Lorth Needa

"Apology accepted, Captain Needa."

- Darth Vader, after killing Needa for losing the Millennium Falcon

Lorth Needa was a human male who served as captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger, a ship assigned to the Sith Lord Darth Vader's Death Squadron, during the Battle of Hoth. In the midst of the battle, Needa successfully engaged several fleeing Rebel transports, but it was his pursuit of one&mdash;Captain Han Solo's Millennium Falcon&mdash;that sealed his fate. After a lengthy chase, the Avenger had the Falcon in its sights before Solo suddenly changed course and charged the Star Destroyer's bridge, only to disappear from its sensors. Not knowing how the Falcon could have eluded him, Needa decided to take responsibility for the situation and personally apologize to Vader, who killed him as punishment for losing the ship.

The Clone Wars
A human male hailing from Coruscant, Lorth Needa served in the navy of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. Needa took part in the Battle of Coruscant, in which Separatist General Grievous attacked the planet with a massive armada and kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. The Chancellor was rescued by Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, who boarded Grievous' flagship, the Invisible Hand.

Galactic Civil War
"Shields up."

- Captain Needa, after seeing the Millennium Falcon move to attack the Avenger

After the Clone Wars came to an end, Needa served in the Galactic Empire's Navy as an officer, commanding the Star Destroyer Avenger in Death Squadron, a task force of the Imperial Navy under the command of the Sith Lord Darth Vader. In the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin, Death Squadron was responsible for tracking down the hidden headquarters of the Rebel Alliance, an insurgent faction at war with the Galactic Empire for control of the galaxy. After discovering a Rebel base on the planet Hoth, Death Squadron launched an assault on the Rebel forces gathered there. During the fighting, which culminated in a resounding victory for the Empire, Needa and the Avenger engaged several Rebel ships in battle as they attempted to flee from the Imperial forces.

Among the Rebel vessels that found itself in Needa's sights was the Millennium Falcon, a freighter owned by Rebel sympathizer Han Solo. Solo, along with his co-pilot Chewbacca and the Rebel leader Princess Leia Organa, had fled from Imperial forces on Hoth, but with the Falcon hyperdrive non-operational, they were unable to make the jump to hyperspace and escape from the Star Destroyers in orbit. Needa and the Avenger closed in on the Falcon, but Solo outmaneuvered his pursuers, causing the Avenger to nearly collide with two other Star Destroyers. Solo and company took refuge in a nearby asteroid field, whereupon the Empire lost track of them for a time. Via hologram, Needa informed Darth Vader that the Falcon had likely been destroyed in the asteroid field, but the Sith Lord suspected otherwise and ordered the search to continue.

Sure enough, the Falcon had not been destroyed; after the freighter emerged from the asteroid field, the Avenger resumed its pursuit. With Vader informed of this development, Needa prepared to capture the elusive freighter, but Solo abruptly altered course and flew directly toward the Avenger bridge; a move Needa interpreted to be an attack run. He ordered the Star Destroyer to raise its shields, but the Falcon merely skimmed the surface of the command tower before disappearing from the warship's sensors. An incredulous Needa could not comprehend how the Falcon could have disappeared, since it was too small to have a functional cloaking device&mdash;unbeknown to the Imperials, Solo had merely attached his freighter to the rear of the Avenger bridge tower. Nevertheless, when Vader demanded an update on the Avenger progress, Needa decided to travel to the Super Star Destroyer Executor to personally apologize to the Sith Lord for losing track of his quarry. Needa did just that, whereupon the Sith Lord telekinetically strangled the captain to death as penalty for his failure. Vader mockingly accepted Needa's apology before a pair of Imperial Navy Troopers dragged his lifeless body away.

Personality and traits
Standing 1.75 meters tall, Captain Lorth Needa was a capable Star Destroyer commander within Darth Vader's fleet. Though he feared the Sith Lord, Needa decided to personally apologize to Vader after failing to capture the Millennium Falcon in the aftermath of the Hoth campaign. Vader "accepted" his apology, but Needa did not live to hear it.

Behind the scenes
Captain Needa appeared in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, released in 1980. He was portrayed by actor Michael Culver.

Before the Lucasfilm Story Group initiated a reboot of Star Wars canon in anticipation of the sequel trilogy, the backstory of Captain Needa&mdash;his first name having been identified as "Lorth"&mdash;had been explored and developed in a number of sources, including the novelization of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, in which he is a Republic naval officer present at the Battle of Coruscant (his scenes are not included in the film). The vast majority of this information has been relegated to the "Legends" realm of Star Wars continuity; as such, this article reflects only information found within the new established canon, which includes the films and the StarWars.com Encyclopedia.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Original Trilogy: A Graphic Novel
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back