Kendal Ozzel/Legends

"He is as clumsy as he is stupid."

- Darth Vader

Kendal Ozzel was a Human male officer who served in the Imperial Navy during the Galactic Civil War, considered by many Imperial personnel to be inept, clumsy, and stupid. Ozzel came from a wealthy landowning family on Carida, and his last name would aid him in his quest to gain power. He originally served as the captain of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Reprisal, the largest ship in the Shelsha sector, from where he oversaw the Teardrop massacre, a slaughter of innocent civilians accused of being Rebel sympathizers. The incident, followed by the murder of Imperial Security Bureau Major Drelfin by stormtrooper Daric LaRone, prompted a group of troops under LaRone to desert from the Imperial Military and flee the Star Destroyer. At the same time, Emperor's Hand Mara Jade arrived aboard the Reprisal as part of an investigation on the BloodScars pirate group. Ozzel believed that Jade was investigating the desertion of LaRone and his stormtroopers, and he conspired with Colonel Vak Somoril to kill her in order to prevent the incident from hurting his chances at becoming an admiral.

Ozzel took the Reprisal to the Gepparin system and ordered a bombardment of Gepparin, the home of the BloodScars' base, in which Jade was located. Although the attack failed to kill Jade, Ozzel did achieve his goal of rising through the ranks. Ironically, he did not become an admiral due to his loyalty or skills, but his apparent disloyalty. Jade did not trust Ozzel, so she advised Darth Vader to keep him under close supervision. Ozzel succeeded Amise Griff as the admiral of Vader's flagship, the Star Dreadnought Executor, at the forefront of Death Squadron. Ozzel would serve under Vader for approximately three years. He saw command of the Executor as a path to attaining more power, and he believed that he would be able to control the universe with the Super Star Destroyer.

Ozzel's searches for the Rebels' hidden headquarters were unproductive and only served to agitate Vader. His overconfidence in his abilities ultimately led to his death before the Battle of Hoth. In preparation for the battle, he had Death Squadron emerge from hyperspace too close to the planet Hoth, alerting the Rebels to the Imperials' presence. He had at last succeeded in finding the Rebels' headquarters, but he had made a fatal error that allowed the Rebellion the time needed to raise their planetary shield and evacuate Echo Base. Vader, having had enough of the admiral's failures, telekinetically executed Ozzel for the blunder shortly thereafter, promoting Captain Firmus Piett to fill the vacancy.

Early life
Kendal Ozzel was born on the planet Carida, and he was a descendant of trading mastermind Mann Ozzel who made the Ozzel family wealthy a long time before Kendal was born. As the second-born son, Kendal could not inherit his family's business or land, so he used his family's name to rise through the social, political, and military ranks of the Galactic Empire. He attended what was considered the finest naval academy on Coruscant. After graduating from the academy, Ozzel became a Captain of the Line, which would entitle him to the command of a line of battle or a Star Destroyer. His superiors, however, did not see him fit to serve as a field commander. In 5 BBY, he was the presiding officer at Han Solo's court-martial for saving Chewbacca, and the young Corellian took a fairly low view of Ozzel's intelligence. For a short time, he served as an instructor at the Coruscant Naval Academy, where he taught naval history and languages, until the destruction of the first Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.

Ascent
"With the Executor under my command, I will be the ultimate power in the universe!"

- Admiral Ozzel

Ozzel was present at the commissioning ceremony for the Executor in 0 ABY at the Imperial Transfer Post near Kuat, alongside Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Grand Admiral Rufaan Tigellinus, and Admirals Thrawn, Tandres, and Tavares. Around this time, he was captain of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Reprisal, the largest capital ship in Shelsha sector. At the planet Teardrop, the site of a covert Rebel Alliance listening post, he initiated a blockade to prevent any Rebels from fleeing the world. However, when Imperial cadet-turned-Rebel smuggler Han Solo attempted to flee the world with Rebel passengers, his freighter Millennium Falcon, under the name "Argos," came under a pirate attack. Solo requested aid from the Star Destroyer, and Ozzel had his gunners fire upon and destroy the attackers. Solo had claimed that the "Argos" was a medical relief team from the planet Briston, responding to a groundquake on Teardrop's Por'ste Island. Ozzel, believing Solo's cover story, ordered the ship back to Briston, but the freighter left the system with its cargo of Rebels. Ozzel later oversaw the massacre of "Rebel sympathizers" on the planet, where Imperial troops killed all the civilians in a town, aliens first. This massacre, ordered by Imperial Security Bureau Major Drelfin, was blamed on Rebel agitators present in the town, who had in fact already fled the world aboard the Millennium Falcon. Six days later, the Reprisal was assigned a full tactical unit of the Imperial Security Bureau under the command of Colonel Vak Somoril, to further prosecute the suppression of resistance in the sector.

Stormtrooper Daric LaRone later confronted Drelfin about the killing of civilians on Teardrop, and a brief struggle followed. Drelfin pulled out a small hold-out blaster with the intent on killing LaRone, but the stormtrooper killed the ISB officer in self-defense. He fled the Reprisal with a group of fellow stormtroopers who witnessed the killing. Emperor's Hand Mara Jade had been investigating a group of pirates known as the BloodScars in Shelsha sector in connection to six stolen paintings found in Moff Glovstoak's possession, and when she arrived aboard the Reprisal, Ozzel and Colonel Somoril mistakenly believed that her arrival was part of a high-level investigation into the incident regarding the rogue stormtroopers. They conspired in an unsanctioned scheme to kill her after discovering that she had accessed the ship's personnel files, bridge log, and flight log. Ozzel was certain that an Emperor's Hand wouldn't be sent on a trivial mission to eliminate pirates, and he believed that her main mission was to investigate the stormtroopers who deserted. Ozzel realized the repercussions of killing such an Imperial agent would be great, but Somoril managed to convince the captain to head for the Gepparin system to attack the pirate base where Jade was located. The colonel's reasoning was that Imperial agents, even an Emperor's Hand, could easily end up somewhere during a military strike and be killed. Ozzel only agreed because he didn't want the desertion of the stormtroopers to get in the way of his ultimate goal of achieving the rank of admiral. The plan failed, however, when Ozzel chose to follow the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Chewbacca, rather than complete the attack on the pirate base. The rest of the Falcon's crew was aboard the stolen ISB TL-1800 freighter Gillia with the stormtroopers who deserted from the Reprisal as the two groups had joined forces to investigate the pirates' base. He had the Reprisal jump to the Alderaan system in an effort to pursue the freighter, but was unsuccessful in intercepting them. Jade was ultimately unable to prove his complicity, but suggested to Darth Vader that he should keep a close eye on Ozzel, a suggestion that evidently appealed to the newly-appointed Supreme Commander's dark sense of humor.

Ozzel unexpectedly achieved his aim of being promoted to Fleet Admiral as a result of Mara Jade's suggestion. He was assigned to the Super Star Destroyer Executor, the flagship of both Darth Vader and the task force Death Squadron, as its commanding officer. Captain Firmus Piett was assigned his senior subordinate. Perhaps simultaneously, he was also promoted to overall commander of Death Squadron after Admiral Amise Griff's death, a promotion assisted in part by the loss of the cadre of able officers whom Wilhuff Tarkin had assembled aboard the Death Star. When he was first made admiral, many officers saw him as Vader's equal. Speculation abounded as to the exact nature by which Ozzel achieved his prestigious command position. Many believed older ties between Imperial military command and Ozzel's bloodline were chiefly responsible for his sudden and inexplicable rise. Another theory explained his achievement as Ozzel acting as a figure-head of command in Vader's fleet, aside from Vader himself, to appease the high-ranking members of the general staff.

