Moradmin Bast/Legends

"We've analyzed their attack, sir, and there is a danger. Should I have your ship standing by?"

- Chief Bast, to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin

Moradmin Bast was a Human male Imperial Army general, subordinate to High General Cassio Tagge. Bast served as the personal aide to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin aboard the first Death Star, the Galactic Empire's ultimate superweapon, in addition to holding the position of the Death Star's chief manager. In 0 BBY, Bast was present for a meeting aboard the battlestation, discussing the lost Death Star plans in the conference room, shortly before the Battle of Yavin. During the battle, Bast analyzed the Rebel attack and found that a small thermal exhaust port was a potential danger to the battlestation. Bast offered Tarkin to evacuate the Death Star in the Death Star bridge, however Tarkin had confidence in the Imperial forces that engaged the Rebel attack on the battlestation. Bast was killed when the Death Star exploded near Yavin 4, after Luke Skywalker's proton torpedo entered the Death Star's thermal exhaust port.

Imperial service
A Human male from the planet of Dura-Kahn, Moradmin Bast learned patience and cunning abilities by hunting big game as a youth on his homeworld, which enabled him to accurately assess his enemies.

Bast entered service in the Imperial Army and eventually attained the rank of general. He was assigned to serve as the subordinate to General Cassio Tagge, head of Army Operations aboard the first Death Star battlestation. In this capacity, Bast frequently acted as a kind of personal aide to Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin himself. Despite being junior in rank to Tagge, Bast outranked the Death Star's highest-ranking naval officer, Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, and he served as chief manager aboard the station. Having been assigned to Tagge, Bast developed a rivalry with Motti over the latter's admiralty position.

In 0 BBY, Bast attended a staff conference on the Death Star shortly before the destruction of Alderaan. The Death Star's command staff, including Tarkin, Tagge, and Motti, discussed the Rebel Alliance and its possession of the Death Star's technical schematics. Motti suggested to use the battlestation to threaten the Rebels, but the Dark Lord Darth Vader reassured Motti that the Death Star's destructive capability was insignificant next to the power of the Force. Throughout the conference, Bast sat in silence and witnessed Motti's near death as Vader Force choked him for his lack of faith in the Force.

Battle of Yavin (0 BBY)
During the Battle of Yavin, Bast indicated that a small thermal exhaust port, an entrance to the Death Star's main reactor, was a potential danger to everyone aboard the battlestation. Having concluded that the Rebel starfighters could pose a threat to the Death Star, Bast immediately brought this information to Tarkin in the overbridge of the Death Star, but the Grand Moff contemptuously brushed his recommendations aside. Despite his reservations, Bast remained with his superior officer, and watched as the Death Star approached it's target: Yavin 4, home of the Rebel base.

The Death Star cleared Yavin 4 and without hesitation, Tarkin ordered Bast to fire the superlaser on the moon to end the Rebel Alliance, though the engineers stationed on the Death Star experienced slight difficulties, delaying the destruction. Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker successfully fired his proton torpedoes into the thermal exhaust port before the superlaser was fired, which were able to reach the Death Star's main reactor. Bast, as well as everyone stationed on the Death Star, were killed when the massive battlestation exploded near Yavin 4.

Personality and traits
Moradmin Bast had no personal aspirations beyond serving the Empire, and was loyal to Tarkin and Tagge. A confident man, who rarely underestimated his enemies, Bast often praised the work that Tarkin had done on the Death Star. When Motti obtained the rank of admiral, Bast began a rivalry with the arrogant officer. At times, Bast deliberately disobeyed Motti when given a direct order. However, while Bast dismissed Motti, Tagge would intervene and settle the dispute between the two. Moradmin Bast chose to wear the prominent sideburns that were popular among the Imperial officer class at the time, though his were more prominent than some, as they extended all the way down to his jawline.

During the meeting aboard the Death Star in 0 BBY, Bast remained quiet throughout. As chief manager of the Death Star, Bast became worried of Tarkin's well being and delivered Tarkin information regarding the Rebel attack during the Battle of Yavin. Wanting to save his officer's life, Bast assured Tarkin that his ship would be on stand-by. However the commander-in-chief of the Death Star quickly dismissed Bast.

