Ran Harkas Ran Harkas , also known by the nickname Hardcase , was a Human male who served as a sergeant in Joker Squad , which was part of Company C , 9th Battalion , of the 407th Stormtrooper Division . During the Sith – Imperial War , Harkas fought with Joker Squad against Mandalorian forces in the Battle of Botajef and remained in command of the unit following the coup against Emperor Roan Fel , serving in the Imperial faction loyal to Darth Krayt . The Battle of Borosk in 137 ABY witnessed Harkas and Joker Squad fight against the 908th Stormtrooper Division , who had sided with the fugitive Roan Fel . During the battle , Harkas was among the stormtroopers who confronted Darth Maleval , and was later evacuated off the planet due to wounds received at the hands of the enemy . Following his recovery from the injuries received on Borosk , Harkas was part of the stormtrooper contingent sent to the planet Ossus , under the command of Darth Stryfe , to root out any Jedi that may have been using it as a refuge and was later assigned to hunt down any survivors of the bombardment of Da Soocha ' s moon Napdu . A grizzled veteran of many conflicts , during both the Sith – Imperial War and Second Imperial Civil War , Harkas was known for getting missions done , and developed a reputation for bringing his troopers back alive . Under his command , Joker Squad developed a reputation as a unit capable of handling a wide variety of missions . In 138 ABY , Harkas led Joker Squad in an attack on the Jedi Hidden Temple on the planet Taivas and was killed during the battle . Biography . Battle of Botajef . The Human male Ran Harkas became a sergeant in the Imperial Army and leader of the 407th Stormtrooper Division ' s Joker Squad at some point prior to the end of the first year of the Sith – Imperial War . Joker Squad , fought in the Battle of Botajef against Mandalorian forces hired by the Galactic Alliance to hold Botajef against the forces of the Fel Empire , taking heavy casualties during the battle . Towards the end of the battle , Joker Squad came upon two Mandalorians , Hondo Karr and Vevec , who had been left behind during the Mandalorian retreat . Karr had changed into stormtrooper armor in an effort to evade capture and , believing that Karr was under threat from Vevec , Joker Vax Potorr eliminated the Mandalorian to save his comrade . Approaching the injured man , Harkas ordered Potorr , Armang and Kniffler to secure the perimeter while he inquired as to the whereabouts of Karr ' s unit . When the trooper replied that he was the only survivor , Harkas drafted him into Joker Squad as a replacement for their own losses in the battle . Yinchorr . The Empire emerged victorious from the Sith – Imperial War but , by 137 ABY , it had fractured into two factions — those loyal to Emperor - in - exile Roan Fel and those loyal to Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Krayt . Joker Squad served Krayt ' s Empire and were stationed on the Imperial world of Yinchorr , which served as the headquarters for the 407th Stormtrooper Division . Due to recent engagements , Joker Squad was in need of a replacement trooper , and Anson Trask was tasked to fill the position . However , upon arriving on the planet he made the mistake of asking Darth Maleval , who was not used to common soldiers speaking to him , for directions to his new unit — the only thing that saved him from the Sith ' s wrath was the quick intervention of Harkas , who explained to Maleval that Trask was a noob . Following the confrontation with Maleval , Harkas took his new replacement to meet the rest of Joker Squad . His reception , however , was somewhat cold in reality . Due to the brutal nature of the war they fought in , the veteran troopers had witnessed too many new recruits die shortly after arriving . After introducing Trask to the other Jokers , Harkas informed the squad ' s officer , Lieutenant Gil Cassel , that their replacement had arrived and that they were prepared for their new orders . With the addition of their new trooper , the squad was ready for their next mission , which Cassel informed them would take place on the world of Borosk . Lieutenant Cassel advised Harkas and Joker Squad that their new mission was to fight against the traitorous 908th Stormtrooper Division , who has established their headquarters on the planet of Borosk . The mission , however , was not well received by the soldiers of Joker Squad , including Harkas , though he preferred to keep his thoughts to himself . Despite his own misgivings about the coming battle , Harkas packed his gear along with the rest of Joker Squad . Battle of Borosk . The attack on the 908th ' s headquarters turned out to be a brutal fight , and Harkas and his soldiers found it difficult to distinguish the enemy troopers from their own . Nonetheless , Harkas did his duty and stayed beside Lieutenant Cassel during the fight , providing him cover during the squad ' s attempt to capture shield and gun placements along a perimeter wall . Later , during a break in the fighting , it was revealed that Cassel had transmitted a request to the 908th to surrender , rather than face destruction . Darth Maleval , however , discovered this and decided to confront Cassel about the fact that Cassel ' s own brother was a member of the 908th . Believing that Cassel was weak and only wanted to save his brother , Maleval advised the Jokers that they would not accept the surrender of any troopers from the 908th . The Sith Lord proceeded to threaten death to any member of Joker Squad that hesitated to follow his orders during the next attack . Demoralized by what they felt was a conflict of interest , the troopers of Joker Squad discussed amongst themselves what they should do . However , Harkas was able to put his personal opinions aside , and delivered a gruff speech to his troopers in which he stated that a trooper ' s main objective was to complete a mission , no matter what it was , no matter the cost . After hearing Harkas , the troopers of Joker Squad reluctantly agreed to do their duty — if only to stand by Harkas , and not the Sith . The following day saw Joker Squad lead the other units in the attack on the 908th , and Harkas led his troopers in breaching the main building . In what had once been the building ' s main mess hall , Joker Squad found themselves facing gun emplacements on the upper level walkways . As the Jokers opened fire on the targets above , Potorr stepped on a mine and was killed . Moments later , a stray round from a blaster hit one of Jes Gistang ' s power packs that she carried for her ' Big Gun ' . The stray round ignited the spare power packs and set off an explosion , which instantly killed Gistang and critically wounded Harkas . Nevertheless , Harkas suffered through the pain and was able to continue fighting alongside the remaining Jokers — the fighting would eventually leave Harkas , Trask , and Hondo Karr as the only non - commissioned members of Joker Squad . As the fighting wound down , Maleval confronted Cassel with a 908th prisoner , whom he intended on executing — Cassel ' s own brother . Harkas exploded at the Sith Lord , telling Maleval that Cassel had done his duty and the captured soldier did not deserve to be executed . Maleval , however , believed otherwise , and upon killing both Cassel brothers , was attacked by various members of Joker Squad . The fight devolved and saw rookie Anson Trask shoot the Sith Lord in the back . Realizing that the military was not what it once was , Hondo Karr decided to desert — comprehending his decision , Harkas let him go . Wanting to protect Trask and the future members of Joker Squad from any official retaliation from the Sith , Harkas filed a report which stated that Maleval had been killed in action against the 908th . Following the Battle of Borosk , Harkas was evacuated off - planet to receive treatment for his wounds . However , before leaving , he handed command of Joker Squad over to Trask , who was the sole remaining member of the unit . Harkas ' s recovery took weeks , but he eventually returned to command Joker Squad , beginning the process of rebuilding it . Under Harkas ' s command , Joker Squad became a specialized squad , known for their ability to handle a wide variety of missions . Later missions . Later that year , Harkas served along with Trask on the planet of Ossus , where Darth Stryfe led an Imperial mission to root out any remaining Jedi — Harkas and the other stormtroopers were unable to locate any Jedi , initially . As the search for the Jedi continued , Trask and another stormtrooper were ordered to investigate the lower levels of the Jedi Academy , while Harkas , Private Orland , and one other trooper continued to search the surface immediately surrounding the Academy . Unknown to Harkas , Trask and his fire team partner encountered a small group of Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong during their search . Among the Jedi were Shado Vao who used a mind trick to persuade Trask and his partner to leave the lower levels , and report that there were no Jedi to be found . With