Dalven Kyrell Dalven Kyrell , call sign HJ - 290 , was a human male second - wave aristocrat from the Outer Rim planet Jelucan . He was the older brother of Thane Kyrell , both of whom attended different Imperial Academies and later served in the Imperial Navy . The two had a difficult relationship during their childhood with Dalven bullying his younger brother . Despite his father Oris Kyrell ' s best efforts to secure his eldest son a place at the Imperial Academy , Dalven graduated as a a low - ranking clerical officer in the Imperial Navy . By contrast , his younger brother Thane became an elite TIE fighter pilot in the Navy before defecting to the Rebel Alliance . In the months following the Battle of Jakku , he served as a lieutenant under the leadership of Commander Nash Windrider . Kyrell ' s assignments were considered to be tedious and unskilled by his commanding officer . Biography . Adolescence . Dalven Kyrell was the eldest son of Oris Kyrell and Ganaire Kyrell . He had a younger brother named Thane Kyrell , whom he frequently bullied . His family were Second - wave rs , the descendants of a group of affluent human migrants who dominated and looked down upon the First Wavers , an earlier wave of human settlers who lived in the valleys of Jelucan . Despite lacking any interest in starship s and pilot ing , the young Dalven wanted to join the Imperial Academy because he wanted to gain prestige and power . By contrast , Thane was an enthusiastic fan of starships and regularly studied manuals and practiced gliding . At the age of twelve , Dalven and his family attended a public parade in Jelucan ' s main city Valentia . Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , a senior Imperial government official , had visited Valentia to announce the official incorporation of Jelucan into the Galactic Empire . For this parade , the Imperial Navy had marshaled out several Imperial Star Destroyers , TIE fighters , and " Lambda " - class shuttles to impress the local inhabitants . During the parade , he belittled Thane for correctly identifying the engine roar of a " Lambda " - class shuttle and told his parent s that they should not have brought his younger brother along . Thane ignored his older brother ' s whining and befriended a valley dweller named Ciena Ree after defending her from a group of second - wave bullies . As a teenager , Dalven continued his acrimonious relationship with his younger brother . He despised Thane ' s First Waver friend Ciena as a primitive barbarian and made fun of her poverty and old - fashioned ways . On one occasion , Dalven ' s taunts provoked his younger brother into striking him until they were forcibly pulled apart by their father Oris , who was a strict disciplinarian who regularly beat his sons . Oris favored his older son Dalven over Thane , which deepened the wedge between the two brothers . Dalven also forbade his younger brother from flying his V - 171 airspeeder , something which Thane and Ciena ignored . Imperial Academy . When Dalven was old enough to join the Imperial Academy , Oris bribed the local official to admit his son in order to bolster the family name . By contrast , Oris did not afford his younger son Thane such a privilege and made it clear that Thane would have to work his own way to the Academy . Due to his father Oris ' connections to the Imperial establishment on Jelucan , Dalven was given a place at an unspecified lesser Imperial Academy . As an Imperial cadet , he was assigned the designation HJ290 . Despite his parents ' hopes for their eldest son , Dalven performed poorly in his studies at the Imperial Academy . By contrast , Thane passed the academy preparatory course with flying color s and was admitted to the prestigious Royal Imperial Academy . Upon graduation , Dalven was assigned to work as a third - class clerical staff in the Imperial Navy . Rather than lose face , Dalven told his family that he had received the rank of lieutenant in the Navy . Shortly after receiving his new uniform , Dalven encountered his younger brother Thane , who had been at the Royal Imperial Academy for just three months . Due to their difficult relationship , the two brothers did not exchange any greetings . Dalven expressed bemusement that his younger brother had not " washed out yet . " After Thane realized Dalven had been assigned to work as clerical staff , Dalven bid his younger brother farewell before slipping away . Imperial Navy service . Unlike his younger brother Thane , Dalven remained loyal to the Galactic Empire and did not defect to the Rebellion following the destruction of Alderaan . Dalven and his parents believed a faux Imperial report by the Imperial officer Ciena Ree claiming that Thane had committed suicide due to his inability to cope with Alderaan ' s destruction . They were unaware that Thane had become a starfighter pilot in the Rebel Alliance ' s Corona Squadron . Dalven continued serving the Imperial Navy following the Battle of Endor and the Battle of Jakku . In the wake of the Empire ' s major defeat at the hands of the New Republic on the planet Jakku , the now - Lieutenant Dalven was assigned to the Imperial attack cruiser " Garrote " where he assisted commander Nash Windrider , a senior TIE fighter pilot who had been a former friend of Thane . While Windrider knew the truth about Thane ' s survival , he chose to keep this information from Kyrell and treat him as an individual . As the flight commander ' s assistant , Dalven ' s tasks were considered basic . Upon learning that commander Windrider had nominated his brother ' s childhood friend Ciena for the Distinguished Medal of Imperial Honor , Dalven suggested that the more common Medal of Honor would be more appropriate . Believing that Ciena had perished aboard the Star Destroyer " Inflictor " at Jakku , Nash pointed out that the captain had stayed behind to crash the ship onto the planet ' s surface in an effort to deny the " Inflictor " to the New Republic . When Dalven suggested that Windrider ' s nomination could be seen as a sign of factionalism since they had belonged in the same class , Windrider retorted that several prominent Imperial captains , general s , admiral s , and officials including Grand Moff Randd were also planning to nominate her since she had purportedly died a hero ' s death . Chastised by his commander , Dalven added that Ciena had died a " terrible death . " Windrider however disagreed with Dalven ' s remark and suggested that it was a glorious way to die for the Empire . He also expressed the hope of having such an opportunity . Dalven concurred before slinking away . Knowing that Dalven had ridiculed Ciena in his adolescence , Windrider toyed with the idea of finding an " appropriate " suicide mission for the clerical officer . However , Windrider ' s disdain for Dalven was not matched by his hatred for Thane , whom he regarded as a traitor . Personality and traits . As the eldest son of his family , Dalven Kyrell carried great expectations on his shoulders . However , he failed to live up to both his own and his parents ' expectations . From adolescence , Dalven had dream ed of enrolling in the Imperial Academy in order to become somebody " important " despite his lack of interest in starships and piloting . Lacking the discipline and interest in excelling , Dalven performed poorly at the Royal Imperial Academy and graduated as a third - class clerical staff , who was relegated to desk duty . In his childhood , Dalven had a reputation as a bully who belittled his younger brother Thane and his valley - dwelling friend Ciena Ree . He regularly ridiculed Ciena for her poverty and her " old - fashion ways . " At the age of twelve , Dalven was once embarrassed when his younger brother was able to correctly identify the engine sounds of a " Lambda " - class shuttle . As an adult , Dalven was considered by his superior officer commander Windrider to be a weak and toadying man , who was capable of only fulfilling the basic tasks he had been given . Dalven ' s disdain for Ciena , who had become a captain in the Imperial Navy , led him to suggest that she was not worthy of the Distinguished Medal of Imperial Honor , one of the highest accolades in the Empire . Behind the scenes . Dalven Kyrell first appeared in Claudia Gray ' s 2015 young adult novel " Lost Stars " , which was produced under the umbrella of the " " , a series of twenty different books and media designed to promote " " movie . As a secondary character , most of his lines are told through the POV of his brother Thane Kyrell and Nash Windrider .