Qwi Xux Qwi Xux , a female Omwati , was a brilliant Imperial weapons designer who was responsible for the Death Star , the Sun Crusher , and other important superweapons for the Galactic Empire . Biography . Early life . When she was ten years old , Qwi was taken from her village on Omwat , along with nine other children from nine separate villages , upon orders from Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin . Tarkin believed the theory of the massive potential of the Omwati mind and was convinced that , with the proper manipulation , it could wield outstanding mental capacities . On board a space station orbiting Omwat , the ten children underwent rigorous education , mental challenges and testing . If any of the children failed in their testing , they were forced to watch as their entire village was bombarded from orbit , followed by their execution . This obviously had a profound psychological effect on the Omwati subjects , warping their view on life and on the challenges they face . This was reflected in Qwi Xux ' s drive to complete problems — even years later , she greatly feared failure for the prospective repercussions it could bring . Only Qwi survived this torturous captivity . After two years of this mental conditioning , she had developed a distorted sense of reality . She maintained that problems had to be solved for their own sake , and convinced herself that the results of her experiments were not her responsibility . Qwi ' s individual training had focused on forgoing biological knowledge to develop a mind with an unparalleled grasp of physics , mathematics and engineering . She also learned AI principles from Nasdra Magrody . The Maw Installation . Tarkin took Qwi Xux to his highly secret Maw Installation to develop new weapons systems for the Empire . She begin solving the intricate problems provided to her , working under Bevel Lemelisk , to develop most of the Death Star . However , due to the conditioning she believed that her creations were purely innocent rather than the destructive behemoths they became . The Death Star , she thought , was developed to break up dead , lifeless planets to extract the valuable ores and elements within . She also thought the same of the World Devastators . She also assisted in developing the Sun Crusher ' s supernova - inducing weaponry and quantum - crystalline armor . It was not until 11 ABY that her fallacy was broken . When Han Solo , Chewbacca and the Force - sensitive Kyp Durron accidentally discovered the Maw Installation , they were all rigorously and brutally interrogated to discover what had happened to the Empire . Dr . Xux was given the results of these interrogations , which she accepted as simply acquired facts . However , eager for a first - hand account of the Death Star , she sought a meeting with Han . After hearing the Death Star had been used for the Destruction of Alderaan , and the World Devastators had laid waste to much of Mon Calamari , the seeds of doubt were implanted in her mind . After accessing the records of the interrogations , she was horrified at the methods used to procure the information . The thought of her work being the cause of billions of deaths opened her eyes to see the truth behind the terrors she had created . The New Republic . Realizing the scope of the projects being developed at the Installation , Qwi helped Han , Chewbacca , and Kyp Durron escape in the Sun Crusher . Despite being followed by Daala ' s fleet of Star Destroyers , they encountered the Kessel mercenary force just outside the Maw and escaped in the ensuing chaos . Qwi was put under the protection of Wedge Antilles as some believed that the information she held would make her a prime candidate for kidnapping . Before they left Coruscant to travel incognito , she urged the New Republic to destroy it before it could have a chance to demonstrate its terrible power . They visited the planet Vortex to help the Vor s repair the Cathedral of Winds . However , when Qwi used a shard of the tower to play ethereal , haunting music , one of the Vors took the shard from her and crushed it . Fearing they had offended the Vors , the pair left to move undercover . Wedge and Qwi became very close during their time together . Wedge took her to Ithor , believing she would revel in the wonders of nature of the jungle planet . While there , Qwi Xux was confronted by Kyp Durron , who had abandoned training at Luke Skywalker ' s Jedi Praxeum after falling to the dark side of the Force . Kyp scoured Qwi ' s mind , removing any information that could aid in the construction of another superweapon . Wedge nursed her back to health , but she was never the same again . She and Wedge maintained their relationship , but he was increasingly called upon in military matters , and Qwi became more and more absorbed in her work . Despite a brief stint in the New Republic Defense Fleet as Wedge ' s science officer , both agreed that the relationship was evolving to be a convenience , rather than a true romance , and they went their separate ways . Qwi eventually decided to travel to Vortex and help the Vors repair the Cathedral of Winds . While there , she hoped to find her own inner peace and eliminate the memories of all the beings her superweapons had killed . Personality and traits . Qwi Xux underwent much mental conditioning while she was young . As a result , she had a shroud of feigned naïveté for the duration of her life until leaving the Maw Installation . Up until this point , she believed she was not responsible for the results of her experiments or what happened after a problem had been overcome . As such , she could be described as being highly naïve . She had a passion for music , often humming or singing while she worked . Behind the scenes . Qwi Xux was created by author Kevin J . Anderson , based on Mermeia from " The Star Wars Holiday Special " . In the Jedi Academy trilogy , Xux ' s eyes are given as deep blue , pale blue or violet , whereas in " The Essential Guide to Characters " her eyes are clarified as light blue .