WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #1 by Ethan Sacks, Paolo Vilaneli, Dave Johnson, Lee Bermejo, Kaare Andrews and Michael Golden, on sale now.
Beilert Valance is joined by fellow bounty hunters Boba Fett and Bossk to track down Vallance's mentor Nakano Lash after he violently betrays them in the new series Star Wars: Bounty Hunters. Valance was originally introduced in Star Wars Legends canon in 1978 by writer Archie Goodwin and artists Walt Simonson and Bob Wiacek.
A former Imperial Stormtrooper, Valance was rebuilt into a cyborg after he was nearly killed in combat. Valance hated droids and once he became a cyborg, he hated himself too. Valance became a bounty hunter and learned of Luke Skywalker and his affinity for droids. Valance hunted down Luke, but instead of killing him, he learned from him. They became allies and Valance hoped that if the Rebels defeated the Empire, they would create a society where cyborgs like him had a fair place.
Valance is introduced into the current Star Wars canon in the Han Solo: Imperial Cadet miniseries, which debuted in 2018 as a tie-in to Solo: A Star Wars Story. As a small child, Valance was a slave prior to being liberated by the Empire. Valance was able to avoid a future as a miner and reach for the stars, literally. He enlisted as a pilot cadet for the Empire.
Valance and Solo were cadets in the same class who did not always get along, though Solo did save him when he crashed his TIE fighter. After the accident, Valance was no longer permitted to be a fighter pilot and enlisted as a Stormtropper instead. During a battle in the Mid Rim, he was nearly killed in combat. Both his arms and legs were replaced with cybernetics. The entire left side of his face was also replaced. He was discharged from the Imperial army and became a bounty hunter.
Valance has his own mini-series from Marvel Comics: 2019's Star Wars: Target Vader, by writer Robbie Thompson and artist Marc Laming. He wears his signature blue outfit, has an affinity for blasters, including the one built into his cybernetic palm and pilots a ship called the Broken Wing.
Previously, he was in some trouble with the Guild after he broke the Bounty Hunter Code by repeatedly stealing bounties from other hunters. The series follows Valance and a team of the galaxy's deadliest bounty hunters as they attempt to assassinate Darth Vader. The team is hired by the crime syndicate known as The Hidden Hand, who are in turn being hunted by Darth Vader.
Target Vader ends with Valance double-crossing Darth Vader and The Hidden Hand. Valance leads Vader to The Hidden Hand, where Vader destroys the syndicate. Valance makes his escape, and arms the rebels using the bounty fee he was paid to kill Vader. This betrayal angers Vader, but before he can unleash his promised wrath against Valance's people, Valance helps them escape unharmed. Valance wins the day even though Darth Vader is the more powerful of the two.
After the Battle of Hoth in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the Empire cracks down on the rebels after they are forced to flee the ice planet. Bounty Hunters are profiting big time from these high-value wanted criminals as the galaxy's civil war creates plenty of opportunities for those in the underworld to get rich and gain territory and influence. This is where Bounty Hunters picks up.