Darko Rhymer, nicknamed "Redline", was an ace TIE pilot in the Imperial Navy. He fought throughout the Galactic Civil War as a member, and later the commander of, the Black Eight Squadron, under Darth Vader's direct command. He was also one of the first individuals to test pilot the TIE/ad Avenger and the TIE/D Defender, some of the most advanced TIE series fighters. Rhymer also maintained a reputation for his brutality in combat, with Captain Juno Eclipse describing him as "psychopathic" and one of the cruelest beings she had met. Initially, Lord Vader assigned him to the Executor, his personal Super Star Destroyer, in 3 ABY. However, Rhymer and his unit, the 982nd Imperial Fighter Wing, were reassigned to an anti-piracy operation shortly before the Battle of Endor.