Hunt for the Rebel headquarters
Ozzel was in command of hunting down the headquarters of the Alliance High Command using whatever devices he deemed necessary. To this end, he took a very personal approach to his mission, preferring to follow up substantial leads himself. This often meant diverting the fleet on less than productive forays, which soon earned the ire of Vader who grew tired of these indulgences. As a result, Ozzel was relegated to the true position of figure-head that he occupied, serving merely as a go-between for issuing Vader's orders to the Executor's rank and file. One of these raids proved to be successful, as Ozzel led Death Squadron alongside Vader from the Executor into a battle against the Rebel fleet in .75 ABY. During the fleet engagement, Rebel mathematician-turned-brainwashed Imperial agent Jorin Sol attempted to assassinate the Rebel commanders aboard their flagship Rebel One, and Imperial Lieutenant Janek Sunber tried to capture Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa to deliver them to Vader. Additionally, Imperial forces were waiting at the next Rebel pre-arranged rendezvous point, their escape algorithm having been discovered. Unaware of Jorin Sol's revelation of this fact to the Rebels, Ozzel believed that the battle would bring about the end of the Rebellion. The engagement decimated the Rebel fleet and severely damaged Rebel One, but the Rebels managed to scatter and eventually recover. Their escape was not Ozzel's fault, however. He later reported that their sensors had picked up an escape pod from Rebel One, presumably carrying Lieutenant Sunber. It was Ozzel who gave Captain Needa command of the Avenger, and as a result, Vader regarded Needa and Ozzel's close advisors with suspicion. Ozzel gave Needa and the Avenger independent assignments to check on leads. When the Avenger was with the rest of Death Squadron, Ozzel had the ship in the point position, which was considered a prestigious assignment. Ozzel was known to have publicly criticized Vader during his time as admiral.

Ozzel had Viper probe droids dispersed throughout the galaxy in an effort to locate the Rebel headquarters. He was confident that, having searched through a large area of space by 3 ABY, Death Squadron would soon locate the Rebels. He did, however, request for more ships to be assigned to the fleet. Due to the rising amount of support for the Alliance, there were no available units. Piett and his staff received a transmission from a probe droid launched from the Star Destroyer Stalker. The transmission displayed the Rebel power generator, suggesting there was life in the supposedly uninhabitable system of Hoth. Piett, knowing that Ozzel would likely ignore the signal, initially went to Darth Vader with the news. When informed, and despite his tendency to indulge in unsubstantial leads, Ozzel dismissed the lead by stating that the generator most likely belonged to smugglers. He demanded proof and not simple leads from Piett. Vader, however, was certain that they had found the Rebel base. Ozzel still did not believe that the Rebels were on Hoth, and he asked Piett of what the intelligence evaluation computers said. The computers saw the data index as low, but the Force informed Vader that the Rebels&mdash;including Luke Skywalker&mdash;were indeed there. The Dark Lord of the Sith ordered his fleet to the Hoth system, and Ozzel had no choice but to follow Vader's orders.

Death


Believing that he could best defeat the Rebels by surprising them, Ozzel brought the fleet out of hyperspace very close to the sixth planet of the Hoth system. When General Maximilian Veers informed Vader of Ozzel's action, the Dark Lord immediately saw the admiral's foolishness: Ozzel had inadvertently alerted the Rebels to their presence, which allowing them to activate an energy field. The activation of the shield rendered an orbital bombardment useless. Another result of Ozzel's action, Vader realized, was that the destruction of the Rebel base would be a costly ground battle. The end result would be a waste of available resources instead of a simple bombardment. Via a viewscreen, Ozzel began to report that the fleet had entered the Hoth system. Before he could finish, however, Vader Force choked Ozzel to death and simultaneously made his subordinate officer, Piett, commander of the Executor. In the end, Ozzel's mistake had cost Vader young Skywalker and his allies, though the battle had resulted in a victory for the Empire.

Following the battle, Ozzel's remains were sent to his homeworld of Carida, where he was honored at a ceremony. According to Imperial propaganda compiled by Imperial adviser Alec Pradeux regarding the Battle of Hoth, Ozzel was killed when the Rebels bombarded the Executor with a planetary energy emplacement.

Personality and traits
"Captain Ozzel likes simple, comfortable routines. The man is excruciatingly predictable."

- Caaldra

Kendal Ozzel was considered inept, disloyal, easily manipulated, stupid, and predictable by many Imperials and others. . These traits made many wonder how he achieved his rank of admiral. Darth Vader shared this opinion of him after Ozzel brought Death Squadron out of hyperspace too close to Hoth, a move with which the admiral had hoped would surprise the Alliance. As a result of his actions, the Alliance was able to detect the fleet of approaching Star Destroyers, activate Echo Base's shield, and evacuate the majority of the base.