Portrayal
The character of Moradmin Bast was portrayed by Leslie Schofield in George Lucas' 1977 film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and credited as "Commander #1". In the final version of the film, Schofield played the role of Bast in two scenes. However, cut footage and dialogue of Bast, that was omitted during editing of A New Hope, was added in the 1978 television special, The Star Wars Holiday Special.

Bast in related media
The novelization, junior novel, and the photo comic of A New Hope do not identify Bast by name. In the film's shooting script and in the Annotated Screenplays, Bast is referred to as "Officer" in the scene where he confers with Tarkin on the Rebel attack. In both novelizations, the officer who delivers Tarkin of the Rebels' strategy is described running from the room, rather than remaining by Tarkin's side as shown in the film. Although, that officer is never stated to be Bast. Bast, along with all personnel aboard the Death Star perished after its destruction.

In the photo comic, Bast was shown standing by Tarkin's side when he gave the order to destroy the Rebel base on Yavin 4&mdash;as it appeared in the movie, although, the scene where he informs Tarkin of the Rebel attack is not shown. In the 1998 release of Star Wars: Behind the Magic, Cassio Tagge's biography mistakenly states that Tagge was the one who offered Tarkin to evacuate the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin, instead of Bast. However, in another section of the multimedia guide, the character of Bast is identified correctly, and it also includes details of his biography from the CCG card, which was released three years prior to Behind the Magic.

Bast did not appear in the Star Wars radio adaption. Instead, his role in A New Hope was combined with Admiral Motti's lines in the thirteen-part radio adaption. Voiced by David Clennon, the line, in which Bast ordered Tarkin to leave the Death Star due to the Rebel attack, was spoken by Motti. The novel, Death Star, was the first source to confirm Bast's rank as a General, and specified he was of lower rank than Tagge and higher rank than Motti. The authors of the book failed to realize he was the officer who informed Tarkin during the Battle of Yavin the Rebels could succeed. During the battle, his character is misidentified as an "operations lieutenant." Contrary to A New Hope, the novel mentions that Tarkin gave Motti the order to fire the superlaser; however, in the film, Bast stood next to Tarkin.

In 1995, Bast was first identified as "Chief Bast" in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game Premiere Limited expansion set. The Star Wars Insider 96 magazine ranked top 10 Imperial officers that were shown in the Original Trilogy. Chief Bast was first identified as "Moradmin" in the article. Identified as the Death Star chief in Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary and the Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary, Bast was shown as Tarkin's personal advisor. Bast, along with other personnel on the Death Star was said to be killed when the Death Star exploded over Yavin 4, during the Battle of Yavin. Under the name of Chief Bast, he was listed in the first Star Wars Encyclopedia in 1998. In 2008, the original encyclopedia was updated with the The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and the character was identified as Moradmin Bast.

In the 1977 Marvel comic, Star Wars 6: Is This the Final Chapter?, Bast's character appears as an unidentified officer. In the comic, it is revealed that Tarkin gave the officer the order to analyze the Rebel attack and report back to him. After doing so, the officer then says Bast's line from A New Hope; however, the line is significantly altered.

The 2006 video game, Star Wars: Empire at War, features an unidentified officer that contacted Tarkin via hologram, and spoke Bast's line from A New Hope. To date, the officer has not been identified as Bast.

Possible survival
Though scenes of Chief Bast's conversation with Darth Vader cut from A New Hope were included in The Star Wars Holiday Special, Bast's presence with Tarkin during the final moments of the Death Star shows that this is not the same officer. On the StarWars.com message boards, Leland Chee originally noted two opposing C-canon sources on his survival, but was later shown that the film itself counters the idea that he survived. The lookalike officer in the Holiday Special has not yet been identified. His connection with Bast, if any, has not been explained.

The 2006 "Death Star Briefing" action figure multipack includes a Chief Bast action figure. Notes on the packaging claim that Bast was one of a handful of Imperial officers to evacuate the Death Star before its destruction, but this has been overridden by more recent sources.

Appearances

 * Death Star
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope junior novelization
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope PhotoComic
 * Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition 4
 * Star Wars 6: Is This the Final Chapter?