Hodnar Borrum Hodnar Borrum was a male human who served as an officer in both the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic and its successor , the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire . Toward the end of the Clone Wars , a three - year - long conflict that concluded with the transition from the Republic to the Empire , Borrum reportedly led the charge against the last stand of the Jedi , personally marshaling clone trooper s against a mountain fortress . In the Empire , Borrum became a general , and he served so long that he came to be known as " the Old Man . " However , perhaps because of his old age or his disregard for the Force , Borrum was never made a Grand General , an honor that went to Kenner Loring instead . After the Empire suffered a major defeat at Endor , General Borrum was given a seat in the Shadow Council , a secret ruling body led by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax . Borrum later commanded the Imperial ground forces during the cataclysmic Battle of Jakku , which ended the Galactic Civil War in the New Republic ' s favor . Biography . Age of the Empire . Hodnar Borrum served as an officer in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars . He personally took part in the Jedi Purge and led Clone trooper s against Jedi who had holed themselves up in a mountain fortress on either Madar or Morad . Borrum continued serving in the army of the Galactic Empire and eventually rose to the rank of general . By 5 ABY , Borrum had earned the nickname " the Old Man " among his fellow Imperial Military officers due to his long service to the Republic and the Empire . Despite his experience and talents as a general , Borrum was not promoted to Grand General . Instead , the position went to Kenner Loring . Some like Grand Admiral Rae Sloane speculated that he had been overlooked due to his age , practicality , and his disdain for the Force , which likely enraged Darth Vader . Borrum was one of the senior Imperial military officers to survive the cataclysmic aftermath of the Battle of Endor . Due to his talents and reputation , Borrum was recruited by Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax to his secret Shadow Council , a secret advisory council that governed the remnants of the Empire from behind the scenes . Rax and his figurehead Sloane commanded Imperial forces in the Vulpinus Nebula . Shadow Council . During the inaugural dinner of the Shadow Council , General Borrum remarked that the Empire was facing an interesting inversion . He surmised that many Imperials still had not come to terms with the fact that the Empire was no longer a first - rate power . Sloane and the Imperial propagandist Ferric Obdur concurred and advocated that the Empire act as the underdogs fighting to save the galaxy . Borrum and his comrades ' ideas pleased Rax , who entered the room to reveal that he had created the Shadow Council as a brain trust that would rebuild the Empire . Rax then briefed the Shadow Council that he secretly commanded other Imperial remnant fleets in the Almagest , the Recluse ' s Nebula , the Queluhan Nebula , the Ro - Loo Triangle , and the Inamorata . When Borrum responded that the Empire still needed boots and armor on the ground , Rax revealed that the Empire still controlled factories on the Outer Rim worlds of Zhadalene , Korrus , and Belladoon . Rax vowed to use these resources as a cord to strangle the New Republic , the successor government to the Rebel Alliance . Rax ' s coup . Following the attack on Chandrila , General Borrum and his fellow Shadow Council members attended an impromptu meeting with Fleet Admiral Rax , who claimed that Grand Admiral Sloane had been lost to the New Republic and that every effort was being made to recover her . When Rax vowed to continue her vision of the Empire , Borrum asked whether Rax was claiming the mantle of Emperor or Grand Admiral . Rax replied that he was unworthy of those senior positions and instead opted to assume the title of Counselor to the Empire , serving as an interstitial leader until the return of Sloane . A skeptical Borrum protested that Rax ' s decision was unprecedented and claimed that doing so would leave the Empire rudderless . Rax countered that the Empire had to evolve and claimed that Counselor would only be a temporary position . Borrum then pointed out that the office of Emperor had not been temporary when Palpatine ceased to be Supreme Chancellor of the former Republic . Rax responded with the single - line " perhaps " . When Borrum demanded to know why Rax had brought them to the strategically barren planet of Jakku , Rax claimed that it would be a testing ground for the Empire in the midst of the chaos gripping the New Republic in the wake of the attack on Chandrila . In secret , Rax planned to eliminate Borrum and his fellow Council members with the exception of Commandant Brendol Hux , whom he viewed as essential to his plans . Showdown on Jakku . For several months , Rax ' s Imperial remnant waited on Jakku for the New Republic to launch their attack . Rax justified their transfer to Jakku by claiming that the planet ' s harsh arid conditions would sharpen the Imperials into a stronger , fighting force . In truth , Rax was the executor of the Emperor ' s posthumous Contingency plan to tear down the Empire and start afresh . This plan involved destroying much of the Empire and bringing a chosen elect into the Unknown Regions to rebuild the Empire . During that period , Borrum was based aboard the " Ravager " , the Imperial command ship . After the New Republic sent a probe droid and scout ship to Jakku , Borrum attended a meeting of the Shadow Council . During the meeting , Borrum expressed his impatience with the long wait . He explained that his men were growing weary and exhausted from having to wait on alert for so long . Grand Moff Randd countered that the slow arrival of the New Republic would give the Imperial forces time to bolster their forces . Borrum was also a known collector of Clone Wars artifacts . When Imperial forces captured the B1 battle droid Mister Bones , the Imperial officer Effney considered sending him to Borrum . However , Bones managed to kill Effney and free his master Temmin Wexley ' s mother Norra Wexley from Imperial captivity . During the Battle of Jakku , General Borrum commanded the Imperial ground forces on Jakku . Unaware of Rax ' s true plans , he reassured the Counselor that they would win the battle . Borrum ' s forces used unconventional tactics to slow down the New Republic landing forces . The tide of the battle turned in the New Republic ' s favor after the Super Star Destroyer " Ravager " was brought down , depriving the Imperials of a central command . It is unknown whether Borrum perished or survived during the battle , which ended the Galactic Civil War in favor of the New Republic and brought about the disintegration of the Galactic Empire . Personality and traits . Hodnar Borrum was a seasoned army officer who served in the armies of the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire . He was a practical General who did not believe in the Force . By 5 ABY , Borrum was an old man whose cheeks were marked with deep lines , craggy craters , and dark liver spots . However , his eyes remained sharp and were not clouded by age . Borrum was a sharp and perceptive thinker who like to raise hard questions . Borrum was critical of Fleet Admiral Rax ' s strategy and tactics . He objected to Rax ' s decision to appoint himself Counselor to the Empire ; pointing out that he was failing to assume leadership of the Imperial remnants in the wake of Sloane ' s alleged capture by the New Republic . He was also perplexed by Rax ' s decision to muster the Imperial remnant fleets above Jakku for a showdown with the New Republic . Borrum regarded Jakku as a strategically unimportant and barren world . Borrum later voiced criticism of Counselor Rax ' s decision to bring the Empire to Jakku to await a final showdown with the New Republic . He pointed out that the planet ' s harsh conditions were exacting a toll on the mental and physical well - being of his men . Borrum later expressed confidence that the Empire would triumph in the Battle of Jakku . He was unaware that Rax was implementing the Emperor ' s posthumous Contingency plan to destroy the Empire and start anew . Behind the scenes . Hodnar Borrum first appeared as a secondary character in Chuck Wendig ' s 2016 and 2017 novels " " and " " , the second and third installments of . Most of his lines are told through the point of view of Rae Sloane and Gallius Rax .