Part of what I always loved about Star Wars - the original trilogy, mind you, the one I grew up watching on VHS tapes as a kid - was the way they made the Imperial military come to life. It was really a spectacular achievement of world-building and immersion - you truly got the sense that there was this giant war machine that was highly organized and regimented with all kinds of different ranks, uniforms, and jobs. It was a stroke of genius how they cast all these older British actors, who most likely had actually served in the military at some point, as the Imperial officers; their strutting, officious manner is totally believable and adds so much to the atmosphere of all the Imperial-related scenes.
My absolute favorite of all the Imperial officers is this guy at 3:10 during the final assault on the Death Star, who alerts Vader to scramble the TIE Fighters. “We count 30 Rebel ships, Lord Vader, but they’re so small they’re evading our turbo-lasers.” That’s his only line, but I fucking LOVE the guy’s body language as he approaches Vader. It’s like, everyone else on the Death Star is afraid of Vader and scurries in the other direction when he’s around, but this guy is actually running around LOOKING for Vader and as soon as he spots him, runs up to him in the most confident and familiar manner to advise him on the battle. I re-watched the film recently, and my thought at that moment was, “this guy is like the senior NCO that’s not afraid to tell the big bad boss what to do.”
I did some digging into the Star Wars Wiki and this guy actually has a name and backstory! Of course! He’s a former TIE Fighter pilot who was grounded after an injury and now serves as a tactical officer. Perfect!! I love it!! I don’t know if this backstory was written after the fact or if someone working on the production actually came up with it at the time, but it’s perfect! His black uniform (different from the green ones that the officers typically wear), his confidently-stated expertise…he’s a former pilot who’s actually “been there, done that” and even Vader HAS to listen to his strategy.
A tiny little moment in the movie, but such a great bit of world-building.
Surely some of you must have your own favorite Imperial characters?
They always seemed pretty generic to me. But since head-bonk guy is taken, I suppose I’ll go with “Look, sir, droids!” guy or “Have you seen the new T-17?” guy.
BTW, everyone with even a single line in the original trilogy has a retconned backstory.
There’s Daine Jir, the guy at the beginning of Episode 4 who tells Vader that holding Leia is Danger-ous (get it)?
On the other side, there’s Gunnery Captain Bolvan, who told the gunner “Hold your fire. There’s no life forms aboard.” Brought down the whole empire to save a few megajoules of turbolaser energy.
I like General Veers in Empire. Leads successful AT-AT attack on Hoth despite Admiral Ozzel’s impulsiveness (he doesn’t quite throw Ozzel under the bus, but close, though Vader knows who rightly gets the blame).
Veers is played, of course, by Julian Glover, who also played a Bond villain and an Indiana Jones villain later that decade.
It’s no one specific, but I’ve always loved the Imperial Guard. Their deep-red color and the way they stood silent made them way more imposing than any storm trooper.
My favorite star wars stories aside from the movies is an anthology, “Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina”. It’s been a while since I’ve read it though, having lost my copy in a move. I do remember though, the story about the stormtrooper at the check point that Ben Kenobi mind tricked into thinking that “these are not the droids you’re looking for”. IIRC that trooper wasn’t well liked by his squad mates for some reason, he was sort of a fuck up or had doubts about the empire or something. I’ve always had a soft spot for him since reading that story.
Veers is badass. Julian Glover is still acting and most recently played Pycelle on Game of Thrones. It would be awesome if Veers were brought back in the next trilogy episode - ideally as a defector to the Rebels! But of course, it’s too awesome of an idea to actually happen.
Wow, that’s a detailed backstory for a one-line walk-on!
Apart from Tarkin, who really is in a class by himself, I always liked Captain (soon to be Admiral) Piett, the ill-fated Admiral Ozzel’s second-in-command and replacement after Vader force chokes him. Here (starting at about 0:50) is the scene of Piett’s promotion. I love the way he keeps looking nervously at Ozzel being murdered right beside him, simultaneously trying to listen to Vader’s orders and seeing a vivid demonstration of what’s in store for him if he fails.
Surprisingly enough, Vader didn’t kill him at the end of Empire, and he came back in Return of the Jedi. He also correctly called the bounty hunters “scum,” and got to see the back of Vader’s head without his helmet. Now that’s an Imperial career!
“F’Tuhns had previously been casually munching on smuggled-in snacks, a violation of the program’s carefully monitored caloric intake. When the instructor demanded to know to whom the bag belonged, Felth took it upon himself to vouch for his new friend, claiming it was in fact his food.”
