Hoff was the Human son of Colby Hoff, a former business competitor of Black Sun crime lord Prince Xizor. Colby fell into ruin and then committed suicide after failing to outsmart his rival, leading the younger Hoff to blame Xizor for his father's murder. In retaliation and with the help of Darth Vader, who also sought Xizor's destruction, Hoff ambushed the Black Sun leader inside a protected corridor on the planet Coruscant. Although larger and more powerfully built, the enraged Hoff could not kill Xizor, who easily defeated the would-be assassin and snapped his neck. Xizor suspected Vader's hand in the ambush but never learned who had granted Hoff access to the secure corridor.

Biography[]

Hoff was the son of the businessman Colby Hoff,^[2] once a pesky rival^[5] of Dark Prince Xizor, the Falleen Underlord of the Black Sun crime syndicate.^[2] After a failed bid to outsmart Xizor left him ruined, Colby committed suicide by firing a blaster into his mouth.^[6] The younger Hoff blamed Xizor for what he considered the murder of his father and sought vengeance against the Black Sun leader.^[2]

In 3.5 ABY,^[1] Darth Vader supplied Hoff with an opportunity to retaliate, as the Dark Lord of the Sith was himself presently locked in a power struggle with Xizor and wished to see him eliminated. On Vader's orders, a checkpoint guard allowed Hoff access to a secure corridor deep inside the core of the planet Coruscant, where Hoff soon ambushed Xizor and four accompanying bodyguards as they were approaching. Blaster in hand, Hoff immediately opened fire on Xizor from a distance and dropped one of the bodyguards with a bolt to the chest, but a second guard scored a direct hit on Hoff's weapon, knocking it from his grip. With a scream, Hoff then charged at Xizor barehanded.^[2]

At close quarters, Hoff's enraged attack was no match for Xizor's martial-arts prowess. Ordering his three remaining guards to stand down, Xizor calmly parried Hoff's repeated advances, stunning him with a kick to the stomach; knocking him to the ground with a hammerfist to the head; and then disabling him by kicking and breaking his left knee joint. As the wounded Hoff condemned Xizor for his father's demise, the Dark Prince took hold of the man's head and snapped his neck, declaring that the younger Hoff's death would likewise be judged a suicide for being foolish enough to attack him. With that, Xizor ordered his guards to clean up Hoff's body and to inform the proper authorities of his fate.^[2]

A life-size holographic recording of Hoff's attack on Xizor later made its way before Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, the latter displeased that his scheme to kill his rival had failed. Vader had seen to it that the guard who had let Hoff into the protected corridor was killed, thereby eliminating the only person with knowledge of the Dark Lord's involvement.^[2] Although Xizor suspected Vader, he was never able to determine who had granted Hoff access.^[6]

Personality and traits[]

Hoff was a large^[2] Human,^[3] standing taller than 1.83 meters^[4] and built like a heavy-gravity weight lifter. He was bigger than Xizor's bodyguards and much larger than the Falleen himself, and his roundhouse punch was powerful enough to shatter bone. Desperate to enact retribution against the man whom he blamed for the murder of his father, Hoff assaulted Xizor in a crazed fury, charging the Black Sun leader's three armed guards without a weapon. Yet Hoff's wild attacks utterly failed against Xizor, who easily subdued his younger assailant with practiced fighting techniques^[2] while hardly breaking a sweat.^[3] Hoff had brown hair and light skin.^[3]

Equipment[]

Hoff wore Coruscant Guard armor covering his chest, arms, and shoulders during his attack on Prince Xizor.^[7]

Behind the scenes[]

In April 1996,^[8] Hoff appeared in the novel Shadows of the Empire, written by Steve Perry. Hoff's attack on Xizor is meant to demonstrate the Black Sun leader's considerable ability to defend himself against deadly attack as he vies with Darth Vader for the Emperor's favor.^[2] In September of that year,^[9] Artists Greg and Tim Hildebrandt created the Hoff character illustration as part of the Topps Shadows of the Empire trading card set. The set's "Xizor's Dirty Handiwork" card captures the moment as Xizor snaps Hoff's neck.^[3]

The Shadows of the Empire novel describes the protected corridor where Hoff ambushes Xizor as a type of public walkway in the core of Imperial City where the elite citizenry could travel without being disturbed.^[2] However, the "Xizor's Dirty Handiwork" card from the Shadows of the Empire trading card set states that Hoff attacks Xizor in a corridor belonging to Xizor's Palace.^[3]

Appearances[]

• Shadows of the Empire novel (First appearance)
• Shadows of the Empire junior novel (Appears in hologram)

Sources[]

• The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Indirect mention only)
• 1996 Topps Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Card: Xizor's Dirty Handiwork) (backup link) (First pictured)
• Star Wars: The Art of the Brothers Hildebrandt (Picture only)
• Star Wars Encyclopedia
• A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Notes and references[]