Denid

Denid was a Human male who took the throne of the planet Velmor in 3 ABY, after a prolonged succession crisis. The elder son of King Lorac and Queen Denira, Denid survived a Galactic Empire coup in 17 BBY which aimed to put his younger brother Anod on the throne, surviving the next 20 years on the isolated jungle world of Tantajoc V. Denid returned home in 3 ABY with the help of Alliance to Restore the Republic leaders Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker, interrupting his brother's coronation and restating his claim—Denid fell in love with Organa during this time, and tempted her with an offer of marriage. Denid's arrival on Velmor led to a series of assassination plots that resulted in Anod's death, and Denid soon took the title of King of Velmor and joined the Rebel Alliance.
==Biography==
A Human male, Denid was born in 32 BBY and grew up as royalty on the planet Velmor, the elder son of King Lorac and Queen Denira. Groomed to eventually take the throne as crown prince, by the time he was 15 years old Denid had become betrothed to a young noblewoman named Loren. Denid was a teenager when the Galactic Empire rose to power, and in 17 BBY, Imperial agents learned that King Lorac held rebel sympathies. In response, the Imperials stirred up a riot on Velmor, where a mob stormed the royal palace and killed Denid's parents—Denid was marked for death as well, as royal regent Zelor had made a deal with the plotters for Denid's weak-willed younger brother, Anod, to ascend to the throne as an Imperial-friendly monarch.
In the face of an oncoming mob, Denid and Loren were saved by the king's trusted advisor, Jedidiah, a Velmoc who had been a Jedi prospect in his youth. Jedidiah rescued the young lovers and took them a small escape craft, which only had a week's supplies and an inadequate hyperdrive for the journey to come. Their poorly outfitted vessel crashed on the nearby jungle-covered world of Tantajoc V, an accident Loren did not survive. Jedidiah was also severely wounded—after pulling Denid to safety from the destroyed ship, the Velmoc attempted to return to the craft to salvage supplies, only to be struck on the head by a piece of falling debris that caused serious brain damage. Although Jedidiah's traumatic injury sent him into a delusional mental state where he could only remember his lost dream of serving the Jedi Order—and his duty to protect the prince—Denid and Jedidiah survived for the next 20 years in a harsh, wild environment.
Denid grew into a strong, capable man in his exile, but a crucial date approached all the while: Velmorian tradition required 20 years to pass before Denid could be ruled dead, at which point his right to the throne would no longer apply and the crowd would pass to Anod. That deadline was scheduled to pass in 3 ABY, as the Galactic Civil War between the Imperials and the Rebel Alliance was reaching its height. With Anod's coronation approaching, Denid finally received a ticket off Tantajoc V when his long-crashed craft's faint distress signal was picked up by Rebel leaders Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker, who saw Denid as a potential avenue to turn the Velm system to the Alliance.
Organa and Skywalker returned Denid and Jedidiah to Velmor in time to interrupt Anod's coronation ceremony, arriving only moments before the royal crown was to be placed on Denid's brother's head. So as to conceal the Alliance's involvement, Organa dyed her hair blonde and claimed to be Loren, while Skywalker went under the disguise of a bounty hunter named Korl Marcus. Denid's identity was swiftly confirmed, instantly prompting massive celebrations of the return of the rightful heir to the throne. Having developed feelings for Organa during their time together, Denid proposed marriage to the Rebel leader, sharing a kiss that night with the woman he desired to be his queen.
However, the forces that had pushed Denid into exile had no intention of giving up that easily. Under the guise of "Marcus," Skywalker uncovered a plot from Anod, Zelor and Imperial diplomat Zeta Traal to assassinate Denid and "Loren" and keep Anod in line for the throne. Skywalker warned Denid and Organa of the Imperial plot the next day at the traditional Mrid Hunt, although Anod still managed to get the drop on them and shot both of them with a blaster mistakenly set to stun. The ensuing firefight ended with Anod and Jedidiah dead and Zelor and Traal imprisoned, clearing the way for Denid to take the throne shortly after. Denid parted ways with Organa and Skywalker shortly after, the Alderaanian princess amicably turning down his proposal, and affirming Velmor's new allegiance to the Rebel Alliance.
==Personality and traits==
Despite spending much of his life living in the wilderness, Denid emerged as the very picture of an ideal nobleman: strong, intelligent, charismatic, self-assured and well-spoken. A master huntsman and tracker, Denid grew into terrific physical and mental health in the jungles of Tantajoc V—examinations by Royal Physician Chozz Wardle indicated that Denid was even immune to the Velmoc flu, which Wardle theorized he had contracted during his exile.
Anti-Imperial in his sympathies, Denid jumped at the opportunity to aid the Rebel Alliance, and fell in love with Rebel leader Leia Organa. But while Organa was flattered by his feelings, she chose her duty with the Alliance over marriage to Denid, and the two parted on good terms. Considered to have the promise of a monarch to lead Velmor into a new golden age, Denid was skilled at the duties expected of the King of Velmor, becoming a proficient diplomat and developing a high level of capability with the traditional Velmor energy sword.
==Behind the scenes==
Denid first appeared in Star Wars (1977) 49, written by Mike W. Barr and released in 1981. In the comic, he was illustrated by Walter Simonson.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars (1977) 49 
==Sources==
*
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
==Notes and references==
Category:Alliance to Restore the Republic members
Category:Humans
Category:Individuals with he/him pronouns
Category:Kings
Category:Males
Category:Velmorians