Kaplan (colonel)

"We have an unsanctioned departure from Bay Two.''" "''Alert General Hux. And stop that fighter!"

- Petty officer Thanisson and Colonel Kaplan

Kaplan was a human male who served as a colonel in the First Order. In the year 34 ABY, Kaplan was posted in a hangar control room in Hangar Six on board the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer when it traveled to the planet Jakku in order to try and recover a portion of the map showing the location of the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.

After the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron was brought on board the Finalizer for questioning, he and the defecting First Order stormtrooper FN-2187 stole a TIE/sf space superiority fighter from Hangar Six in an attempt to escape. As the starfighter was still connected to its support cable it was prevented from leaving the hangar after takeoff, and Kaplan was alerted to the escape attempt by petty officer Thanisson. While Dameron attempted to disconnect the support line, FN-2187 blasted the main control room where Kaplan and Thanisson were standing, throwing them across the room in the explosion. The fighter then successfully escaped but crashed on Jakku.

Mission to Jakku
Kaplan was a human male who served in the military group known as the First Order during their conflict with the Resistance, an offshoot of the New Republic. In the year 34 ABY, Kaplan held the rank of colonel and was stationed on board the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer, where he was posted in the main control room for Hangar Six.

Kaplan was on board the Finalizer when it traveled to the planet Jakku in search of the retired explorer Lor San Tekka, who held a piece of a map to the location of the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. After the First Order deployed forces to San Tekka's home village of Tuanul, the explorer was killed and the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron was captured; however, the map was spirited away by Dameron's astromech droid BB-8, who the First Order failed to capture.

An unauthorized departure from Bay Two
"Fourteen failed. Eighteen&mdash;"

- A report given in Kaplan's control center shortly before its explosion

Dameron was brought on board the Finalizer for interrogation, but as the hunt for BB-8 began, the pilot was freed by FN-2187, a stormtrooper hoping to defect from the First Order. The trooper brought Dameron into Hangar Six under the pretense of escorting the prisoner and then hurriedly boarded one of the TIE/sf space superiority fighter in Bay Two of the hangar. When the pair attempted to take off they discovered the starfighter's support cable was still attached, preventing their escape and drawing the attention of petty officer Thanisson in the control room.

Thanisson immediately reported the unsanctioned departure to Kaplan, who ordered that the TIE be stopped from escaping while General Armitage Hux, head of the First Order's military, be alerted. Squads of stormtroopers carrying F-11D blaster rifles and FWMB-10 repeating blasters then attempted to shoot down the starfighter, but were unsuccessful as FN-2187 used the vehicle's Lb-14 dual heavy laser turret to blast many of them. The trooper then turned the turret on the control bridge, shattering the windows in an explosion and throwing Thanisson from his seat while Kaplan and the other officers present tried to cower away from the blast. Once Dameron managed to disconnect the fuel line, the fighter successfully escaped from the Finalizer and headed for Jakku, but was shot down en route and crashed on the planet's surface.

Personality and traits
Kaplan was fair-skinned and gray-eyed. He shared his surname with a famous warlord of the Galactic Empire whose name some First Order officers wore on commemorative bands.

Equipment
Kaplan wore a gray First Order military uniform including a cap.

Behind the scenes
"Get me communications with that vessel. Alert ship command, notify General Hux, and stop that fighter!"

- Kaplan's slightly altered line of dialogue in the novelization

Kaplan was portrayed by Pip Torrens in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, which was released on December 18, 2016. He was not named in the film itself but received identification in its credits. He also appeared in the novelization of the film written by Alan Dean Foster and released in conjunction with the film, in which his single line of dialogue is slightly altered.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novel
 * The Force Awakens, Part I

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens