Denid, a Human male from the planet of Velmor, ascended to its throne in 3 ABY following a drawn-out succession battle. As the older son of King Lorac and Queen Denira, Denid survived a Galactic Empire coup in 17 BBY intended to install his younger brother, Anod, as ruler, and he spent the next two decades on the remote jungle world of Tantajoc V. With the assistance of Alliance to Restore the Republic leaders Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker, Denid returned to Velmor in 3 ABY, disrupting Anod's coronation and reasserting his claim. During this period, Denid fell in love with Organa and proposed marriage. Denid's reappearance on Velmor triggered a series of assassination attempts that led to Anod's demise. Denid then claimed the title of King of Velmor and aligned himself with the Rebel Alliance.
Born in 32 BBY as a Human male, Denid's early life was that of royalty on the planet of Velmor, being the firstborn son of King Lorac and Queen Denira. As the crown prince, he was prepared to inherit the throne, and by age 15, he was engaged to Loren, a young noblewoman. During Denid's teenage years, the Galactic Empire rose to power, and in 17 BBY, Imperial operatives discovered King Lorac's rebel sympathies. The Empire instigated a riot on Velmor as a response, with a mob attacking the royal palace and killing Denid's parents. Denid was also targeted for assassination, as royal regent Zelor had conspired with the plotters to install Denid's easily influenced younger brother, Anod, as a monarch favorable to the Empire.
Saved from the approaching mob by Jedidiah, the king's trusted advisor and a Velmoc who had once been considered for Jedi training, Denid and Loren escaped. Jedidiah, rescued the young couple and placed them on a small escape craft, which only had enough supplies for a week and a hyperdrive that was not adequate for the journey ahead. Their ill-equipped ship crashed on the jungle planet Tantajoc V, where Loren perished in the accident. Jedidiah was also seriously injured. After rescuing Denid from the wreckage of the ship, the Velmoc tried to retrieve supplies, only to be struck in the head by falling debris, causing severe brain damage. Jedidiah's injury caused him to enter a delusional mental state where he could only recall his unrealized dream of serving the Jedi Order and his duty to protect the prince. Despite this, Denid and Jedidiah managed to survive for the next 20 years in the challenging wilderness.
During his exile, Denid matured into a strong and capable individual, but a critical date loomed: Velmorian tradition dictated that after 20 years, Denid would be presumed dead, relinquishing his claim to the throne to Anod. This deadline was set to occur in 3 ABY, as the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance reached its peak. As Anod's coronation neared, Denid finally had an opportunity to leave Tantajoc V when Rebel leaders Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker detected his long-crashed ship's faint distress signal, viewing Denid as a potential asset to bring the Velm system to the Alliance's side.
Organa and Skywalker brought Denid and Jedidiah back to Velmor just in time to disrupt Anod's coronation, arriving moments before the crown was to be placed on his brother's head. To conceal the Alliance's involvement, Organa dyed her hair blonde and pretended to be Loren, while Skywalker disguised himself as a bounty hunter named Korl Marcus. Denid's identity was quickly verified, resulting in widespread celebration of the rightful heir's return. Having developed feelings for Organa, Denid proposed marriage to the Rebel leader, sharing a kiss that night with the woman he wished to be his queen.
However, those who had forced Denid into exile were not willing to concede so easily. Under the guise of "Marcus," Skywalker discovered a plot by Anod, Zelor, and Imperial diplomat Zeta Traal to assassinate Denid and "Loren" and keep Anod on the throne. Skywalker informed Denid and Organa of the Imperial plot the following day at the traditional Mrid Hunt, but Anod still managed to surprise them and shoot them both with a blaster mistakenly set to stun. The ensuing firefight resulted in the deaths of Anod and Jedidiah, and the imprisonment of Zelor and Traal, paving the way for Denid to assume the throne shortly thereafter. Denid then parted ways with Organa and Skywalker, with the Alderaanian princess politely declining his proposal and confirming Velmor's new allegiance to the Rebel Alliance.
Despite spending much of his life in the wilderness, Denid became an exemplary nobleman: strong, intelligent, charismatic, self-assured, and articulate. A skilled hunter and tracker, Denid developed excellent physical and mental health in the jungles of Tantajoc V. Royal Physician Chozz Wardle noted that Denid was even immune to the Velmoc flu, which Wardle speculated he had contracted during his exile.
Sympathetic to the Rebel cause, Denid eagerly supported the Rebel Alliance and fell in love with Leia Organa. Although Organa was flattered by his affections, she prioritized her duty to the Alliance over marriage to Denid, and they parted amicably. Seen as a promising monarch who could lead Velmor into a new golden age, Denid excelled in the duties expected of the King of Velmor, becoming a capable diplomat and highly skilled with the traditional Velmor energy sword.
Denid made his first appearance in Star Wars (1977) 49, written by Mike W. Barr and published in 1981. Walter Simonson provided the illustrations for the comic.