"Backstabber"

"Backstabber" was a human TIE fighter pilot in the Galactic Empire's Black Squadron who served as the wingman of Darth Vader during the Battle of Yavin. He was shot down by Han Solo when Vader was following Luke Skywalker and his X-wing starfighter who was trying to destroy the Death Star.

At the battle, during which the Rebel pilots attacked the Death Star, Vader ordered Backstabber and Mithel to be his wingman. Vader pursued Red Squadron as they targeted the thermal exhaust port, a flaw in the Death Star put in place by Imperial scientist Galen Erso, which would allow a precision shot to destroy the main reactor, destroying the station.

Vader, along with several other Imperial pilots, destroyed or disabled the attacking Rebel ships, with the exception of Luke Skywalker. As Vader and his wingmen targeted Skywalker, the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Han Solo, engaged the Imperials, shooting down Backstabber. His death caught Vader by surprise, and led Mithel to attempt to evade the attacker, clipping Vader's TIE Advanced x1 in the process before crashing into the Death Star. With Vader's ship damaged and incapacitated, he fled the battle, while Skywalker fired a proton torpedo into the thermal exhaust port, destroying the Death Star.

Text and facts from the “"Backstabber"” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.