Hija / Legends Hija was a Human male lieutenant of the Imperial Navy during the early stages of the Galactic Civil War . He served as the chief gunnery officer aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer " Devastator " , under the command of Lord Darth Vader . In 7 BBY , Vader commanded Hija to conduct an orbital bombardment of the planet Falleen in order to stop an Imperial - produced bacterial plague from spreading out of control . Later , in 0 BBY , Hija participated in the " Devastator " capture of the Rebel CR90 corvette " Tantive IV " , during which he spotted an escape pod fleeing from the impounded Rebel vessel . However , Gunnery Captain Bolvan ordered Hija not to fire on the pod because the " Devastator " gunnery sensors detected no lifeforms aboard . Biography . The Human male Hija was a member of the Galactic Empire ' s navy during the Imperial Period . By 7 BBY , he was serving under Captain Bolvan as a lieutenant aboard the " Imperial I " - class Star Destroyer " Devastator " , commanded by the Dark Lord Darth Vader . Hija was the chief gunnery officer aboard the " Devastator " when the Star Destroyer arrived at the planet Falleen in 7 BBY as a part of Vader ' s exploration tour visiting Imperial weapon development projects . After hearing Bolvan ' s report on an accident in a biological research facility and the following spread of a flesh - eating bacterium across Falleen ' s surface , Vader ordered an orbital bombardment of the surface to halt any further spread of the leaking bioweapon . Hija was responsible for firing the devastating turbolaser bombardment from the " Devastator " that destroyed the weapons facility and everything within forty kilometers to cover up the mishap . Among the 200 , 000 Falleen casualties in the ensuing destruction was the family of Prince Xizor , who later led the Black Sun criminal organization . In 0 BBY , during the Galactic Civil War , Hija was still serving as the chief gunnery officer of the " Devastator " , under the direct command of the now – Gunnery Captain Bolvan . After Rebel agents transmitted the stolen plans of the first Death Star , a new Imperial superweapon , to the Rebel CR90 corvette " Tantive IV " , Senator Leia Organa ' s consular ship , the " Devastator " pursued and captured the Rebel vessel over the planet Tatooine . Several escape pods were jettisoned from the " Tantive IV " during the battle . Hija spotted the pod that , unbeknownst to the Imperials , contained the Rebel droids C - 3PO and R2 - D2 , the latter of whom carried the stolen Death Star plans in his memory banks . However , since the " Devastator " gunnery sensors detected no lifeforms within the escape pod , Bolvan ordered Hija to hold his fire in order to conserve power , allowing the droids to escape . Personality and traits . When Darth Vader ordered Hija to conduct the orbital bombardment of Falleen that would kill thousands , the lieutenant did not hesitate and carried out his duties at once . Later , when Bolvan instructed him to refrain from firing on the " Tantive IV " fleeing escape pod , Hija followed the command of his superior unhesitatingly . Hija chose to wear the prominent sideburns that were popular among Imperial officers around the time of the Battle of Yavin . Behind the scenes . The Hija character first appeared in the December 1976 of , ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster . Although he was not credited , actor John Forgeham claimed to have played the character in the 1977 film , according to the fan Web site Star Wars Autographs Online . However , Forgeham would later on acknowledge he had in fact played Bolvan , with actor John Wreford acknowledging the role of Hija . The " A New Hope " novel refers to Hija as " one of " the chief gunnery officers under Bolvan ' s command aboard the " Devastator " . However , later sources , including the " Star Wars Encyclopedia " , " " , and " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , state that Hija was " the " " Devastator " chief gunnery officer . In the revised fourth draft script of " A New Hope " , as presented in " Star Wars : Behind the Magic " , Hija is identified as " Chief Pilot , " despite managing the Star Destroyer ' s weapons .