Trask ' s report from the Academy , Harkas and the remaining stormtroopers on the surface were ordered back to the orbiting Star Destroyer , their search seemingly complete . Darth Stryfe , however , could still feel the hidden Jedi on the planet , regardless of what the stormtroopers reported to him . Believing that the Jedi were in fact still on Ossus , Stryfe ordered an orbital bombardment of the surface , and had the Academy destroyed . Later that year , Harkas and Joker Squad were among the stormtrooper squads assigned to the First Sith Imperial Strikeforce , under the command of Moff Rulf Yage . After Sith Regent Darth Wyyrlok ordered the execution of the Mon Calamari in retaliation for the species ' support of the Galactic Alliance , the Quarren Sith Lord Darth Azard took Yage ' s forces to the planet Da Soocha in search of Mon Calamari survivors . When the Hutt Azzim Anjiliac Atirue denied all knowledge of refugees , Azard ordered the poisoning of Da Soocha ' s oceans and the bombardment of its moon Napdu . After the turbolasers ceased firing , Harkas led Joker Squad to the surface of the moon under orders to shoot every body they found to ensure there were no survivors . When questioned by Trask about their actions , Harkas warned him not to let the squad hear about his doubts and that it was their duty to follow the orders they had been given . Death . As the war continued , Roan Fel formed an alliance with Admiral Gar Stazi of the Galactic Alliance Remnant and the surviving Jedi in an effort to halt Krayt ' s Empire . Krayt , however , learned the location of the Jedi ' s Hidden Temple on Taivas and planned to draw the alliance members out with an attack . Joker squad was among the units assembled for the battle . After the initial orbital bombardment proved ineffective due to the planet ' s high cliffs and strong magnetic field , Moff Geist was ordered to lead Krayt ' s ground forces against the Temple . Receiving the order to attack , Harkas led Joker Squad into battle against the Jedi . However , as the battle raged on near the Temple ' s main entrance , Harkas was killed , leaving Trask to rally the Jokers under his leadership . The battle was a victory for the Sith Imperial forces due to the intervention of Emperor Krayt ' s Sith troopers as well as his new capital ships and starfighters , although the majority of enemy forces were able to safely escape from Taivas . Personality and traits . Harkas was a hardened soldier who served the Imperial military with a distinct sense of honor and duty . Throughout his military career he had developed a solid reputation for getting the job done , no matter the cost , and for always looking out for the well - being of the troopers under his command . After Darth Krayt ' s coup against Roan Fel , Harkas served Krayt ' s Empire but began to quietly question his loyalty to the new Emperor . During the Battle of Borosk , Harkas was not alone in feeling that the way the Sith were handling the campaign was wrong , but convinced both himself and his subordinates that their duty was to complete the mission , regardless of the cost . He later had concerns about Joker Squad ' s orders to kill any survivors of the orbital bombardment on Napdu . However , Harkas again knew where his duty lay , and decided to put aside his own misgivings and continue on his assigned mission . Harkas was well liked by his troopers , and they knew that no matter the mission , he would do his best to protect their interests , as well as their livelihood . Because of this , he had earned the respect of both the enlisted and officer corps of the 407th Stormtrooper Division . Behind the scenes . The character of Harkas was created by John Ostrander and drawn by Travel Foreman for " " , the fourth issue of the " " comic series . Though his first appearance stood largely separate from the wider storyline of the series , his character , along with fellow Joker Anson Trask , was worked into the main storyline with an appearance in the fourth story arc of the " Legacy " comic series , " " , and the final story arc " " . Following the conclusion of " Star Wars : Legacy " , Harkas appeared in its successor series , " " , in which the character was killed off . Harkas ' s first name was not mentioned in the character ' s early appearances but was revealed in 2008 ' s " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " , in which Harkas received an entry . An Entertainment Earth exclusive action figure of Ran Harkas was unveiled at as part of Hasbro ' s " " Joker Squad six - pack .