Dyer/Legends

"Freeze!"

- Dyer, to Han Solo

Dyer was a Force-attuned Human male who held the rank of colonel in the Imperial Army. As an Imperial officer, he worked closely with Tiaan Jerjerrod, an Imperial Moff who oversaw the construction of the second Death Star battlestation, while planning the defensive systems of a bunker on the Forest Moon of Endor. The bunker, which generated a shield for the unfinished orbiting Death Star, was under the supervision of Dyer, who was responsible for the defense of the installation. In 4 ABY, hoping to destroy the bunker, a group of Rebels infiltrated it and ambushed the Imperial troops stationed there. Dyer then ordered his men to enter the base and capture the intruders. When Dyer confronted Rebel General Han Solo, Solo threw a toolbox filled with explosive charges at the colonel, causing him to fall over a platform railing.

Biography
Dyer, a Force-attuned Human male, was an Imperial officer who held the rank of colonel in the Imperial Army. At some point during his service to the Galactic Empire, Dyer worked closely with Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod, an Imperial militant who oversaw the construction of the second Death Star battlestation. The two planned the defensive systems of an installation that supplied a shield for the unfinished Death Star, which was orbiting the Forest Moon of Endor.

The bunker, which was located on the Forest Moon, was supervised by Dyer, who became responsible for completing the defense of the bunker. Dyer and Jerjerrod would also plan the deployment of ground troops on Endor. As part of another task, Dyer took part in commanding an elite group of troops guarding the shield generator. The group consisted of members of the 501st Legion, Imperial Lieutenants Grond and Renz, as well as the stormtrooper Wallen.

In 4 ABY, a group of Rebel Alliance members infiltrated the bunker to destroy the shield generator&mdash;which would allow the Rebels' orbiting fleet to attack the Death Star itself. In order to stop the intruders, the Imperial group entered the base. Dyer was joined by Renz and Grond, who became the Imperial colonel's primary aide during the Rebel attack. After the Rebel group ambushed the stationed Imperial officers inside the bunker, Dyer confronted Rebel General Han Solo, pointing a blaster pistol at him and ordering him to freeze. However, Solo threw a toolbox full of explosive charges at Dyer, which caused the colonel to fall over the railing of a catwalk and into a generator room below, resulting in his apparent death. Following the event, Renz took command of the elite Imperial group. After later destroying the bunker and the orbiting Death Star, the Rebels won the Battle of Endor.

Personality and traits
The Force-attuned Imperial Colonel Dyer had brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. Prior to the Rebel attack on Endor, Dyer worked closely with Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod twice&mdash;initially while planning the defensive systems of the Endor shield generator bunker, and later organizing the deployment of the ground forces on Endor. A leader, Dyer took part in commanding an elite group of troops on Endor, and even supervised the shield generator bunker and its defensive systems. Even so, he was instructed to hold troops in reserve. In his possession, Dyer had a blaster pistol and an E-11 blaster.

Behind the scenes
"I had the opportunity to play a very minor part in the film as an Imperial officer. In the Endor power station, who jumps out from behind a wall, at the power station, and holds a gun on Han Solo then gets hit with a toolbox and then falling into a generator room below. And my big line was 'Freeze!'"

- Ben Burtt, discussing his role in the Return of the Jedi audio commentary

Dyer first appeared as an unnamed Imperial officer in Richard Marquand's 1983 film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Ben Burtt, the sound designer for the film, was given a small role during production, though his brief cameo was uncredited. Burtt's character was not featured in either the novelization or junior novelization of Return of the Jedi. Concept art for Dyer appeared in the The Art of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. His character was unnamed and shown only as an Imperial officer pointing a blaster pistol at Han Solo. A still image of Dyer was featured in the 1998 Star Wars: Behind the Magic CD-ROM. In 1999, Dyer was featured in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game set Endor Limited. His card further established his character and identified him as "Colonel Dyer," and his role as an Imperial officer was expanded with two other cards from the set. In 2008, Dyer was given his own entry in the The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. His fate, however, was not stated until the release of the Gentle Giant Studios Lieutenant Renz bust in 2008, in the accompanying bio on the packaging.

In the 2004 DVD release of Return of the Jedi, Burtt commented about his cameo as Dyer in the audio commentary. The scream that Dyer makes when he is knocked off the catwalk is meant to be an attempt at replicating the Wilhelm scream, which Burtt, in his role as sound designer, has attempted to include in all of the films on which he has worked.

Actor Barrie Holland, who portrayed Lieutenant Renz in the film, recalled that shooting the scene that featured the characters Dyer and Renz was difficult due to Director Richard Marquand having conflicting views with his assistant director and first cameraman. Shooting the scene took "several beats" in order to get it right, and Holland believed that a stunt man played Dyer before finding out that Ben Burtt portrayed the character. Hasbro was originally going to include Dyer in a Return of the Jedi–themed battle pack titled "Shield Generator Assault," but he was pulled from the set prior to its release in 2008. A year later, another Return of the Jedi–themed battle pack, titled "Battle for Endor," included Dyer, as well as Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker and the Ewok Warok.

Appearance inconsistencies
Dyer's brief one-line dialogue was spoken by Renz in the Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi PhotoComic. In a similar manner, his character was not created in the original revised third draft of Return of the Jedi screenplay and in Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays. In the script, both Dyer's and Renz's lines were merged and the person who shouts "Freeze! You Rebel Scum" was identified simply as "Commander." However, in Screenplays, Dyer was identified as "Imperial officer," while Renz was named "Commander." Dyer did not appear in the radio adaptation of Return of the Jedi. Unlike in the film, his "Freeze!" line was given to Han Solo in the dramatization. Dyer was not present in the comic Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 3: Mission to Endor, and as was the case with the radio drama, Solo was given his line.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi