Hedji Hedji was a member of the near - extinct Spiner species who found work as a mercenary during the Imperial Period . In 0 ABY , Hedji joined the Star - Hoppers of Aduba - 3 , a ragtag team of warriors formed by Captain Han Solo to defend the Aduban village of Onacra from the Cloud - Riders , a gang of marauders under the command of Serji - X Arrogantus . Stoic and humorless , Hedji stipulated to Solo that his reasons for joining the team would remain unquestioned — in truth , the Spiner held to a rigid moral code . He journeyed with Solo and the rest of the Star - Hoppers to Onacra , where they did battle with the Cloud - Riders . Hedji put his naturally grown quills to good use , using them to kill the opponents . Although Arrogantus was overcome during the engagement , a giant monster — the Behemoth from Below — emerged and wreaked havoc . When one Star - Hopper , faux - Jedi Knight Don - Wan Kihotay , attempted to confront the monster by himself , Hedji rushed to his aid . The Spiner was consequently killed by a lightning blast from the creature . Biography . A dying breed . Hedji was a male member of the Spiner species — rare in the galaxy during the Imperial Period , due to the fact that their homeworld , Yablon , had been destroyed by a supernova . The Galactic Republic had only managed to rescue roughly a thousand of the species , as they themselves had not developed space travel . Furthermore , the Spiners could only reproduce on Yablon , and so they were gradually driven toward extinction . Hedji eventually made his way to the Outer Rim Territories world of Aduba - 3 . While in the spaceport of Tun Aduban in 0 ABY , Hedji heard word that a posse was being formed for an unknown purpose . The Spiner made his way to Locru ' s Central Saloon , where candidates for the group were being interviewed by the Corellian smuggler Han Solo . After ten candidates had been rejected , Hedji entered Solo ' s room . Solo noted that he was unarmed , and the Spiner insisted that he did not need a weapon . When the Corellian asked him to leave , Hedji stayed put , and demonstrated his natural quill - throwing ability . Solo , shocked , immediately identified Hedji as a Spiner . Impressed , he hired Hedji , who inquired as to just what they were being hired to do . The Corellian assured him that he would be informed as soon as he had recruited a large enough force . The next day , Hedji met with the rest of the posse — Solo ' s Wookiee co - pilot Chewbacca , fugitive pirate Amaiza Foxtrain , elderly faux - Jedi Knight Don - Wan Kihotay , Lepi spacer Jaxxon , as well as the young Jimm " The Starkiller Kid " Doshun , and the tractor droid FE - 9Q . As they assembled and Solo prepared to brief them , they were approached by Serji - X Arrogantus and the Cloud - Riders — a group of mercenaries from whom Solo had gathered a fighting force to defend the farming village of Onacra . Solo and Arrogantus exchanged heated words before the Cloud - Riders departed . Hedji was focused on dedicating himself to the defense of the weak and harmless , but he kept his intent secret from the other members of the gang . The group saddled up on banthas and made their way out to Onacra . As they got closer to the village , they encountered a pack of high - hound s ravaging the farmers ' crops , and Solo ordered his forces to engage the creatures . Hedji put his quills to good use , killing one of the beasts with a precise fusillade of strikes . The group later arrived at the village and were introduced to the local farmers . Solo ordered everyone to prepare makeshift defenses for the village , but soon enough Arrogantus and the Cloud - Riders were sighted on approach . Hedji and the rest of the defenders assembled , and the Spiner assured Solo that he was ready to engage the enemy when the order was given . As the defenders fought the Cloud - Riders , Hedji teamed up with Jaxxon , rapidly launching quills toward his opponents . The Behemoth . The climate of the battle was complicated when one of the villagers , known as the Old One , summoned a gargantuan beast , the Behemoth from the World Below , to battle the Cloud - Riders . When the creature began launching concentrated bursts of lightning from its forehead , Hedji pointed out to Solo the threat it posed . At first , the Corellian believed the creature was merely attacking the Cloud - Riders , but when a boulder came hurtling toward the regrouped posse , they were forced to scatter and seek out better cover . The beast eventually trampled both Arrogantus and the Old One . Hedji was querulous as to how the group should proceed , and Doshun pointed out that Onacra would be in danger now that the only one who could control the behemoth was dead . After a foolhardy attempt made by Jaxxon to singlehandedly destroy the beast , Solo ordered his allies to work as a team . As they were plotting , a second landslide caused by the beast forced them to relocate once more . The team soon noticed that Kihotay was making his own singular attempt to destroy the creature , approaching it with his lightsaber drawn . The fighters looked on anxiously , and Solo noted that the behemoth reacted strangely to the lightsaber . While Solo and the others held back , Hedji set off to help the beleaguered old man , who had drawn the monster ' s fire . Despite Solo ' s protests , the Spiner made his way into the open , and urged Kihotay to retreat , as he was not agile enough to dodge the blasts of the creature . Kihotay , however , was adamant that it was his duty to slay the gargantuan beast . Realizing that he could no longer reason with the old man , Hedji fired off a fusillade of fresh quills at the behemoth . The attack , however , did nothing but anger the creature , and it turned its lightning projections on Hedji . The Spiner was instantly struck dead . Solo was eventually able to destroy the beast with Kihotay ' s lightsaber . The exploits of the group , which would come to be known as the Star - Hoppers of Aduba - 3 , were later immortalized in a historically dubious holodocumentary created by the Tri - Nebula Entertainment company . Hedji himself would later be profiled by Alliance to Restore the Republic historian Voren Na ' al , who was attempting to compile a more accurate history of the Star - Hoppers ' exploits than the holodocumentary ' s portrayal for the Alliance database known as Mistress Mnemos . Personality and traits . Hedji was a laconic individual , and he clung to a rigid code of honor . He was both quiet and stoic , and preferred to keep company with himself . He had little time for technology that made physical activity simple . While he had use for starships and medical technologies that were necessities , the Spiner had no time whatsoever for items of convenience or comfort . He refused to carry a blaster and placed his trust in his natural quill - throwing abilities . He held strong convictions about the defense of those weaker than him , but he refused to divulge any personal details to his fellow Star - Hoppers . Hedji was considered by Solo to be one of the more competent Star - Hoppers , and Hedji made sure that the Corellian was aware he was a complete professional in the art of combat . Later , when Don - Wan Kihotay sacrificed his safety to attempt to battle the Aduban behemoth by himself , Hedji could no longer stand aside and was driven into action , sacrificing himself to save the elderly faux - Jedi . In his last moments , Hedji came to suppose that Kihotay may have indeed been a Jedi Knight of the old Jedi Order . He also felt that Captain Solo should have done more than merely stand and watch as the elderly Kihotay sacrificed himself for his allies . Hedji possessed dark gray fur and black eyes . Skills and abilities . As a Spiner , Hedji was covered in stiff , barbed quills , which grew longest on his arms and legs . He could flex his muscles in a specific way , and the quills would be propelled with great speed and accuracy to any target up to ten meters away . He naturally replenished the quills whenever more were needed . He donned an all - temperature cloak to serve as his attire . Behind the scenes . Hedji first appeared in the Marvel comic " " ( 1978 ) , written by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin . The character was killed off several issues later , in " " ( 1978 ) , when Don Glut was brought onto the writing team .