Bursk

Bursk was a Human male snowtrooper Sergeant Major in the Galactic Empire's Imperial Army. By 3 ABY, Bursk was one of Imperial Supreme Commander Darth Vader's most seasoned troops. He took part in the Battle of Hoth that year as the leader of one of the most brutal snowtrooper platoons, participating in the assault on the Alliance to Restore the Republic's base on the planet Hoth. Bursk was among the snowtroopers who invaded the base itself, and was tricked into entering a pen containing some of the base's captured wampas when the 3PO-series protocol droid C-3PO tore off a warning label on the door. Bursk and the rest of the troopers were then attacked and killed by the wampas.

Biography
The Human male Bursk served as a stormtrooper in the Galactic Empire's Imperial Army during the Galactic Civil War, a conflict between the Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. He attained the rank of Sergeant Major by 3 ABY. That year, the Empire discovered a hidden base belonging to the Alliance to Restore the Republic on the planet Hoth. The discovery led to the Battle of Hoth, which included a ground assault on the base itself. Bursk took part in the assault as part of the Imperial Blizzard Force, and was the leader of the most brutal snowtrooper platoons, coordinating attacks and managing troop movements. By that time, Bursk had become one of the Imperial Supreme Commander Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader's most seasoned and well-trained troops.

As the Alliance frantically attempted to escape their headquarters, Bursk was among the snowtroopers who reached the base. He gave pursuit, his helmet-mounted sensors ready to catch any unsuspecting Rebels. He was part of a group of troopers who ran into a hallway containing a heavily shielded pen where the Alliance had previously quarantined the planet's native carnivorous predatory wampas. The Alliance's 3PO-series protocol droid C-3PO, who was attempting to escape the Imperial pursuit, tore off a warning label on the door before disappearing around another bend in the corridor. The group reached the doors, and its leader, Sergeant Narthax, punched the controls to its control panel. The door slid open, and the troopers all filed into the room with military efficiency. They were then attacked and killed by the wampas held within. When Darth Vader reached the room, he saw a cave-in exposing the room to Hoth's daytime sun, and the bodies of Bursk and the other troops under piles of blood-stained snow.

Personality and traits
Bursk was a cunning planner. When the door to the pen was opened, Bursk and the rest of his group filed in with military efficiency, not knowing the room in fact contained the wampas that would ultimately kill them. He was armed with an E-11 blaster rifle.

Behind the scenes
Bursk first appeared in a deleted scene for the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, during which he was part of a group of snowtroopers who were tricked into entering a wampa pen after the droid C-3PO tore off the door's warning label, and were attacked by the wampas within. That deleted scene was later canonized in the short story One Step Ahead, published in the second edition of Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back. In fall of 1998, that deleted scene was included, along with photos, in the CD-ROM Star Wars: Behind the Magic. In November of that year, Bursk was first identified by name, and given a brief backstory, in a card for the Special Edition Limited expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back