Venk

"Pout it on, devils! I've got you right where I&mdash;"

- Venk's last word

Venk was an officer in the Galactic Empire's Navy branch. Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Venk served aboard Commander Dreed's Star Destroyer while the vessel hunted for Alderaanians who had survived the destruction of Alderaan. After Dreed died during a prisoner exchange with Princess Leia Organa on the planet Skaradosh, Venk assumed command of the Star Destroyer and led it to the planet Espirion to try and destroy the Alderaanian fleet gathered there. With the aid of the Espirion Multi, a vessel sent by the Alderaanian descended inhabitants of Espirion, the Alderaanians destroyed the Star Destroyer and killed Venk.

Biography
"Do I remember him saying that those Alderaanian dregs have some ships in orbit around...what planet, again? Espirion, sir. Let's kill a few more'' today."

- Venk and an Imperial technician

The human male Venk was an Imperial officer of the Galactic Empire. During the Galactic Civil War against the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Venk served on board the Imperial-class Star Destroyer of Commander Dreed and joined him in his hunt for survivors of the planet planet] following the world's destruction by the Death Star. After Tula, another member of Dreed's crew, began providing the Commander with intelligence on an ongoing effort by Alderaanian Princess Leia Organa to rescue the survivors, he unsuccessfully attempted to halt her mission while she was visiting the Alderaan Enclave on the planet Sullust. During the attempt, Organa learned of Tula's Imperial loyalties and seeing her as no longer a useful asset, Dreed had her taken away for processing. To save the traitor, the Princess agreed to exchange herself as a captive for Tula on the desert world of Skaradosh, a trade which Dreed chose to personally oversee on the planet's surface.

While Dreed was gone, Venk was given acting command of his Star Destroyer; a command which soon became permanent when the Alderaanians killed the commander on the world below. Quickly learning of Dreed's fate, Venk sought to avenge him by shooting down the Alderaanian's starship as it left Skaradosh, but instead unknowingly destroyed a decoy while the real targets escape on the freighter known as the Mellcrawler. Believing Organa and the others dead, Venk gave the order for the Star Destroyer to travel to the planet Espirion, where Dreed had previously learned that the rest of the Alderaanian fleet was gathering. Upon the Imperials' arrival, they found the Alderaanians waiting for them thanks to warning from Organa and the others on board the Mellcrawler, but still heavily outmatched. Under Venk's command, the Star Destroyer opened fire on the gathered fleet and destroyed a number of the enemy ships while Organa delivered what she thought might be her final speech to the Alderaanians present. The tide was turned against Venk however, when the Alderaanian-descended inhabitants of Espirion, swayed by Organa's words, sent the vessel Espirion Multi to aid the fleet. Still confident of his victory, Venk continued the fight, but he and his ship were soon obliterated by the combined fire power of the enemy vessels. With the Imperials defeated, the Alderaanians celebrated before Organa returned to her place in the Rebel Alliance.

Behind the scenes
Venk first appeared in the final issue of the Star Wars: Princess Leia comic book series, which was written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Terry Dodson and released in 2015. The officer was not named in the issue itself, but was later identified as having been called Venk in the issue's script by editor Jordan D. White.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part V