Ozzel was also noted as being argumentative, bullish, and lacking common sense. Additional traits which often caused further problems. He was considered the ideal naval politician, and as far as he was concerned, he always won his arguments. He never knew when to be quiet, and he always insisted on having a say in major decisions. He was a disciplinarian, and every detail had to be perfect. However, Ozzel was known to let off-duty stormtroopers roam around without their armor on, which went against regulations. He did not like their presence on the ship, so he reached the unofficial agreement with the stormtrooper commanders, rather than having the troops confined to the barracks. He was also biased against women and non-Humans. He also intimidated lesser bureaucrats to increase his standing in the Navy.

Despite these flaws, Ozzel was an ambitious man. He viewed the elimination of Rebels as the fastest path to success within the Imperial Navy, and he hoped that his attempt to destroy the Rebels would eventually grant him the rank of admiral. Whenever he failed he would cast the blame onto his subordinates, which sparked an enmity between he and his subordinate and eventual replacement, Firmus Piett. Ozzel was willing to go to extreme measures to cover his mistakes, such as when he reluctantly agreed to kill Emperor's Hand Mara Jade, to silence potential information on the desertion of stormtroopers from the Reprisal. He was confident, however, and he felt relaxed while in the presence of Vader.

Portrayal and origins
Kendal Ozzel was played by Michael Sheard in The Empire Strikes Back, who also portrayed Adolf Hitler in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the third installment of George Lucas' other successful trilogy. In the audio drama version of The Empire Strikes Back, Ozzel was voiced by Peter Michael Goetz.

The name "Kendal" may be a reference to the character Danny Kendall from the British TV series Grange Hill, with whom Sheard's character, Mr. Bronson, had a long-standing enmity. The name first appeared in The Official Star Wars Fact File 4 in the UK (the reference was put in with Sheard's blessing). The name later made its way to the official Star Wars website's Databank.

Ambiguously canon content
Ozzel was later aboard the Executor in the Black Widow Nebula before the vessel was officially launched. Solo and Chewbacca were captured by the Executor, and Ozzel interrogated Solo on the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer about his presence in the nebula.

Continuity issues
There are inconsistencies between the various sources describing Ozzel's path to becoming Vader's senior subordinate in Death Squadron. Most notably, he appears as an admiral aboard the Executor under Vader's command in Scoundrel's Luck, which apparently takes place while Vader is still in a healing trance in his TIE Advanced x1 after the Battle of Yavin. In a NewsNet article in Star Wars Adventure Journal 12, it is mentioned that Ozzel was in command of Death Squadron before the Executor was commissioned and planned to transfer his flag to the new warship when it entered active service with Death Squadron; as a result, it is not clear whether or not Ozzel was indeed present at the commissioning ceremony as the Adventure Journal claims. These are contradicted by Allegiance, which shows Ozzel as commander of the Star Destroyer Reprisal (and not Death Squadron) while the Executor is active and under the command of Bentro. Another issue is that in The Hutt Gambit, Ozzel is said to be an admiral when he presided over Han Solo's trial, yet he does not become one until after Allegiance.

In Star Wars 40: The Empire Strikes Back: Battleground Hoth, artist Al Williamson incorrectly switches Ozzel's and Piett's roles. Additionally, Williamson and Carlos Garzon used reference photography of Lorth Needa's death for Ozzel's own death, so the two panels in which the scene is displayed greatly differ from the movie.

In Star Wars Adventure Journal 14, it is said that Ozzel's remains were returned to his homeworld, where he was honored at the Corulag Academy. However, Ozzel's Databank entry has established his homeworld as being Carida, not Corulag where the aforementioned academy is located.

Appearances

 * The Hutt Gambit
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Scoundrel's Luck
 * Allegiance
 * Star Wars Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novel
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars 39: The Empire Strikes Back: Beginning
 * Star Wars 40: The Empire Strikes Back: Battleground Hoth
 * The Empire Strikes Back radio drama
 * The Empire Strikes Back: The National Public Radio Dramatization
 * The Longest Fall
 * The Longest Fall
 * The Longest Fall

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga