Biggs Darklighter Biggs Darklighter was a human male pilot who fought for the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the early days of the Galactic Civil War . He grew up on the desert world of Tatooine , where he became a close boyhood friend of Luke Skywalker . The two became pilots and dreamed of leaving Tatooine . Darklighter left his homeworld for the Imperial Academy , but defected from the Galactic Empire after graduation in order to join the Rebel Alliance . He returned to Tatooine one final time to tell Skywalker of his plans . With his home planet behind him , Darklighter relocated to the Rebel base on Yavin 4 . He reunited with Skywalker , who had helped rescue Prince ss Leia Organa , a leader in the Alliance , from the Death Star with stolen plans for the planet - destroying space station . The Rebellion analyzed the plans and organized the Battle of Yavin , where Darklighter and Skywalker flew as members of Red Squadron in the assault on the station . Skywalker successfully destroyed the Death Star , but not before Darklighter was killed in combat by Darth Vader . Biography . Leaving Tatooine . Biggs Darklighter , a human male , grew up on the desert world of Tatooine , where he became close friends with Luke Skywalker . The two both became pilot s , and often flew through Beggar ' s Canyon . In the year after the Great Drought , Biggs and fellow youngsters watched Skywalker fly his T - 16 skyhopper through the desert canyons after test flights in Jag Crag Gorge . Keeping in contact with his friend via comlink , Biggs warned Skywalker not to get too cocky after he made it through Mushroom Mesa , warning him of the dangerous Beggar ' s Canyon ahead . Although Biggs cautioned Luke to slow down through the tight canyon , Skywalker ignored his advice and ultimately crashed the skyhopper after clipping the edge of the canyon , requiring new tools and repair parts to fix the damage . When they were young , Darklighter and Skywalker both dreamed of leaving their homeworld behind and attending the Imperial Academy . Darklighter eventually left Tatooine for the Academy , but Skywalker was left behind , as his uncle , Owen Lars , would not allow him to leave out of fear that he would follow in the footsteps of his father : the Jedi Knight - turned - Sith Lord Anakin Skywalker . Darklighter ' s family was wealthy for Tatooine standards , owning twenty moisture farm s . Growing up , he had the best of everything , including clothing and a new skyhopper with each new model released , but despite this never made Skywalker feel less for it . After graduating from the Imperial Academy , Darklighter returned to Tatooine to visit Skywalker and his friends in Tosche Station . When Skywalker arrived at Tosche Station , he claimed to have witnessed a battle in the skies over Tatooine . Darklighter and the others were skeptical , however , and the now - Imperial pilot believed that it was simply two ships sitting in orbit . In actuality , Skywalker had witnessed a battle between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic , a resistance group that stood in opposition to the Empire . Although Darklighter wasn ' t involved in the battle , his return did deal with the Rebel Alliance : he told Skywalker that he would be defecting from the Empire and becoming a pilot for the Rebel Alliance . As the two said their goodbyes , Darklighter told his old friend that he would keep an eye out for him , in the event Skywalker ever joined the Rebellion . The Battle of Yavin . Darklighter joined the Rebel Alliance shortly after leaving Tatooine , and was assigned to the Rebel base on Yavin 4 . In the meantime , Prince ss Leia Organa of Alderaan , a leader in the Rebel Alliance , successfully brought stolen plans for the Death Star to the Rebel base ; this was done with the help of Skywalker , Han Solo , and Chewbacca , who aided in Organa ' s escape after she had been held prisoner by the Empire on the Death Star . Using the plans , the Rebel Alliance put together an attack plan to destroy the planet - destroying space station , which arrived near Yavin 4 with the intention of destroying it — as well as the Rebel Alliance . Darklighter was assigned to be a fighter pilot in the assault . In the lead - up to the battle , Darklighter encountered Skywalker in the Rebel hangar , as Skywalker had also become a pilot in the Rebellion as a result of his actions aboard the Death Star . The two reminisced about their time flying on Tatooine , and Darklighter vouched for Skywalker as the best bush pilot in the Outer Rim Territories when Garven Dreis , the leader of Red Squadron , questioned whether the rookie pilot would be able to handle an X - wing starfighter . The Battle of Yavin commenced shortly thereafter , and Darklighter flew with the callsign " Red Three " as part of Red Squadron . The pilots dodged turbolaser fire and fought against TIE / ln space superiority starfighter s in an attempt to reach the Death Star ' s reactor shaft , where they could fire proton torpedo es into the shaft and cause a chain reaction that would destroy the station . As the battle neared its end , Darklighter was one of the few remaining pilots , flying alongside Skywalker and Wedge Antilles as they made their way towards the reactor shaft . Just before reaching the shaft , however , the trio of X - wings was fired upon by Darth Vader , who struck Darklighter ' s fighter and killed him . Shortly after Darklighter ' s death , Skywalker destroyed the Death Star and saved the Rebellion that Darklighter fought for and believed in . Legacy . After the Battle of Yavin , Skywalker continued to think of his late friend and his sacrifice . Skywalker consoled himself knowing that Darklighter was a strong believer in the cause that he died for , and hoped that each new mission would destroy the Empire and honor Darklighter ' s sacrifice . In 34 ABY , during his self - imposed exile on Ahch - To , Skywalker , now a Jedi Master , had a dream about an alternate life where he ignored Organa ' s message and never joined the rebellion , remaining in the moisture farm ing business with his uncle and getting married with Camie Marstrap . In his dream , Darklighter was killed , but Skywalker never got to know the details of his demise whilst his family was taken away by stormtrooper s , leaving their farm to be stripped by Jawa s and Tusken Raider s . Personality and traits . As a member of the Rebel Alliance , Darklighter was a believer in its cause against the Empire . Skywalker felt that Darklighter would have thought that joining the Alliance was worth the risk and worth dying for , even if Darklighter had known he would perish in the Battle of Yavin . He also felt concern for Skywalker , whose story he would listen to with amusement and patience , and defended him when Garven Dreis questioned whether Skywalker was ready to fly with Red Squadron . Skills and abilities . Darklighter was a skilled pilot , and loved to fly alongside Skywalker . He gained piloting experience on Tatooine , including flying through the narrow Beggar ' s Canyon , and eventually used that experience to join the Imperial Academy and the Rebel Alliance . Behind the scenes . Biggs Darklighter was played by Garrick Hagon in the 1977 film of , then - titled simply " Star Wars " . The character first appeared in the various script drafts of " Star Wars " as King Kayos ' s son and the brother of the princess who would become Leia Organa . He was Luke Skywalker ' s younger brother and the brother of Windy Marstrap in the second draft , before finally being changed to Skywalker ' s friend in the third draft . Although Darklighter only appears briefly in the final film , where he is listed as " Red Three " in the film ' s closing credits , the movie originally included several scenes in which he figured much more prominently in the story . These included deleted scenes set in Tosche Station on Tatooine . Despite perishing in the original film , Darklighter was a popular character in material providing a backstory for the film and was also often mentioned in latter works within the Expanded Universe , which are now considered part of " Star Wars " Legends .