Nash Windrider Nash Windrider was a human male from Alderaan who served as a commander in the naval forces of the Galactic Empire . He attended the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant , and was roommates with the Jelucan i cadet Thane Kyrell and Coruscanti Ved Foslo . He also had feelings for Ciena Ree , who was in love with Thane . After graduation , he was assigned to the " Devastator " . While aboard the Death Star , he witnessed the destruction of Alderaan , which wiped out his entire family and profoundly affected Nash . However , he ultimately chose to remain in the Empire , justifying Alderaan ' s destruction by claiming it was necessary in order for the Empire to bring order to the galaxy . As a member of the Imperial Navy , Nash fought against the Rebel Alliance on several occasions including the Battle of Hoth . He later fought against his former friend Thane in a dogfight ; he was shocked to find Thane alive , having believed Ree ' s fabrication that Thane had committed suicide . Ree thwarted Nash ' s attempt to kill Thane , and Nash comforted her after the battle , enraged by his belief that Thane had faked his death and tormented them all those years . Nash survived the cataclysmic Imperial defeat at the Battle of Endor and participated in the Battle of Jakku , where he was devastated when Ree ordered him to abandon the " Inflictor " . Following the events at Jakku , Nash was made the commander of an attack cruiser and was privy to a planned Imperial offensive against the New Republic , the government that had been established by the Rebel Alliance . Believing that Ree had perished during the Battle of Jakku , he nominated her for the Distinguished Medal of Imperial Honor posthumously . Biography . Background . Nash Windrider was an Alderaanian human male who lived during the Age of the Empire . Nash grew up on the Core World of Alderaan where education was free and people were encouraged to learn and grow . His father made carpets for a living . Imperial Academy . In his youth , Windrider was an Imperial cadet at the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant , which prepared cadets for a career as officers in the Imperial Navy . During his first day at the Royal Academy , Nash met his two room mates : the Jelucan i youth Thane Kyrell and the Coruscanti Ved Foslo . While Nash quickly befriended Thane , he found Foslo arrogant and aloof . After introducing himself to Thane , Nash remarked that they should introduced inhalers and tranquilizers for the benefit of newcomers visiting Coruscant . For the next three years , Nash and his fellow cadets endured the Royal Academy ' s punishing education regimen , which involved hours of studying science , mathematics , pilot ing , and physical training . Cadets were frequently subjected to a battery of tests that pushed them to their limits . While Windrider ' s friend Thane found the Academy a liberating experience from his domineering parent s , Nash found the Royal Academy ' s curriculum a grueling experience ; coming from Alderaan which had a more enlightened and holistic approach towards education . Despite these challenges , Nash persevered in his training due to his belief that the Galactic Empire was a positive force that wanted to bring the best of every world and culture to the galaxy . When Thane expressed his cynicism , Nash invited him to visit his homeworld . In spite of their different outlooks and Nash ' s untidiness , he and Thane became good friends at the Royal Academy . On one occasion , Nash and his fellow cadets took part in a training exercise that involved them riding on speeder bike s through a series Reitgen Hoop s . Prior to the exercise , he asked the Flight commander whether there would be a prize . The commander calmly replied that he should first learn the task before he could " presume to perform it . " Ultimately , Thane and his fellow Jelucani friend Ciena Ree jointly won the race after their bikes became entangled . As he became more acquainted with Thane , Nash learned about his friend ' s abuse at the hands of his father Oris Kyrell after seeing the scars on his back . Six months later , Nash and his fellow cadets were working on a laser cannon assignment . After finishing his work , Nash tried to convince Thane to explore the Coruscant nightlife . However , Thane was too preoccupied with his assignment and insisted on putting in the extra effort to maintain his class rankings . Unable to convince Thane , Windrider then teased him about his " feelings " for Ved Foslo before turning his attention to Thane ' s relationship with Ciena . Windrider ' s interest in Thane ' s close friendship with Ciena annoyed the latter who refused to discuss the topic . Despite their quarrel , Nash remained supportive of Thane during the " laser cannon " incident . When Nash suggested that Ciena had a role in sabotaging Thane ' s laser cannon , Thane insisted that Ciena was innocent . Imperial service . Destruction of Alderaan . Nash Windrider graduated from the Royal Imperial Academy shortly before the battle of Yavin . He was assigned to the " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer " Devastator " which took part in the capture of the Alderaanian Prince ss Leia Organa . While he still wore his hair long , he had it tightly braided in the back per Imperial regulations . One of his fellow colleagues was Ciena Ree , who had been assigned to command track and promoted to the rank of lieutenant . After a stormtrooper party had been dispatched to recover the stolen Death Star plans , Nash met with Ciena aboard the " Devastator " . When Ciena mentioned Leia ' s capture , Nash suggested that the Princess had been misled by her court and that an investigation would clear her name . Ciena was concerned that Nash ' s loyalty would be questioned due to his Alderaanian roots . Later , Nash and his former classmates Ciena and Thane attended a ceremony aboard the Death Star where they witnessed the battle station unleashing a superlaser which destroyed his homeworld of Alderaan . The Imperial commander justified the planet ' s destruction on the grounds that the Alderaanian government had been secretly aiding the Rebel Alliance . Nash was visibly affected by the destruction of his homeworld and the death of his family . Struggling to regain his composure , he allowed Ciena to lead him to a lift that would take him back to the " Devastator " docking bay . Loyal to the Empire . Following the destruction of the Death Star , Nash decided to put Alderaan firmly behind him and to dedicate himself fully to the Empire . As a symbolic gesture , he cut off his long braids . Upon meeting Ciena , he reassured her that he was all right and stressed that he wanted to serve the Empire . After finishing his duty shift , Nash and Ciena talked about their friend Thane , who had been stationed on the Death Star but had been part of a scouting mission sent to Dantooine , where the Rebellion had once maintained a base . Thane ' s transport had received orders to return to the Death Star , leading the two to fear that Thane had perished with the Death Star . In fact , Thane had survived and was subsequently reassigned to the spice mining world of Kerev Doi . To prove his loyalty to the Empire , Nash worked extra shifts aboard the " Devastator " . Nash ' s new workaholic behavior attracted the concern of his former classmate Lieutenant Commander Ciena Ree and her colleague Berisse Sai . Berisse initially mistook Ree ' s concern for romantic feelings until the latter forcefully denied it . Ree suggested inviting Windrider to join them at the gym and to play grav - ball . The following day , Nash informed Ciena that their friend Thane had deserted his post at Kerev Doi . When Ciena suggested that Thane could have crashed his ship , Nash was sympathetic but assured her that his superiors were telling the truth . He also confided that an Imperial Security Bureau officer had questioned him about Thane ' s political beliefs . While Nash had told them that his friend was no rebel , the officer was not satisfied . Ciena later traveled to Jelucan to find Thane . There , she discovered that he had indeed deserted the Empire due to his disillusionment with the Empire ' s destruction of Alderaan and the maltreatment of Bodach ' i slaves on Kerev Doi . Ciena was unable to reason with Thane , who refused to return to Imperial service . While she loved Thane , Ciena was unable to break her oath to the Empire due to her upbringing . Instead , she told Thane to go into hiding and informed her superiors that Thane had committed suicide on Jelucan . This report was accepted by Nash and other Imperial officers . Serving Darth Vader . Three years after the Battle of Yavin , Lieutenant Windrider along with his friend Ciena and Berisse were transferred from the " Devastator " to Darth Vader ' s flagship " Executor " , a Super Star Destroyer . Shortly after his new posting , Nash served aboard the " Executor " quadrant section during the battle of Hoth . Prior to the Imperial assault , he confidently informed Ciena that an Imperial probe droid had found the rebel base on the frozen planet of Hoth and that the " Executor " was traveling with five smaller Star Destroyer s to attack the rebels . Despite their best efforts , elements of the rebel forces managed to escape into hyperspace . Nash and Ciena later took part in an Imperial operation to trap several rebel fugitives including Princess Leia , Han Solo , Chewbacca , and Luke Skywalker on Cloud City in the gas giant of Bespin . Under the orders of Darth Vader , the two Imperial officers sabotaged the " Millennium Falcon " hyperdrive in an attempt to prevent the rebels from escaping into hyperspace . Despite their best efforts , the astromech droid R2 - D2 was able to repair the hyperdrive , and the " Falcon " was able to escape . Nash and his fellow officers were shocked that their efforts had failed and feared that Lord Vader would execute them on the spot . However , the Sith Lord instead left the command bridge . That evening , Windrider met with Ciena and Berisse in the " Executor " quadrant . He listened as Ciena and Berisse talked about why some people joined the Rebellion . Sensing that Ciena was upset , Nash asked her why , and she told them that she had been thinking about Thane lately . Unknown to Nash and Berisse , Ciena had discovered that Thane had joined the Rebellion after analyzing footage from Hoth . Nash expressed his disbelief that his friend Thane would commit suicide , knowing that Kyrell had so much to live for including his top ranking as an elite TIE fighter pilot . Berisse then reassured her colleagues that nobody had been themselves after the destruction of the Death Star . When Berisse asked whether Thane had lost any other close friends or a lover aboard the Death Star , Nash responded that his friend did not have any romantic interests while at the Royal Academy and when he was living on Jelucan . Unknown to Windrider , Ciena and Thane had a romantic relationship and had made love during their last meeting on Jelucan after the battle of Yavin . Nash then discussed his suspicion that Thane had an abusive relationship with his father , Oris Kyrell , recalling that he had seen the scars on Thane ' s back while they were roommates . Windrider speculated that years of abuse had driven Thane to suicide . After Berisse left , Nash confided his romantic feelings for Ciena . When Ciena politely declined , Windrider apologized for bringing up the topic at the wrong time since they had been talking about Thane ' s purported death an hour ago . Nash admitted that he missed his friend Thane and reiterated that he did not mean to make light of Ciena ' s feelings for him . While Nash had feelings for Ciena , she did not reciprocate due to her love for Thane . Dogfight in the Hudalla system . Later , Nash Windrider was part of a ten - member TIE fighter patrol that engaged in a dogfight with the Rebel Alliance ' s Corona Squadron in the remote Hudalla system . Prior to the dogfight , Nash was delighted that his friend Ciena , who was now a Commander in the Imperial Navy , would be joining him and his fellow pilot s . Admiral Piett informed Nash and the other pilots that they had picked up some strange readings on the edge of the Hudalla system . While he suspected it was little more than metal ores and mynock s , he told them to be vigilant for enemy spies . Knowing that it was a rebel patrol out there , Piett also gave Ciena secret orders to let at least one of the rebels escape . Unknown to Nash and Ciena , one of the rebel pilot s flying out there was their former friend Thane Kyrell , who had since become a rebel pilot . Nash ' s TIE patrol quickly detected Corona Squadron ' s five T - 65 X - wing starfighter s on their sensors . After sighting the rebel fighters , Nash ' s recognized Thane ' s voice across the intercom . During a heated exchange , an enraged Nash remarked that he wished that his former friend was dead . Giving into his rage , Nash violated Imperial Navy protocol by initiating battle without waiting for Commander Ree ' s orders . During the dogfight , Nash pursued Thane ' s X - wing with his TIE / IN interceptor , intent on killing his former friend whom he now deemed a traitor . When Nash denounced Thane as a rebel scum who had stooped so low , Thane retorted that the Empire had murdered Nash ' s family and destroyed his homeworld . In response , Nash angrily told Thane not to mention Alderaan again . Taking advantage of Admiral Piett ' s secret order , Ciena used her TIE fighter to shield Thane from the furious Nash . Due to her efforts , four of the rebel starfighters including Thane ' s X - wing managed to flee into hyperspace . After returning to their hangar aboard the " Executor " , Nash expressed anger that Thane had faked his death and put his friend Ciena through much grief and suffering , not knowing that she had fabricated his suicide . Ciena then hugged Nash and the two Imperial officers comforted each other . Nash apologized for shouting at her over the intercom and confided that he had been heartbroken over Thane ' s " betrayal . " He mistook Ciena ' s efforts to save Thane for an attempt to finish off the traitorous pilot by herself . He apologized for not letting her have the honor of killing Thane . Nash then concluded that they had never really known Thane . He later reported Thane ' s treason to his superiors before enduring a dressing - down by his superiors , who reprimanded the TIE pilots for failing to destroy most of the rebel fighters . Battle of Endor . Shortly later , the " Executor " arrived at the second Death Star . Nash Windrider along with Ciena Ree and Berisse attended a reception ceremony which greeted Emperor Palpatine . When Ciena expressed skepticism that building a second Death Star would bring an end to the Rebellion , Nash and Berisse disagreed and expressed their confidence in the Emperor ' s strategy . After Ciena mentioned the destruction of Alderaan and remarked that the Death Star was not being used to protect the Empire ' s citizens from war , Nash responded that Alderaan had to be destroyed in order to demonstrate the Emperor ' s true strength and to end the bickering in the Imperial Senate . Nash added that the war against the Rebellion was only the aftermath of the conflicts that had wrecked the Galaxy . He believed that the rebels had only been able to