Lieutenant Kornell "Uli" Divini was a Human male surgeon born on Tatooine. His mother was the well-known mudopterist Elana Divini.
Kornell Divini was born on Tatooine in 39 BBY to Elana Divini, a mudopterist. While growing up, he gained the nickname Uli, a Tusken word meaning "kid." Divini left his homeworld to study at Coruscant Medical, where he graduated with honors, then went on to intern at Galactic Polysapient Medical Center on Alderaan. During the Clone Wars, he was drafted and assigned to Republic Mobile Surgical Unit 7 on Drongar to replace the Zabrak surgeon Zan Yant. There, he roomed with Yant's best friend, Corellian surgeon Jos Vondar, and befriended Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee, along with Sullustan reporter Den Dhur, and Lorrdian nurse Tolk le Trene. He grew feelings for Offee and was devastated upon learning she was killed on Felucia during Order 66. Because of Offee's influence on him, he didn't believe any propaganda that labeled the Jedi as traitors.
After the Clone Wars ended and the Galactic Republic was transformed into the Galactic Empire, Divini had enough of the military and wanted to return home after his compulsory service ended. However, Divini was forced to remain in service to the Empire indefinitely under the Imperial Military Stop Loss Order, giving him a bitter taste for the new regime, which eventually became full resentment. He became a captain in the Imperial Surgical Corps, and around 3 BBY, was transferred to the medical frigate MedStar Four in orbit over the prison planet Despayre, where he served under Commander Hotise and was paired with the secretarial droid C-4ME-O. While on board the MedStar Four, Divini operated on injured slaves, who were forced to help construct the Death Star, at one point helping graft a new liver in a Wookiee who was injured in an explosion.
Eventually, he was transferred again, this time aboard the Death Star's Medcenter in Sector N-One. C-4ME-O accompanied him to his new assignment. While on the Death Star, his dislike towards the Empire grew. He frequented the Hard Heart Cantina, where he connected with others who shared his discontent.
In 0 BBY, Divini was one of three surgeons who performed surgery on Admiral Daala after she received a head injury during an attack by the Rebel Alliance on the Death Star. He was also assigned to take care of Princess Leia Organa's injuries after an interrogation by Darth Vader, where she nearly convinced him to leave the Empire. When Vader arrived to collect Organa, Divini accidentally made a sarcastic remark to him about Organa's condition, causing her to laugh. Vader reprimanded him but decided he didn't have time to deal with Divini as he took away Organa.
The group of defectors escapes the Death Star destruction.
Later, he was approached by Death Star trooper Sergeant Nova Stihl, who complained about having persistent nightmares. Divini eventually discovered that Stihl was Force-sensitive. He met with Stihl again in the cantina, along with several others. This group—made up of cantina operator Memah Roothes, her bouncer Rodo, stowaway Celot Ratua Dil, architect Teela Kaarz, TIE pilot Villian Dance, and librarian Atour Riten—conspired to escape the Death Star by posing as medics and stealing a medical shuttle.
The plan was set in motion when the Death Star arrived in the Yavin system to destroy the Rebel Alliance's base on Yavin 4. The Rebels launched starfighters to destroy the battlestation, using information from a set of previously stolen schematics, giving the group the distraction they needed. Shortly after their plan began, however, Divini was arrested for researching midi-chlorians, something that he had done weeks before while attempting to help Stihl. As he was being led away, above him, Rebel pilots destroyed a deflection tower, causing several walls around him and his captors to explode, allowing Divini to escape. He met up with the group, who successfully boarded the shuttle and launched out of the hangar, though Riten, Stihl, and Rodo were forced to stay behind to ensure the shuttle's successful launch.
As they flew away from the Death Star, they were pursued by Vader, who recognized them as deserters. Though Vader tried shooting them, Dance's piloting skills were enough to evade the Sith Lord and his wingmen until they were forced to turn around and reenter the battle in order to deal with more Rebel pilots. As the shuttle continued flying away from the battlestation, it was briefly grabbed by a tractor beam, but was soon free again as Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker fired proton torpedoes down a thermal exhaust port, causing the Death Star to explode.
Though he was initially hesitant, Divini decided to join the Rebel Alliance, along with the rest of the group, as they flew to Yavin 4.
Divini was a human with ash-blond hair. He had a firm personality due to resenting being forced to work for the Empire, though he was also open and guileless. Despite this, he was a skilled sabacc player. The news of Barriss Offee's death hit him hard, whether his feelings for her were love or infatuation. He was described as a prodigy, as he was only nineteen standard years old while working at RMSU-7.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Essential Reader's Companion