Yolo Ziff Yolo Ziff was a human male artist who flew for the Resistance during its conflict against the First Order . In 34 ABY , Ziff created propaganda for the Resistance , and he participated in the Battle of Starkiller Base , flying under the command of Black Leader Poe Dameron . During the battle , the Resistance pilot s targeted Starkiller Base ' s thermal oscillator , a weak point in the superweapon . Although their weapons were not strong enough to cause any damage to the structure , Ziff spotted a hole in the oscillator , which had been created by Resistance members Han Solo and Chewbacca , who were on the planet ' s surface . With the new opening , Ziff and the other pilot s renewed their attack on the oscillator , and Dameron destroyed the target , crippling the weapon . Biography . Propaganda artist . A human male , Yolo Ziff was a talented holographer , digital editor , illustrator , and starfighter pilot . By 34 ABY , Ziff joined the Starfighter Corps of the Resistance , a military group formed by Leia Organa to protect the New Republic from the First Order . During Ziff ' s service , Resistance pilot s joked that if Black Leader Poe Dameron were to pose for a poster , recruitment numbers would increase . Drawing inspiration from the quip , Ziff created a faux propaganda poster titled " Resistance " , which pictured a gallant image of Dameron standing in a " clear sky full of promises , " joined by the X - wing fighters under his command . Although the poster was intended as a prank , it ended up on the HoloNet , resulting in multiple new recruits . Following his unintentional success , Ziff was commissioned by Organa to create a piece to help the New Republic understand the true intentions of the First Order . The subject of the poster was to be the Attack on Tuanul , a village slaughter witnessed by Dameron . Ziff hastily illustrated " The Massacre at Tuanul " , depicting flametrooper s in Tuanul , setting fire to the settlements of peaceful religious pilgrims . Ironically , by the time Ziff finished the piece , the First Order , using a secret superweapon called Starkiller Base , destroyed the New Republic capital of Hosnian Prime . Assault on the Starkiller . Immediately after the Hosnian Cataclysm , the First Order targeted D ' Qar , the planet of the Resistance base . When the Resistance learned of the First Order ' s imminent attack , they formed a plan to disable Starkiller Base ' s thermal oscillator — a critical weak point — hoping to destroy the weapon . However , the planet was shielded , so Finn , a former First Order strormtrooper , volunteered to escort Han Solo and Chewbacca inside the base , where they could disable the shield . In preparation for the assault , Ziff and the other Resistance pilot s were told to expect at least 80 percent casualties . Ziff , flying with Red Squadron and Blue Squadron , entered hyperspace under the leadership of Dameron . Once the ground team disabled the shield , Dameron was given authorization to begin the assault , and he relayed the command . Ziff acknowledged Dameron ' s signal , and the squadron s dropped out of lightspeed , following Dameron into the planet ' s atmosphere and switching the S - foils of their T - 70 X - wing fighter s into attack position . Once the squadrons reached the oscillator , Dameron gave the order to fire , so Ziff and the other pilot s launched proton torpedo es at the structure . Despite hitting their target , no damage was done , and squadrons of TIE / fo space superiority fighter s engaged them . The dogfight pushed the battle into the planet ' s orbit , and the First Order starfighters overwhelmed the Resistance pilots . On the surface of the planet , Solo and Chewbacca had seen an opportunity to assist the pilots , so they set explosives inside the structure of the oscillator . When the charges were detonated , a opening was created , which Ziff soon noticed . He informed Dameron of the change , and the commander gave an order to resume their attack on their target . As the pilots flew toward the oscillator , Dameron told the remaining pilots to cover him as he entered the structure via the opening created by Solo and Chewbacca . From inside , Dameron destroyed the building , and the Resistance pilots followed him away from the planet as the damage caused it to implode . Personality and traits . A human male , Ziff had blue eye s and light - colored skin . Ziff was a gifted holographer , digital editor , and illustrator , so when he heard a joke about Dameron posing for a poster , Ziff pulled a prank on the commander by actualizing the piece . Equipment . As a pilot in the Resistance , Ziff flew a T - 70 X - wing fighter , a starfighter model manufactured by Incom - FreiTek . During the assault on Starkiller Base , Ziff wore a flight suit and a flight helmet with red and gray markings . His astromech droid was M9 - G8 . Behind the scenes . Yolo Ziff was created for , the seventh installment of the episodic " Star Wars " saga , which was released on December 18 , 2015 . The film was written by Lawrence Kasdan , J . J . Abrams , and Michael Arndt , and Ziff was portrayed by actor Stefan Grube , who also served as the editor for the film ' s first two trailers . Following the film ' s release , Ziff appeared in " " , a LEGO video game adaptation of the film . However , Ziff is absent from the film ' s and , in which his role is filled by Poe Dameron . Additionally , Ziff ' s role is taken by Temmin Wexley in " The Force Awakens , Part VI " , a comic book adaptation of the film ' s final scenes .