to the head ; and then disabling him by kicking and breaking his left knee joint . As the wounded Hoff condemned Xizor for his father ' s demise , the Dark Prince took hold of the man ' s head and snapped his neck , declaring that the younger Hoff ' s death would likewise be judged a suicide for being foolish enough to attack him . With that , Xizor ordered his guards to clean up Hoff ' s body and to inform the proper authorities of his fate . A life - size holographic recording of Hoff ' s attack on Xizor later made its way before Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader , the latter displeased that his scheme to kill his rival had failed . Vader had seen to it that the guard who had let Hoff into the protected corridor was killed , thereby eliminating the only person with knowledge of the Dark Lord ' s involvement . Although Xizor suspected Vader , he was never able to determine who had granted Hoff access . Personality and traits . Hoff was a large Human , standing taller than 1 . 83 meters and built like a heavy - gravity weight lifter . He was bigger than Xizor ' s bodyguards and much larger than the Falleen himself , and his roundhouse punch was powerful enough to shatter bone . Desperate to enact retribution against the man whom he blamed for the murder of his father , Hoff assaulted Xizor in a crazed fury , charging the Black Sun leader ' s three armed guards without a weapon . Yet Hoff ' s wild attacks utterly failed against Xizor , who easily subdued his younger assailant with practiced fighting techniques while hardly breaking a sweat . Hoff had brown hair and light skin . Equipment . Hoff wore Coruscant Guard armor covering his chest , arms , and shoulders during his attack on Prince Xizor . Behind the scenes . Hoff appeared in the May 1996 novel " Shadows of the Empire " , written by Steve Perry . Hoff ' s attack on Xizor is meant to demonstrate the Black Sun leader ' s considerable ability to defend himself against deadly attack as he vies with Darth Vader for the Emperor ' s favor . Artists Greg and Tim Hildebrandt created the Hoff character illustration as part of the Topps . The set ' s " Xizor ' s Dirty Handiwork " card captures the moment as Xizor snaps Hoff ' s neck . The " Shadows of the Empire " novel describes the protected corridor where Hoff ambushes Xizor as a type of public walkway in the core of Imperial City where the elite citizenry could travel without being disturbed . However , the " Xizor ' s Dirty Handiwork " card from the " Shadows of the Empire " trading card set states that Hoff attacks Xizor in a corridor belonging to Xizor ' s Palace .