DS - 61 - 4 DS - 61 - 4 , nicknamed " Dark Curse , " was a Human male who served the Galactic Empire as a starfighter pilot during the time before , and during , the Battle of Yavin . An eventual member of Black Squadron , he participated in various Imperial campaigns before being killed by Wedge Antilles during the Rebel attack on the first Death Star . Biography . Throughout his career as an Imperial naval pilot , the Human male DS - 61 - 4 distinguished himself thoroughly , having survived numerous assaults against Rebel - held worlds , such as the planets Ralltiir and Mon Calamari . Sometime prior to the Imperial attack on Yavin 4 in 0 BBY , DS - 61 - 4 was assigned to the first Death Star as a member of Darth Vader ' s elite TIE Fighter unit , Black Squadron . Following his reassignment to Black Squadron , DS - 61 - 4 had planned on retiring from military service , with the conclusion of his next combat mission . Flying under the call sign of Black 4 , DS - 61 - 4 flew with his fellow Black Squadron pilots against the Rebel assault on the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin . During the initial confusion of the battle , DS - 61 - 4 had managed to maneuver his TIE Fighter behind the Rebel X - wing Red Five , flown by the rookie pilot Luke Skywalker , and was able to score a direct hit on the enemy fighter . DS - 61 - 4 ' s damage to the X - wing caused Skywalker to call for assistance from his fellow Red Squadron pilots . Discovering that he was unable to outmaneuver the pursuing DS - 61 - 4 , Skywalker received help from a fellow Rebel pilot , Wedge Antilles , who was able to destroy DS - 61 - 4 ' s TIE Fighter in a Corellian Slip maneuver , ensuring Skywalker ' s survival . Behind the scenes . DS - 61 - 4 ' s first appearance was in the 1977 of " " in which he flew against Luke Skywalker during the Rebel attack on the Death Star . Both his designation of DS - 61 - 4 and his nickname of Dark Curse were first mentioned in the " Star Wars " Customizable Card Game cards entitled " DS - 61 - 4 " and " Black 4 " , respectively . According to the " Star Wars " Customizable Card Game card entitled " Major Turr Phennir " , Phennir had an older brother who was killed in aerial combat by Wedge Antilles during the Battle of Yavin . It is possible that DS - 61 - 4 was the older brother of Phennir mentioned on this card , due to him being killed by Antilles during the Battle of Yavin , but to date no canon ical statement has been given to prove this theory correct . Phennir ' s older brother was later on named as " Chaser " Cartha in the 2014 StarWars . com article which featured cut content from 2012 ' s " The Essential Guide to Warfare " . Notably Paul R . Urquhart , an author for " The Essential Guide to Warfare " , stated his original intent to make Cartha and DS - 61 - 4 the same character , although that material did not make it into the final book or the Author ' s Cut article . In the " Star Wars Encyclopedia " , it is erroneously stated that DS - 61 - 4 " " [ … ] was an Imperial TIE pilot who survived the Battle of Yavin . " " This was later on repeated in " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " . However , his death was clearly portrayed in " A New Hope " when Wedge Antilles destroyed his TIE Fighter , after it had scored a hit on Red Five .