destroy the first Death Star through sheer luck and that building a second Death Star was necessary to restore order to the Galaxy . Nash attributed Ciena ' s melancholy to her difficulty in coming to terms with Thane ' s betrayal . He counselled Ciena to trust in her oath to the Empire and her integrity . Shortly later , Emperor Palpatine arrived in his " Lambda " - class shuttle . The Emperor had devised a plan to lure the Rebel Alliance into a trap above Endor . However , the plan fell apart when a rebel strike team under Han Solo managed to destroy the shield generator protecting the second Death Star . In addition , the rebel Luke Skywalker succeeded in turning his father Darth Vader from the dark side , and Vader then killed the Emperor . The Imperial fleet also suffered heavy casualties when the rebel fleet attacked the Imperial fleet above Endor in order to avoid the second Death Star ' s superlaser . Berisse perished during the the destruction of the " Executor " . Meanwhile , Ciena survived but was badly wounded when shrapnel pierced her liver . A shattered Empire . Following the Imperial retreat from Endor , Nash comforted the gravely wounded Ciena . When she called for her father Paron Ree , Nash told her that he would not let her die . After Ciena ' s wounds had been treated , Nash attended to her at her bedside . He informed her that the medical staff had hooked her to a life - support belt so that she could regrow her liver . He also told her that she had been given several months ' leave due to her illness . When Ree asked what had happened to the fleet , Nash informed her about the destruction of the second Death Star , the deaths of the Emperor , Darth Vader , Moff Jerjerrod , and Berisse . The Empire had also descended into a state of chaos and the Rebellion had established a new government called the New Republic . Despite the heavy losses , Nash was confident that the Imperial Starfleet would regroup to plan the next assault and name a new Emperor . When Ciena began to cry , he told her to rest . Shortly later , Windrider was shipped out for a new posting on an Imperial warship called the " Subjugator " . A year after the battle of Endor , Nash was promoted to the rank of flight commander and assigned to the Imperial Star Destroyer " Inflictor " . To his delight , the " Inflictor " was commanded by his friend Ciena Ree , who had also been promoted to the rank of Captain in the Imperial Navy . After the promotion ceremony , Nash informed Ciena that the Empire was marshaling its remaining forces for a final standoff against the New Republic on the desert world of Jakku . Battle of Jakku . Nash served as the " Inflictor " flight commander during the battle of Jakku . During the space battle , the " Inflictor " was boarded by several New Republic boarding parties , who were intent on seizing the Star Destroyer and adding it to the nascent New Republic Defense Fleet . One of the rebel boarders was his former friend Thane Kyrell , who succeeded in disabling the " Inflictor " self - destruct mechanism . Captain Ciena Ree then realized that she had no other choice but to stay behind and manually crash the Star Destroyer into Jakku ' s surface . Commander Windrider protested but he complied with Captain Ree ' s orders to evacuate the " Inflictor " . While Windrider was heart - broken that he would lose Ciena , he nevertheless understood that she wanted to prevent the Star Destroyer from falling into rebel hands . After some argument , Windrider joined the rest of the crew in fleeing the " Inflictor " in escape pod s . Before Ciena could crash the Star Destroyer into Jakku ' s surface , she was stopped by Thane . Following a struggle , Thane managed to rescue her and evacuated her in an escape pod before the " Inflictor " crashed into Jakku . Ultimately , the battle of Jakku was a major defeat for the Galactic Empire which attempted no further large - scale offensives the following month . The remnants of the Empire were also reduced to certain regions within the Core Worlds and the Inner Rim . Imperial retreat . Following the Battle of Jakku , Commander Windrider was posted to the attack cruiser " Garrote " , which was part of an Imperial fleet that had retreated to the Queluhan Nebula . As flight commander , Nash restored " proper discipline " among his crew to the extent that none of them turned away from their work when he left the command bridge . Windrider was also assisted by Thane ' s estranged older brother Dalven Kyrell , a third - class desk officer who held the rank of Lieutenant . Nash despised Dalven as a weak , toadying man but nevertheless refused to judge him solely based on his blood ties to Thane . While stationed aboard the " Garrote " , Nash nominated Captain Ciena for the Distinguished Medal of Imperial Honor in recognition for her selfless service to the Empire and her purported sacrifice during the battle of Jakku . When Dalven questioned his motives for nominating Ree , Nash sprung to Ciena ' s defense and expressed his wish to die in the service of the Empire . After listening to a New Republic " propaganda broadcast , " Windrider believed that the rebels had grown complacent and were underestimating the Empire . He watched as an Imperial fleet prepared for a strike against the Republic and vowed to avenge Ciena ' s purported death . Personality and traits . Nash Windrider was a tall , thin - faced human man with long brown hair , which he tied into a series of long braids . Growing up on Alderaan , Windrider valued his homeworld ' s enlightened approach to education . In his youth , he aspired toward the Galactic Empire where education was free and people taught and learned for fun . He also accepted Imperial propaganda that the Empire wanted to take the best of each world and culture and spread it through the galaxy . While loyal to the Empire , Windrider was tolerant and understanding of cynics like his friend Thane Kyrell . Instead of disparaging or mocking Thane , Nash decided to win him over by inviting him to visit his homeworld . According to Ciena Ree , he had an impish sense of humor that made them laugh . Nash was an untidy homekeeper and was known to leave his possessions strewn across his room . While he and Thane argued over Nash ' s dirty socks landing on somebody ' s toothbrush , the two remained good friends . Nash ' s easygoing and fun - loving nature contrasted with the more studious Thane , who was focused on doing well in his Academy classwork and maintaining his high class rankings . As a teenager , Nash wanted to visit Coruscant ' s nightclubs and cantinas so that he could flirt with girls , since cadets were forbidden to date their classmates . While he had a more relaxed approach to study , Nash still excelled well enough in his studies to become a starfighter pilot and later a flight commander in the Imperial Navy . Nash Windrider was greatly troubled and grief - stricken by the destruction of his homeworld , Alderaan . Following the destruction of Alderaan , Nash decided to dedicate his life solely to serving the Empire . As a symbolic gesture , he cut his braids to signify his commitment to the Empire . Over the next few years , he gradually recovered some of his old wit and dash . He rationalized the destruction of his homeworld by accepting the argument that it was the only way for the Emperor ' s true power to be revealed . He saw the two Death Stars as necessary evils needed to crush the Rebellion once and for all and to prove that the Empire was the only galactic authority . As an Imperial loyalist , he despised the Rebel Alliance as a source of chaos and disorder . He regarded the New Republic as an illegitimate regime . Following the Battle of Jakku , he believed that the Republic had grown complacent and that it would crumble in the face of a well - planned Imperial assault . Relationships . Thane Kyrell . Nash regarded Thane as one of his closest friends and was heartbroken by Kyrell ' s purported suicide , mourning for Thane for several years . Knowing Thane ' s abusive relationship with his father , Oris Kyrell , Nash believed that Oris had driven him to suicide . However , Nash ' s feelings towards Thane turned to hatred after discovering that he had joined the Rebel Alliance . Nash ' s fanatical loyalty to the Empire drove him into a homicidal rage when he learned of Thane ' s " treachery . " Unable to come to terms with Thane ' s defection , Nash came to regard him as a " master deceiver " whose words could not be trusted . Ciena Ree . Over time , Nash came to develop feelings for Ciena and once attempted to propose to her . However , she politely declined his romantic offer since she had a relationship with Thane . Nash was heartbroken when she stayed aboard the Star Destroyer " Inflictor " during the Battle of Jakku in an effort to deny the ship to the New Republic . To honor her memory , Nash nominated her for the Distinguished Medal of Imperial Honor in recognition of her selfless service and sacrifice . Nash ' s willingness to justify genocide as a military tactic discomforted Ciena Ree but she remained quiet out of respect for her friend . Dalven Kyrell . Windrider also despised Thane ' s older brother , Dalven , as a weak , toadying man who had bullied Ciena and Thane when they were children . He even toyed with the idea of sending Dalven on an appropriate " suicide mission . " However , he refused to judge Dalven based on his brother ' s Rebel linkages and preferred to treat him as an individual . Skills and abilities . During his time at the Royal Imperial Academy , Nash Windrider learned how to ride speeder bikes , repair laser cannons , and fly TIE fighters . By the time of the Battle of Endor , he could fly a TIE / IN interceptor and took part in space dogfights . Later , he served as a flight commander aboard the Star Destroyer " Inflictor " . Behind the scenes . Nash Windrider was created by Claudia Gray for the 2015 young - adult novel " Lost Stars " , which was part of a twenty - book promotional series called " " . While most of the novel is told from the points of view of Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree , Windrider receives a short point - of - view section in the novel ' s epilogue . While writing the novel , Gray pictured Nash as being portrayed by .