Barlon Hightower Barlon Hightower was a Human male from the planet Lantillies . A former transport pilot for the various guilds in the Lantillian sector , he eventually opted to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic after deciding that staying neutral in the Galactic Civil War was no longer an option . Assigned to the Starfighter Corps , he was stationed on the planet Hoth in 3 ABY . During the Imperial assault on the planet , Hightower was assigned to Rogue Squadron , serving as a gunner aboard a snowspeeder piloted by Stevan Makintay . Hightower and Makintay survived the engagement and evacuated Hoth . Relocated to the planet Arbra , Hightower took part in search operations to locate ships and personnel lost during the evacuation . Biography . Barlon Hightower was a Human male from the planet Lantillies in the Lantillian sector of the Mid Rim . A pilot , Hightower worked for the various guilds that operated in the Lantillies system flying transports . Over the course of several years , Hightower came to the conclusion that there was no such thing as neutrality in the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic . He decided to join the Rebellion after avoiding arrest . Serving in the Alliance Starfighter Corps , Hightower was assigned to Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth in 3 ABY , as part of the installation ' s starfighter complement . When the base was discovered by Imperial forces , an evacuation of the facility was ordered . A delaying force of twelve snowspeeders was assembled with pilots drawn from Rogue Group as well as Green and Blue Squadrons . Hightower was assigned to the gunner position of Rogue Nine and was partnered with pilot Stevan Makintay . Flying as Rogue Squadron under the command of Commander Luke Skywalker , the snowspeeders managed to delay the incoming force of AT - AT walkers long enough for the evacuation to be completed . Hightower and Makintay survived the battle and managed to escape off - world . Hightower was reassigned to Haven Base on the planet Arbra . Holding the rank of lieutenant , he was assigned to a unit whose primary purpose was to locate starships and personnel separated or lost from the Alliance during the retreat from Hoth . Days after the Battle of Hoth , he was part of a team — which included Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa — that intercepted a Gallofree Yards , Inc . GR - 75 medium transport on a trajectory bearing it away from the Hoth system . Aboard were Alliance pilots Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson , who had been temporarily stranded on Hoth until they had encountered the notorious scavenger Arns Grimraker . In a confrontation , the Alliance pilots had killed Grimraker and stolen his ship , the " Death Merchant " . Following that assignment , Hightower was posted back to Rogue Squadron . Personality and traits . Barlon Hightower was a dark - skinned man , with black hair and brown eyes . A skilled pilot and gunner , Hightower ' s skills earned him a posting to Rogue Squadron , the Alliance ' s foremost starfighter squadron . Behind the scenes . Barlon Hightower first appeared in the of Marvel ' s " Star Wars " comic , written by David Michelinie with illustrations by Luke McDonnell and published in December 1983 . The story , " Hoth Stuff ! " , featured several elements that would be contradicted by later sources , such as a backstory for Wedge Antilles that portrays him as Luke Skywalker ' s oldest friend from Tatooine and a depiction of Wes Janson ' s death . As a result , the canon icity of the story was left ambiguous . In addition , the Marvel " Star Wars " stories were deemed to be S - canon ( Secondary Canon ) by the Holocron continuity database . According to Leland Chee , Lucasfilm Ltd . ' s " Keeper of the Holocron , " stories categorized as S - canon could be used or ignored by authors as they needed , which left even the existence of Hightower in doubt . In 2003 , Wizards of the Coast published a series of " Star Wars Roleplaying Game " articles on its website called " " . In the , author Cory J . Herndon brought elements of " Hoth Stuff ! " back into continuity by framing the story as a tall tale that Wedge Antilles tells to new recruits , partially to see their faces once they actually meet a very much alive Wes Janson later in their training . Antilles ' presence on Hoth after the battle is canonized , as is his confrontation with the scavenger Arns Grimraker . In 2008 , " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " included an entry on Hightower , without mentioning the specifics of the story he appeared in , canonizing his existence within the " Star Wars " universe . A separate entry for Arns Grimraker confirmed the scavenger ' s presence on Hoth in the aftermath of the battle , but cut his arrival down to days after the conflict , not months , as stated in " Hoth Stuff ! " The entry also canonized Janson ' s presence during these events . In 2012 , authors Jason Fry and Paul R . Urquhart included Hightower as a member of Rogue Squadron during the Battle of Hoth in " The Essential Guide to Warfare " . This article assumes that the basic events of " Hoth Stuff ! " — that Hightower was a member of a team that recovered a freighter containing Antilles , who had escaped from Hoth — occurred , but the specifics of Antilles ' story , now framed as in - universe , did not .